Steve Vai says he has turned down offers to join supergroups in the past, but when the prospect of forming BEAT – the King Crimson-honoring project created with Robert Fripp’s blessing – came along, he was forced to rethink his supergroup stance. Alongside Crimson alumni Adrian Belew and Tony Levin, and Tool drummer Danny Carey, Vai was cast in Robert Fripp’s role as electric guitar provocateur as part of the supergroup’s lineup. Across their recent US tour, Vai and co plucked hits from the band’s trio of 1980s LPs, Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair , to help revive some of King Crimson’s most celebrated material.
Speaking in a new interview with GW , Vai explains what made this particular offer different from all the ones he had been quick to reject. “It started about five years ago, before the pandemic, when Adrian called me. Before that, I was often asked if I planned to join a supergroup, and my stock answer was, ‘No,’” Vai says.
“Most people who approach me to do something like that are looking to relive the glory days of ’80s rock. “I love that music,” he extends, “but I probably wouldn't consider joining a supergroup unless there was a group of people that were wildly talented, innovative, not so concerned about commercial potential, and willing to make very creative music that's accessible, but not necessarily with an audience in mind.” As Vai recalls, after a period when “nobody was knocking on my door”, Belew then ca.