Followers of the liberal stone pioneers/innovators were thrilled when it was announced that an all-star” gift group” would become revisiting King Crimson‘s three traditional 1980s albums in concert halls across North America back in April 2024, with King Crimson taking a new hiatus and founder/visionary Robert Fripp focusing on different projects. With the help of Shred star Steve Vai playing the Fripp part, and Tool musician Danny Carey tackling the difficult percussion parts that were originally thought by Bill Bruford, the assembled team had some music nerds ‘ jaws hitting the floor. Tickets for the King Crimson visit were quickly purchased because the King Crimson popularity is a little but devoted following. You ca n’t blame those fans either: this tour had the potential to be spectacular, especially for the generations that were n’t able to see the King Crimson quartet until more than 40 years ago.
Spawning the much-lived tracks Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Great Pair, that 1981-1984 time of King Crimson’s tenure as progressive rock traditions remains one of the most surprising artistic swings in rock history. Following a spectacular run in 1968 and 1974 that saw Fripp and company take rock music in thrilling new directions with classics like In the Court of the Crimson King, Larks ‘ Tongues in Aspic, and Red, King Crimson disband. Along with forgeding his solo career, Fripp would later collaborate with luminaries like Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, and David Bowie.
However, in 1981, King Crimson were resurrected in a startling fashion. Featuring Talking Heads and Frank Zappa collaborator Belew on guitar and vocals, the innovative session whiz Levin, and 1970s holdover Bruford, the foursome integrated post-punk, new wave, funk, Afrobeat, and minimalism on the astonishing Discipline album. Like all the tremendous visionary rock albums over the decades – Tago Mago, Autobahn, Low, Loveless – Discipline left many listeners wondering how four musicians could create music so tight, so complex, so bizarrely catchy, and are they, in fact, human at all?
1,500 people gathered in Montreal’s opulent Place des Arts to watch such strange, challenging music perform live, the majority of them men over the age of 60. At 8: 00pm precisely, BEAT casually took to the stage: Carey in his usual t-shirt and shorts behind a single-kick drum kit about half the size of his usual Tool kit, Levin in a snappy black jeans/white blazer ensemble, Belew looking like he just arrived from boating in Cape Cod, and Vai clad in a wonderfully garish, red zoot suit, including a black wide-brim hat with feather. Because why not?
As soon as BEAT launched into the frenetic” Neurotica”, Belew manically shouting,” Good morning, it’s 3: 00am in this great roaring city full of garbage eaters”! it was off to the races: Levin tapping his signature Chapman Stick, Carey bursting into jazz fusion flourishes, Vai unleashing atonal riffs, Belew nattering on about hippos, impalas, and gibbons while holding down the fort on rhythm guitar. From the first measure, BEAT were locked in, yet communicative with each other and playful. Considering the big smiles on the musicians ‘ faces, the music might require a math degree to disseminate, but this was pure fun.
The first half of the set focused on lesser-known tracks from 1982’s Beat and 1984’s Three of a Perfect Pair. ” Neal and Jack and Me” had Belew channeling Jack Kerouac atop his and Vai’s nimble, chiming guitar work. The skronky noise riffs from” Dig Me” made for a fascinating contrast with Belew’s yearning, melodic chorus of” I’m ready to leave” and Sonic Youth‘s skronky noise riffs that predated the band.
The closest BEAT would ever get to a “mainstream-friendly” song that night, the gentle new wave of” Heartbeat” brought a comfy, 1980s adult contemporary vibe to the venue, the seemingly ageless Belew in wonderful vocal form. Two instrumentals were especially fun surprises:” Sartori in Tangiers” saw Carey propelling the song with African percussion as Vai added colorful textures, while the raucous” Larks ‘ Tongues in Aspic, Pt. II I” provided for all four band members to perform solo shows, which Levin’s quick basslines and Vai’s unique whammy bar divebombs highlighted. Meanwhile,” Industry” took the show into murkier, atmospheric territory, allowing for extended improvisation by Vai and Belew.
After a 20-minute intermission, the real fun kicked in. ” Waiting Man” and the gorgeous” The Sheltering Sky” eased the adoring audience into the latter half, with Vai adding beautiful, layered harmonics to the latter song. ” Sleepless” featured a frenetic performance by Levin, whose “funk finger” finger extensions added a wicked slap tone to his rapid bassline. Meanwhile, the timeless” Frame By Frame” was a brilliant showcase for Belew and Vai, the former cranking out post-punk riffs while the latter adopted a finger-tapping approach to Fripp’s skittering, arpeggiated riff. Discipline‘s sultry” Matte Kudasai” was performed beautifully, Belew’s slide guitar melodies floating in the proverbial ether.
The Montreal audience was so in tune with King Crimson’s music that almost every song received standing ovations, but everyone was enthralled by the show’s concluding half hour. The crowd lit up as soon as Levin’s Chapman Stick delivered the introduction to the unmatched” Elephant Talk,” and BEAT were clearly having a blast playing one of King Crimson’s most whimsical and danceable songs. A sublime rendition of” Three of a Perfect Pair” allowed for a little breather ( and sing-along ) before” Indiscipline” brought things to a raucous climax, with Belew at his most playful, closing the second set with the song’s trademark,” I love it”! As we all did.
The encore featured a wonderful surprise, the iconic 1973 song” Red,” which featured Carey and Vai adding some heavy metal to the massive-sounding instrumental. Closing the night, of course, was the irresistible” Thela Hin Ginjeet”, which had more than a few people dancing in the aisles.
What started out as a cool little experiment has turned out to be a stunning success. In light of how well BEAT performs live onstage and how eager King Crimson fans are to see the tour, it feels like only the beginning of this project. The 74-year-old Belew and 78-year-old Levin remain a wonder to behold, impossibly energetic, the anchors for this project. Initially an eyebrow-raising choice as a guitarist, Vai has proved to be a fantastic inclusion. Vai stays true to the original material and never overdoes the flashiness, despite his ability to interpret Fripp’s guitar parts through his techniques. In the meantime, Carey excels with grace and discipline while playing some of the most challenging drum parts ever made. This concert was made for the ages by BEAT pulling it off in front of a knowledgeable and fun-loving audience with such palpable sense of joy.