Asia co-founder Geoff Downes talks about the band's tour ahead of show at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles

 

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

 

Last summer, Asia co-founder Geoff Downes organized a memorial concert to remember and celebrate the life of his friend and Asia co-founder John Wetton, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 67.

During the show, Downes invited guitarist John Mitchell – who had played with both Wetton and Downes on the album "Icon" – on stage. Joining them was Harry Whitley, who Downes discovered had a similar vocal style to Wetton. 

The reformed Asia will perform at 7:30 p.m. July 30 at the Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles, as part of The Heat of the Moment Tour, a reference to the band's hit song, "Heat of the Moment." The band will be joined by former Wishbone Ash singer Martin Turner along with progressive rock bands Focus and Curved Air.

Artist Roger Dean will be the MC for the show. Tickets are available at arcadalive.com.

I had the chance to talk to Downes about the tour.

 

Q – I understand that this tour was born out of the memorial concert last August for John.

Yeah, we put together a band and the response was phenomenal. 

 

Q – Did you think there would be such an outpouring of support? 

John had a lot of followers. Outside of Asia, he was also involved in other bands like King Crimson.

We headlined the show and I think it really brought it home to me that there was still a lot of appetite for the music of Asia.

Q – Not only a love for Asia's music, but also a love for John, right?

John was incredible. I was very, very privileged for him to be a part of my life, certainly in terms of the writing partnership.

It was really a sad loss for me, obviously, because John was a very important part of my life.

Q – I understand that you might be looking to finish some songs that you worked on with John.

I think John would have wanted me to carry on and finish those songs, which I intend to do. And hopefully Harry can sing those songs.

Maybe by next year, they'll see the light of day. I certainly hope so.

Q – A lot of people would like that. How did you go about picking the other bands that are part of this show? It seems like the other bands bring their own identity to the show.

We got interest from the other bands, Focus in particular and Martin Turner from Wishbone Ash as well.

 

I think it's going to be a real good feast of music.

Q – Of course, you are also touring with Yes this year. What do you think about the band's current lineup and what did you like about working on the band's latest album, "Mirror to the Sky"?

It's a strong lineup. I think the lineup has essentially been there since 2016.

We lost Alan White a couple of years ago and then Jay Schellen took over the drum stool as it were. We lost bassist Chris Squire in 2015.

I think people are really getting to appreciate what we're like and what we do. It's great fun.

I think fans really want to hear new music as well as the classic songs.

 

Q – I understand that “Machine Messiah,” off “Drama,” your first album with Yes, is a joy for you to play live. What do you like about playing that song live?

 

It has all the dynamics that I suppose are very synonymous with Yes' music. You have the big highs with a powerful rock section and then it comes down to a very, very quiet moment. 

That song is a very, very powerful piece. It's almost like a piece of classical music.

 

Q – Your band The Buggles released the song “Video Killed the Radio Star” in 1979, which dealt with the impact of video and television on traditional radio. What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the music industry these days?

I think the fact that technology has really taken over has made musicians not so important any more. I think that a lot of the control over making music now is with the producer.

When you look at bands like Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer and King Crimson, their focus was very much on the music and musicianship as well. And I think people really are scared about AI.

It could really take over a big place in the music market, eventually. 

Q – I know that vinyl records are popular again. Why do you think people want to listen to vinyl records?

I think people like to listen to music in its entirety. Nowadays, I think people are appreciating albums that were put together in that way.

Q – You've worked with so many different bands and worked on so many different projects over the years. It must be refreshing for one thing that so many people want to work with you, that you're an in demand musician.

I feel very privileged that I am still here and still going and still making music and still meeting some great musicians. There's a lot of cross pollination with all the musicians I've worked with.

You end up having a great time working with these people.

Q – But do you have any dream projects?

I'm just happy to be doing what I'm doing. I think it's great to be able to take Asia's music out again because I think that we did have a significant part in other people's lives when we first came out with an album in 1982.