Adrian Belew Leads All-Star Band Back to King Crimson’s ’80s Era

Former King Crimson bandmates Adrian Belew and Tony Levin will celebrate the band’s ’80s-era renaissance during a series of all-star North American dates with Steve Vai and Danny Carey.

Simply dubbed “Beat,” the band will present music from 1981’s Discipline, 1982’s Beat and 1984’s Three of a Perfect Pair. Their tour begins in San Jose, California, then makes stops in Los Angeles, San Diego, Toronto, Dallas, New York and Boston before wrapping in Las Vegas.

General pre-sale tickets go on sale beginning Friday, April 5, at www.BEAT-tour.com. Both meet-and-greet and VIP tour packages will also be available. A complete list of Beat tour stops is below.

READ MORE: How King Crimson Was Reborn on ‘Discipline’

Belew and Levin were invited to join King Crimson in 1981 and remained in the lineup until Robert Fripp put the group on hiatus again in 1984. They were also part of the next iteration from 1994 to 2008. Levin continued thereafter until what appears to be King Crimson’s final tour in 2021. Fripp has given his blessing to this new project.

“I went back to Robert and said, ‘Here’s what I’ve got,'” Belew tells UCR. “We talked about a lot of things. He had a lot of questions but he said, ‘What are you thinking of calling it?’ The producers had made up a name which had my name in it – which I didn’t like that much because I didn’t feel it represented the whole band, but I told Robert anyway. They wanted to call it Crimson Belew. He said, ‘Hmmm, oh.’ I could tell he was balking. I said, ‘Well, I don’t really like it either. I’m not happy with that, but what would you call it?'”

Fripp considered things for a moment, then said, “‘You know, I’ve always used the term ‘Discipline’ for all of my business and everything for years now. For 13 years, you and Tony and Pat Mastelotto have had your band camp and you guys called that ‘Three of a Perfect Pair.’ Why don’t you call it ‘Beat,'” Belew remembered with a laugh. “I said, ‘Will that get your support?’ He said, ‘Yeah, you have my support and blessing.'”

Adrian Belew and Steve Vai Have a Frank Zappa Connection

Like Belew, Steve Vai is a former guitarist with Frank Zappa. He has toured and recorded with David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, Alice Cooper, Motorhead and, most recently, Joe Satriani. “Robert Fripp is one of our historical geniuses,” Vai said in an official statement. “His highly specific and exceptionally brilliant guitar technique is studied and revered. His contribution to the quality of my musical life, and so many others is supreme.”

Carey is Tool’s co-founding drummer, and has also worked with Carole King and the Melvins. He also appeared on Belew’s 2005 album Side One. “Revisiting some of my favorite music is a treat in itself,” Levin added, “but in company of this stellar lineup, I expect to have my musical butt kicked.”

There was an initial schism when Fripp decided to jumpstart King Crimson without Belew in 2013, but they mended fences a few years later.

Beat, Performing the Music of ’80s King Crimson9/12: San Jose, CA @ San Jose Civic9/13: Napa, CA @ Blue Note Napa Summer Sessions at Meritage Resort9/14: Los Angeles, CA @ The United Theater on Broadway9/15: Anaheim, CA @ City National Grove of Anaheim9/17: San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s Concerts9/18: Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre9/20: Austin, TX @ The Paramount Theatre9/21: Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Centre9/22: Dallas, TX @ Majestic Theatre9/24: Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern9/26: Fort Lauderdale, FL @ The Parker9/27: Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live9/28: Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall9/29: Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall10/01: Charlotte, NC @ Knight Theater10/02: Durham, NC @ Carolina Theatre of Durham10/04: Washington, DC @ Warner Theatre10/05: New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre10/06: Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre10/08: Richmond, VA @ Carpenter Theater in Dominion Energy Center10/09: Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie Center10/11: Boston, MA @ Shubert Theatre10/12: Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom10/14: Halifax, NS @ Rebecca Cohen Auditorium10/15: Moncton, NB @ Casino New Brunswick10/17: Montreal, QC @ Theatre Maisonneuve10/18: Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall10/19: Rochester, NY @ Kodak Center10/21: Albany, NY @ The Egg10/22: Greensburg, PA @ Palace Theatre10/23: Reading, PA @ Santander Performing Arts Center10/25: Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre10/26: Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre10/27: Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre10/28: Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium10/30: Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre11/01: Chicago, IL @ Copernicus Center11/02: Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theatre11/03: Madison, WI @ Orpheum Theater11/04: Minneapolis, MN @ State Theatre11/06: Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre11/08: Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels

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