I had just finished JR year in HS.
Sat in the first 4 or 5 rows back from the stage (great seats!)
My buddy turned us on to some purple micro-dot about an hour before the show. It was my first experience with LSD. Nothing seemed to be happening for the first few minutes... He told me to just sit back and enjoy the show... WOW! It was almost a religious experience!

Chris, Thanks for posting the pictures of this incredible night!The pics are GREAT!.Thanks again.

I just scanned and posted some images from this concert at http://photostore.chrisleck.com/gallery/3517540 .

Hello,Alan T.
This really isn't a big deal,I just wanted to verify that the M-80 went off during the closing part of LONG DISTANCE RUNAROUND ( during the slide guitar part).I remember that right after it went off(nearly throwing Steve Howe Off),The crowd loudly BOOED! I have a great bootleg CD of this show, and it has that in there( of course,I was at this show and witnessed this,too).I have the new CD box-set "THE WORD IS LIVE", And I love that they have "HELLO,CHICAGO" on there, my only minor gripe is that it should have been called "THANK YOU,CHICAGO!". But that is just my opinion.Take care.

Dear Alan T.,

The timing of your post suggests you may already know it, but just in case it seemed a good idea to remind everyone of the just released THE WORD IS LIVE boxed set courtesy of Yes and Rhino.

It includes 2 or 3 numbers from your Chicago '79 concert, including Awaken. Had I been there I certainly would've bought it just for that, though it has other items of interest to any serious Yes aficionado.

I missed them in '79 to my eternal regret, though I was fortunate to see the 1978 Greensboro, NC concert. Essentially the same show, and your post pretty muched nailed it. Even Yes themselves never quite sounded or felt like that afterward, and it's no small task helping someone who never experienced Yes in the 1970s get an idea of what a total phenomenon it was. I made a try of it on FY's 9/14/78 Tormato tour page a few years ago, and another one based on an audience tape of one of three June '79 New York shows [6/15/79 if I recall correctly].

As to the new Rhinorelease, it's the first Yes boxed set I was willing to purchase, previous ones being almost hopelessly redundant. It only took 31 years, but Industry has finally given us an official live Sound Chaser - from the astounding '76 tour no less. The "Big Medley" from our '78/'79 tour was also happily included. Disc 1 features some fascinating performances from early and mid 1971, right after Howe joined but just prior to Wakeman. Renditions of "America" and "Everydays" are riveting, and hint of a fascinating, jazzier direction Yes were considering before they instead focused more directly on prog rock.

The sound is largely but not surprisingly disappointing. Everything's straight, sterile-sounding monitor board tape lacking the awesome low frequencies only straight audience recording can deliver. Audiences as usual with official releases sound many parsecs away. If they exist, how I wish Yes would release raw audience recordings made by their own engineers at '70s engagements. At least these recordings don't seem to have been as savagely mixed as were Yesshows, Keys to Ascension and others.

Another disappointment stems from no TOPOGRAPHIC or GOING FOR THE ONE tour recordings. Even the reasonably well-represented TORMATO tour had some glaring ommissions, not the least among them "On the Silent Wings of Freedom" - in my book a far more exciting piece live than either of the TORMATO numbers included.

Oh well. Still worth having and definitely beats all its predecessor box sets. And a bit of Chicago 6/9/79 is there!

To paraphrase myself at NFTE - THE WORD IS LIVE VOL.2 - FROM THE AUDIENCE, anyone?

It was over two and half decades ago, but it seems like only YES-terday. The air was pungent in the house, and I was only sixteen, but this is the concert that forever changed me, as it was my first. And I picked a great one. I had been listening to Yes' music since 1977, and to experience this live was ethereal. I was in awe of the musicianship, and left the concert with ringing ears and the memories of the music permanently etched into my consciousness. I do remember a few things about this concert; one, was that it was played live on the radio (The LOOP, I believe), for which I paid my brother a few dollars to record the concert at home while I enjoyed it live. The second thing I remember is an M-80 going off during one of the songs (Starship Trooper?). I had just purchased Tormato, and had really enjoyed hearing Madrigal, Future Times/Rejoice and Circus of Heaven live (although nothing can beat Siberian Khatru for the opening of the show). I also loved the "Chicago" song towards the end of the concert. This was far and a way one of the best concerts I have ever seen, although I have seen Yes many time since then. But for me, there was something magical about losing my musical virginity as it were at this, my first Yes concert.

I was 17 when I saw this show. Just recently aquired a bootleg CD of this incredible night. My brother's girlfriend at the time almost made us late putting on her make up of all things( we got to our seats just at the last few minutes of Siberian Khatru).The Band's intensity was FANTASTIC, despite a few minor flubs( Anderson's slightly misquote of "awaken,gentle, mass, touching" and Wakeman's off-key sound in the first "High Vibration go on" sequence of Awaken),But one of the Highlights of Awaken ( believe it or not) was Jon's little harp solo just before the rest of band roared back in.It was the end of a Majestic touring era for YES,That's for sure.Too bad they didn't film this night, I'd love to have a DVD of this.I don't think they did Madrigal on this night. They did it in two parts the year before,though.In closing,a bittersweet memory:I had a falling out with a girlfriend On the night of this concert (Kathy,are you out there?...probably Not).

Jon Anderson:
Thank you so much Chicago. Hey! Yeah! It's great to be with you one more time. Here's a song from 'Tormato' album. 'Future Times/Rejoice'.

Jon Anderson:
Thank you so much. Thank you. We'd like to carry on with a song which leaves a bit of room for the imagination about the day the circus of heaven came to town.

Jon Anderson:
Thank you. Thank you. As we fast approach the 1980's, we'd like to play one or two songs we put together over the last few years. If you feel like singing along, please do.

Jon Anderson:
Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Let's hear it for Chris Squire on bass guitar. Woo Hoo! Now for the next few minutes, if you'd like to sit back and enjoy. On acoustic guitar the magic fingers of Steve Howe.

Steve Howe:
Yeah, I'd like to thank you very much. Thank you. Very nice playing for all of you here. Fantasic.

Jon Anderson:
Yeah! Here's a song for 'And You And I'.

Jon Anderson:
Thank you so much. Thank you. Oh! Merci Boucou! Here's a song we recorded about 7 years ago. A touch of the cosmics, a little touch. 'Starship Trooper'.

Jon Anderson:
Yeah! Thank you So Much. Thank you So Much! Woo! Oh Chicago! On the keyboards, Mr. Rick Wakeman!

Jon Anderson:
Flying, just to see you!

Flying, just to see you!

Chicago USA!

Chicago! Illinois!

Thank you everybody for coming out this evening.

Thank you so much everybody for taking the time to come and see us.

Chicago, Chicago USA!

Chicago! Gimme the USA!

Thank you so much. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Jon Anderson:
Yo! It's been a bit crazy but Saturday night in Chicago!

Jon Anderson:
Is this Chicago?