Beat - 2025 - Live

(111:00; InsideOut Music)






















King Crimson are/were a band who have continued to reinvent themselves, always with Fripp solidly at the helm. He decided in 1974 that the band was over forever, and went away and did different things, including a lot of session work, but by 1980 he decided it was time to form a new band, which he was going to call Discipline. Bruford was back onboard,  and was soon joined by Adrian Belew (Bowie, Zappa), the first time Fripp would be working with another guitarist, with the line-up finally being settled by the addition of Tony Levin who Fripp had played with in Peter Gabriel’s band. Of course, the name was soon changed to King Crimson, and this quartet recorded three groundbreaking albums in quick succession before Fripp again shut down the band, ‘Discipline’, ‘Beat’, and ‘Three of a Perfect Pair’. 

In 2024 it was announced a new band had been formed by Adrian Belew and Tony Levin to recreate the songs from that period. Apparently both Bruford and Fripp were asked if they wanted to join but declined, but Fripp gave them his blessing and also suggested a name, BEAT, taken from the album. The two other members who made this a reality are none other than guitar icon Steve Vai and Tool’s powerhouse drummer Danny Carey, and together they have been touring, selling out 65 North American shows in 2024, following that with an equally triumphant run across Mexico and South America in 2025, with this live album recorded in Los Angeles in September last year.

Only Fripp has played more with Crimson than Levin, while Belew returned for another 14 years when the band reformed in 1994, and both are well-known for their own works in taking music in strange and wonderful directions. Vai cut his teeth with Zappa, and is master of the seven-string, while Carey has been driving strange time signatures and complex playing throughout his time in Tool, and all four are master improvisors. Here they have taken the music  from 40 years ago, and brought it up to date for the modern age, with Vai obviously relishing the opportunity to play this style of music with another guitarist, something he has done little of since leaving Zappa in 1983 and with Belew he has a partner in crime who also wants to stretch the limits of what is possible with an electric guitar.

The quartet have really brought these albums to life, with many songs rarely (if ever) having been played live by Crimson themselves, and the result is something which is jagged, complex, sharp and real. The songs are being taken into new directions, as the guys do not have limits, playing with the abandon one would expect from seeing Crimson live, and consequently this is essential to anyone who is a fan of the originals. This is challenging stuff, so if you do not know/love the original albums this may be a little much, but for fans this 19-track 1 hour 51 minutes long journey is a heck of a ride.  

Kev Rowland, December 2025

Links:
https://beat-tour.com/
https://www.insideoutmusic.com/

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