INTERVIEW: John Payne cannot wait for his concert tour with Lou Gramm
Photo: John Payne will play Asia songs and be on a double bill with Lou Gramm on an upcoming tour. Photo courtesy of John Payne / Provided by Glass Onyon PR with permission.
John Payne, lead singer of Asia from 1992 to 2006, has more than a few hits under his belt that he cannot wait to bring to audiences in the coming months. Helping him along the way will be Lou Gramm, the original voice of Foreigner. Together their bands will play songs from two of the most successful catalogs in rock history (just think “Heat of the Moment” next to “Jukebox Hero”).
Payne is the leader singer and bassist of “Asia Featuring John Payne,” and his musical history is impressive, with a litany of connections to powerful performers in the business. He backed up Roger Daltrey on solo albums for The Who singer. He founded The Passion and then had a short-lived project with some guys from ELO. It was in the early 1990s when he joined Asia, staying with them for nearly 15 years and releasing 10 albums.
The upcoming tour, which does not have official dates but will expand from 2018 to 2019, will feature “Asia Featuring John Payne” and Gramm on a double bill. To preview the concerts, Payne recently exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox.
What can fans expect from the upcoming tour?
It will be at least a 90-minute show featuring the most popular songs of Foreigner and Asia.
We start the show and play Asia songs for the first half, and then Lou belts out his hits for the second half of the set. We are even going to play his huge solo hit ‘Midnight Blue.’
The is great camaraderie, fun and passion on stage with him.
How did the band make a connection with Lou Gramm?
I fist met Lou in the 1990s on a Radio Tour. I have been a huge fan of his singing and songwriting, so to work with him is a dream come true. We first started working together about seven years ago, and now we work regularly with out show The Rock Pack.
He is a pleasure to work with and standing on stage with him playing those classics is amazing.
Will you play any Foreigner/Gramm songs, and vice versa?
So we become the band in the second half of the show; however, it’s an interesting question. Perhaps as the tour develops Lou may gatecrash the Asia set, and be welcome.
When did you first fall in love with rock ‘n’ roll?
I suppose around my 10th birthday. In 1968, the music scene was like a waking banshee. It seemed to come from nowhere.
When Asia asked you to join the band a couple decades ago, what was going through your mind?
In 1991, I was called to a meeting by Geoff Downes and asked to join. I’d been working with some of the ELO guys to resurrect the band, but that was going slowly for legal reasons.
I had mixed feelings because I was also a huge ELO fan, but after a few hours to ponder, I called Geoff back and said a resounding, ‘Yes!’
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Click here for more information on the joint tour between Asia Featuring John Payne and Lou Gramm.
