By Alan Welding
Forming in 1968, King Crimson was hard to define, hard to describe, and hard to pinpoint what label of music one would want to pin on. To this day, that is still true. This is not music for the masses but for the individual. Tuesday night, Greensburg PA gathered just under 1400 individuals to witness something unique and special. Four of the best musicians in the business today joined in cranking out King Crimson songs from 1981-1984 to create the BEAT Tour. As former King Crimson member Adrian Belew puts it, “King Crimson created a music all its own. Timeless. Beautiful. Complex. Fierce. For the fans who lived through it then, and the ones who never got to witness it, we aim to bring it to life again. A monumental task but we’re going for it! There are not enough exclamation points to express my excitement!”
And excited the band was. With Adrian Belew on guitar (King Crimson/Bowie/Zappa), Tony Levin (King Crimson/Peter Gabriel) on bass, Danny Carey (Tool) on drums, and Steve Vai (Zappa, DLR Band, solo) looked and sounded like they were having a blast. Their take on these classic works was nothing short of brilliant. It’s the kind of stuff that just leaves you with your jaw on the floor watching in amazement.
The guitar work was in short otherworldly. Belew is best known for his versatility and the ability to create music out of sound, not just notes. The sheer number of effects pedals was mind-boggling and begs the question of how one could even remember what combination of pedals to push. To his right was a virtuoso in his own right, Steve Vai, who has created a name as one of the best guitar players on Earth. Vai is a technical master who manages to somehow throw soul into his playing. And Tony Levin? The legend on bass also played keyboards at times, used crazy “finger sticks” to accentuate his bass lines, and often played with a “Chapman Stick” that produced unique tones and looked very difficult to play. Last but not least was whom many consider to be the best drummer in rock today, Danny Carey of Tool. Carey’s playing is softly intense at times and radically rhythmic at others. His style fits perfectly with the ‘prog’ style of King Crimson.
Playing to a crowd filled with music nerds, musicians, and prog-rock enthusiasts, the band enjoyed the small venue and the chance to play these incredibly complex and layered tunes that beg to be remembered by being played live. With a 19-song set list from the three iconic 80s KING CRIMSON albums – Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair, the band did not necessarily play note for note but a self-described reinterpretation of said songs (setlist). Highlights of the evening included watching Levin’s bass prowess (especially on the Chapman Stick), Danny Carey’s drum work just after the intermission and before “Waiting Man”, Vai’s crazy solos, Belew’s guitar sounds on “Elephant Talk,” and the instrumental “Red” which was dedicated to Robert Fripp & Bill Bruford. The BEAT Tour continues in Cleveland on Friday 10/25 if you can catch them, plus more dates here.




