Fantasia: Live in Tokyo (2007)
Disc One
1. Time Again
2. Wildest Dreams
3. One Step Closer
4. Roundabout
5. Without You
6. Cutting It Fine
7. Intersection Blues
8. Fanfare for the Common Man
9. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
Disc Two
1. Don't Cry
2. In the Court of the Crimson King
3. Here Comes the Feeling
4. Video Killed the Radio Star
5. The Heat Goes On
6. Only Time Will Tell
7. Sole Survivor
8. Ride Easy
10.Heat of the Moment
Billed as the long-awaited reunion of Asia’s “classic” lineup, Fantasia: Live in Tokyo captures a moment both nostalgic and sobering. That term “classic lineup” refers specifically to the group responsible for the first two Asia albums—Asia and Alpha —a period brief enough to be measured in months, yet long enough to embed the band in the annals of early ‘80s arena rock. By the time of this 2007 performance in Tokyo, the group had become a fragmented institution, more remembered than revered.
To fully appreciate the context of Fantasia, one must acknowledge the steady erosion of the band’s identity throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. The name “Asia” had by then been applied to a rotating cast of musicians, with keyboardist Geoff Downes as the sole constant. Guitarist Steve Howe and drummer Carl Palmer drifted in and out of the lineup, often reduced to cameos rather than core contributors. Most notably absent during this phase was original frontman John Wetton, whose role was filled for many years by John Payne—a competent vocalist in his own right, but one whose timbre and tone steered the group in a fundamentally different direction.
With Fantasia, however, the original quartet returned—not in the studio, but on stage, and appropriately, in Asia itself. The venue: Tokyo. The occasion: a chance to rekindle whatever spark had briefly flared two decades prior. The resulting album plays like a greatest-hits set interspersed with selective nods to the band members’ earlier careers.
The setlist is unsurprising. It features the debut album in full (including the B-side Ride Easy), alongside a handful of highlights from Alpha. To pad out the running time, each member performs a solo piece from their pre-Asia career. Carl Palmer delivers Fanfare for the Common Man from his ELP days; Steve Howe revisits Clap; and Geoff Downes resurrects Video Killed the Radio Star, his new wave staple with The Buggles—arguably the surprise highlight of the evening, delivered with unexpected energy.
Yet for all its fidelity to the source material, the performance itself is curiously subdued. The band sounds competent but weary. The arrangements are faithful, the playing precise, but the vitality—so crucial to live performance—is missing in patches. Wetton, ever the anchor of the band’s vocal and melodic identity, carries the material well enough, but the emotional weight often feels perfunctory. The audience, though appreciative, is small, their applause polite rather than fervent. For a major city like Tokyo—long known for its enthusiastic reception of Western rock acts—the modest scale of the crowd is both surprising and telling.
Still, Fantasia marked a turning point. This reunion would spark a modest renaissance, with the original members returning to the studio for several more albums. The results, predictably, were mixed. Yet for those who had followed the band through its many permutations, Fantasia served as both a reminder of past potential and a quiet acknowledgment of limitations.
In sum, Fantasia: Live in Tokyo is more documentary than celebration—an audible snapshot of a band revisiting its legacy, perhaps more out of obligation than inspiration. As with so many reunions, it is a product of reflection rather than renewal.
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