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.”