Yesworld

Saturday, June 11, 2022 9:12 PM

YES in Philadelphia For Their July 20 and 21 Shows and U.S. Fan Convention

Following the successful #YES50 Fan Convention in London on March 25, 2018, we felt that it was only right that fans in the US should also have the opportunity to celebrate this monumental occasion.

Prog rock pioneers YES have revealed more exciting plans for their official 50th Anniversary celebration #YES50 by announcing that former member Trevor Horn will sit in with the band during their special two-night stand at The Fillmore in Philadelphia July 20 and 21. In addition, Horn is set to participate in the YesFanFest – 50 True Summers U.S. fan convention taking place Saturday, July 21 at The Foundry in Philadelphia, where he’ll join the current members of YES and other alumni, including keyboardists Patrick Moraz and Tom Brislin, for a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the band’s dedicated fan base. Famed artist Roger Dean, who’s designed countless album covers and logos licensed exclusively for YES, will also take part in the fan convention.

Horn previously sang lead vocals on the band’s 1980 album Drama and produced their albums 90125 (1983) and Big Generator (1987) along with 2011’s Fly From Here. Earlier this year, YES issued Fly From Here – Return Trip, a new version of the album featuring lead vocals by Horn. Released March 25, Fly From Here – Return Trip —available from Pledge Music (here)—also contains a previously unreleased song, “Don’t Take No For An Answer,” recorded in 2011 featuring Steve Howe on lead vocals, and the full-length version of “Hour of Need,” previously only available as a Japanese bonus track. Signed vinyl and CD versions of the album will be available in Philadelphia. Horn also sat in with YES as a special guest during the European leg of their Golden Anniversary tour at their London and Paris shows in March.

YES—Steve Howe (guitar since 1970), Alan White (drums since 1972), Geoff Downes (keyboards; first joined in 1980), Jon Davison (vocals since 2011) and Billy Sherwood (guitar/keyboards in the 1990s and the late Chris Squire’s choice to take over bass/vocals in 2015)—recently kicked off this summer’s tour, billed as #YES50: Celebrating 50 Years of YES, on June 5. During the entire 35-date tour, founding member/Grammy winner/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Tony Kaye (keyboards; 1968-1971 and 1983-1995) is joining the band as a special guest during an extended encore, performing such YES hits as “Yours Is No Disgrace,” “Roundabout” and “Starship Trooper.”

YES50 USA Fan Convention 2018 - Facebook

Saturday, June 11, 2022 7:53 PM

Yesworld

Saturday, June 11, 2022 12:07 AM

YesFanFest – 50 True Summers

Following the successful #YES50 Fan Convention in London on March 25, 2018, we felt that it was only right that fans in the US should also have the opportunity to celebrate this monumental occasion.

We are delighted to present YesFanFest – 50 True Summers, sponsored by WMGK 102.9 Radio, Philadelphia’s top Classic Rock station; A celebration of YES 50 years, for the fans, by the fans. The event will be on Saturday, July 21st in Philadelphia. This YesFanFest is being coordinated by Ruth Zurawka, Jim Tauberg, and Brian Neeson.

Yes will play two concerts in Philadelphia at The Fillmore on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st July. YesFanFest will take place at 11:15am – 5:00pm on July 21st at The Foundry which is in the same building as The Fillmore. The day will be packed with Yes-related appearances and performances.

The guest list includes:

Patrick Moraz
The legendary former YES keyboards player who performed on the epic Relayer album and toured with YES in 1975 and 1976. He performed in Philadelphia with YES at The Spectrum and at the famous 1976 concert at JFK Stadium which was attended by over 130,000 fans. Patrick will play a 70 minute Piano set at YesFanFest.

Tom Brislin
Tom Brislin performed on the YesSymphonic Tour in 2001 and appears on the official DVD from that tour recorded in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Tom’s latest project is The Sea Within with Roine Stolt, Jonas Reingold, Marco Minnemann and Daniel Gildenlow. (Album to be released in June). Tom will play a short set of his own music at the event.

Roger Dean
The world-renowned artist responsible for artwork on multiple YES albums and stage designs for YES shows in the 70s and on more recent tours. Roger will have artwork new and old on display. Limited edition Prints of Roger’s YES work will be available to purchase on the day.

Members of YES
YES Members including Tony Kaye will attend the event for a Q&A session. We will invite Fans to submit their questions for this segment.

Lee Abrams
Lee is generally credited with developing the Album Oriented Rock format employed by hundreds of radio stations across the country, as well as co-founding XM Satellite Radio.

Roy Clair
Get ready to recount the stories behind the presentation of mammoth Yesshows from the 70s.

Roy Clair will be onstage with Roger Dean to talk about the stage sets and sound systems from the epic tours of the 70s when YES was among the most popular bands of the era.

Roy was a pioneer in sound system production for large-scale rock music presentations and worked closely with Yes on tours from the mid-70s.

Clair Global today is still one of the most successful businesses in the live touring and sound industry.

Total Mass Retain
This talented YES tribute band from the north-east will perform the opening set of the event which will include Classic YES tracks, selections from the YesWest period, and songs from more recent Albums.

Cruise to the Edge
The promoters of Cruise to the Edge will be there talking about the 2019 Cruise, with Wonderous behind the scenes Stories of hosting a Prog festival on Topographic Oceans.

To find out more and book tickets for Cruise To The Edge see [Link]

Your host for the day will be Ray Koob who is a lifelong YES fan and radio personality.

All profits from this event will be split between two charities as happened in London.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
This organization looks for cures and ensures access to treatments for blood cancer patients. This charity was selected in memory of Chris Squire who passed away in 2015 having suffered from Acute Erythroid Leukemia.

Find out more about The Leukemia and Lymphona Society at [Link]

PAWS: The Performing Animal Welfare Society
This group rescues and provides sanctuary for animals who have been the victims of the exotic and performing animal trades. This cause addresses Steve Howe’s stated desire during recent live shows, for YES fans to protect and preserve the natural world around us and the animals who share our Earth.

Find out more about PAWS at [Link]

The event promoters are Live Nation.