After spending quarantine performing goofy covers with his wife Toyah Willcox, Robert Fripp is ready to return to the road with his King Crimson bandmates. Today, the legendary prog-rock outfit mapped out an extensive US tour running from July to September 2021.
King Crimson’s “Music is Our Friend Tour” will see Fripp leading a seven-piece lineup also featuring bassist Tony Levin, vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Jakko Jakszyk, multi-instrumentalist Mel Collins, and three drummers: Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harris, and Jeremy Stacey.
Better yet, joining King Crimson for select dates will be The Zappa Band, featuring Zappa alumni Ray White (lead vocals, guitar), Mike Keneally (guitar, keys, vocals), Scott Thunes (bassist) and Robert Martin (keyboards, sax, vocals), alongside Zappa Plays Zappa alums Jamie Kime (guitar) and Zappa archivist Joe “Vaultmeister” Travers (drums, vocals).
In a statement announcing the tour, Fripp proclaimed:
“The Crimson Beast Of Terror has woken from its enforced slumbering and is venturing out to stomp flat the psyches of innocents not yet experienced in the hammering onslaught of King Crimson’s uncompromising pounding – bish! bish! bish! – before turning on a beat to jellify hearts with gut-wrenching passion and soul-squeezing epic unfoldings to remind us that we are all mere subjects in the unfolding drama of the universe’s unfathomable mysteries while simultaneously rocking out and having a great time bopping about with Tony and Bobby and Gavin and Jakko and Mel and Pat and Jezza too.”
The tour officially launches on July 22nd in Clearwater, FL, and runs 28 dates in total. Check out the full itinerary below. Tickets will be available for purchase via Ticketmaster or Stubhub.
King Crimson 2021 Tour Dates:
07/22 – Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
07/23 – Delray Beach, FL @ Old School Square
07/24 – St. Augustine, FL @ St Augustine Ampitheater
07/26 – Orlando, FL @ Dr. Phillips Walt Disney Theater
07/27 – Atlanta, GA @ The Fox
07/28 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
07/30 – Fort Worth, TX @ Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium
07/31 – Cedar Park, TX @ H-E-B Center
08/02 – Greenwood Village, CO @ Fiddlers Green Amiptheater
08/03 – Sandy, UT @ Sandy Ampitheater
08/05 – Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion *
08/06 – Los Angeles @ The Greek *
08/07 – Scottsdale, AZ @ Talking Stick Ballroom
08/23 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ SPAC *
08/24 – Northampton, MA @ The Pines Theater *
08/26 – Canandaigua, NY @ CMAC *
08/27 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark Ampitheater*
08/28 – Rochester Hills, MI @ Meadow Brook Ampitheater *
08/29 – Highland Park, IL @ Ravinia *
08/31 – Milwaukee, WI @ Miller High Life Theatre *
09/01 – Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica *
09/02 – Huber Heights, OH @ Rose Music Center @ The Heights *
09/04 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center *
09/05 – New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl *
09/07 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Mann Center *
09/09 – Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium *
09/10 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion *
09/11 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem *
* = w/ The Zappa Band
