Arriving on the coattails of the first Concentus box set, released in November last year, Concentus II – The John Wetton Live Collection Volume Two covers various live recordings made between the years of 1994 and 1999 when John Wetton found himself “between bands”. Quite a feet when you consider he had been a member of, Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, U.K., Wishbone Ash, as well as fronting global progressive supergroup Asia alongside Steve Howe (Yes), Geoff Downes (The Buggles), and Carl Palmer (ELP), for their first three mega selling albums (and beyond). However with strong albums of his own, solo live dates were always on the horizon.
Concentus Volume II covers a similar time period in time to its predecessor with each of the recordings within this ten disc, seven concert set, hanging heavily on a consistent, crowd pleasing set-list, which adds nuggets from whichever solo album was being promoted at the time (Battle Lines or Arkangel). The two opening disc offer a great example of the overall template that is used throughout, and for that reason I won’t go to heavily into a track by track analysis, as anyone buying this set will be more than familiar with most of the music due to the set’s heavily retrospective nature.
Heart Of The Dragon (CD1 & 2) is an almost identical twin to Chase The Dragon (Osaka) from Volume I, this time offering up the Tokyo set from the Battle Lines tour in 1994, ‘Heat Of The Moment’, the ever bouncing and uplifting ‘ Time Will Tell’, ‘Open Your Eyes’, and ‘Sole Survivor’ are all present from Asia’s mega-selling first album as well as ‘Don’t Cry’, and ‘The Smile Has Left Your Eyes’ from their second, Alpha. From King Crimson we get ‘Easy Money’, ‘Starless’, and ‘Book Of Saturday’, accompanied by the ghostly ‘Rendezvous 6:02’, ‘ The Dead Of Night’, and ‘Thirty Years’ from his time with those much underrated proggers U.K. To conclude the “history lesson” and add the twist, there is also a cinematic version of ‘Did It All For Love’ from Wetton’s 80’s collaboration with the Galley brothers (Mel and Tom), Phenomena. As stated earlier we are also treated to a sprinkling of solo tracks from his most recent project, ‘Where I Wanted to Be’, ‘Hold Me Now’, ‘Crimes Of Passion’, and the title track from Battle Lines, but only one track survives from his debut solo release in the shape of its title track, ‘Caught In The Crossfire’. All this is delivered by a more than competent line-up including the It Bites duo of John Beck on keyboards and Bob Dalton on drums, ably assisted by Andy Skelton on guitar.
Landmarq (CD3) recorded in The Netherlands in 1995 has the band boosted to a six piece with Martin Orford (Jadis/IQ) on keyboards and guitarist, Uwe D’Rose joined by his Landmarq (hence the title) colleagues Steve Gee (bass) and Tracey Hitchings (backing vocals) bolstering the sound during an evening of well trodden tunes. This augmented line-up certainly puts a full on punch into the sound, although D’Rose lacks some of the precision of Dave Kilminster (Roger Waters/Steven Wilson) who steps up to the guitar pedals for the remainder of the included concerts. Also of note is the fairly rare appearance of ‘Voice Of America’ from Asia’s third album Astra.
Come the time of Live In Tokyo 1997 (CD4, reduced to a single disc omitting ‘Hold Me Now’) and Live In Tokyo II (CD5 & 6) recorded on the Arkangel tour, Wetton’s had settled into the more characteristic four piece arrangement with Wetton and Kilminster linking up with Thomas Lang (Paul Gilbert/stOrk) and John Young (Bonnie Tyler/Lifesigns), who co-wrote much of Arkangel. Although ‘I Can’t Lie Anymore’ is the only Arkangel track to feature within the first Tokyo CD, Tokyo II adds ‘The Circle Of St. Giles’ introduction, ‘The Last Thing On Your Mind’, ‘The Celtic Cross’, the acoustic ‘Emma’ and as the lightning crashes from the soundboard, the haunting keyboard of ‘Arkangel’ itself. Highpoints here include Kilminster going totally OTT during his solo on ‘Sole Survivor’ and John Young throwing classical shapes during his show-piece piano solo. It is no wonder that Wetton chose this pairing to accompany him when he put together Qango with Carl Palmer in 1999, following a failed attempt to reunite the original Asia.
