Tickets for the iCon show at St. Mary-le-Bow Church in London will go on sale Friday, November 14th. A reminder that the concert will be held on Saturday February 21, 2009.

Tickets are 60 pounds (about $90 US), and include admission to the show, a live DVD recording of the show (to be sent at a later date) and the new iCon 3 studio CD on the night of the concert. As an added incentive, the band will be playing a wide variety of songs from the catalogue of the band, and not from the present Asia set list - a spectacular night is promised for any fans of the JW and GD heritage.

Tickets will be available via 24-hour credit card hotline at http://www.ticketweb.co.uk and http://www.meanfiddler.com. Remember, only 200 people will be admitted to this intimate evening of incredibly fabulous music!

Download the press release.

Wetton‐Downes’ iCon tours Japan in February 2009. The concerts will take place on February 7 (Fukuoka), February 9 (Osaka) and conclude February 11 and 12 in Tokyo.

The concert will feature new material from their upcoming all‐new third album. Wetton and Downes are pleased to return to Japan after their successful sold out 2007 and 2008 tours of the country with the Reunion of the Four Original Members of Asia, and their sold out tours with the Wetton‐Downes’ iCon project in prior years.

Read the full press release (235K PDF)

Wetton-Downes’ iCon plays London’s historic St. Mary-Le-Bow Church on 30th January, 2009; the intimate live performance will be filmed for DVD.

The concert will feature new material from their upcoming all-new third album.  This is a unique opportunity for 200 people to see the band in such a personal and celebrated setting; each will also have an opportunity to meet and greet the performers and will receive a special, personalized edition of the new CD, and a pre-release version of the DVD resulting from the performance, after completion. 

Read the full press release (5.4MB PDF)

With the release of Phoenix in the US and Canada today, most regions of the world now have the new album in the shops. To help celebrate the release, there is a simulcast of the band's concert from the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, NY tonight. Check it out from the band's website at 8PM Eastern time. The album can also be purchased through Amazon from a link on the website.

Speaking of Phoenix, here are some choice quotes from a number of recent reviews:

• “Now it is official --- the Phoenix has risen from the ashes.  Asia has returned”. Jeb Wright, Classic Rock Revisited
• “Phoenix” reveals more beauty and manages to bloom with every spin. Yet another contender for the album of the year lists!”,
  Edwin van Hoof, Hardrock Haven
• “The material on this album is generally excellent throughout both in terms of composition and of course musically with every member in the band firing on all cylinders. After 25 years, Asia are back!”, Jon Kirkman, Rockahead
• “Woa, all I can say is woa, the first Asia album to feature all 4 original members – in a quarter of a century…quite a thing eh? Bravo, Asia. Bravo, I’m speechless...”, Dimitrios Fatouros, Metal Invader
• “….a masterwork by the founding components of Asia. ‘Phoenix ‘ is a triumph of music”. Matt Rowe,  Music Tap       
  
• “…perfectly produced”, “glorious”, “classy”, “inspired.”, Melodic Rock,
  
• “Asia: 'Phoenix' comes from the heart”, Ultimate Guitar
• “Phoenix can as well be one of the finest ASIA releases…glorious ’see the light shining’ harmonies, ‘grab this!’ hooks, ‘cinema rock’. Anno 2008, ’original’ ASIA strikes back!” Grigoris, Metal Temple

The Asia world tour will be kicking into high gear shortly, beginning in the UK on March 1. In addition, the new studio album "Phoenix" will be released through Frontiers Records in April. For all of the details on Geoff's Asia activities, be sure to keep an eye on the official Asia website.

Geoff will be a special guest 'live' on the GTFM Rockshow in South Wales and the South West on Wednesday, February 20th from 10pm - 12pm GMT (5pm-7pm Eastern time). Tune in on the web at 107.9 FM. You can also send Geoff a question for the show in advance through e-mail at:  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

From the GTFM website: "This week, we have a very special guest live in the studio, he is Asia and former Yes keyboard player Geoff Downes!. We'll be talking all things Asia on the eve of the original line up's (Wetton, Howe, Palmer) forthcoming tour, playing tracks from Geoff's career, past, present and future (!) and he'll answer your questions live on air! We can even discuss 'Video killed the Radio Star' if you like!!! We'll also have a competition to win tickets to see Asia at various shows, plus we'll have the usual rock history and rock news from the web."

The prestigious Japanese music magazine, Player, has announced the results of its 2007 Reader's Poll. We are happy to announce that Geoff placed 7th among Best Keyboardists. At the same time, Asia finished 6th in the voting for Best Live Performance in Japan and John Wetton placed 8th in the Best Bassist category. Congratulations!

In addition, there have been many updates on the Asia file in recent days. To stay on top of Geoff's Asia activities, feel free to check out the band's official website.