Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Experimental rock innovators King Crimson may be no more, yet due to a couple key members of a particularly fruitful period and a few friends, the group’s proggy, arty, funky, post-punky, industrialized “Discipline” lives on.

The supergroup BEAT takes its moniker from the identically-titled album, featuring lead singer/guitarist Adrian Belew (Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Talking Heads) and bassist/Chapman Stick/synthesizer player Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, Liquid Tension Experiment, Stick Men) representing the Crimson camp, plus guitarist Steve Vai (Zappa, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake) and drummer Terry Bozzio (Zappa, U.K., Missing Persons) taking over for Tool’s Danny Carey.

After the prior foursome already came around and recorded “Neon Heat Disease: Live In Los Angeles,” the Copernicus Center was once again the site of another exciting chapter, not only introducing the latest line-up, but a refreshed set list spanning the aforementioned 1980s projects, “Three Of A Perfect Pair,” its newly added 1995 follow-up “Thrak” and a surprise cover.

Part one of the double-act evening got the momentum going with such rhythmic rumbles as “Dinosaur” and “Neurotica,” introducing the virtuoso players’ philosophies of using the source material as a launching pad for expanded and improvised interpretations.

Although always exciting and adventurous, BEAT never strayed too far to the point the pieces were unrecognizable, instead bringing “Neal And Jack And Me,” “Walking On Air,” “Industry” and other risk-takers into the present tense, while “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part III)” boldly built off 1973’s original envelope-pushing concept.

Following an intermission, the otherworldly instrumental jam “The Sheltering Sky” put the enraptured audience in a hypnotic trance, and in spite of being a full ensemble affair, Vai’s matchless pyrotechnics clearly steered the ship.

As the more than two-hour performance progressed, the selections became increasingly iconic and compelling thanks to the jittery “Sleepless,” the freight train-like “Frame By Frame” and the towering “Elephant Talk,” the latter being all the more breathtaking as a backdrop of that very mascot hung above the band.

The standing ovations turned constant as BEAT brought a mind-blowing “Indiscipline,” the Zappa tribute “City Of Tiny Lites” in the ever so appropriate company of three actual collaborators, in addition to the spoken word thriller “Thela Hun Ginjeet.”

Multiple members have already mentioned this North American tour will indeed be their very last collectively, which makes it imperative for King Crimson fans of any generation to catch a concert when they can, especially since the Copernicus Center can now count it as a classic.

For additional information on BEAT, visit BEAT-Official.com.

For a list of upcoming Danny Zelisko Presents and One Eleven Productions concerts, visit DZPLive.com and OneElevenProd.com.

Upcoming shows at Copernicus Center include Hablando Huevadas (Oct. 23); Hasta la Muerte (Oct. 30); Isabelle Georges (Nov. 3); Mijares (Nov. 5); NPC Midwest Gladiator (Nov. 7); Diego Figueiredo (Nov. 12); Asim Azhar (Nov. 13);  tripleS (Nov. 18); Wayne Baker Brooks (Nov. 21); La Casetera (Nov. 21); KAPO (Nov. 22); Kickin’ Off Christmas Cabaret (Nov. 23) and My Christmas Spectacular (Nov. 28). For additional details, visit CopernicusCenter.org.

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