Beat in Clearwater, FL

What a show! And to think that I was apprehensive about buying a ticket. If you are on the fence, GO! They have added a lot of new dates, so chances are you can catch them if you want.

Setlist here

I haven't been to Ruth Eckerd Hall since the '90s to see the Pat Metheny Group (twice). It occurred to me about half way through the Beat set that the most synth guitar I've every seen played live has been in that building (though Beat took the prize for most whammy bar usage). Anyway, if you know the 3 early-'80s KC albums, you knew what to expect setlist-wise. They played 18 songs from those albums plus one surprise in the encore ("Red"). I'm not going to give a track by track review, but share a few thoughts.

Belew - An ageless wonder. His voice was amazing. He struggled a few times hitting some notes, but it wasn't anything cringe-worthy, and overall he sounded strong and clear. I can't believe he's 75 years old. His guitar playing was incredible as you might expect. I saw him years ago on Bowie's Sound + Vision tour, but he didn't get to go full-Belew. Glad I got to see him doing his thing. What a treasure.

Levin - Another ageless wonder. He and Belew had tons of energy. At one point, he was playing a synth and his bass at the same time, but not in unison. How do you keep time in your head that way and not miss a beat? Another guy I've seen before live, with Gabriel in the early '90s. Great to see him again pulling out all the stops on his stick instrument.

Carey - I'm not really a fan of Tool, but I know this guy is an amazing drummer. He didn't disappoint. He had at least one electronic piece like Bruford did back in the day, but it was mainly an acoustic kit. He did a solo during the intro to "Indiscipline," but otherwise wasn't too showy. Every now and then he'd pull of a fill that would take your attention away from Belew and Vai, like in "Sartori in Tangier." He is a great fit for this band.

Vai - Probably a controversial pick for this band, and maybe even a turn off for some. But I'm a fan of his so it didn't bother me. Yes, he did Vai things, but it wasn't egregious, and there was very little shredding. He took liberties with Fripp's solos, but he played the complex rhythm parts amazingly well. I've never seen him live, so I was happy to do so now.

Overall, I couldn't have asked for more...well, except better sound. When I saw Metheny in that venue, the sound was crystal clear. Beat was rather muddy, especially during the songs with vocals. They played for right around 2 hours with a 15 minute intermission, and a brief 2-mins or so break before the encore. Many of the songs (the instrumentals, mostly) were extended for additional soloing, which was fine with me. At no point did I feel things were going on too long.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2024 07:52PM by zoo.

Great writeup! I've heard good things about this tour so far and I will be seeing them when they come to DC at the end of the week.

Tony Levin is fun to watch and he's a good guy to boot. I've seen his other bands (Stick Men and the Levin Brothers) and he always comes out after the show to meet with anyone. The Beat tour venues don't really allow this, alas.

Fantastic! I've seen each of these excellent musicians at least once, and I'm a huge fan of the Eighties lineup of King Crimson. I'd love to see this band. As it happens, though, I'll be away on vacation when this tour reaches the Pacific Northwest. Glad you enjoyed the show so much, Zoo. Heff, enjoy it!

After seeing them last night I concur with Zoo's assessment. I would add another word (and one I wouldn't really associate with King Crimson) - fun. I've always thought that the 80s era of KC while enjoyable was still technical and to me a bit cold. Maybe the live version was as fun as last night. Belew coming out in a red suit with a mischievous grin should have tipped me off on what was to come. Throughout the night, listening to him and Vai play simultaneously or trade off, it was note perfect. As for Vai, like Zoo said, he seemed content to stay to the side and play. The only difference between him and Fripp would've been his moderately flashy clothes. That said, he did go a little wild during 'The Sheltering Sky' which I thought was a bonus.

I've seen Tony Levin in various bands (Peter Gabriel, KC, Levin Brothers and Stick Men) but this is the first time I've seen him play the bass with tubes on his fingers.

In the don't go to a KC show to meet women department: My wife went to use the bathroom during the intermission and she said that they had converted one of the women's room to men's because of the overflow of men.

The bit about the women's room is hilarious. I had other friends at the BEAT show and they all seem to have really enjoyed it.