Eduardo Fanghänel

Friday, February 21, 2014 1:14 AM

Just a correction, the 2 concerts that Yes played in Mexico in 1998 were at the Auditorio Nacional, not at the Teatro Metropolitan. I was at both events, and they were incredible!

Gerardo Liedo

Waiting for this moment when the moment has been waiting all the time!

The first show of YES in Mexico ever... and the first show of YES in my entire life!

Background

The Mexican experience with YES-related concerts is the Jon Anderson first concert for the Latin American tour. At the beginning of the concert Jon said in Spanish "this is the premier concert for the tour". In that show Jon complained about part of the audience shouting and requesting YES songs; Jon requested in Spanish "me están haciendo perder la paciencia" (You're making me lose my patient). One guy in the audience shouted to the crowd that was rioting "you're not in the wrestling arena and this is not YES, this is J.A." what I'm not really sure is if Jon understood that guy.

The other experience of Mexico and YES-related musicians is the King Crimson concerts in Mexico City on August 2, 3 and 4, 1996 with Bill playing drums. Outstanding!

My experience with YES-related shows is the King Crimson concerts on November 5 and 7, 1981 at the Savoy and Asia on May 2, 1982 at the late Palladium, both in NYC. I missed one Steve Howe concert at the Bottom Line in 1994, it was on Tuesday and I returned to Mexico on Sunday, it was around October 1994. But this was my first show of YES ever, being an active witness of the YES-scene since 1971.

YES has been very significant to my life, during 1971-1974 I had several mystical experiences in search of the truth beyond everything, making research on scientific philosophy with the aid of the Mexican Mother Nature, reading Friederick Nietzche and similars, and hearing YES using my imagination at its best.

Mexico has been special for Jon, he likes "Don Juan" by Carlos Castañeda, he loves his books and in consequence our mysterious country. Intellectuals like Walt Disney and Aldous Huxley between a huge list had visited our country looking for mind experiences. After a trip to/in Mexico Aldous Huxley wrote "The Doors of Perception", then Jim Morrison and friends took the name of this book for their rock group.

PRECONCERT.

The advertisement was poor but very efficient! We bought our tickets for the first show 25 hours from the start and could not find a good place. However, that day I found in one of the YES web sites that a second concert for the 26th was scheduled but Ticketmaster was not informed! Then I was calling daily to Ticketmaster and for tomorrow's concert I have my place in fourth row! Prices were (in USD at $8.5/Ps): $13, $21, $29, $41 and $53

The people in Mexico use to get very high for a rock concert, in this case the median age I guess was in between 35 and 40, having a lot of baby-boomers, executives, intellectuals, nerds, musicians, the riffraff, and of course a good sample of uneducated dimwits, and some generation X kids.

I attended the concert with Enrique and Fernando Marín, as well as Germán Priego and his wife Daniela, friends from my days in College during the mid 70's now top executives of important companies in Mexico including Pyrolac, Dilumex and Amoco Chemicals; and also with Pepe Cifuentes a good young-friend that even that was a baby during the YESYEARS knows what he likes. He is a living encyclopaedia on Rock and nephew of one of my best friends a recognised artist (paint) in Mexico Mr. Alberto Bellon. In the auditorium we met some additional friends Jorge "Crazy" Inisetra and- "el filip" between others. With the exception of Pepe and Germán we all left our wives at home for obvious reasons!

I met Bill Sherwood "by accident" in the hotel lobby at Presidente Chapultepec, I was drinking with Fernando and saw Bill but since I did not know him I simple did not pay attention. Then a fan told us that Bill was there and I had a brief conversation with him, he requested me (joking) to be kind in my review and I answered him that I will not do it. I also commented Bill that the studio tracks from Key to Ascensio