a major development for fans of progressive rock, the all-star collective BEAT — featuring former King Crimson members Adrian Belew (guitar, vocals) and Tony Levin (bass/Chapman Stick) alongside virtuoso guitarist Steve Vai and explosive Tool drummer Danny Carey — has confirmed a new European tour for summer 2026 celebrating the iconic sound of King Crimson’s 1980s era.
BEAT is dedicated to performing live reinterpretations of music drawn from three seminal King Crimson records — Discipline (1981), Beat (1982) and Three of a Perfect Pair (1984) — albums that helped redefine progressive rock in the early 1980s. The ensemble first formed for a widely praised run of dates in North America and Latin America, which has since grown into a global phenomenon with shows that have thrilled longtime fans and newcomers alike.
The 2026 European leg is scheduled to launch on June 8, 2026, at London’s Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith and will visit major cities across the continent, including Paris (June 10), Düsseldorf (June 11), Strasbourg (June 13), Hamburg (June 14) and Berlin (June 15). Additional stops are expected in Munich, Prague, Vienna, Barcelona, Istanbul, Budapest and more before the tour concludes in mid-July. Tickets will go on public sale on December 12, 2025.
For many fans, BEAT represents one of the closest available experiences to hearing the original King Crimson repertoire performed live, particularly the work Belew and Levin helped create during their time with the band. With Vai’s dynamic soloing and Carey’s rhythmic power complementing the veteran Crimson elements, BEAT’s performances fuse technical mastery with a fresh live energy that honors the originals while making them feel immediate and vital.
In addition to the touring announcement, the group has recently released Beat Live, a concert album capturing performances from previous dates that showcases the quartet’s synergy and progressive spirit.
The 2026 European trek marks another milestone in BEAT’s ongoing mission: to bring some of progressive rock’s most adventurous music to life for both longtime devotees of King Crimson and new generations of listeners. It stands as a reminder that the influence of these classic recordings remains powerful and that reinterpretations by such accomplished artists can create new cultural moments around music from rock’s most exploratory eras.
