Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew bring non-stop party to the Roxian

McKEES ROCKS – We tend to use praise like "they slayed," or "they killed," or "it slapped" or it was "fire."

But how about this simple, old-fashioned declaration: Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew delivered non-stop fun Friday at a full-house Roxian Theatre.

Concertgoers blissfully grooved in their seats ― some stood and danced (the considerate ones off to the balcony's stage-right corner) ― savoring a set loaded with Talking Heads hits and percussion-powered deep cuts.

Harrison, one of the Talking Heads' four founders, played guitar most of the set's first half, finishing with stellar keyboard sounds on the back-to-back-to-back pre-encore whammy of "Life During Wartime," "Once in a Lifetime" and "Take Me to The River."

As he did on the Talking Heads' 1980s tour, Belew brought blistering lead guitar, making his instrument squelch and scream and soar satisfyingly. The ballcap-wearing Belew flashed plenty of smiles, and earned ample cheers, particularly when he took the spotlight for the high-octane "Thela Hun Ginjeet" from his King Crimson days. He ended that number with a sudden abruptness that heightened the audience's attention and brought an amused grin to his face.

Harrison and Belew shared lead vocals, backed by Cool Cool Cool, a nine-piece band with horns, hand percussion and soulful-sultry vocalists Shira Elias and Sammi Garett.

Doubling down as the night's well-received opening act, Cool Cool Cool featured saxophonist Josh Schwartz, who sang lead vocals on a few selections, evoking the deadpan quirkiness of Talking Heads' frontman David Byrne on "Drugs" and "Once in a Lifetime."

The set began robustly with "Psycho Killer," the Talking Heads hit honored by the Roxian bar staff with a namesake cocktail Friday.

As Harrison told The Times in a February interview, the genesis of this tour was he and Belew reminiscing about their collaborations on Talking Heads' influential "Remain in Light" album and tour that infused African rhythms into mainstream rock. Accordingly, the setlist included "Remain in Light" thick-grooved treats like "Crosseyed and Painless," "Houses in Motion" and "Born Under Punches" showcasing exemplary bass guitar from Julie Slick, who also played in Cool Cool Cool's warmup set.

Yahuba Garcia-Torres' congas rhythms highlighted "I Zimbra."

More:We're talking with the Talking Heads' Jerry Harrison about tour with Adrian Belew

The only time the dance party lost a little steam was when Belew took a backstage break as Harrison performed his 1980s rocker "Rev It Up" (also honored with a Roxian cocktail). "Rev It Up" has lost a little of its naughty bite, or maybe the world caught up to it, but Harrison still made it worthwhile.

He and Belew barely bantered with the crowd, letting the music do the talking.

And what a glorious conversation that made, as the concert hit the homestretch with "Life During Wartime." The band slowed to a whisper on the "heard about Houston... heard about Detroit" verse, expertly heightening the anticipation as the hometown crowd proudly shouted the next line, "Heard about Pittsburgh, P-A!"

With Belew on lead vocals, the band's "Take Me to The River" diluted the menace and leaned on the sexiness of the Talking Heads' famed Al Green cover. The backing vocalists pantomimed the "hug me" "squeeze me" lines, and segments of the audience began clapping on two separate beats, eventually unifying on one of the beats.

This was a party. This was a disco. This was fooling around in all the right ways.

Like I said, non-stop fun.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Talking Heads fans enjoy Harrison & Belew's non-stop fun at the Roxian