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Venue: The Hollywood bowl, USA Date: 30th July, 2001
The Hollywood bowl is steeped in history - it's a well known tourist attraction round here. It also has the band Yes hidden in amongst that history: they played here in 1972 so, as Jon Anderson quipped early in
the gig, "this was their 'return' engagement!".
It was a cool night in Hollywood and my buddy Mark and I were seated about half way up the bowl on our rented cushions - the Bowl has horribly hard benches! With a glass of wine in my hand, I awaited the
music...
The gig started quietly (as all shows do at the bowl) with the orchestra entering and tuning up. They then (unannounced) went into the quiet introduction which built beautifully into a majestic opening for the
bands entrance and opener, 'Close to the Edge'.
It became apparent to me immediately that this whole band with orchestra idea was working perfectly with the orchestra complementing the music wonderfully.
The various 'stabbing' and 'twisting' elements of 'Close to the Edge' were carried off flawlessly (to my ears anyway) and, as the song grew, the mix (which from the start was decent) became perfect. The center of the song, with its 'spacey' section was added to imaginatively by the arranger (Larry Groupe) who also conducted the 'Hollywood bowl orchestra'. The new keyboard guy - Tom Brislin - pulled off the "all important" synth solo (after the church organ part) so he got my seal of approval!! He did seem to copy the solos all night pretty much as Wakeman/Moraz had played them originally, which was great for the fans.
Up next was a short, but lovely orchestral introduction to 'Long Distance Runaround'. Played by itself, without 'The Fish', the song was aptly accompanied by the strings and horns.
Jon Anderson then introduced the orchestra and greeted the audience before launching into two new songs from 'Magnification': the first called 'Don't Go' was a fairly straight ahead love/pop song - very 'Ladder-ish'-
but seemed to have the band's stamp in some way...
The second was altogether different, called 'In the Presence Of' it was a very emotional epic (in the 10/12 min range) that began with Alan White playing piano!
I look forward to hearing the album version of this song.
Next was the "big one" (my favourite song of all time) 'The Gates of Delirium'. A tall order for any band - let alone one with an orchestra!! But it FAR superseded the version I saw last year in
LA. The battle section was awesome with the horns / strings and percussion going nuts with the insane rhythms behind them ... oooh it was magic!! You can't miss this tour, if only for this song.
The night's only real blunder was here though (but it didn't spoil the song!) when Anderson bounded down from the keyboard / percussion area to begin the lyrics and promptly totally forgot what to sing!! The whole ensemble just stopped!! - and Chris leant over and whispered the words to Jon ... it was a very 'human' moment, it almost added to the whole show!
For me, they had achieved perfection already, so the rest of the gig was gonna be icing on the cake! Giving the orchestra a break they continued with the rarely heard 'Wondrous Stories'.
Sticking much to the album version, it was great to hear this old gem, with Brislin doing the Wakeman lines perfectly and Jon's voice sounding great.
Next up was the not so rare 'Perpetual Change'. Much the same as the version from the '99 tour - without the added guitar of Billy Sherwood, obviously, which helped it, I think.
It still rocked and Steve really got going here.
Steve then actually spoke a bit before his solo section, which was nice to hear. He played a solo piece that I didn't recognize (but many did) and followed it with 'Mood for a Day'.
The orchestra returned for the next number, 'And You and I'.
I, unfortunately, have grown very tired of this song and retired to get more wine. The orchestra could be heard everywhere outside, adding to the 'emotional' parts of the song - people loved it and gave the ensemble a standing ovation (the 3rd or fourth by then).
The next was another huge one:- 'Ritual' - again it worked impressively.
The intro and vocal sections were very 'big' sounding and worked very well. After the insane Squire solo section (where, with my binoculars, I could see the members of the orchestra looking on in puzzlement) we were treated to the totally crazy but unreal percussion segment where the orchestra added wonderfully to the insanity - with Anderson, White and Squire furiously banging away on drums - before it all climaxed with Steve's slide guitar coming out of the confusion moving on to the moving final section. Again, the orchestra added a whole new level to this, leaving you spent!!
