BEAT : BELEW, LEVIN, VAI, BOZZIO AND THE REINTERPRETED MUSIC OF KING CRIMSON LIVE IN LAS VEGAS
Updated: 2 hours ago
BEAT brought an intense night of eclectic progressive rock to the Virgin Theater in Las Vegas, a unique supergroup and touring project formed in 2024. BEAT consists of King Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin, as well as guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, and the debut of Terry Bozzio for this tour ( Frank Zappa, Missing Persons) who stepped in for Tool's Danny Carey, and the show is a creative reinterpretation and celebration of the music of King Crimson.
The supergroup definitely has a following, and the Virgin Theater was a perfect setting for the extensive show. Beat includes music from the 80's era from King Crimson's albums Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair , and the show was split into two sets, starting with "Dinosaur". The first set concentrated heavily on music from Beat, and a few unexpected 90's cuts from THRAK, with Vai handling complex Robert Fripp guitar parts with his own signature style, a compliment to the intricate leads from original King Crimson frontman Adrian Belew.
The second set was definitely a more powerful one, with almost every song from the album Discipline. I overheard someone say "I've never heard anything like this. Very Unique" - and that's the best way to describe it. They are all such fantastic legendary musicians, all on one stage for this magnificent show.
With the inclusion of Terry Bozzio on drums for this tour, they added a Frank Zappa tune for the first encore, with to 3 out of 4 BEAT members being Zappa alumni at some point in their careers. They performed "City of Tiny Lights" which was a song Belew originally sang on Zappa's 1980 album Sheik Yerbouti. The finale of the night came with "Thela Hun Ginjeet" to a roar of approval from the crowd.
Overall, it was a superb concert and an event to remember. A nostalgic King Crimson experience, with a cast of celebrated musicians. The tour continues into December in the US, more on the band and dates HERE.
BEAT photos David Plastik / VintageMusicImages.com
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