I watched a famous guitarist a few evenings ago. I am still not sure what to make of him.
So my daughter and I went to see King Crimson at the Rose Music Center in Huber Heights, Ohio. I’m not even sure why we went. I have KC’s first album, which I’ve played a few times. It’s good stuff, albeit slightly pretentious, but I wouldn’t consider myself a huge fan of it.
Anyway, Robert Fripp stood stage left, upstage. Sort of “way back there.” (Drummers were out front. Three drummers.) He stood like a statue, with headphones on, and stared at his bandmates while he played. He seemed to be intensely focused on them. His guitar technique can best be described as efficient, subtle, and very “non-flashy.” He mostly did rhythm with some occasional lead work. The latter was flawless, and was performed with complete confidence. And that’s probably the best adjective I can come up with when describing his playing: confidence.
Have never seen a guitarist quite like him. Unlike a lot of musicians, there was no “look at me” vibe. He was perfectly content to stay back in the shadows and do his thing. Though (again) I am not a big fan of the music style, I have a certain amount of respect and admiration for the way he played and presented himself.
Just too many to list!