The band then went into the obligatory 'I've Seen All Good People' closer without the orchestra (after thanking them) and 'rocked out' to end the show.
As an encore we got 'Starship Trooper' which was good to hear, but the bass was WAY too loud in 'Wurm'. I think Chris Squire is it! - but TOO loud!! It took Steve's energetic solo to finally break the
barrier of sound to a searing conclusion. As always, the band exited with an abridged (fortunately - since it was now 2hrs 40 into the show!!) 'Roundabout' and the show was over. Yes took a series of
bows to a standing ovation and left.
The conclusion? I was very sceptical of this whole idea, but I was proved SO wrong - they kicked butt seriously.
The whole concert was precise, well mixed and energetic too. The conductor and arranger Larry Groupe deserves a lot of credit here for taking on such a huge challenge (especially with 'Gates..' and 'Ritual') and pulling it off so well. A truly great evening, don't miss it if they come by your town!!
Fred Hunter
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YES and the European Festival Orchestra
Venue: Brighton Centre, Sussex. Date: Saturday, 1st December 2001.
Set List: Give Love Each Day (Orchestral intro), Close To The Edge, Long Distance Runaround, Here Comes The Sun, Don't Go, In The Presence Of, Gates Of Delerium, Steve Howe solo (J's Theme, In The Course Of The
Day), Magnification, And You And I, Starship Trooper, Ritual, I've Seen All Good People, Roundabout.
Length: 2 hours 45 mins approx.
At last the Yessymphonic tour reaches Brighton and what an unforgettable night it was. After last years patchy set list on 'The Ladder' tour, this was a dream come true with Yes treating us to a full set
comprising three songs from the new 'Magnification' album and the rest being classics from 1970-74, some of which have not been played in the UK for some 20-25 years. On this leg of the tour Anderson, Howe,
Squire and White are joined by the European Fesitval Orchestra conducted by Wilhelm Keitel and American keyboardist Tom Brislin.
I must admit that, like many others, I was sceptical about Yes using an orchestra.
But I'm very happy to be proved totally wrong. They added even more depth and colours to the sound and, rather than detract from the originals they enchanced them; these songs have really never sounded better. The overall sound was almost perfect, although the orchestra and Tom Brislin could not be heard clearly all the time, they were audible when they needed to be, so the mix and volume was just about right.
From the beginning Jon's voice was strong and crystal clear and hit every note perfectly, he made quite a few jokes and had the audience laughing a few times although not always intentionally!
Steve Howe's playing was totally on fire especially on 'Gates' and 'Ritual' - and it's always fun watching him trying to change guitars quickly enough during 'And You And I'. He also played a superb solo spot with two pieces from his current 'Natural Timbre' album featuring classical and then steel strung acoustic guitars. Chris Squire was hugely entertaining as ever, his solo spots during 'Starship Trooper' and 'Ritual' were just awesome, and so much fun to watch. His bass chords during the ending of 'Gates' were simply divine. Alan White's drumming is as good as ever and new keys man Tom Brislin is excellent too.
So how do I pick highlights from such an incredible performance ? Well here's just a few of the magic moments: The surprising and touching inclusion of George Harrison's 'Here Comes The Sun' with the audience
singing along, and 'Gates Of Delerium' with Steve and Chris's duelling guitars and bass while watching Tom "go ape" during some of the really wild sections.
The 'Wurm' section of 'Starship Trooper' and the 'Eclipse' section of 'And You And I' with the orchestra adding so much majesty and sustained power. The percussive section of 'Ritual' with Alan, Jon, Chris, Tom and some of the orchestra drumming away in unison, and finally when Jon announced that 'In The Presence Of' was about being "surrounded by the divine" I couldn't help but believe him.
At the end of the concert there were so many smiling faces - that says it all really. For many years I never thought I would see the "real" Yes live in action, let alone see them play all these
classic pieces of music so well. Dreams do come true; this is definitive Yes, don't miss them.
