Review and Photos by Fred Kuhlman
Promoter: Danny Zelisko Presents (https://dzplive.com/ )
Venue: Walter Studio, Phoenix, AZ ( https://walterstudios.com/ )
Date: Tuesday September 29th, 2026
Tour: Let’s THRAK Again
Progressive rock legends Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto and Marcus Reuter are the Stick Men. Both Tony and Pat were members of King Crimson and that is why a lot of their music have those over tones. They also cover a few of King Crimson’s songs. For the next 1-hour and 45-minutes we got a master presentation of progressive music done by true masters.
Tony Levin is the master of the Chapman stick. Tony’s was the 12-string version. The Chapman Stick is used to play bass lines, melody lines, chords, or textures. It is more than just a guitar; it can simulate full polyphonic sounds.
Marcus Reuter played an 8-string Touch Guitar. The Tough Guitar is designed as a fretboard-tapping playing style and not a strumming guitar. It can be strummed. Tapping was made famous by guitarist Steve Hackett back in the late 60s/early 70s when he was with Genesis. It is a method of “tapping” the strings in the neck to create its sound.
Pat Mastelotto sat behind his drum kit and provided the power and rhythm section for the music. He also ran the backing tracks.
Together these 3 created some amazing music. Granted Progressive Rock/Metal music is not for everyone. Getty Lee (Rush) once called their concerts “Sausage” concerts because mostly men attended them. The problem is there is no simple cords and catchy lyrics by scantily clade women. Progressive music is complicated and consists of experimental or avant-garde influences from jazz, folk and classical music. It often has long solos that show off the technical expertise of the musicians.
The majority of the set was from their new album, Let’s THRAK Again. It was a play on words from the 1995 King Crimson album, THRAK that both Tony and Pat performed on.
Phoenix’s show was the second to last show for this tour. For those that missed the Stick Men this go around, Tony will be joining The Beat for a new tour. The Beat is also a progressive band that performs King Crimson music. If you like King Crimson music or just want to see some of the best musicians around today then I can very highly recommend seeing this show. They will be at the Celebrity Theatre on Wednesday October 14th.
Stick Men Social Media sites:
Website: https://stickmenband.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stickmenofficial/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stickmenband/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@officialstickmen
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2026, All Rights Reserved
Stick Men Setlist:
Improv
Cusp
Brutal
Ringtone
Let’s THRAK Again
Crack in the Sky
Tentacles
Fandango
Mantra
VROOOM VROOOM (King Crimson cover)
The Well
Komodo
Swimming in Tea
Prog Noir
Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part Two (King Crimson cover)
Level Five (King Crimson cover)
