Review by Bruce Forrest
Photos by Laura Kirazian
Having attended concerts since 1975, I consider myself a pretty good authority on what works (or doesn’t work) in a live performance. I have seen some shows I could label “amazing” and some, well…not so much. Therefore, I can confidently go out on a limb here and state that the Adrian Belew Power Trio and Tony Levin’s Stick Men performance was simply one of the best shows I have ever seen.
Belew is an amazing musician; after all, his career began working with Frank Zappa. Belew’s credits go on to include, in addition to his solo work, contributions to David Bowie, the Talking Heads, and King Crimson. As for Levin, his work can be found on albums from John Lennon, Peter Gabriel, Bryan Adams, Cher and King Crimson. With those two names on this double bill, the odds of the show not being mind-blowing were pretty slim. It truly lived up to my expectations.
The evening’s performance was broken into four parts with each section involving a different combination of players. It began with Tony Levin’s Stick Men featuring Markus Reuter on touch guitar and percussionist Pat Mastelotto (also of King Crimson). Levin did not play bass during this set, but rather the infamous Chapman Stick.
Without a big majestic fanfare/intro tape, the band simply walked casually out to the stage, greeted by a thunderous sign of approval by the packed venue. The cool-calm-collected demeanor of the band almost made me feel as if I was about to watch a three-piece in an intimate coffee house. They then delivered a 45-minute set that included Robert Fripp’s “Breathless,” “Soup,” a kinetic “Relentless,” and finishing off with a majestic rendition of Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite.”
There were a few times, albeit brief, that I felt Stick Men were a tad bit self-indulgent, in that some of the material wandered off in pointless directions. These were definitely displays of top-notch musicianship, don’t get me wrong. But, it did drag the set down, even if just a tad. Not much of a complaint, actually. After all, the reason I attended this show was to watch a group of musicians who know their craft and can take me into musical worlds one can not hear on the radio. Regardless, of this miniscule nit-picking, by the set’s end, I was, literally, speechless. When a fan to my left asked, “What did you think?” All I could do was shake my head and mutter…”Wow!”
After a brief five-minute intermission, Adrian Belew’s Power Trio took to the stage. This lineup featured Danny Carey from Tool on percussion and the adorably cute Julie Slick on bass. I would wager that Slick’s looks threw off the audience’s first perception of her abilities. Trust me, the woman is an absolute monster on the bass. Belew’s set was much more melodic with overtones of pop intertwined with odd-time meters and jazz-inspired progressive rock.
The trio opened with Belew’s “Young Lions,” followed by “Madness,” “Of Bow And Drum” and King Crimson’s “Neurotica.” Carey is an absolute thunder god on the drums. Relentless. Powerful. And considering this was his first sit-in with the band, it was all the more impressive. He did not seem nervous or unsure of himself, especially tackling such difficult pieces.
Watching Slick, it was hard for me to keep my eyes off of her. Laying down a hybrid of jazz and funk, she was this pent-up ball of energy, on the brink of explosion. Slapping, finger-popping, and yet, keeping her playing as smooth as silk. The dynamic of Belew, Carey and Slick, together as a team, was simply mind-boggling.
The third set featured Levin, Belew and Mastelotto, returning on drums, covering King Crimson material. After 20 minutes, Carey, Reuter and Slick joined the party. “Three Of A Perfect Pair,” “B’boom” and “Indiscipline,” to name but a few, were faithfully carried out by the six musicians. There were definitely sections of these renditions that were improvised. Flawlessly. They interlocked into this groove, as if mentally connected, and simply read off each other. This is, of course, is a typical trait of jazz musicians, but it never fails to impress.
One of the highlights of the evening was the drum duet between Carey and Mastelotto. Even as a former drummer, I simply have no time for drum solos. They are just…well, boring and pointless. Unless your name is Neil Peart, I advise to skip the solo. However, this drum trade-off was amazing…amazing only because I can’t find a better term to describe it. Tribal and primitive in nature. Mastelotto’s parts were underlined by a funky bass line supplied by Slick before giving way to Levin on a four-string underlying Carey’s drum fills. Back and forth, each drummer seemed to top himself when it became his turn again.
Levin, for the most part, never truly displayed his four-string skills, aside from during the drum duet. He tended to lean more on the versatile Chapman Stick. By doing so, he gave free reign to Slick, allowing her to take the bull by the horns and become the dominant bottom end of the rhythm section. Levin has nothing to prove and obviously left his ego at the door some time ago. He was gracious enough to let the lesser-known Slick have her turn in the spotlight. I definitely was not going to complain.
A very important note to point out here regards the audience. Though dominated by the 40+ set (yes, that includes me), I was amazed and pleased to see a number of younger fans. I mean, the band would barely get two bars into “Elephant Talk” or Red, and these kids were yelling their heads off, showing a familiarity with old-school progressive rock. It’s reassuring that not all of today’s youth are getting into whatever MTV spoon-feeds their vacant little noggins.
The evening’s festivities clocked in at just under three hours. As tired as my feet were getting, standing front and center at the stage, I almost felt a bit sad that it had to end. It was a little euphoric watching such brilliance. I feel bad for any bands I see from this point on, unable to live up to the talent level of the performers this evening. I guess, even in that small span of time Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and company have already spoiled me.
