“It’s extraordinary to be in a room with all my musical heroes, I can’t believe it,” says a visibly gobsmacked Michael Clifford, owner of Trading Boundaries, the East Sussex furniture emporium cum-prog sanctum, from the stage.
What’s about to take place is almost unbelievable. In just four months a live event billed as ‘John Wetton: An Extraordinary Life’ – the same title as a new biography and forthcoming box set – complete with a star-studded line-up to make any prog fan hyperventilate, has been created in Wetton’s honour. Wetton played here in January 2012 supporting his friend, and Asia artist, Roger Dean’s Focus X event. Roger now has a gallery here.
When John passed away from colon cancer in 2017, aged just 67, he left a vast catalogue of music made with Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash and Asia as well as his own solo work and many collaborations. A commemoration idea snowballed following a proposal by Paul Green, founder of the Paul Green Rock Academy, formerly the School Of Rock, for multi-instrumentalists aged 10 to 18. Founded in 2002, most recently the PGRA has provided Jon Anderson with his touring ensemble, but in the 2000s John Wetton was a
