Brian Brill

The Tulsa performance of Yes was not immaculate. Technical difficulties, miscues, and miscellaneous flubs were sprinkled through some of the show. But so what? It was almost better to see the boys give each other quizzical looks and crack up then to hear a perfect concert. A few little mistakes aside, Yes sounded magnificent.

When I heard that Jon had "a bit of the flu" I almost panicked. You see, I held fourth row seats for the Oklahoma Union show which was canceled on account of flu. Well, the show went on, but once again "Leaves of Green" and "Soon" were skipped, but Jon sounded awesome. His speaking voice did seem horse.

The highlight of the show was The Revealing Science of God. It was just spectacular. It totally blew away the KTA version. Actually, most of the songs blew away any recorded versions I've heard. There is just something special about seeing a great band live. A CD on the best stereo in the world just can't reproduce the rich warmth of the sound of a live performance.

The low point was an almost crash-and-burn rendition of Open Your Eyes. After this one the band members smirked at each other and took what looked like an over-done bow, like they figured we would clap for anything. (We probably would.) The guys went on to completely redeem themselves with an exquisite version of And You and I.

Children of Light was even better than the KTA2 version, if only it included Lifeline......

Jon was marvelous. Not one sour note. Only a couple of barely missed lyrics. He didn't chat too much due to his throat. (?)

Steve started out dancing around through the first three songs but lost some of that animation after technical difficulties screwed up OYE. It seemed that although he wasn't "ON" all night, when he was he was WAY on. The inclusion a bit of Classical Gas in the solo was a pleasant surprise.

Chris obviously enjoys his work, if you can call it that. He makes it look like child's play. He wasn't as animated as I expected, but he was still the main showman on stage.

Alan banged the crap out of his drums. The Ritual bit in his solo was....well, if there was a word that meant "soul moving thunder", that would be the word I would use to describe it. Perhaps in the future, "Alan White" will mean "soul moving thunder".

Igor is very, very good, and Billy is just fine adding his 2 cents to round out the sound. Time will tell about their roles in the band. After hearing the entire OYE CD I can anticipate the rancor of the knee-jerk anti-anything-that-might-be-popular snoots, but the truth is that OYE is a wonderful sounding excursion into the mainstream. Let's hope this Billy Sherwood phase of the band can help finance more Mind Drives for the turn of the century.

Unfortunately, Tulsa did not provide an ideal audience....too many hoots and whistles during the quiet parts. Well, at least all the extra noise was a show of appreciation, even if it was misguided. Steve seemed to take it with good humor during his solo.

The 2500 seat Brady was not sold out, but the balcony was full and only the rear floor seats were available. The crowd gave most songs very hearty ovations.

Thanks to YesWorld for the great seats (fourth row between Chris and Billy). The tickets appeared to be first come first serve, so get to the box office when they open. We almost drove by earlier in the day but waited until about 45 minutes before the show. Front row would have been nice, but our seats were perfect. Each member was clearly visible at all times and we suffered no neck strain.

The sound level was perfect and we did not need our ear plugs. The mix was also very good for most of the night. At the start of one song (I forget which but it was after a solo) Jon's mic was off. The amazing thing was that his voice still cut through the wall of sound and I'd bet everyone heard him just fine.

Oh, and the light show was very pleasant and well

Paul Clark

Yes plays Tulsa For First Time Since 1980.

"Its About Time"

Here is my review of the show. Enjoy!!!

First thing I did was buy a Tour Book,Poster, & Shirt. The poster I thought was a bit high ($20.00 )but if your a big Yeshead like me you have to get whatever you have moneyfor. However I did miss out on getting a Coffee Mug,Yes logo Pin,& Yes logo Hat. Ohh well maybe next time.

Here is the set list with reviews mixed in it. Intro.
Siberian Khatru
Rythem Of Love
America (The city he normally mentions is Pittsburg) Tonight it was Tulsa.
Open Your Eyes
And You And I (Jon talks about the day they recorded this song.) mentions that Eddie Offord could roll the biggest Joints. He said this song changed his life.
Heart Of The Sunrise (You could tell there was something missing here.) but Igor came through the song in the middle with some fast Jamming keyboard playing. (RickWakeman who?) I hope Wakeman reads this. Don't get me wrong, I liked Rick's playing, but the guy just doesn't seem to know what he wants to do.
Steve's Solo's (Jon introduced him as having a big guitar collection.)
Mood For A Day
Classical Gas (He mentions the guy who wrote this song Mason Williams from Oklahoma) He has not played this in other city's. Only here in Tulsa.
Dairy Of A Madman Who Vanished
The Clap
Children Of Light (Jon talked about The song Mind Drive but then he starts talking about this song.)
Igor Khoroshev's Keyboard Solo (I was told by a friend, Who saw all the New York shows, that Igor played his solo much longer than the N.Y. shows.)
Long Distance Runaround
Chris Squire's Solo
The Fish/White Fish/Tempus Fugit
Alan White's Drum Solo (Chris was on his nee's the whole 5-minutes ofAlan's Solo with his hands up in the air.) you'll have to see the pictures I took to see this. After that Jon comes back on stage to say: The Amazing Bass Man Christopher Squire and on the drums the Thunder God Mr. Alan White.
Owner Of A Lonely Heart
The Revealing Science Of God (I saw that Igor was having some fun with the part of the song where the ahhs come in.) he was laughing with Joy.
(Jon sings a wierd song about the Tour Crew)All Good People
Roundabout
Starship Trooper

All in All This has been The Best Show Since 1993 When Emerson,Lake,& Palmer came to Town. I hope to see these guys come again someday. After meeting Billy Sherwood, Alan White & Steve Howe, I sat with 7 or more other people after the show at the Hotel talking with Chris Squire. He was alot of fun. He kept turning his head looking at me the whole time with a funny grin. (I beleave he had too much to drink that night. His breath could knock you out.) I've heard of second hand smoke, This was second hand drinking. He and Steve are looking a bit Old ,But they can still Rock The House Down. I hope Igor (The Keyboard Player) will improve on his playing. Alot of the keyboard parts were missing in some of the songs from the past. Other than that he can play great keyboards. Jon was a little bit horse when talking about songs. A D.J. freind of mine told me he had problems with his voice. So he couldn't talk much. All in all he sang very well. Alan White is like Dick Clark. He hasn't changed much. He played like a wild man, He beat the crap out of those drums of his. Billy Sherwood ,well I don't know much about him,but he did just fine covering for Trevor Rabin.

Ohh I almost forgot: Yesworld Thank You So Very Much For the 4th Row/Centerseats!!! Anyway I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!! I know I did. And it was with the Best band in the World. Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!