Nice seeing someone that can inflect John Wetton into the songs. Love seeing John Mitchell on board as work he has done with Frost* and Lonely Robot is excellent. And love Geoff Downes & his work also with the Downes Braide Association and the 5 albums they have done together.
It is actually John Wetton's Zon bass. He had a few. The one used at the Spartanburg SC show was played by John on the Astra album. It's a cool thing to have John's actual bass there to further having John's spirit present and his family's blessings on this tour with Harry Whitley performing brilliantly alongside the also brilliant John Mitchell.
As ASIA is a near legendary band among late-boomers, do you think whatever incarnation of the band that exists today could show-up in something better than jeans and running shoes???
@@awesomeconcerts8922 It's about presentation, musicianship and professionalism. It's a tough sell on expensive tickets when you dress like the pizza delivery guy.
@@patriotpizzaman Paying customers expect to be entertained and get their moneys worth from professional musicians at that level. Go to their garage if you want to see a warm-up soundcheck.
❤❤ Asia will be performing in Tulare California November 9th at 7:30 p.m. tickets will be on sale soon through Ticketmaster let's support this group in 50 years of music ❤❤❤❤❤
If this doesn't look like Asia, it's because Asia's lineup history is even more convoluted than Yes's lineup history. As long ago as the 1990s, Asia had only one original member left (Geoff Downes). Years later, Downes left Asia to reunite with the original Asia lineup, resulting in a split into two separate bands -- "Original Asia" (or just "Asia") and "Asia featuring John Payne." Since then, "Original Asia" has once again lost all of its original members except Geoff Downes, and "Asia featuring John Payne" has lost all of *its* original members except for John Payne. And ironically, the current lineup of Yes has more original members of Asia (Steve Howe and Geoff Downes) than the current lineup of Asia has (only Geoff Downes).
I couldn't agree more, though I think Yes is more convoluted but that's splitting hairs at this point. I'm all for keeping the music alive, but there comes a time when band names should be legally and officially retired. Asia and Yes are two of them.
@@5qob Agreed. Lynyrd Skynyrd is another good example. I saw them a couple of years ago, when Gary Rossington was the only remaining member of the band who had been with them on any of their 1970s albums. But he wasn't there for the show that I saw (for health reasons), so the line-up that I saw was one guy who had been with Lynyrd Skynyrd briefly *before* their first album (Rickey Medlocke), plus the brother of the original singer, plus a bunch of replacements. Now I'll grant that they played the classic songs well, and they paid a nice tribute to all the band members who have passed away. But they really had no business calling themselves Lynyrd Skynyrd in my opinion, and that's even more true now that Gary Rossington has passed away.
Definitely Yes is the one band with more line up changes than you count on either of both hands combined. Asia's lineup changes were minimal in the grand scheme of things. And Geoff Downes isn't an Original member of Yes. Not even close. He didn't come onto the scene with Yes until 1980 with the 'Drama' album and then again in 2011 with 'Fly From Here' and thereafter. And Steve Howe isn't an Original Member of Yes either. He didn't come on board until their 3rd album 'The Yes Album'.
@@gkirms Asia may have had more lineup changes over the years than you realize. Take a look at the Wikipedia page showing all the Asia band members some time, if you haven't already, including two completely separate branches of the band that have coexisted since about 2007. But I agree that Yes has had a crazy number of lineup changes as well. And yes, I realize that neither Steve Howe nor Geoff Downes was an original member of Yes. But they were both original members of Asia. My point is that there are more founding members of *Asia* in the current *Yes* lineup than in the current Asia lineup. (In fact, Jon Davison is the only member of the current Yes lineup who hasn't been a member of Asia at some point.)
@@Paul71H I realize Asia has line up changes since I have followed them since 1982 (both versions aka John Wetton (have his solo albums as well and with Geoff Downes) and aka John Payne (also have John Payne's side group projects as in GPS and Dukes of the Orient as well as Intelligent Music Project Volumes III thru VI)) when I purchased their first album on vinyl and 8-Track but it could have been Cassette since that was about the time Cassettes were coming into their own and replacing 8-Tracks. Whether or not it's more than Yes, not sure but Yes is the more well known group with the constant controversy between lead singers and the seemingly constant changes of players with the exception of Steve Howe and Chris Squire. I would say most fans dropped Asia after their 2nd, maybe 3rd album and didn't even realize that they continued on with John Payne. Other than 'Who Will Stop the Rain' (the most sounding Asia song from the John Payne era) I don't even remember ever hearing Asia from the John Payne era on main stream Radio at all. Most casual fans remember the first album and first album only and basically on main stream Radio today all you will ever hear are the singles from the first album because that's what the focus tested want to hear.
