Amhtsa.155 net.music utzoo!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhtsa!bso Tue May 4 15:40:46 1982 Asia at the Capitol As promised, the following is a review of Asia's show at the Capitol Theater, April 30. They were backed up by a band called Johnny and the Distractions. If at all possible, plan to miss them. Now, on to Asia. First off, let me disavow any claim of objectivity: being a guitarist, watching Steve Howe work his magic from three feet was slightly overwhelming. The other three could have stood around drinking beer all night and I would have been happy. So with this is mind, Asia was naturally excellent. They played every tune off the album (indeed, even "Heat of the Moment" or "One Step Closer" couldn't ruin the show; I can barely take these songs on the record). And now, the secret of padding a 40-odd minute LP to make an hour and a half show. Howe gets a ten minute acoustic set (he played "The Clap" surrounded by two pieces I didn't recognize; they were probably from his first solo album). Geoff Downes took a solo in one of the tunes, and featured the Fairlight digital synth. I was totally impressed by Downes' ability to use this beast on stage. It seemed to give him a little trouble in the introduction (sounded slightly out of tune to me anyway), but after, performed very well. Finally, Carl Palmer rendered his stock ELP percussion solo, with the rotating platform, swinging gongs and strobe lights. This rather predictable display was not one of the high points. The stage, designed by ex-Yes associate Michael Tate, places Downes on a large center platform, five feet above Palmer. Downes had at least a dozen keyboards up there (someone said there were seventeen; I couldn't see them all from the front row). For one of the two new songs they played, the whole band clambered up there, with Wetton playing piano, Downes and Howe playing various other devices, and Carl Palmer diddling with a rhythm machine. In order to fit everybody up there, the keyboards were spread out over about twenty feet, so that when he was alone, Downes was often running from side to side to make sound changes. Very showy. I was also struck by how completely relaxed John Wetton was, so much so that at times he seemed detached and almost uninterested, although he was clearly enjoying the whole thing tremendously. Steve Howe, of course, was nothing less than amazing. They ended the set with "Soul Survivor", then came out for two encores, "Heat of the Moment" and a fun little arrangement of (believe it or not) "The Man With the Golden Arm." All in all, I can safely say I am much more impressed by Asia now that I have seen them live. If you liked the record from the start, the concert could only be better. And if you didn't care for it, you may yet change your mind. Progressive rock is alive and well. Now let's see if we can keep it this way for awhile! Bert Olsson BTL MH 7D307 mhtsa!bso ----------------------------------------------------------------- gopher://quux.org/ conversion by John Goerzen of http://communication.ucsd.edu/A-News/ This Usenet Oldnews Archive article may be copied and distributed freely, provided: 1. There is no money collected for the text(s) of the articles. 2. The following notice remains appended to each copy: The Usenet Oldnews Archive: Compilation Copyright (C) 1981, 1996 Bruce Jones, Henry Spencer, David Wiseman.