ASIA – Live at The Cambridge Rock Festival 2009 [Official Live] (2024)

Today is being released ”Live at The Cambridge Rock Festival 2009” as part of the ASIA ‘Official Live series‘, a show captured Cambridge, UK, 9 August 2009, following ‘Phoenix’, the first studio album since their 2000’s reunion.
The sound quality is excellent, not surprisingly as this recording was professionally recorded and previously released by Frontiers Music years ago, now out of print. However this 2024 release is the concert without ‘post-processing / mastering’ – just like it was captured, the real stage sound.
Opening with a couple from their debut, “Only Time Will Tell” and “Time Again,” it’s evident that these guys are still pretty much on top of their playing that night. Wetton sounds more or less as he did in the early days. “An Extraordinary Life,” from the Phoenix album, with a spiky verse and an over-the-top pop-like chorus, sounding like two different songs smashed together.
Elsewhere, Downes’ piano leads “My Own Time (I’ll Do What I Want),” a rather sweet love song showcasing Wetton’s softer vocals from the Alpha album. As a unit, the band kicks it into a high gear on “The Heat Goes On” and the snapping “Soul Survivor.” Of course, they end with “Heat of the Moment”.

As said, Wetton’s voice is still on the strong side which was nice to find being the case. He has such a specific register for these songs, so it would be painful to find this not being the case. Carl Palmer is of course Carl Palmer and one of the finest Progressive Rock drummers in the world. Yes he keeps it on the simple side with Asia material but there is such a fluidity to his playing that makes him a treat to hear. I defy you to not be playing air drums from time to time as this show plays out.

The recording is a historical document of where the band was at the time and a snapshot of their musicianship, camaraderie and passion. A legendary band at the top of their game.
Highly Recommended

01 – Only Time Will Tell (Cambridge, UK, 9 August 2009)
02 – Time Again (Cambridge, UK, 9 August 2009)
03 – An Extraordinary Life (Cambridge, UK, 9 August 2009)
04 – My Own Time (Cambridge, UK, 9 August 2009)
05 – Open Your Eyes (Cambridge, UK, 9 August 2009)
06 – Fanfare for the Common Man (Cambridge, UK, 9 August 2009)
07 – Here Comes the Feeling (Cambridge, UK, 9 August 2009)
08 – Never Again (Cambridge, UK, 9 August 2009)
09 – The Heat Goes On (Cambridge, UK, 9 August 2009)
10 – Sole Survivor (Cambridge, UK, 9 August 2009)
11 – Don’t Cry (Cambridge, UK, 9 August 2009)
12 – Heat of the Moment (Cambridge, UK, 9 August 2009)

John Wetton – bass and lead vocals
Steve Howe – guitars
Geoff Downes – keyboards
Carl Palmer – drums

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