Important thing for the future: the music has to be kept alive. However, you must have continuous members for a few decades. There should be legal control of this by the current surviving members and their blessing
I find it so sad that so many of the bands I loved from back in the day continue to try to be "that band". Its like the old movie " Multiplicity", if anyone remembers that movie we saw how things turned out for Michael Keaton!
What do you suggest they do? Just quit performing because you don't care for it? I saw Foreigner last night in West Palm Beach without a single original member and they were fantastic! And I'm going to see Asia tomorrow night in Fort Lauderdale and I'm very excited to see them! The original band will never be together again so the way I see it is that this is as close as it's ever gonna get!
Well, at the expense of getting into an on line pissing match over a band , in my personal opinion, I prefer memories of a great show, with the original band members, to an overpriced ticket to a facsimile of that band. I guess if I'm at that point I'd go see a good cover band for less money. Just my feelings, no one else's. Rock on bro!
I think this was a much happier lineup than the previous couple of efforts that included Carl. Carl is an amazing percussionist and I love listening to his stories. But Virgil did the songs justice and just played his heart out like Geoff, Harry, and John did on this tour. The current tour lineup was like the lineup with John Wetton because you could feel that they really wanted to do the songs justice and please the audience. I would have asked for nothing more than say a couple of songs from the middle Asia albums like Omega and XXX. I can imagine John Mitchell playing that eerie guitar rift from "Through my Veins" with Harry's vocals. Even though this was where Steve Howe finally found his Asia persona, I think John would be awesome on the tracks from Omega.
@@BrianHammill ok Brian. 1rst of all, My English is very basic and isn't from any translater from yt or cellphone. My language is the spanish from Buenos Aires Argentina. I told that from Carl Palmer in this line up only for have an original member more. The work of John Mitchell is great and fresh, like with the Wetton band, and a drummer also great!! Or with the Icon gigs with Downes Wetton. All with a Asia very very fresh. By the way, i Saw ELP 6 times in Argentina and 5 Carl Palmer ELP legacy, Asia original members 2, John Wetton band 3, Rick Wakeman 8 times, Yes 9, etc. I agreed with your comment! Cheers from Buenos Aires Argentina 🤙
Supergroup Asia was my first concert in the early 1980s. It was made up of members from Yes, ELP, and King Crimson. Still one of the best concerts I have ever seen. This looks and sounds like a High School band covering Asia badly. Quite a dull presentation too. Any claim of could you do better is moot. I am not calling myself something I am not.
Virgil Donati not playing Carl's drum parts anywhere close to the original, Virgil playing Virgil and not respecting Carl's parts. Sounds uninspired, While I do appreciate Virgil Donati as a master drummer and one of the best drummers on the planet, he is taking too many liberties and not playing some of the signature parts of the original.
Seen many Asia shows with various lineups. Saw the opening show of this tour. Had the same critcique of Virgil ( who was the biggest reason I was there) . No drum solo. I repeat, no drum solo. And when he completed the mini solo in "Wildest Dreams" it was crickets, whereas every time Palmer did it he got a standing O. Doubt he will last with the band.
The point of ASIA was that it was a "Supergroup"...A collaboration of extremely accomplished and well-seasoned musicians. This is a cover band playing their music (poorly) like you can see at any neighborhood corner tavern on a Friday night.
Asia started as a supergroup, with former members of Yes, ELP, and King Crimson. And that's the version of the band that many of us know and love, and that had several hit songs. But it wasn't too long before Asia morphed into "Geoff Downes plus some other guys," and that's what they have gotten back to now. Having said that, I think this line-up sounds good. And with Wetton having passed on, Palmer busy with his ELP Legacy tours, and Howe apparently not interested, I guess this is the best we are going to get in 2024. But as you said, it's quite different from the original line-up. Other than Downes, it's a cover band.
saw them with the classic lineup years ago. (John Wetton, Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes, Steve Howe) great show.
Nice seeing someone that can inflect John Wetton into the songs. Love seeing John Mitchell on board as work he has done with Frost* and Lonely Robot is excellent. And love Geoff Downes & his work also with the Downes Braide Association and the 5 albums they have done together.
Martin Turner looks like John Wetton!
Geoff Downs ha hecho un tributo genial, la música de Asia nunca fue valorada como realmente lo merece. Larga vida a Asia!
Harry! Best voice after John!!!
They sound excellent!!
I like how the lead vocalist even uses the exact same bass as Wetton! It's really unbelievable how close he sounds
It is actually John Wetton's Zon bass. He had a few. The one used at the Spartanburg SC show was played by John on the Astra album. It's a cool thing to have John's actual bass there to further having John's spirit present and his family's blessings on this tour with Harry Whitley performing brilliantly alongside the also brilliant John Mitchell.
@@BrianHammill I did not know that! Thank you for the information
This is great!
They sound very good and I don't think the whiners in the comment section could do better.