By 1998 the show needed a shake up and that is exactly what happened as the band took to the stage at Filharmonia Hall in Poland, the playing cards had been shuffled putting Orford back behind the keys and his comrade from Jadis, Steve Christey on the drum stool for Nomansland (CD7). Nowmansland leans less heavily on Wetton’s illustrious days in Asia, but King Crimson fans will be pleased with ‘The Night Watch’ joining the usual trio of ‘Book Of Saturday’,’Easy Money’ (introduced by the semi-improvised ‘Bygosh!!’), and ‘Starless’ where once again Wetton not only shows his wonderful vocal versatility but also his thunderous bass prowess. Also included are a pair of show stopping ballads from Arkangel (‘Emma’ and ‘After All’) as well as additional softy and set closer ‘Suzanne’ from his coalition with former Roxy band mate, guitarist Phil Manzanera. The main moment to savour has to be the transition between, Martin Orford shimmering gem of a solo, ‘Tatras’ before the band crash through U.K.’s ‘In The Dead Of Night’. It doesn’t get better than this.
Sometimes the venue transports a concert to the next level, and that is certainly the case with the 2025 REDUX of Sub Rosa (CD8) presented here in an extended version featuring two extra King Crimson tracks (The Night Watch, Starless). Performed in the open air surroundings of the Castle of Vigevano in Italy, the night after the birth of his son, Dylan, from its angelic intro tape to ‘Book Of Saturday’, this performance captures the wonderful atmosphere within this historic location and Wetton’s voice has never sounded better, while Kilminster’s sublime acoustic work is a thing of wonder. With songs selected to make the most of the three piece, acoustic nature of the performance, the track list cherry picks the best from across Wetton’s career with every facet covered, and Orford once again shows his top tier credentials on his solo piece, ‘Ode To Quilmes’.
Returning to the master plan, Live At The Sun Plaza 1999 (CD9 & 10) unfortunately rounds of the collection with the poorest sound quality of the set, despite being fully remastered by Andy Pearce the low level of the audience reaction within the mix sucks the ambience from what is an amazing group of songs. Everything you could ever want is contained within the rather flat and distant sounding recording, ‘Sole Survivor’, to ‘Don’t Cry’ from Asia, ‘Book Of Saturday’ to ‘Starless’ from King Crimson, ‘Battle Lines’ to ‘The Celtic Cross’ from the solo years, but due to the audio, it comes over as rather pedestrian compared to the earlier productions.
This is by no means a starting point for the John Wetton novice, but it is more a vehicle to analyse Wetton (and his various bands) in the live environment and soak up his amazing songwriting and performing talents as a singer and a musician. We are so blessed to have been left with so many documents of John Wetton’s live shows from the various bands throughout his career, Asia – Live In Nottingham, King Crimson – USA, U.K. – Night After Night, to name but three. But the concerts pulled together within Concentus II – The John Wetton Live Collection Volume Two reproduce tracks from his vast output under one umbrella and with liner notes from the ever informative Jerry Ewing of Prog Magazine this is a must have for Wetton fans. Volume Three of this triptych should arrive soon and will hopefully include some of his post 2000 performances, as this set does cover much ground already covered in the first Volume. Following his death in 2017 it is only right that we should celebrate his legacy by sharing his constantly evolving musical history. It is difficult to think that one man will ever play such a key roll in so many important bands again.
- Reviewed By Peter Brockwell.
- Concentus II – The John Wetton Live Collection Volume Two is released via Spirit Of Unicorn/Cherry Red Records Records On 29th August 2025.