Steve
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Venue: London Hammersmith Apollo Date: 4th December, 2001
Set list: Orchestral overture, Long Distance Runaround, Don't Go, In The Presence Of, Gates Of Delirium, Steve Howe Acoustic solo, Starship Trooper, Magnification, And You and I, Ritual (inc bass and drum
solo's), Your Move, All Good People.
Encore - Roundabout (short version)
Whew - nearly missed this one.
Severe traffic problems in London meant that I got to the gig and sat down just as the orchestra were striking up. Was impressed with the stage design: very subdued, with green edged perspex columns, large round mirrors either side of the stage and a neon Yes logo above the band - no big effects or anything, but it tended to look pretty good all through the gig due to subtle lighting changes. The orchestra were situated at the rear of the stage, behind the band.
As far as I could see, it was a full house, and the band got a standing ovation when they took the stage to the opening strains of 'Close To The Edge'. My immediate impression was how good the sound was -
especially as I was sitting very near to one of the PA speakers near the front. The orchestra embellishments really added to the atmosphere, especially during the opening and the "I get up, I get
down" section. It was loud, powerful and very intense, with Chris adding some earth shattering bass pedal notes, and
Tom Brislin really showing his chops during the keyboard solos. I felt exhausted afterwards just watching it, and it earned then a well deserved standing ovation. The first of many...
'Long Distance Runaround' seemed restrained by comparison, and gave us and the band a chance to catch our breath.
Next up was the first of the new songs, 'Don't Go' from the 'Magnification' album. Bit of a dodgy start, with Chris not too sure of when to join in on vocals. Not one of my faves this one, a bit too poppy, but it sounded better live. Next up was 'In The Presence Of' - now this is one of the better songs from 'Magnification'. As with a lot of the other material on the album, the emphasis is very much on vocals and the dynamics of the song itself rather than instrumental prowess. Very good vocal harmonies, and the orchestra were very much to the fore on this one.
In complete contrast, 'Gates Of Delirium' was an absolute barnstormer.
I have never heard this played live, and was really looking forward to it... I was not disappointed. With only one or two exceptions, Steve Howe nailed all the solos perfectly, and seemed to be able to get all the tones, textures and tempo changes just right too. In the 'Battle' segment, everyone seemed to go absolutely bananas - especially Chris and Tom - and the energy and intensity was quite overwhelming. This must be a difficult piece to play live, and the fact that you know that it could all fall apart with just one wrong note tends to give it that added edge. Once again, Steve played the 'Soon' segment note perfectly, similarly Jon's vocal sections: perfection - and a deserved standing ovation. Steve's solo was next, and another chance to take a breather. Did not get the name of the first piece, but the second was called 'Second Initial', which was a very jaunty Clap-like ditty.
'Starship Trooper' was a request - of sorts.
John related a story of a large guy towering over him outside the venue and demanding that they play it. I have to admit that I had become slightly weary of this track, as it had been played as an encore at every Yes gig I have been to in the last 10 years. But somehow, putting it into the middle of the set, with the addition of the orchestra, seemed to breathe new life into it. Heavier than usual, it also gave Chris Squire a chance to show off, hitting some bone shatteringly low bass notes, stalking the stage, glowering at the audience and trading licks with Tom Brislin.
'Magnification', the title track from the new album, was a bit of a surprise. A bit of banter with the roadies ensued, as Jon apparently needed the words!
Still, in the end he sung without them and seemed to get through it ok. Once again, the orchestra play quite a major role in this song, and it came across much better live than on record.
Another classic, 'And You and I' next.
I think this was one of those night when everything was right for Steve. I have read that if he feels the atmosphere is wrong, or all of the correct elements are not in place, it will affect his performance. No such worries tonight, as he handled all of the tricky guitar changes admirably and hit every cue. The pedal steel middle section soared just as it should, and we all duly clapped along at the appropriate times. I did think that Chris's bass pedals were a little too loud for this song, but that's a minor complaint.
My second most anticipated song of the evening was next - 'Ritual'. This one practically shook the foundations.