Great stuff from Virgil - last time I saw him each limb was playing a different time signature
As ASIA is a near legendary band among late-boomers, do you think whatever incarnation of the band that exists today could show-up in something better than jeans and running shoes???
Are you looking for a concert, or a fashion show?
@@awesomeconcerts8922 It's about presentation, musicianship and professionalism. It's a tough sell on expensive tickets when you dress like the pizza delivery guy.
So they can't be comfortable to entertain you?
@@patriotpizzaman Paying customers expect to be entertained and get their moneys worth from professional musicians at that level. Go to their garage if you want to see a warm-up soundcheck.
Point taken
❤❤ Asia will be performing in Tulare California November 9th at 7:30 p.m. tickets will be on sale soon through Ticketmaster let's support this group in 50 years of music ❤❤❤❤❤
Different band, different Asia. It's Asia Featuring John Payne. You know that, right?
If this doesn't look like Asia, it's because Asia's lineup history is even more convoluted than Yes's lineup history. As long ago as the 1990s, Asia had only one original member left (Geoff Downes). Years later, Downes left Asia to reunite with the original Asia lineup, resulting in a split into two separate bands -- "Original Asia" (or just "Asia") and "Asia featuring John Payne." Since then, "Original Asia" has once again lost all of its original members except Geoff Downes, and "Asia featuring John Payne" has lost all of *its* original members except for John Payne. And ironically, the current lineup of Yes has more original members of Asia (Steve Howe and Geoff Downes) than the current lineup of Asia has (only Geoff Downes).
I couldn't agree more, though I think Yes is more convoluted but that's splitting hairs at this point. I'm all for keeping the music alive, but there comes a time when band names should be legally and officially retired. Asia and Yes are two of them.
@@5qob Agreed. Lynyrd Skynyrd is another good example. I saw them a couple of years ago, when Gary Rossington was the only remaining member of the band who had been with them on any of their 1970s albums. But he wasn't there for the show that I saw (for health reasons), so the line-up that I saw was one guy who had been with Lynyrd Skynyrd briefly *before* their first album (Rickey Medlocke), plus the brother of the original singer, plus a bunch of replacements. Now I'll grant that they played the classic songs well, and they paid a nice tribute to all the band members who have passed away. But they really had no business calling themselves Lynyrd Skynyrd in my opinion, and that's even more true now that Gary Rossington has passed away.
Definitely Yes is the one band with more line up changes than you count on either of both hands combined. Asia's lineup changes were minimal in the grand scheme of things. And Geoff Downes isn't an Original member of Yes. Not even close. He didn't come onto the scene with Yes until 1980 with the 'Drama' album and then again in 2011 with 'Fly From Here' and thereafter. And Steve Howe isn't an Original Member of Yes either. He didn't come on board until their 3rd album 'The Yes Album'.
@@gkirms Asia may have had more lineup changes over the years than you realize. Take a look at the Wikipedia page showing all the Asia band members some time, if you haven't already, including two completely separate branches of the band that have coexisted since about 2007. But I agree that Yes has had a crazy number of lineup changes as well.
And yes, I realize that neither Steve Howe nor Geoff Downes was an original member of Yes. But they were both original members of Asia. My point is that there are more founding members of *Asia* in the current *Yes* lineup than in the current Asia lineup. (In fact, Jon Davison is the only member of the current Yes lineup who hasn't been a member of Asia at some point.)
@@Paul71H I realize Asia has line up changes since I have followed them since 1982 (both versions aka John Wetton (have his solo albums as well and with Geoff Downes) and aka John Payne (also have John Payne's side group projects as in GPS and Dukes of the Orient as well as Intelligent Music Project Volumes III thru VI)) when I purchased their first album on vinyl and 8-Track but it could have been Cassette since that was about the time Cassettes were coming into their own and replacing 8-Tracks. Whether or not it's more than Yes, not sure but Yes is the more well known group with the constant controversy between lead singers and the seemingly constant changes of players with the exception of Steve Howe and Chris Squire. I would say most fans dropped Asia after their 2nd, maybe 3rd album and didn't even realize that they continued on with John Payne. Other than 'Who Will Stop the Rain' (the most sounding Asia song from the John Payne era) I don't even remember ever hearing Asia from the John Payne era on main stream Radio at all. Most casual fans remember the first album and first album only and basically on main stream Radio today all you will ever hear are the singles from the first album because that's what the focus tested want to hear.
Sounds great.
Important thing for the future: the music has to be kept alive. However, you must have continuous members for a few decades. There should be legal control of this by the current surviving members and their blessing
Seeing them 7/22 at the Hard Rock in Tampa.
Please come to Germany!!!
Der Gitarrist ist soviel besser als Steve Howe 🎉
John Mitchel from Arena
Add Carl and Steve and you got yourself a great band again. Like the singer
I find it so sad that so many of the bands I loved from back in the day continue to try to be "that band". Its like the old movie " Multiplicity", if anyone remembers that movie we saw how things turned out for Michael Keaton!
