Asia Brings Progressive Rock to Englewood

Brian Aberback of The Record:

A fortuitous day off on Asia’s tour schedule and the band’s fondness for the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood have cleared the way for a special night of music and fan interaction honoring John Wetton. Asia’s singer-bassist died of colon cancer in January at 67.

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Carl Palmer and Asia to Pay Tribute to Band’s Co-founder in Englewood

Jay Lustig of The Record:

As part of the bergenPAC show, which is subtitled “An Extraordinary Life: An Interactive Celebration of the Life and Music of John Wetton,” clips of Wetton will be shown. And Asia fans have been encouraged – via social media and the group’s website, originalasia.com – to send in photos and videos of Wetton, some of which will be shown before and during the show. Wetton will also be the subject of a question-and-answer session featuring Asia members and others.

Read the full article

“Heat of the Moment” Art Piece by Carl Palmer

 

Over the last several months, Carl Palmer has been underway with the creation of an art piece in tribute to ASIA bandmate and musical collaborator John Wetton who passed away on January 31, 2017. The piece titled “Heat of the Moment” is now in a limited edition of just 50 pieces.

To purchase or learn more, please visit carlpalmerart.com.

 

Video Message from Carl

Here is a special video message from Carl Palmer talking about the end of his CPL tour, the start of the new ASIA tour with Journey, and the special John Wetton Tribute show. 

Two Drum Legends Talk Percussion

Drum icons Carl Palmer (of ASIA and Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy) and Steve Smith (of JOURNEY and his own solo jazz group) confer behind Carl’s massive drum kit for a friendly chat. Both drummers are on tour together in America. Smith also posed with members of ASIA backstage.

“An Extraordinary Life” Celebration

AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE
AN INTERACTIVE CELEBRATION
OF THE LIFE & MUSIC OF JOHN WETTON
JUNE 17, 2017 AT THE BERGEN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

ASIA and their fans will pay tribute in a special concert to the late singer / songwriter, John Wetton, who spearheaded the legendary British band. The event is called “An Extraordinary Life” and will be a fully interactive celebration whereby fans can contribute to the remembrances of the acclaimed musician.  It will be held on Saturday, June 17th at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, NJ.

John Wetton, who was the lead vocalist, bassist and co-writer with the iconic group, lost his brave fight against cancer on January 31st, 2017, just as the band was about to embark on a four month tour as special guests of Journey, recreating the days when both bands were world best sellers.

“An Extraordinary Life”, a reference to one of the band’s most popular songs, will pay tribute to John. Special guest Billy Sherwood of YES is filling in as bassist and vocalist. Also appearing will be current ASIA members Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes, and Sam Coulson. The group will do a full set of ASIA music, as well as some of the best loved songs from the members’ previous super-groups, bands such as King Crimson; YES; The Buggles; and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

In addition to the ASIA performance, the evening will be highlighted with rare video clips of John and the band, historical footage and fan remembrances of John and his music. ASIA fans will be encouraged to send in written or video accounts of their love of the music and the man behind much of it. Still photos of fans with John are also welcomed and will be projected onto the screen.  Fans who send media to the band in advance will be balloted to share memories on the evening. 

Fans can send their media before June 1st, 2017 to: jwfantribute@gmail.com

Photos must be sent in a JPEG format and fan video testimonials should be in MOV or MP4 format. These should not ordinarily exceed 30 seconds in length. Any written testimonials should be formatted as a text or MS word file, and should not exceed 250 words. (Guidelines for Fan Submissions.)

A Q&A session will be held between the audience, ASIA and members of ASIA’s management. Along with this, never-before seen interview footage of John shot during the making of the band’s documentary film, “ASIA-30 Years On” will be shown.

Tickets available at: www.bergenpac.org

Tribute to John Wetton by Mike Massé

Enjoy this “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes” cover/John Wetton tribute by Mike Massé (and featuring Mike Johnson, Ron Perron and Scott Roush).

