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Events and Reports - Adrian Belew - A night with Adrian Belew at BB King´s - August 8th 2006
Adrian Belew is probably best known for his work with monumental progsters, King Crimson. His experimental guitar tones, wacky effects and stellar voice in this band have given him an outstanding reputation in the prog world. His bio is deep and diverse, working with Zappa, Laurie Anderson, the Talking Heads and a bunch of other folks I am too lazy too google and find out right now.
Unfortunately, his solo material and the various other pop incarnations he has tried to develop have left me sleepy. I went to see this show on my birthday by accident, I thought Robin Trower was going to play but I ended up going anyway with some reservations and a bit of expectant enthusiasm as well.
Belew entered the stage with his new trio, a good looking young woman in a black dress on bass and a young man on drums. They were later introduced as Julie and Eric Slick a brother and sister team in their late teens. While they played extremely well for their age the novelty factor wore thin pretty quickly.
Most girls don't play bass with the aggression it takes to establish a solid groove. While Miss Slick had the chops and ideas to pull off interesting runs, when it came down to anchoring the band, there was something lacking the majority of the time, particularly her pick work. There are very few bassists who can pull off using a pick and when they do, their tone compensates for the loss of depth that occurs from switching from fingers to a pick. Chris Squire comes to mind with a blistering, half distorted Rick tone that drove Yes in their prime days. The first few songs were primarily played with a pick and her loose, open, strumming style did nothing to establish a foundation for the band. When she switched to using her hand things improved drastically and her slap work was fantastic.
Belew's soloing was outstanding- his tone and effects remarkable. He only fell short when trying to shred or use two handed tapping. He is a master of wrenching unusual sounds out of his instrument, using the whammy bar and effects in unique and unusual ways. However, speed and ultra-precise technique should be left to the kids with social lives who think Dragonforce RULES.
The trio worked through a series of yawn inducing pop songs with neat solos with a couple of recognizable songs from Belews solo catalogue. There was a nice unaccompanied version of "Lone Rhino" (Get it? GET it?) and a rocking version of "Big Electric Cat". However, it wasn't until the end of the show that by direct comparison one could see what this band was lacking. From the opening interlaced clean guitar of King Crimson's "Frame by Frame" it was glaringly apparent that Belew is best served as a complimentary and essential spice to an outstanding meal but makes little sense on it's own. "Would you care for a cup of curry powder?"
"Frame By Frame" is Belew in a nutshell. Soaring vocals over shimmering and heavily chorused guitar, sweeping whammy dips and a shrieking guitar solo. This was followed by the equally amazing "Three of a Perfect Pair", his vocals shining in a way that was light-years beyond the rest of the set. As much as this material showcased Belew's strengths, it also underscored his young trios inexperience. For the most part they nailed the parts but it lacked the vibe of experienced musicians jelling together and it came off as a decent cover band with Belew sitting in. Don't get me wrong, Bruford and Levin are at the absolute peak of this style of music and I would anticipate that even seasoned professionals would have a hard time matching their interplay.
They took a short break and came back with "Elephant Talk" and "Thela Hunjinjeet", two more Crimson classics and promptly butchered both of them. A series of guitar effects issues and other problems knocked these tunes out of the enjoyable range and into head-scratching, "Whaaaaat?"
Now, to be fair- it was an enjoyable evening and a pleasure to witness Adrian in person and to hear some of my favorite Crimson tunes but my hyper-critical sense is forced to complain about some basic things that most people will probably not hear or even care about. If you are a fan of Belew's solo work, this is a great show to see and even if you are a die-hard Crimson fan there is plenty to keep you entertained.
| | Written by Paul
Thursday, August 17, 2006 |
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