Album Review: BEAT - Neon Heat Disease - Live in Los Angeles (2025, InsideOutMusic)
- Stuart Ball
- 3 hours ago
- 6 min read
Written: 14th September 2025
The 1980s lineup of King Crimson - Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, and Bill Bruford - pushed the boundaries of progressive rock with their precise interplay, interlocking guitars and bass lines, and adventurous rhythms. Last year, two of those members, Belew and Levin, joined forces with guitar virtuoso Steve Vai and Tool drummer Danny Carey to form BEAT, a project dedicated to revisiting the albums Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair. In 2024, the ensemble staged sixty-five shows in North America and followed this with an expansive run of Mexico and South America in 2025. The vision for this undertaking emanated from initial dialogue between Angelo Bundini aka Scrote and Adrian Belew. Tour Producer Bundini recalls, “When Adrian called me to help bring his idea to fruition, I immediately thought it best to focus on the 80s albums: Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair. These three records famously mark Adrian and Tony's entry into King Crimson. Their fluid, melodic virtuosity, and Fripp's and Bruford's dramatic precision created a totally unique, dynamic push and pull that would influence nearly every rock musician and/or band going forward for years, if not decades, to come.”
A series of whistles signal the start of the show; Neurotica from Beat begins and Adrian Belew’s frantic narration unfolds. Good morning, it's 3am in this great roaring city full of garbage eaters ravaging parking spots beneath my plaza window. There is a gleeful, twisted passion in his delivery and as jagged guitars and agitated drums collide, Belew half-speaks, half-shouts - an anxious, jittery whirlwind of tension, chaos, and nervous exhilaration.
From there, we are treated to the first three songs on Beat: Neil and Jack and Me, Heartbeat and Sartori in Tangier. Just as on the album, the trio complement each other well. Neil and Jack and Me – more surreal, like a psychedelic reverie - is driven by relentless rhythm and as you would expect with such a spectacular line-up, this is no mere casual tribute or wish for nostalgia. It preserves the essence of the original while boldly breathing new life and dynamism into it. Heartbeat offers melodic clarity, a tender ballad, its new-wave sheen contrasting with the complexity elsewhere. It is a beautiful performance and Belew’s vocals are as intoxicating as they were forty years ago. Instrumental Sartori In Tangier is an odyssey through Eastern-inspired motifs. Levin’s Chapman stick lays down a hypnotic, meditative foundation as he effortlessly weaves a spellbinding sound while Steve Vai, with complete respect for the original material, makes the track his own.
The next few tracks focus on Three of a Perfect Pair with wonderful renditions of Model Man, Dig Me, Man With An Open Heart, Industry and Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part III). Model Man’s critique of conformity is delivered with infectious energy, highlighting its sharp lyrical wit and Dig Me remains an impossible sonic puzzle, disorienting but compelling. Industry stretches to nearly ten minutes, giving the band space to craft a texturally rich opening that is a masterclass in tension and anticipation. Vai and Belew intertwine their guitars, weaving angular lines and sparkling harmonics over Levin’s dual foundation of bass and keyboards. The guitars sway between dissonance and melody, gradually building layered textures that grow increasingly urgent, pulling the listener toward the inevitable surge of sound.
The show is available on both CD and Blu-Ray and it has been a pleasure to both watch and listen to the album. The staging is minimal, with a simple elephant head backdrop and lighting that is understated yet strikingly effective. The result keeps all attention on the performance, allowing the music to shine as the true focus of the night. Belew seems to be having the time of his life and the interactions with the other members of the band are warm and genuine. He smiles to members of the audience in mutual appreciation of the material and Vai is more restrained in his on-stage movements than when playing solo – he is enjoying the experience as much as anyone but there is a level of respect here. If this release is of interest, I would certainly recommend acquiring the visual version as it brings home just how invested each member truly is. Danny Carey commented at the time, “I am very excited to share the stage with three of my favourite musicians on the planet. Tony, Steve and Adrian have always been a source of inspiration for me since the beginning of my career, and now to be able to share a bit of my musical journey with them is a dream come true. There’s nothing better to make some sparks fly and light a fire under your ass than getting out of your musical comfort zone, and I can’t think of any other three guys I’d rather do this with.”
The second half of the concert opens with Danny Carey alone out front, commanding a tenor quad drum set with mesmerising precision. He is joined a couple of minutes later by Adrian Belew – who joins him on the drums – as the recognisable rhythms of Waiting Man fills the hall. Levin and Vai arrive soon after and the brooding composition builds with its repetitive motifs escalating in intensity. In this context, The Sheltering Sky becomes a fourteen minute behemoth and the controlled frenzy of Sleepless is addictive and bewitching; Levin’s work on the latter - through his use of his funk fingers - demonstrating precisely why he is such an iconic figure.
The beginning of Frame By Frame draws a large cheer from the crowd. In reference to the track, Steve Vai states, “This is a miraculous piece of music. It contains unique death-defying polymetric intertwined guitar parts that seamlessly and elegantly support a most gorgeous lyric and vocal melody line. It’s a joy to perform every time. Did I mention that the guitar parts are death defying?" Embracing the guitar lines (death-defying or otherwise) head on, Vai conjures his notes with all the skill and technique that has found him one of the most renowned guitarists of the last forty years. Any detours or improvisations along the way never stray so far as to lose the music’s core; each moment feels fully earned and perfectly in place.
Matte Kudasai – the first single from Discipline - serves as melodic and dreamy counterpart to Frame By Frame, Belew’s vocals tender and soulful. Still, by the window pane / Pain, like the rain that's falling / She waits in the air / Matte Kudasai / She sleeps in a chair / In her sad America. It is a perfectly curated and paced setlist, with the playful yet intricate Elephant Talk, the title track from Three of a Perfect Pair (the cover of which adorns Levin’s bass), and the exhilarating ride of Indiscipline each showcasing different facets of King Crimson’s boundless experimentation and ingenuity.
Only one track is taken from outside the three 1980s albums: the instrumental powerhouse that is Red. Every phrase crackles with precision and raw power, proving that this reinterpretation of the classic King Crimson material is as inventive as it is reverent. Danny Carey drives the rhythm with explosive, polyrhythmic energy. Fripp’s original angular riffs are honoured but revitalized, the band building layers of tension and intensity that make the track feel both familiar and thrillingly new.
The show ends with a blast through Thela Hun Ginjeet of which Steve Vai states, “I used to listen to and love this song when it came out in the early 80’s. It’s a shot of adrenalin to end the BEAT show with this track. It gets people up and dancing… in 7/8! At least that’s the time signature of my blazing part. The whole song is a wild ride, from the tempo, the intensity of the groove and the subject matter. In my perspective, ‘Thela Hun Ginjeet’ is a masterpiece and I’m honoured to play it with the band every night.”
The BEAT live album is a stunning achievement that fuses past brilliance with present vitality. Adrian Belew reflects, “In the eighties, Robert Fripp made the observation that King Crimson quartet was perhaps the best live band in the world at the time. Tony, Steve, Danny and I are committed to honouring this legacy with each and every performance staged." That spirit ignites every moment here. The performances are fearless, inventive and utterly alive, each track a reminder of just how radical and exhilarating this music remains. This is not a museum piece but a living force and it is essential listening and viewing for anyone who values the daring creativity of King Crimson’s 1980s era. Unmissable.
Further information
BEAT LIVE will be released on 26th September in three configurations. A 3-LP set, a Blu-ray release accompanied by 2-CDs and a 12-page photo booklet, and lastly a limited collector’s edition that will contain the Blu-ray, 2-CDs, a bonus CD, and a 36-page artbook.
