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Adrian Belew at Fine Line Poster Adrian Belew Setlist
Tour Dates
03/13/2019 Rams Head On Stage Annapolis, MD
03/14/2019 The Broadberry Richmond, VA 03/15/2019 Lincoln Theatre Raleigh, NC 03/16/2019 City Winery Atlanta, GA 04/05/2019 Zanzabar Louisville, KY 04/07/2019 Rex Theater Pittsburgh, PA 04/10/2019 City Winery Washington DC 04/11/2019 Wall Street Theater Norwalk, CT 04/18/2019 The Center For Arts Natick, MA 04/19/2019 Narrows Center Fall River, MA 04/20/2019 Hart Theatre Albany, NY 08/09/2019 Strand Center Theatre Plattsburgh, NY 08/10/2019 Gateway City Arts Holyoke, MA 09/11/2019 Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ 09/12/2019 Coach House Concert San Juan Capistrano, CA 09/14/2019 Teragram Ballroom Los Angeles, CA 09/16/2019 Sofia Tsakopoulos Center Sacramento, CA 09/17/2019 The Chapel San Francisco, CA 09/18/2019 Sweetwater Music Hall Mill Valley, CA 09/20/2019 Aladdin Theater Portland, OR 09/27/2019 Boulder Theater Boulder, CO 09/28/2019 Bluebird Theater Denver, CO Read More
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Both a guitar virtuoso and a musical interpreter of sounds-
From a mesmerizing solo to notes that sound like an elephant’s trumpet, the swoon of an exotic seagull, or a violin bow against strings, Adrian Belew can play it all.
After successfully playing for several years as a power trio, legendary guitarist Adrian Belew has now expanded his ensemble to a quartet, and stopped by the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis, on only the sixth date of his current POP-SIDED Tour.
Like his previous tour, the opener was veteran multi-instrumentalist/producer/artist Saul Zonana, who in addition to his thirty-five years of solo work, has also played with the likes of Crash Test Dummies, Ace Frehley, and others, and happens to also be the newest addition to Belew’s own band.
2017’s All the While the Butterfly (on 20/20 Music) is the latest full-length example of his work- rock-based, but made more complex through Zonana’s use of pedals and associated machinery to help bring his songs to life, and a fine musical complement to the style of the headliner.
Re-inventing his live show after retiring the trio idea at a recent cruise, the Adrian Belew quartet then took to the stage for the first of their two hour-long sets. Jordan Perlson on drums, Saul Zonana on keys/guitar/vocals, and bassist Julie Slick (who has been with Belew for thirteen years) compose the updated line-up, in support of POP-SIDED, the new album available initially only at his shows, with wider distribution to likely follow.
Belew’s resume, spread over more than four decades, speaks for itself as being the guitarist of choice to call, by the likes of Zappa, Byrne, Bowie, Simon, and Reznor. That, along with his fabled long period in progressive group King Crimson, make Belew one of the premier guitarists of our time.
The evening started perfectly with 1981’s ‘Matte Kudasai’, one of the more beautiful songs from Belew’s early 80’s tenure as the second guitarist in King Crimson to Robert Fripp, with he positioned at center stage, Slick to his immediate right and Zonana behind a keyboard console to his left, and with two slim vertical speakers at Belew’s back, between he and drummer Perlson.
The 60’s inspired pop of 1992’s ‘Big Blue Sun’ was next, jumping then ahead to 2005’s ‘Ampersand’, clearly showing we would be hearing songs from every era of his long career. After someone yelled out “King Crimson!”, Belew dutifully obliged with a 2002 composition before bending and shaping sounds on his Grammy-nominated ‘Beat Box Guitar’.
‘Everybody’s Sitting’ is one of a few of the brand new songs played, a bubbly number about droned people with their collective heads in their phones, watching television and being online, and 1989’s ‘Back in the Day’ played soon after, also pined for simpler times.
The band seemed already tight and well-rehearsed, just six shows in- “Without you, this would just be a paid rehearsal” Belew said, acknowledging the cheering crowd and shouts for their favorite songs as the quartet finished their first set with the swirling ‘b’, part of the extended instrumental of 2009’s album, e.
After a brief break, the music re-commenced with a couple of selections from the curiously titled 1996 album, Op Zop Too Wah, with the fretless howl of bleeps and blurbs of 1982’s ‘Big Electric Cat’ to follow.
The Beatles-esque ‘Wait to Worry’ was another new song, anchored by several time changes and a solid Slick bass line, and ‘Superboy’ from Belew’s late ‘80s period as a member of The Bears (supposedly named as such, just to get their albums placed alphabetically before The Beatles) remained in fine form though “that’s still hard to sing after all these years”, Belew revealed.
‘City of Tiny Lites’ was the earliest number played, dating from his time playing with Frank Zappa and the momentum built up from there, with a stunning mini-set of four King Crimson numbers, as only Belew could sing and interpret them. Slick’s bass work wasn’t quite as distinctive on ‘Sleepless’ as Tony Levin is on the original, but Belew’s dizzying riffs kept everything fluid.
“We end with this song… it means a lot to us” Belew said of the encore of 1981’s ‘Thela Hun Ginjeet’, a rolling, part-spoken word Crimson number whose title is a simple anagram of “heat in the jungle” referring to crime in the city, and whose message is still relevant today.
On the track, Belew’s guitar goes from a plaintive wail to funk rhythm, to noises that echo the bustle of a city, all in a matter of a few minutes, as the song’s title is chanted in repetition.
Still innovating the unique sounds he’s known for creating and now in a new band configuration promoting a more accessible, new pop-leaning record, Adrian Belew remains in the top echelon of guitar players and one that is always worth catching live.
(click on any photo below to enlarge and see full image)
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Adrian Belew at Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis (06 March 2019) |
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