The legacy of King Crimson lives through BEAT as former Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin team up with guitarist Steve Vai and Tool drummer Danny Carey for what is being touted as a “Creative reinterpretation of the three iconic 80s King Crimson albums, Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair. The new lineup kicked off their 2024 tour last night (September 12) at the San Jose Civic Center with a setlist that, as promised, explored King Crimson’s run in the early to mid-80s. The extensive tour is traveling across North America, and the first night’s setlist should have King Crimson diehards sprinting to catch BEAT in their local city.
The band stayed true to their promise as they bounced around the three LPs, pulling out classics, hits, and deep cuts. The most notable addition to the setlist is “Model Man,” the second song on 1984’s Three of a Perfect Pair. Last night was the first time the song was ever performed live by any members of King Crimson. The night was divided into two sets, the first consisting of nine songs while the second contained 10. They kicked things off with “Neurotica” and then quickly slid into songs like “Neal and Jack and Me” and “Heartbeat.” They wrapped up set one with “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part III)” and started set two with “Waiting Man.” BEAT did venture out of their promise of focusing on 80s Crimson when they pulled out the instrumental title track from their 1974 LP Red.
With night one of their tour in the books, BEAT sets out to bring King Crimson’s 80s-era to different corners of the continent. They will stay in California for a few dates, with stops in Napa, Los Angeles, and San Diego before heading to Phoenix. The band will stop in Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, and a few dates in Canada. You can check out their complete schedule, setlist, and footage from last night’s show below.
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FM Setlist is incorrect. King Crimson performed Model Man live in the 80s