[UPDATE]: Due to overwhelming demand, the new King Crimson tribute project BEAT featuring former band members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin has added 21 new shows to its inaugural tour. Belew and Levin will head out on the road with Tool drummer Danny Carey and venerable guitarist Steve Vai for what is now a 65-date fall tour. The trek will see the supergroup perform selections from the three albums King Crimson released in the 1980s: Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair, though Vai indicated other selections from the group’s vast discography could also show up in setlists.
The new dates include second and even third appearances in some markets throughout November and December. Picking up where the original tour left off, the new stretch includes coast-to-coast concerts beginning on November 18th in Thousand Oaks, CA and running through December 18th in Highland, CA. Though the tour addition begins and ends in California, BEAT will traverse the country in that monthlong span for shows in Oregon, Oklahoma, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, and more.
“Adrian, Steve, Tony and Danny heard your feedback so are responding with as many shows as possible this year,” the band wrote in this latest announcement.
A pre-sale for tickets to the newly announced BEAT tour dates is now accessible with the password “BEATTOUR” and runs until Thursday, June 27th at 10 p.m. local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 28th at 10 a.m. local time. See below for a list of new tour dates and visit the band’s website for tickets. Scroll down for further information on BEAT.
[4/3/24]: King Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin will celebrate the music of the seminal progressive rock band with a tour this fall alongside a new band featuring drummer Danny Carey (Tool) and guitar wizard Steve Vai. The project, dubbed BEAT, will perform selections from the three albums King Crimson released in the 1980s: Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair. Vai also indicated that other choice selections from the band’s discography could show up in setlists.
The extensive 42-date North American tour will kick off on September 12th in San Jose. BEAT will play theaters across the country in L.A., Dallas, New York City, Toronto, Cleveland, Nashville, Chicago, Denver, and many more before wrapping on November 8th in Las Vegas. The trek will follow summer tours for Tool and Belew’s Remain In Light celebration with Talking Head Jerry Harrison.
“The 1981 through 1984 King Crimson created a music all its own,” Belew said in a press release. “Timeless. Beautiful. Complex. Fierce. For the fans who lived through it then, and the ones who never got to witness it, our aim is to bring it to life again. A monumental task but we’re going for it! There are not enough exclamation points to express my excitement!”
Tool’s legacy has long been associated with the pioneering work of King Crimson. Aside from the progressive influences, King Crimson also played a stretch of shows opening for Tool back in 2001, which resulted in an onstage collaboration between Crimson mastermind Robert Fripp and Tool on “Sober“.
“I am very excited to share the stage with three of my favorite musicians on the planet,” Carey said. “Tony, Steve, and Adrian have always been a source of inspiration for me since the beginning of my career, and now to be able to share a bit of my musical journey with them is a dream come true.”
Related: Rush’s Alex Lifeson Joins Tool For “Jambi” In Toronto [Watch]
BEAT has earned the endorsement of famously prickly Robert Fripp, who even takes credit for coming up with the band’s name.
“This is the project that Adrian Belew called me about last Autumn,” Fripp wrote on Facebook, “a project which I support and fully encourage, and discussed with Steve Vai recently at McCabes in Santa Monica. Even, I suggested the name.”
An artist pre-sale is currently underway for tickets to the BEAT tour celebrating King Crimson, accessible using the code “BEATTOUR”. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 5th at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster.
The band recently sat for a lengthy interview with YouTuber and music producer/educator Rick Beato, available below. Belew also laid out a timeline of how the group came together (over five years) on his Facebook page.
BEAT: Belew, Vai, Levin and Carey Play 80’s King Crimson