The second set closer is also furiously exciting - a driving improv that keeps its intensity and focus for all of its 11 minutes. Aligned more purely with Bruford's danceable inclination, it fully takes flight toward that end, and ranks as one of the most successful portions of the evening. Still, it's rather more productive than how it began at Nashville, which felt like an idea being pulled in multiple rhythmic directions. 2 ii 1 has them beginning the second set by taking another swing at Presidents (aka the riffs that would grow into The ConstruKction Of Light), though only the opening bears that similarity at this point - Bruford always threw a radically different groove onto it, so the elaborations and developments are very different than what would grow into the official song. P1 is spiritually the direct successor to the Nashville Rehearsals, both in the riffage and in the rhythmic territory. Though P2 was technically the first ProjeKct into action, its initial efforts (captured on the Space Groove album) felt like a signal from another world. And it doesn't take long for the band to lock in to more aggressive territory - 2 i 2 flat out scorches - strings and rhythms aggressive but controlled with some marvelous distorted soloing, realizing the unfulfilled potential of the '97 Nashville Rehearsals. The dark opening of 2 i 1 clearly shows the band on firmer footing its seven and a half minutes of probing, while still rather open, reveal greater confidence and clarity. The second night of P1 is notable for the ways in which the musicians can stay locked in, grooves aflight, for longer and longer stretches of time overall a much tighter night than the first and a rousing next step for the ProjeKct.
Also of interest here is 2i4 which has many elements of Deception of the Thrush and a sci-fi tingler to close the second night in a dizzying wave of radiophonics. Things lurch into Smoke On The Water-style territory on 2ii1, whilst the appearance of a venerable drum machine setting the tempo takes folks by surprise on 2i5 if you like to hear Fripp and Gunn rocking out then these ones will do it for you. Some improvisations are tentative in nature whilst others blast ahead without a second glance. I’m not sure you’d want to hear a whole gig of it (and I’m not sure any of the players concerned would either) so fortunately things move forward at a sprightly pace, with 2i2 benefiting from an especially savage workout from Fripp. Never has so much bottom-end been pushed, prodded and rippled in the service of music as is done here. After what counts as arguably the most brooding and mysterious introductions ever made by the projeKcts (Levin’s upright bass is just sensational with spooky embellishments on the glockenspiel courtesy of Bill), there follows a lengthy bass jam from Gunn, Levin and Fripp. With the applause of the first night ringing in the rafters at the Jazz Café, the mood behind stage was confident, even bullish – people were enjoying themselves.