Around the time many at the Majestic Theatre on Saturday night had been born, a rock group incorporating elements of several other genres was given birth in London and called itself King Crimson. Its style fit into the progressive metal side of things, but the public barely knew that term existed in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, let alone what it was.
Especially in America.
So, while four other guys from London were inventing heavy metal and, a few years later, four makeup-clad figures were taking the States by storm wearing larger-than-life costumes and blowing up stages while rock and rolling all nite and partying every day, King Crimson was proving to be ahead of its time.
Perhaps too far for its own good.
But the true test of a band is its longevity and timeliness of its music.
Fast forward four-plus decades to this past weekend. Two musicians who possess side credentials that alone should warrant each of them induction into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame celebrated their ‘80s stint in King Crimson. They were backed by a pair of modern musical stalwarts and together, call themselves Beat.
Led by singer/guitarist Adrian Belew and bassist/synthesizer player Tony Levin — each of whom made three King Crimson albums in the early ‘80s — Beat ventured to the historic downtown San Antonio venue for a 2-hour, 26-minute, no-opening-act-necessary performance (with a 20-minute intermission) that was as mesmerizing as it was scintillating.
The other half on stage came courtesy of renowned guitar wizard Steve Vai and Tool drummer Danny Carey — both chosen by Belew and said to have been approved by original King Crimson guitar mastermind Robert Fripp.
The quartet honored those ‘80s contributions — 1981 album Discipline, 1982’s Beat and 1984’s Three of a Perfect Pair, with the Majestic visit in front of 1,400 fans marking the 61st of a grueling 65-show trek.
Belew, who will turn 75 this Monday, took to the stage first at 7:30 p.m., sharp, wearing a white suitcoat with matching pants and shoes, green V-neck and black top hat. Simply smiling at the audience without saying a word, he was joined one at a time by Levin, Vai and Carey, each of whom did the same.
As the foursome dispersed to their stations, a woman inexplicably bellowed, “Play all the right notes!” Perhaps she was influenced by a quote Levin had given to the San Antonio Current in which he stated his bass work on John Lennon’s Double Fantasy had begun upon their initial meeting with the late Beatles legend telling him, “Don’t play too many notes.”
Ah, those side credentials.
Yes, Levin played on the final album recorded by Lennon prior to his death.
But wait, there’s more.
Levin, 78, has worked with Peter Gabriel since 1977. Other credits include Stevie Nicks, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Paul Simon, Sarah McLachlan and Liquid Tension Experiment.
Belew is right there with him. After having been discovered in 1970 by Frank Zappa while playing in a cover band in Nashville, Tennessee, called Sweetheart, Belew became a touring member of Talking Heads, Bowie and Nine Inch Nails to go along with his 30 years of fronting, co-writing and playing guitar in King Crimson.
As musicians who’ve mastered various styles of music, Belew and Levin might take pleasure in knowing that among the 1,400 on hand were S.A. Slayer guitar greats Bob Catlin, Ron Jarzombek and Art Villareal — who were making their own history in 1984 when Three of a Perfect Pair dropped, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the famed Slayer vs. Slayer show on Nov. 30 at The Villa Fontana.
They witnessed an exhibition that amazed both levels of the Majestic on various fronts, some of which can be seen via ATM’s balcony-view Facebook Live footage of Carey’s and Belew’s extended mini-bongo intro to “Waiting Man” segueing into instrumental “The Sheltering Sky” here plus “Frame by Frame” here.
But of course, ATM has to present multiple vantage points of coverage in honor of a band that exemplifies multiple styles. That can be seen below via the in-your-face-from-the-back-of-the-Majestic-balcony trifecta of the quirky “Elephant Talk,” Belew taking a hand drill to his guitar on “Three of a Perfect Pair” and Carey’s drum solo introing the even quirkier “Indiscipline.”
After that triple treat resulted in a standing ovation, the band returned for a pair of encores. At the Majestic, that could only mean one thing: fans that had been sitting throughout the performance bum rushing the stage, which can be seen via ATM’s Facebook Live footage from the front of the stage of finale “Thela Hun Ginjeet.”
Beat’s performance also unveiled an instrument that even those who’ve attended hundreds of concerts may never have seen live. The Chapman Stick is Levin’s unique 12-string (six guitar / six bass) neck-only finger-tapping tool of choice, and it can be seen via the 34-photo gallery and footage below, and heard on his solo album that dropped in September: Bringing it Down to the Bass.
To say King Crimson, er, Beat, offered up one of the year’s most memorable gigs wouldn’t be a bunch of gibberish. Heck, it wouldn’t even be elephant talk. It would simply be the truth. If you missed it, give yourself an elephant-sized kick in the pants.
BEAT setlist: (1st set) Neurotica, Neal and Jack and Me, Heartbeat, Sartori in Tangier, Model Man, Industry, Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part III). (2nd set) Waiting Man, The Sheltering Sky, Sleepless, Frame by Frame, Matte Kudasai, Elephant Talk, Three of a Perfect Pair, Indiscipline. ENCORES: Red, Thela Hun Ginjeet
