Photos: Geoff Downes’ Asia, Focus, more celebrate prog-rock at Tampa Hard Rock

Asia is down to one original member, keyboardist Geoff Downes, and hasn’t toured since before COVID-19. The the ’80s supergroup also ended up not playing any shows for its 40th anniversary earlier this decade. It’s only natural that Downes wanted to come back strong, with a fistful of fellow prog-rockers.

Last Monday at the Hard Rock Event Center in Tampa,  before the new lineup of the group that gave us “Heat of the Moment” went onstage with just about every hit you can imagine, prog pioneers that haven’t played in the U.S. since some fans were still in grade school (if that) opened things up.

First up was an acoustic, three-piece Curved Air—on its first U.S. tour since 1972—kicking the night off with a 20-minute set, followed by original Wishbone Ash bassist-slash-singer Martin Turner, and Dutch outfit Focus, featuring original flautist and keyboardist Thijs van Leer.