What do you suggest they do? Just quit performing because you don't care for it? I saw Foreigner last night in West Palm Beach without a single original member and they were fantastic! And I'm going to see Asia tomorrow night in Fort Lauderdale and I'm very excited to see them! The original band will never be together again so the way I see it is that this is as close as it's ever gonna get!
Well, at the expense of getting into an on line pissing match over a band , in my personal opinion, I prefer memories of a great show, with the original band members, to an overpriced ticket to a facsimile of that band. I guess if I'm at that point I'd go see a good cover band for less money. Just my feelings, no one else's. Rock on bro!
Wetton sounds pretty good for a dead guy.
This must be so difficult to play live.
ジョンウェットンを引き継ぐ男、ハリー。声は伸びがあり、ジョンにかなり似せている。願うは、ハウかパーマーが復帰すれば、高齢者集団になるけど、ニューエイジアが誕生しそう。
Nice this line up....
John Mitchell, Geoff, Harry....., but why not Carl Palmer???
Harry with Carl Palmer !!!
Because Carl Palmer doesn't wanna rejoin the group
@@danmathison2654 thanx Dan ! , cheers from Buenos Aires Argentina.
I think this was a much happier lineup than the previous couple of efforts that included Carl. Carl is an amazing percussionist and I love listening to his stories. But Virgil did the songs justice and just played his heart out like Geoff, Harry, and John did on this tour. The current tour lineup was like the lineup with John Wetton because you could feel that they really wanted to do the songs justice and please the audience. I would have asked for nothing more than say a couple of songs from the middle Asia albums like Omega and XXX. I can imagine John Mitchell playing that eerie guitar rift from "Through my Veins" with Harry's vocals. Even though this was where Steve Howe finally found his Asia persona, I think John would be awesome on the tracks from Omega.
@@BrianHammill ok Brian.
1rst of all, My English is very basic and isn't from any translater from yt or cellphone.
My language is the spanish from Buenos Aires Argentina.
I told that from Carl Palmer in this line up only for have an original member more.
The work of John Mitchell is great and fresh, like with the Wetton band, and a drummer also great!!
Or with the Icon gigs with Downes Wetton.
All with a Asia very very fresh.
By the way, i Saw ELP 6 times in Argentina and 5 Carl Palmer ELP legacy, Asia original members 2, John Wetton band 3, Rick Wakeman 8 times, Yes 9, etc.
I agreed with your comment!
Cheers from Buenos Aires Argentina 🤙
@@miguelangelmontenegro9939 Cheers to you too a Brother in Prog Rock!
What is going on in the chorus..& the Head???🥁🙈
Supergroup Asia was my first concert in the early 1980s. It was made up of members from Yes, ELP, and King Crimson. Still one of the best concerts I have ever seen.
This looks and sounds like a High School band covering Asia badly.
Quite a dull presentation too.
Any claim of could you do better is moot. I am not calling myself something I am not.
Virgil Donati not playing Carl's drum parts anywhere close to the original, Virgil playing Virgil and not respecting Carl's parts. Sounds uninspired, While I do appreciate Virgil Donati as a master drummer and one of the best drummers on the planet, he is taking too many liberties and not playing some of the signature parts of the original.
Precisely why he lost the Dream Theater audition. He didn't respect the original material.
Because he would be bored out his mind, just mimicking Palmer. Let him be creative...
Seen many Asia shows with various lineups. Saw the opening show of this tour. Had the same critcique of Virgil ( who was the biggest reason I was there) . No drum solo. I repeat, no drum solo. And when he completed the mini solo in "Wildest Dreams" it was crickets, whereas every time Palmer did it he got a standing O. Doubt he will last with the band.
I like you put his own player on it it actually makes it better. Have you played it just like Palmer did it just wouldn't be the same. IMO.
The point of ASIA was that it was a "Supergroup"...A collaboration of extremely accomplished and well-seasoned musicians. This is a cover band playing their music (poorly) like you can see at any neighborhood corner tavern on a Friday night.
Asia started as a supergroup, with former members of Yes, ELP, and King Crimson. And that's the version of the band that many of us know and love, and that had several hit songs. But it wasn't too long before Asia morphed into "Geoff Downes plus some other guys," and that's what they have gotten back to now.
Having said that, I think this line-up sounds good. And with Wetton having passed on, Palmer busy with his ELP Legacy tours, and Howe apparently not interested, I guess this is the best we are going to get in 2024. But as you said, it's quite different from the original line-up. Other than Downes, it's a cover band.
I visit several "corner taverns" and I've yet to hear any cover bands play Asia songs with this much professionalism!
Your full of S
More like watered-down Asia! The lead singer is alright, but he's no John Wetton.
Why are they doing this? This is not Asia. Just quit.