“I haven’t used this guitar for 40 years”
Like all great monarchies, the reign of Robert Fripp’s King Crimson has had various epochs. In a stroke of genius, members of the 1980s kingdom in bassist Tony Levin and guitarist/singer Adrian Belew decided to revisit the three classic albums from the band’s Reagan administration years, and with the wise choice of Zappa alumnus Steve Vai replacing Fripp, along with Tool drummer Danny Carey, filled the Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center with songs and sounds that still sound futuristic and inspiring.
As Belew joked about his guitar, he also wryly commented after the opening pieces “Neurotica” and “Neal, Jack and Me” that “now we’ll start playing some complex material. The aforementioned tunes typified the 2 hour concert, as the tricky melodies, intricate rhythms and angular solos provide by both Vai and Belew mixed fiendishly sophisticated themes with relentless grooves, as well as catchy choruses from the vocal harmonies. Vai’s sinewy solo, using the whammy bar like a magicians wand, and pedals like a Formula One driver on pieces like “Sartori In Tangier” and “The Sheltering Sky” were both futuristic and timeless, while unison work with Belew on “Model Man” over Carey’s thunderous beat was kaleidoscopic.
The virtuosic Levin, switching between his patented Chapman Stick on the jam of “Heartbeat” to adding extensions to his fingertips on the rapid run around the slashing guitar chords of “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part III) created both moves and grooves. On keyboards, he added a synthy pulse to the somber and spacey atmosphere to the dystopic “Industry” as Vai and Belew seared t heir strings around Carey’s ricochets. Belew, meanwhile used a chordless drill during “ Elephant Talk” with the team presenting tunes from the albums that had never previously seen the light of day before an audience, mixing obscurities like the Devo-ish “Dig Me” with anthems such as “Red” and the relentlessly cerebral “A Full Heart”.
As any student of history can attest, the challenge of every king is the choice of heir, be it through selection or heredity. The BEAT quartet displayed that Fripp’s empire is in good hands. Long live the king!
Upcoming shows at BAPAC Thousand Oaks include Mannheim Steamroller Christmas 11/27, The Music Of Steely Dan `01/05, Three Dog Night 01/24 and Lyle Lovett 03/03