Very prominent bass, and a slightly reworked 'Nous Sommes Du Soleil' section, with some tasteful guitar from Steve. Chris was like a man possessed during the bass solo, tearing around the stage and bouncing off Alan's powerful drum rhythms. But the best was yet to come. No boring drum solo here. In addition to Alan, we had Chris on Timpani, Jon on some sort of huge, round military style drum, and even Tom Brislin banging away (I assume Steve was probably having a cup of tea!). The effect was incredible - and extremely loud! The orchestra helped to propel the song to its gentle denouement, and once again the whole audience was on its feet by the end.
The final song was 'Your Move / All Good People'. Predictable and oft played, I guess, but an energetic reading of the song, with the whole venue on its feet dancing and clapping along.
Such was the phenomenal audience reaction, we were rewarded with an encore - an abridged version of 'Roundabout'. Standard Yes encore, really. Would be nice to see them give us something different.
But when the band have been this good and are on top form it really does not matter.
This was certainly the best performance I have seen the band give.
The addition of the orchestra was a bold move, but it works beautifully. All of the band were on top form tonight, and Tom Brislin certainly has my vote if they want to use him a permanent keyboard player.
John Morley
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Venue: Universal Amphitheater, LA, CA Date: 23rd August, 2002
So here we are again, outside the entrance to the universal amphitheater in LA, the noise of the Universal Studios' rides surrounding us as we enter. The band seemed to have really done wonders with their
t-shirts and programs; the range for this tour was truly wider than I've seen for a while. Still, onto the gig...
Yes (per norm) walked on to the stage to the 'Firebird suite' and as the last crescendo hit Steve started 'Siberian Khatru', it was immediately apparent that this was slightly slower than we're used to, but Steve's
playing seemed so much more confident than the last few tours.
Rick was to stage right, surrounded by numerous synths, including the famed Minimoog which he played constantly! This first song was also the only one all night that suffered from a weak mix, but it smoked by the end!
Without much of a break Jon said "Hi" and "Woh!!" a few times (nothing new there) and introduced 'America' as a Paul Simon tune. Alan and Chris really locked in during the middle guitar solo
as this piece rocked out. It's never been one of my faves, but this did sound really energetic.
Next up was the, relatively new song 'In the Presence Of...'. I do love this track, and I was very happy to see Rick filling in the orchestral parts to such splendor. The song sounded as full as on the last tour, but in some ways even better since there was a real simplicity to it without so much going on. Wonderful.
Jon then introduced the first real oddity of the night, he said, "this is a song I never expected to play on stage" and the band leapt into 'We Have Heaven'.
Admittedly, I think much of it was sequenced (the vocals mainly), but it was still interesting to hear. This lead into the big surprise of the night; 'South Side of the Sky'. Jon introduced it as a song about "three guys who got lost in the Himalayas". I never knew that until tonight; it did add something for me too. This was undoubtedly "The" song of the night; the drums in the chorus were unrelenting and the trade off guitar/minimoog solo at the song's (thankfully extended!) end were unreal.
After a standing ovation for a few minutes, a new synth solo by Rick led into 'The Revealing Science of God'. This was also a very strong rendition, again with the guitar and synths sounding crystal clear and
perfectly played. Much better with Rick there!
After the emotion that had gone, things calmed down for Steve's solo spot.
Once again Mr. Howe proved what a maestro he is at guitar, playing an excerpt from 'The Ancient' and another song that he dedicated to his wife. He then said thanks and announced a 15-minute break ... humm, beer run anyone?
Things started off the second half much as the first had closed, with a quiet solo spot.
This time Jon sang a new song with acoustic guitar (backed by Rick) called 'Show Me', leading into Rick's solo - which included a 'Six Wives' excerpt and a part of 'Wondrous Stories', before going into the first vocal section of 'And You & I' with Jon returning to sing the verses.
The band returned and launched into 'Heart of the Sunrise'. Again this seemed so much better than the versions I had heard before; the chemistry really does make a difference I guess!
One member of a band does make the picture complete, I guess - though I do know this is Rick's favorite Yes song!
We on the left coast of the states then had a chance to hear 'Magnification' for the first time live.