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Track List:
Disc One: Heart Of the Dragon Pt. 1
1. Intro
2. Heat Of the Moment
3. Don’t Cry
4. Right Where I Wanted to Be
5. Rendezvous 6:02
6. Caught In the Crossfire
7. Easy Money
8. In The Dead of Night
9. Thirty Years
10. Only Time Will Tell
11. Did It All for Love
Disc Two: Heart Of the Dragon Pt. 2
1. Hold Me Now
2. Starless
3. Book Of Saturday
4. Crime Of Passion
5. Battle Lines
6. Open Your Eyes
7. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
8. Sole Survivor
Disc Three: Landmarq (Live in The Netherlands)
1. Intro
2. Don’t Cry
3. Voice Of America
4. Hold Me Now
5. Book Of Saturday
6. Thirty Years
7. Only Time Will Tell
8. Crime Of Passion
9. Caught In the Crossfire
10. Easy Money
11. In The Dead of Night
12. Battle Lines
13. Starless
14. Rendezvous 6:02
15. Open Your Eyes
16. Sole Survivor
17. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
18. Heat Of the Moment
Disc Four: Live in Tokyo 1997
1. Sole Survivor
2. I Can’t Lie Anymore
3. Battle Lines
4. John Young’s Keyboard Solo
5. Thirty Years
6. Rendezvous 6:02
7. Thomas Lang’s Drum Solo
8. Easy Money
9. In The Dead of Night
10. Heat Of the Moment
11. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
12. The Night Watch
13. Only Time Will Tell
Disc Five: Live in Tokyo II 1997 Pt.1
1. The Circle of St. Giles
2. The Last Thing on My Mind
3. Sole Survivor
4. I Can’t Lie Anymore
5. Battle Lines
6. John Young’s Keyboard Solo
7. Arkangel
8. Emma
9. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
10. The Night Watch
11. Thirty Years
12. Hold Me Now
13. Only Time Will Tell
14. Rendezvous 6:02
15. Thomas Lang’s Drum Solo
Disc Six: Live in Tokyo II 1997 Pt.2
1. Easy Money
2. In The Dead of Night
3. After All
4. Heat Of the Moment
5. Starless
6. Don’t Cry
7. The Celtic Cross
Bonus Track:
8. Blues Was on My Mind (April 05, 1997)
Disc Seven: Nomansland
1. Intro – Guitar Concerto
2. The Last Thing on My Mind
3. Sole Survivor
4. Book Of Saturday
5. Emma
6. Martin Orford keyboard solo – ‘Tatras’
7. In The Dead of Night
8. Bygosh!!
9. Easy Money
10. Rendezvous 6:02
11. The Birth of Igor
12. After All
13. Starless
14. The Night Watch
15. Suzanne
Disc Eight: Sub Rosa (2024 Redux)
1. Intro
2. Book Of Saturday
3. Heat Of the Moment
4. Sole Survivor
5. Martin Orford piano solo – ‘Ode to Quilmes’
6. Battle Lines
7. Arkangel
8. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
9. Easy Money
10. Emma
11. Announcement
12. Thirty Years
13. Hold Me Now
14. Rendezvous 6:02
15. The Night Watch
16. Starless
Disc Nine: Live At the Sun Plaza Tokyo 1999 (2024 Redux) Pt. 1
1. The Circle of St. Giles
2. The Last Thing on My Mind
3. Sole Survivor
4. Battle Lines
5. Book Of Saturday
6. Martin Orford piano solo – ‘Ode to Quilmes’
7. Emma
8. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
9. Hold Me Now
10. The Night Watch
11. Only Time Will Tell
12. In The Dead of Night
Disc Ten: Live At the Sun Plaza Tokyo 1999 (2024 Redux) Pt. 2
1. Easy Money
2. After All
3. Rendezvous 6:02
4. Time Again
5. Starless
6. Heat Of the Moment
7. Don’t Cry
8. The Celtic Cross
