Post Ironman Fun

Last night, I traveled west from Richmond to Charlottesville to see the Adrian Belew Power Trio. I had seen this trio play twice in the not too distant past and was looking forward to an intimate show where Adrian would play songs from his long and storied solo career as well as songs from his days in 80's King Crimson. In addition to the trio, I have seen Adrian play in King Crimson three times, in the King Crimson Projekcts, and in his band The Bears. Important note, if you are going to talk about King Crimson these days, you have to differentiate between the various incarnations of the band. Adrian played in the "Elephant Talk" King Crimson, not in the "Larks' Tongues is Aspic" version of the band. I love it all to be honest, from the old to the new. 

As I winded down my work day yesterday before leaving for the show, I thought about what songs they might play. Would they do things like "Momur" or "Big Electric Cat?" Would he play "Pretty Pink Rose" or "Oh Daddy?" He would of course play some great Crimson ditties like "Heartbeat", "Frame by Frame", "Three of a Perfect Pair" and maybe "Neurotica". Just thinking about it all got me excited and I looked up Adrian's past performances on Youtube to wet my appetite. 

After I got off work, I drove the 1 hour to the show and got there around 8AM which was when the show was supposed to start. The venue was small and dark. A few minutes after 8, the opening act took the stage. A performer who simply goes by the name "Gull"  donned his weird mask and started playing a pretty weird, avant garde show. He was definitely talented, playing touch guitar with one hand while playing drums with his other hand. He somehow managed to throw down a funky beat with the kick drum, snare, and high hat all the while playing some nice riffs with his other hand. He used lots of technology to loop various noises that he made with his guitar and his voice. And while he sang a little, his voice was heavily processed and honestly, I could not make out one word. Through all the weirdness, I could tell that he was a very accomplished musician. The audience gave him enthusiastic cheers and hoots in between songs. While he played, they simply stared at him. Of course that is what you get at an Adrian Belew or King Crimson show. Lots of people simply staring, expressionless. I think most are musicians who are sort of studying the performance. Sure they will yell after the song is over. But most will simply gaze at the band with the occasional head bobbing. 

After Gull was done, they cleared off his equipment and brought in the guitars that Adrian would play. There was a lot of gear on the small stage including a Mac laptop that Adrian uses for God knows what. It did not take long for them to get all setup. I think it was about 9:15 when Adrian literally jumped on stage. He nodded his head, picked up his guitar and started the show.

Sure enough, he opened with "Momur". The tempo was quick and just as quickly as it had started, it was over. In fact, I thought to myself that he had skipped a verse. After "Momur" he played "Big Electric Cat." Then another song I did not recognize and then "Lone Rhino." I love the "Lone Rhino" album and was happy he was playing these songs. However, he played abbreviated versions of the songs. In fact, he did this all night. There were a few songs that were full length. Mostly his stuff that I am not as familiar. His longer pieces were mostly instrumental and involved lots of looping guitar licks that he would solo over or layer multiple riffs over one another. No doubt he rocked out, but I did not enjoy the abbreviated versions of the songs. He did not disappoint in his song choices. He played some great 80s King Crimson songs and Dinosaur which I believe is a 90s King Crimson song. Dinosaur was really well executed and throughout the show, Adrian's solos were full of bendy greatness. And the drumming and bass playing were some of the best you will ever hear. 

However, I was a little disappointed in the performance. Like I said, the songs were abbreviated and there were a few technical glitches here and there. Adrian made a few mistakes which he drew attention to with his facial expressions and the occasional swear.  He songs ended abruptly and there seemed to be some residual noise after each song. I think the electronic noise between songs was intentional, sort of a short interlude between the songs. But I thought it distracted from the experience. As the show when on, audience members obviously were not sure when certain songs were actually over. The cheers and shouts would be delayed while everyone tried to figure out if the odd noises were part of the song or not. The best way to tell if the song was over was when Adrian would grab his towel and wipe the sweat off his body and guitar.

I am sure that the tour will improve as it goes. Adrian said before the show that we were the guinea pigs as they sorted out a few operational details. The band did rock for sure but the transitions were a little sloppy and the shortened songs were not to my liking. Had he done a true medley I think I would have enjoyed that more. I don't think I have ever left a show early but since I had a long drive back home and a couple of busy days in front of me, I left about 3 or 4 songs early. I could see the set list on the stage. As I drove home, I had to evaluate whether the show was worth the $30 plus parking and gas money. On the one hand, all three members of the Adrian Belew Power Trio are excellent musicians and can really rock. On the other hand, Adrian seemed nervous and the show was a little sloppy. I am sure the tour will improve as it progresses across the county but for me, I am going to say that the show was okay. Not excellent, not terrible. Was it worth the trip and money? Well, it was a nice change from my usual routine of sleep, eat, work, train. But overall, I think I am done trying to go to shows unless they are truly economical or convenient. So I guess the answer to my question is a qualified yes.