Great song and so much more intense than the studio version - much more of a rock song. It ended, much as it does on the album, like a mess! This lead into another surprise: 'Don't Kill the Whale'! I always loved this song and it was so good to hear the guys play it again - the guitar and synth solos were sound for sound and note for note exactly as the album version, so good to hear!
Then it was time for the Chris Squire show. He announced "that was a song about mammals, this is a song about fish."
Alan and Steve, with Jon on percussion, aided the big guy on the looney bass extravaganza 'The Fish'. This led into the 'Tempus Fugit' excerpt (Jon left the stage here... humm wonder why?) then Steve left and Chris did a wonderful rendition of the long lost 'On the Silent Wings of Freedom' (the intro section) with the full effects on his Rickenbacker echoing all over the auditorium. Alan went nuts while Chris went into to the end section of 'Soundchaser' (same as the 'Whitefish' solo on the live '84 album) to end his solo. The full band then returned on the last note to play the last few bars of the song...
To anyone else the last song may have been odd, but to me it was obvious; 'Awaken' was the only way to end this show. With Chris and his silly Spinal Tap-like bass and the emotional heights this song reaches,
it's the only way to end!
The harp section seemed to go on forever, like a trance and they have that atmospheric feel down perfectly. Leading into the intense last section, everything just gelled and the band took flight ... what a song.
The audience went crazy and called the band back for the encore - rather surprisingly, 'Yours is No Disgrace'. Very similar to the '99 versions they opened the shows with, apart from Rick! It, as always,
rocked seriously and, I think, worked better in this set position than anywhere else.
It was quickly followed by the predictable 'Roundabout' - but thankfully the shorter version. It gets the point across in half the time and is always the right end to a Yes gig.
In summary, they keep getting better! Maybe they are like wine; aging well.
With Rick back in the fold they really did have a something extra tonight. Now, for that "epoch-shattering" album they've always had in them!
Fred Hunter
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Venue: Mandalay Bay Resort/Casino, Las Vegas Date: 21st April, 2004
Setlists:
Set1:
Firebird suite; Going for the one; Sweet dreams;
I've seen all good people; Mind drive – part1; South side of the sky; Turn of the century; Footprints (excerpt); Mind drive – part2; Yours is no disgrace;
Set2: (* indicates acoustic section of set):
The meeting*; Long distance runaround*;
Wondrous stories*; Roundabout*; Time is time*; Show me*; Steve's solo*; Rhythm of love; And you and I; Ritual;
Encores:
Every little thing; Soon
Well it seems like just another Wednesday night here in Las Vegas. Its warm, plenty of tourists but oddly loads of older guys with Yes T-shirts on. So, indeed my fave band since childhood are back here
again at the Mandalay Bay Resort/casino. This time to celebrate their 35th year together, though as Jon Anderson pointed out in the gig, it is actually 36 years now!
The fact that they are playing here has a couple of upsides: parking is free and you can always hang out in the casino after the gig.
Anyway, almost exactly on time and to a pretty packed audience, Yes took the stage to the familiar sound of 'The Firebird suite'. This would prove to be one of the FEW familiar moments in the whole gig!
As the suite finished the band launched into 'Going for the one'. Quite a shock to hear it in this position, but it worked well. The band was augmented by a Roger Dean stage set of blow up shapes, it looked good,
especially the colors hitting the shapes at odd angles. As always Steve's slide guitar was the best thing about this song.
I strongly felt after the gig that the band had purposely changed their set to make the show 'fresh', I think it worked very well and each song seemed like a surprise! The second song was no different; 'Sweet dreams'
was not a song I expected to hear, but with a great Wakeman solo at the end it was a treat.
After the obligatory – but much earlier than usual -
'All good people' we were treated to the obscure 'Mind drive'. Now I NEVER expected to hear this song and it really felt so much more 'together' than the 'Keys..' version. Squire's bass work was unreal on this song. He played about 6 or 7 different basses at the gig and only used the Rickenbacker on a few songs …another oddity.
'Mind drive' was barely half way through when it segued into 'South side of the sky'. The link was curious since it contained a section of music with Wakeman and Anderson I didn't recognize, nice though.
