King Crimson concluded its 2021 tour with a performance at Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo on December 8th, potentially marking the band’s final concert ever. The performance, the second of two nights at the venue, took place amidst complex travel restrictions imposed due to the emerging COVID-19 situation.
According to musician Tony Levin’s road diary, the tour was particularly challenging to organize, requiring significant effort from the band’s management. Japan implemented border closures in response to a novel COVID strain, effectively making King Crimson the last international group to tour the country in 2021. Levin noted the band was the first international group to tour Japan that year.
Bunkamura Orchard Hall, located in Tokyo, is a prominent concert venue. Setlist.fm maintains a record of performances at the hall, and Concert Archives provides a history of events held there. Levin described the atmosphere backstage as a mix of celebration and farewell, noting the difficulty of gathering the band and crew for a final group photograph – a situation he jokingly referred to as “herding cats.”
Levin documented moments before and during the concert, including a brief encounter with the three drummers speaking with attendees holding “Royal Package” tickets. He also shared that, despite a long-standing aversion to taking pictures during shows, he took a few panoramic photographs during the final performance, using a tripod to minimize disruption to the audience.
Bunkamura itself describes its mission as focused on creating the future through interaction with various cultures. The venue provides information on facility details, upcoming performances, and seating plans on its website.
