Yes, The Astrodome, 1974--"A Night of Firsts"

Growing up in Houston as a kid in 1960's, seeing the opening of the massive wonder of the world known as the Astrodome, it never entered my mind that one day I would see such amazing music performed in it. Until the early 1970's, if it wasn't sports, it wasn't in the Dome.

When Yes came in 1974, I was a wee teen but already enamoured of the Yes sound. Having never been to a concert of any kind before, and a denzien of the piney woods far, far from Houston, I looked with fevered anticipation when my mother brought home the two tickets I had asked for. She bought them at Foley's department store. Nervously, I asked my crush (two years older than me) to come to the concert and she accepted--her first concert too, she said.

Floor seats, residual hippies, and wafting strange aromas surrounded us as we literally sat on the floor of the Astrodome. Before the concert, I laid on my back and looked straight up to the central point of the domed roof. What a fine piece of architecture to experience our first "rock" concerts.

After the opening acts (of little consequence to me, really), and a brief intermission, the lights dimmed and Firebird Suite (sweet!) exploded. Then, Yes came out on stage and started what for many years to come would be the sequential memory of the oft played Yessongs album (I still have both it and the poster that accompanied the Roger Dean dustjacket). They played the songs I knew, and many that were new (Topographical Oceans I had not heard yet). On "You and I", my crush and held hands.

All of the band members were strong and precise. Anderson's voice was nothing like a young guy from East Texas had ever heard before come out of a man, Howe was in his own world (as good as he knows he is), White was having a blast behind his kit, and Squire moved about the stage like a performer in a circus.

Relayer was wild, The Fish was epic, The Clap fun, and Roundabout familiar. When it was all over, and we were thoroughly entralled (our first concert and all), crush and I walked out with arms around each other's waist, stopping short of the exit to--yes--kiss for the first time.

I don't know where she is today--heck I don't know where I am today--but I know deep down she must remember this one cool December night of 1974 with fondness.

Yes.

Today after lunch Raymond, Kathy and I tribbled to Houston to see Yes. Actually, it was more than a tribble. It was quite an involved process. Kathy had misplaced our tickets and so there was some doubt that we'd be able to get in. (Although she had called ahead to arrange for replacements.)

We arrived at the Astrodome around 5PM and milled around for almost two hours until the office opened and we got our duplicate tickets. But by then the crowd had been let loose and were racing for the stage. We thought it would be impossible for us to get good spots. But the ticket man was kind and let us crawl in under the back gate. We raced against the crowd, shoved frantically, and staked out a place in the fifteenth row.

Gyphon came on. Then the amazing Mahavishnu Orchestra.

Between Mahavishnu and Yes, Kathy and I wheedled up to the third row. Unfortunately many other people had the same idea and we were squished together as one standing mass. The people who were further back kept yelling for us to sit down, but we couldn't sit down if we wanted to see, since the stage blocked our view. Plus there was the danger of getting trampled. A near-riot ensued and Yes was through two songs (I get up I get down was apropos) before everyone calmed down. Jon Anderson did not look happy. Kathy and I felt very bad for him.

Another great concert from Yes since I've seen very concert they have played in the city of Houston.The crowd was pumped up it was awesome.When the lights went down there must of 40,000 joints being fired up at the same time.What a sight!We were sitting about 20 yards from the massive stage at the Astrodome.When the concert was over nobody wanted to leave.After the show Chris Squire became a state hero.He has quite a following in the state of Texas especialy in the city of houston were he is known as one of the best bass players we have ever seen.Thanks again!

My first concert, and my first date at the age of 15. My girl was from our church; all tinglely, we were. Sat in the Astrodome festival floor seating with eyes wide open. We were from a very small Texas town in the country outside Houston, and we had never smelled pot before and would only two years later realize what it was. Gryphon started--had a guy who danced around while playing an oboe! Mahavisnu was entertaining, if a bit pendantic. Firebird Suite introduced Yes as they exited a foggy Dean-designed Topographical tunnel. Patrick Moraz was mesmerizing in flowing white satin, arms stretching between two banks of keyboards--one in front of him, the other behind him. He really stood apart with his special talent. Squire seemed to be a magician with his bass, and the others put to life what I had only heard on my LP's. A special night all around, as my mom picked us up after the show and allowed us to both sit in the back of her Chrysler Fury III as she drove the hour and half back home.

I saw Yes in the Astrodome. It was filled with Yes fans to a not quite sold out state. Festival seating on the field. The opening song was Soundchaser and they played all of Relayer. And Relayer hadnt been released yet, not for 2 weeks or so were we able to get it.

No 'South Side' that night. But it was an excellent show.