“Symfonia – Live In Bulgaria 2013” Now Available

ASIA’s Symfonia  – Live In Bulgaria 2013” Available Today 2017 Via Frontiers Music Srl

“Wetton is best remembered on this one for a song that casual Asia fans do not even possibly know…”An Extraordinary Life” John had one indeed… and we are all the better for it.”
-Classic Rock Revisited”

“The biggest hits by the band shine as they are delivered with the precision that only this kind of musical performance can bring.”
-Classic Rock Revisited”

“The most enjoyable live album of the Asia catalog (and they have issued a lot of live albums).”
-Spill Magazine-

“Asia’s music is some of the best out there, beautifully fusing pop and prog, and this spirited live performance in Bulgaria shows that, even up until the years immediately before Wetton’s passing, they were still at the top of their game. A recommended release for any fan.”
-ZrockR-

Today, Frontiers Music Srl is proud to release ASIA’s new live album “Symfonia – Live In Bulgaria 2013”.   In celebration of the live album’s release the band has unveiled a performance video for  “Heat of the Moment”, ASIA’s chart topping 80’s anthem.

While certainly not the intention when it was originally scheduled, in light of John Wetton’s recent passing, this release serves as a tribute to the late, great, legendary bassist and frontman, who passed away this January following a battle with cancer. R.I.P. John Wetton, it truly was an “Extraordinary Life” you led. Thanks for all the music!  

See live footage of “Extraordinary Life”:

And of “Only Time Will Tell”:

The album is available for purchase here: http://radi.al/Symfonia and at the links below:

Stream the album on Spotify – http://radi.al/SymfoniaSpotify  

Available on 2CD/DVD, Blu-Ray, and MP3 (audio only) the album was recorded during a special show on September 21st, 2013 during the Sounds of the Ages Festival at the magnificent Second Century Roman Theater in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. On some of the songs during the band’s set, Original Asia was joined by The Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Levon Manukian.

The show was then aired on Bulgarian National TV the following December 30th, 2013 and it is now presented in its entirety to the fans as a powerful witness of the line-up featuring original members John Wetton, Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes along with Sam Coulson on guitar.

The album track listing includes:

CD1:

  1. Sole Survivor
  2. Time Again
  3. Face On The Bridge
  4. My Own Time
  5. Holy War
  6. An Extraordinary Life
  7. Days Like These
  8. Open Your Eyes

CD2:

  1. Only Time Will Tell*
  2. Don’t Cry*
  3. Heroine*
  4. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes*
  5. Wildest Dreams*
  6. Heat Of The Moment*

*Performed with the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra

DVD // BLU-RAY:

  1. Sole Survivor
  2. Time Again
  3. Face On The Bridge
  4. My Own Time
  5. Holy War
  6. An Extraordinary Life
  7. Days Like These
  8. Open Your Eyes
  9. Only Time Will Tell*
  10. Don’t Cry*
  11. Heroine*
  12. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes*
  13. Wildest Dreams*
  14. Heat Of The Moment*
  15. Interview Segment

*Performed with the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra

ASIA

John Wetton – Lead Vocal and Bass
Geoff Downes – Keyboards and Backing Vocals
Carl Palmer – Drums
Sam Coulson – Guitars

John Wetton 1949-2017

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of John Wetton early this morning. There is so much that could be said about John’s “extraordinary life,” but Carl and Geoff wonderfully capture the feelings of the entire Asia family.

CARL PALMER STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF JOHN WETTON

“With the passing of my good friend and musical collaborator, John Wetton, the world loses yet another musical giant. John was a gentle person who created some of the most lasting melodies and lyrics in modern popular music. As a musician, he was both brave and innovative, with a voice that took the music of ASIA to the top of the charts around the world. His ability to triumph over alcohol abuse made him an inspiration to many who have also fought that battle. For those of us who knew him and worked with him, his valiant struggle against cancer was a further inspiration. I will miss his talent, his sense of humor and his infectious smile. May you ride easy, my old friend.

Carl Palmer.”

GEOFF DOWNES STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF JOHN WETTON

“It is with great sadness and a heavy heart, that I have to report we have lost my dearest friend, brother, bandmate and long term musical collaborator, John Wetton, who has passed away after a long and tenacious battle with cancer. He will be remembered as one of the world’s finest musical talents, and I for one of many was wholly blessed by his influence. It was a massive privilege for me to have worked with this genius so closely on our numerous projects together over the years. His bass playing was revolutionary. His voice was from the gods. His compositions – out of this world. His sense of melody and harmony – unreal. He was literally a ‘special one’.

