I was in Las Cruces with my partner Terry Shea. We were cops sent from New Jersey to the area on an extradition of a felony armed robber. We were staying at the same Holiday Inn as the band and during their stay became quite friendly with them. Nigel Luby one of the engineer/soundmen arranged for us to be backstage as Security during the event which turned out to be one fantastic experience. We arranged for him to go to the Police range and get some practice with handguns which he enjoyed. The after concert party at the hotel was one interesting event. It is hard to believe it has been more than 28 years.. Rock On!!!

This was my first concert-in-the-round, and it was AMAZING! My seat was in the first section above the floor, but it turned out to be almost on top of the stage, right next to the band's path to the stage. They walked right next to me as they came out of the dressing room. I wish I had brought my camera, as I would have gotten some incredible closeups. This was also before I began recording shows, and I wish I had known about stealth recording back then. The sound was nearly perfect (at least where I was sitting), and the band was in great form. I loved hearing my old favorites, but a particular highlight for me was "Circus of Heaven". The magic of Jon's voice, coupled with the imagery of the lyrics and the wonderment in the child's part almost made me cry. I have seen Yes 6 times (and ABWH once), and I think this was the best show I've seen. (Not that I have ever been disappointed.) If anyone reading this has a recording of this date, I'd love to have a copy.

I saw the round stage in Las Cruces, NM on 10/3/78. ([The original date was] Tucson, but they moved the show just days earlier. The arena in NM was probably only 25% full because of this). I had heard someone say that this was the 1st time they used the round stage, but I've always doubted it. They had been on this tour for over a month.