This is a picture of Adrian with his custom Parker guitar. His show at the intimate Club Cafe was billed as a one man electric show "Painting with Guitar". Adrian's Elephant blog entry explains this:http://elephant-blog.blogspot.com/2010/04/about-painting-with-guitar.html
I explain it by saying "Boys and their toys". What great toys and what great music he produces with them. He has been downsizing his setup but with new technology, he has more options with this sleek setup. This show really was like hanging with Adrian, very casual and loose. He stopped twice to take questions and chat with the standing room audience.
Adrian opens with a Bears' song "Doodle". Poppy with some fiendish guitar. With a pained look, he stated that he wished he had never written the next song, because it is so hard to play. Nailed it. "Walk Around the World" is from his album Side One. He called the next song "Variation of Wave Pressure" from an Einstein quote. At one point he looped a complicated guitar figure and sang the Subway 5 dollar footlong jingle over it, claiming they stole it from him. One long instrumental included a long "within You, Without You" section, showing off his Sitar effect setting. He shared that Jeff Beck is his favorite guitarist, which makes sense given their similar staccato, fragmentary, disjointed styles. he met Jeff Beck after a King Crimson show that Beck had attended. When they went to shake hands, Beck instead rubbed his forearm against Adrian's (wanting that skill to rub off). Adrian played about 11 songs, one just written a few days ago called "Eurrail Pass" about his travels in Europe years ago. Stories about gear, Zappa and his paintings were interesting. And the guitar playing is as good as it gets.
In updating us on his three bands, Adrian shared that the Bears will do music as he and the guys have enough music to put out an album. Given that the other Bears have real jobs, they will stay mostly a studio band. The Power Trio (go see them if you haven't, if you have, you will want to see them again) will tour Europe later this year and the states again next year. King crimson is on a break but Belew expressed confidant hope that they will play again, just waiting on Robert. Adrian and Robert have always seemed like such an odd pair to make such phenomenal music together, Adrian being so engaging with the audience while Robert minimizes his presence to just the music. Perhaps that difference helps bring them together (and the musical sensibilities).
I am looking forward to my next encounter with Adrian as he is just starting to figure out his new toys as a new and more complex palette can only be a good thing for this restless genius.
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