But John was much more than a gigantic and unique musical talent. He was a supremely intelligent man, marked with his great observations and wisdom about life; all couched within his wicked sense of humour. The wit was dark and deep, only fully perceptible to those on his same wavelength. I was fortunate enough to be able to be on that wavelength, and discover that we had much in common. Many of his personal life experiences were reflected in his lyrical contributions to the songs. His heart was always in the music. That was John, through and through. It was always about – the music.

As a person, he was fiercely loyal, loving and generous, particularly to those he cared about. But he could be as stubborn as a mule or as gracious as a nobleman, depending on the mood that grabbed him on any particular day. There were some who couldn’t read his brilliant mind and complex personality. Some found him charming, others infuriating. But however you found John, there was no denying his rare talent as a musician and songwriter was second to none. 

Both of us having been brought up with similar backgrounds in provincial England, we shared a love of many things – sport, and in particular – football, English church music, current affairs, comedy, literature, you name it….pretty much everything that 2 kids from the sticks were exposed to in our youth. 

Our planets seemed to be immediately in alignment when we first met in early 1981. There was a laddish camaraderie that grew between us as we became as close as two non-related brothers could be. He was an avid reader and film enthusiast, something he pursued with great interest. This helped inspire him to some wonderful lyrics to the literally hundreds of songs we composed together. Back then, we immediately hit the ground running as we composed much of the debut ASIA album together and forged a formidable partnership which lasted right up until now. It was a wholly natural process for us, whereby we could knock out 2 or 3 songs in an afternoon. They were always greeted with our gentlemanly handshake and smiles once we had wrapped up another one in the bag. 

Above all else though, his passion for life was to the fore. The battles he endured throughout were immense and well documented. Firstly with alcohol, which he so resolutely overcame, then open heart surgery and finally cancer, which sadly was to take his life in the end. He once observed to me that this disease is a “merciless assassin”. Just another example of his perception and the descriptive language that he was so richly blessed with. He took all of these battles on board with great bravery and almost a ‘laissez-faire’ attitude, tinged with his inimitable wry wit. 

To say I will miss my him greatly is beyond understatement. He was such an inspiration to me. We were planning another album, but sadly he was not well enough to complete it. I feel heartbroken about this, as I knew John thought it was to be one of our finest albums to date. I remain as proud as ever of our Wetton/Downes writing partnership. I am hoping one day that I will be able to finish it, and that it will be appreciated by all those who loved his and our music, and most importantly, a legacy he would have been proud of.

Life will not be the same without him. And words are not really enough to describe the loss I feel right now, and the many friends and fans all over the World will also be feeling. It is the end of an era for all of us. But we will soldier on – the music of John Wetton needs to be heard loud and clear from the rooftops.

Dearest John, may you rest in peace brother. 

Geoffrey

Please join me in sending our sincerest thoughts and prayers to Lisa, Dylan and the entire Wetton family at this difficult time.”

Journey & Asia 2017 Tour Dates (2nd Leg)

The band is pleased to announce the second leg of their 2017 tour with Journey.

DateCityVenue
5-JunTulsa, OK BOK Center
7-JunTupelo, MS Bancorpsouth Arena
9-JunNew Orleans, LA Smoothie King
11-JunGreenville, SCBon Secours Arena
12-JunGreensboro, NC Coliseum Complex
14-JunBaltimore, MD Royal Farms Arena
16-JunUncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
19-JunWorcester, MA DCU Center (Centrum)
21-JunRochester, NY Blue Cross Arena
22-JunWindsor, OntarioColiseum at Caesars Windsor
** Journey Only **
24-JunMt. Pleasant, MI Soaring Eagle Casino
25-JunToledo, OH Huntington Center
27-JunHuntington, WV Big Sandy Superstore Arena
28-JunLouisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
30-JunSioux City, IAHard Rock Sioux City
1-JulWelch, MN Treasure Island Resort & Casino
3-JulSpringfield, MO JQH Arena
5-JulSouthaven, MS Bank Plus Amphitheatre
6-JulOrange Beach, AL The Wharf
8-JulPelham, ALOak Mountain Amphitheatre
9-JulBossier City, LA Century Link Center
12-JulSugar Land, TX Smart Financial Centre
13-JulLaredo, TX Laredo Energy Center
15-JulEl Paso, TX Don Haskins Center

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Current Line-up

Carl Palmer
Geoff Downes
Billy Sherwood
– Marc Bonilla

We Remember

Upcoming shows

No shows booked at the moment.

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