Asia has announced “The Heat of The Moment Tour”, headlined by Asia and also featuring Focus, Martin Turner (ex-Wishbone Ash), Curved Air and MC’d by artist Roger Dean.
The trek will commence on July 3, 2024, and will incorporate 21 dates across the USA and Canada, and it was masterminded by rock music keyboard legend and original Asia member Geoff Downes.
“Asia” was the biggest-selling album of 1982, No. 1 on Billboard for nine weeks, and pioneered the MTV era. Downes‘s brand new iteration of Asia first began to evolve last summer at the concert held in memory of late lead singer, songwriter, and bassist John Wetton. Downes invited old friend John Mitchell (Lonely Robot, It Bites, Frost*) and newcomer Harry Whitley to join him on stage to celebrate Wetton‘s life by performing some of the classic Asia hits. Such was the uproarious reception to their set, that Downes wondered if something magical was beginning to take shape.
“And so it was that the John Wetton tribute last August really reminded me how much Asia‘s music belongs on the stage,” Geoff said. “The response to it all was literally…spine-tingling.”
Downes‘s new-look Asia will once again feature Mitchell on guitars and Whitley on lead vocals and bass. The quartet will be made complete by the addition of Virgil Donati on drums.
Downes continues: “With the addition of Virgil Donati and John Mitchell, two of the finest musicians in the world in their respective classes, this is almost going full circle bearing in mind their previous close collaborations with John Wetton. Completing this circle is also the amazing Harry Whitley who absolutely floored the audience with his incredible vocal interpretation of the Asia songs that John Wetton and I so lovingly wrote over the years.”
The tour will also feature sets from other classic acts Focus, Turner, and Curved Air. All three support acts boast their founder bandleaders and have deservedly attained the status of legend.
Each performance on the tour will be MC’d by legendary artist Roger Dean. For so many, Dean‘s artwork is synonymous with the music of the time and stands to represent the very best of British rock music.
The final word goes to Geoff Downes: “I am convinced that John‘s [Wetton] spirit is with us as we set out on this new adventure. After all, it is the Year Of The Dragon — just as it was in 1982, when we released our first Asia album. It’s as though it was meant to be. Looking forward to seeing you there, my friends — bring it on!”
2024 “Heat Of The Moment Tour” Dates:
July 03 – Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT
July 04 – Fallsview Casino, Niagara Falls, ON
July 06 – Chevalier Theatre, Medford, MA
July 07 – The Paramount, Huntingdon, NY
July 09 – Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, NJ
July 10 – Count Basie Center, Red Bank, NJ
July 12 – Tropicana Showroom, Atlantic City, NJ
July 13 – Wind Creek Event Center, Bethlehem, PA
July 14 – American Music Theatre, Lancaster, PA
July 16 – Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, Spartanburg, SC
July 17 – Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
July 18 – Columbia County Performing Arts Center, Evans, GA
July 20 – Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL
July 21 – Pompano Beach Amphitheater, Pompano Beach, FL
July 22 – Seminole Hard Rock, Tampa, FL
July 24 – North Charleston PAC, North Charleston, SC
July 25 – Macon City Auditorium, Macon, GA
July 26 – Saenger Theatre, Mobile, AL
July 28 – VBC Mark Smith Concert Hall, Huntsville, AL
July 30 – The Arcada Theatre, St Charles, IL
July 31 – The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, WI