'South side..' was its usual energetic self, the synth/guitar dual at the end being the best part. Steve was really on top form tonight and this solo was one of the best of the night, along with Rick's Moog of course!
'Turn of the century' was up next, always great to hear, lovely song.
They then played a vocal section of 'Footprints' before finishing up the rest of 'Mind drive'. A move I loved, especially since one of my fave bands 'The Grateful Dead were known for 'splitting' songs all the time
live. It just worked for me and the synth solos at the end make the song.
Finishing up the first half of the show (Anderson said before their 'tea break') with 'Yours is no disgrace' was a good move to. The song almost seemed like a lost friend amongst all the oddities that had come
before. Steve's solo really kicked ass on this, more than I remember hearing before.
The evening's most humorous moment came early on in the second set. The band performed the first few songs acoustic (like the 'Ultimate Yes' versions) and as they huddled to the front of the stage after Rick and Jon
had done a beautiful version of 'The meeting', the front piece of stage scenery was lowered to the point where Chris had to lean under it (he hit it with his head at one point – but it was inflatable so it just
shaked..) just to sing. So the acoustic 'Long distance runaround' was funny in a way, with Jon saying "I think you have a friend" to Chris after the song finished.
The scenery was moved up and they carried on with the wonderful 'Wondrous stories' with Wakeman doing amazing things on his piano, so good to hear this song again..and it sounded so good too.
Following the 'boogie – woogie' (as Chris said) version of 'Roundabout' the band did 'Time is time' from 'Magnification' another strange choice but nice to hear.
They finished up the acoustic segment with the new 'Show me'. From the new compilation set. Once again a nice treat to hear them play something so different.
As the crew cleaned up all the acoustic equipment Steve played a solo spot. I didn't recognize the piece, but it was lovely and looked insanely hard to play, the audience gave him a standing ovation after.
Then the band returned to the opening strains of 'The rhythm of love' and played 80's piece with great energy. It worked very well in this spot after the acoustic section, giving the gig a real upward turn.
The rarely heard recently 'And you and I' was up next and it was a pleasure to hear after being away since '99. Rick's use of a Mellotron sample certainly helped the middle section sound so evocative of the 70's
versions. The crowd loved it and it was probably (with 'South side..' a close second) the best received song of the night.
I was satisfied at that point that they had delved deep enough to find oddities, so I was very curious how they would finish the show. They had, very uncharacteristically, played many short songs and few long ones,
so I hoped we'd hear a Yes epic. I was not disappointed.
Some people loathe 'Topographic oceans'. I am NOT one of them, I've always loved it, especially 'Ritual'. So when I saw the timpani's being wheeled out I was ecstatic!
'Ritual' was absolutely the high point for me of the gig, I've seen them do it before, but not with Rick, so it was a real treat. The crazy bass solo and then even weirder percussion section were fantastic…I was
smiling like a little kid with a Christmas present, very sad!
The band left the stage then. They didn't cease to surprise us in the encores too. The first of which was probably 'the' shock of the night. After a hi-hat filled intro from Alan the familiar change of 'Every little
thing' became apparent. I never thought I'd hear this one! Rick and Alan really made some tasteful additions to the new version that truly brought it up to date. I recorded the gig (per normal..ssshhh) and that's a
song I listen to again a few times because of its freshness.
I really had no clue what else they'd play, so when 'Soon' started, again I was like; "wow..interesting". It was a bold move to finish the gig with this, but being that 'Gates..' is my favorite song of all time, I
was a VERY happy person. Steve's slide guitar was just perfect.
The perfect way to end the best Yes gig I've seen …and I've seen over 20. Somehow, the freshness with which they approached this set list was enough to make it like a kind of a new beginning. Extraordinary, really
since Jon just turned 60. I can't wait for them to hit the road with a new album now!!
So off I went to the casino lounge to have a beer ..or two…errr. Good night all round!
Don't miss this one folks, great show.
Fred
(Note from site editor: - This article was sent to New Horizons and the DPRP by the author for inclusion on both sites. Since we do not have exclusive rights to this article, it appears here as supplied
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