King Crimson tribute supergroup BEAT played its first-ever concert on Thursday, diving deep into the prolific prog-rock band’s 1980s era. Led by former King Crimson members Adrian Belew (guitar) and Tony Levin (bass), the band also features guitar whiz Steve Vai and Tool drummer Danny Carey.
As promised, BEAT centered its focus on King Crimson’s 1980s output: 1981’s Discipline, 1982’s Beat, and 1984’s Three of a Perfect Pair. Within those confines, BEAT covered longtime KC staples like the opening “Neurotica”, “Frame by Frame” and “Elephant Talk” in set two with closer “Indiscipline”, and a double encore of “Red” and “Thela Hun Ginjeet”. But before diving into many of those time-tested classics in the second set, BEAT used the first frame to mine the ’80s albums for rarities that haven’t been seen in decades, if at all.
First, BEAT dug up Three of a Perfect Pair‘s “Dig Me” which hadn’t been performed by King Crimson or any of the members’ myriad side projects since 1984. The biggest surprise came immediately after, as the band brought out “Model Man” from the same 1984 album for its first live performance by any members of Crimson’s ever-shifting lineup. The first set saw a couple more bust-outs on “Man with an Open Heart” and the set-closing “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part III)”, both off Three of a Perfect Pair and neither performed since 1984.
“It’s amazing to hear and amazing to see,” Levin told Guitar World ahead of the tour opener. “I’m a photographer in addition to being a bass player, and my temptation is to pick up the camera and take pictures of them about every 30 seconds! I have to remind myself to stick to my job and leave the photography for in-between pieces.”
Belew and Levin toured and recorded with King Crimson from 1981 until bandleader Robert Fripp put the band on hiatus in 1984. They were both part of reunited lineups from 1994 to 2008, with Levin taking part in what was thought to be King Crimson’s final tour in 2021. King Crimson previously opened for Tool on a brief 2001 tour, and Danny Carey has been unabashed in his love for the band’s drummer Bill Bruford. Carey also contributed to Belew’s 2005 album Side One.
BEAT has a marathon 65-show tour ahead, with the band playing almost nightly across the U.S. and Canada until December 18th. Find tickets and a full list of tour dates here and see below for videos from the band’s first-ever show.
King Crimson — “Neurotica” — 9/12/24
[Video: BrianMillerConcerts]
Setlist: BEAT | San Jose Civic | San Jose, CA | 9/12/24
Set One: Neurotica, Neal and Jack and Me, Heartbeat, Sartori in Tangier, Dig Me [1], Model Man [2], Man With an Open Heart [1], Industry, Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part III) [1]
Set Two: Waiting Man, The Sheltering Sky, Sleepless, Frame by Frame, Matte Kudasai, Elephant Talk, Three of a Perfect Pair, Indiscipline
Encore: Red, Thela Hun Ginjeet
[1] First performance by King Crimson members since 1984
[2] FTP by King Crimson members in any capacity
The post Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Danny Carey, Steve Vai Kick Off BEAT Tour With King Crimson Rarities [Full Video] appeared first on L4LM.
