Yes returned to their roots for this Glasgow show, writes Fiona Shepherd
By Fiona Shepherd Published 27th May 2024, 09:20 BST
Yes, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall ***
The idiosyncratic artistic world of Yes was on display for all to enjoy even before entering the auditorium. Their Classic Tales tour comes with its own sale of Roger Dean’s artwork for the band’s record sleeves, mystical surrealist landscapes which became such quintessential prog rock imagery that he has created new paintings and prints inspired by particular songs.
A Yes tour also comes with a travelling fanbase, intimately versed in their colossal catalogue and primed for the latest excavation of material. For guitarist Steve Howe, this show took the band back to their roots with a second-half suite hewn from the behemoth that was Tales From Topographic Oceans, an album which came to represent the worst excesses of progressive rock on release in 1973 but has been somewhat rehabilitated since. Here, its Hindu text-inspired four sides were condensed into around 20 minutes of demanding vocal passages, intuitive classical guitar interludes, prog scatting and a brief bass solo, some of which had not been played live for 50 years.
Earlier, they opened with the sludge metal riff of Machine Messiah, which resolved into a fleet symphonic sound, with reedy tenor duet between vocalist Jon Davison and bassist Billy Sherwood and propulsive drumming from “new” recruit Jay Schellen. Like many of the shape-shifting epics of Yes, if you weren’t keen on a particular direction there would be a contrasting break on its way.
The first half alone encompassed the slick whimsy of It Will Be a Good Day (The River), the soaring four-part folk harmony of I’ve Seen All Good People and a blues boogie instrumental version of Simon & Garfunkel’s America, as well as a shout-out from Howe to Glaswegian musician David Foster for his lyrical contribution to a warmly received Time and a Word, while the second half was bookended by cosmic rock odyssey South Side of the Sky and the warming waft of Starship Trooper.
Gig Review: Yes – Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow (24th May 2024)
It was a dull but warm evening as I strolled up the stairs to the impressive Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. This venue always promises a good concert experience. I wandered through to the merch desk and bought a tour shirt and baseball cap. There was a large display of various sized prints by Roger Dean, who has been involved with Yes since their 1971 album Fragile. It was nice to see these iconic images in person. The prints were available in a range of prices, and I almost bought one.
The main event began with the dramatic sounds of “Machine Messiah”. It was a joy to watch Steve Howe on guitar, Geoff Downes on keyboards, Jay Schellen on drums, Billy Sherwood on bass, and the fabulous Jon Davison on vocals. The band was on point with their playing and vocal harmonies. They let us know “It Will Be a Good Day”, and it was, as they launched into “Going For the One”. The night couldn’t have started better.
We traveled back to 1971 for one of my favourites, “I’ve Seen All Good People”, a seven-minute piece of perfection. It was a pure joy to watch and listen to, with the sound from the band and the Royal Concert Hall being tremendous. I was spoiled for choice with another favourite, “Don’t Kill the Whale,” from 1978’s Tormato. The sublime guitar and bass opening, combined with Geoff’s stunning keyboard work, made this track a highlight of the evening.
An acoustic beginning to the first half closer, with the stunning “Turn of the Century”. This song’s peaceful, tranquil vibe, carried by the guitar, keyboards, and Jon’s amazing vocals, provided a beautiful end to the first half of the setlist.
After a 20-minute break, wind and thunder sounds herald the start of set two with “South Side of the Sky”. This is followed by “Cut from the Stars”, the only track from last year’s stunning Mirror To The Sky album, showcasing a modern Yes sound that is no less brilliant live.
We then travel back to 1973 for a piece from the masterpiece album Tales from Topographic Oceans. The band masterfully condenses this 80-minute album into a 20-minute section, transforming it into a fantastic, flowing musical journey that pays tribute to a stunning work.
Afterward, the band heads off for the obligatory encore and returns with a stunning version of “Roundabout”. The crowd, passionate all night, is on their feet, bouncing and cheering. It’s another highlight, a joyful singalong song that leaves everyone smiling.
The evening concludes with a full-on version of “Starship Trooper”. The entire venue is now on their feet, bouncing along. It’s been a night of full sensory immersion into the world of Yes, with stunning vocals, harmonies, and musicianship that is hard to equal.
I head to the train with my oldest son, who was also at the gig, with a smile on my face, humming Yes tunes. This is a concert that will be hard to beat this year.
In 1968, England progressive rock band Yes joined with the formation of Jon Anderson [lead singer], Chris Squire [bassist], Bill Bruford [drummer], Tony Kaye [keyboardist] and Peter Banks [guitarist]. 1997 saw the release of “Open Your Eyes” with newest full-time member, Billy Sherwood. Billy had actually met Squire in 1989, around the same time Jon Anderson had left Yes to join ABWH alongside Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe. This separation never lasted very long. 1990 saw the remaining Yes members, including Sherwood, to fuse with ABWH, resulting in the 8 man Yes many now know.
In 1999, Sherwood left Yes before returning in 2017 for his first album back, “The Quest“. This was his first album with the band after the passing of founding member and bassist Chris Squire in 2015. Stepping into his shoes, Billy Sherwood had Squire’s blessing to do so as he stated “play the music, be yourself and make me proud“.
This interview was one I was so excited for. With such an incredible musical career spanning across many different bands and projects, Billy Sherwood is someone I loved speaking to and learning more about. We had a chat about the upcoming Yes tour, artist Roger Dean and how album artwork is integral to the enjoyment of a record.
I started by asking Billy about the upcoming tour. With such a diverse discography and many different eras, I wondered how important Billy thought it was to reminisce those periods. “I wasn’t there when those [older] tracks were recorded,” he began, “but I know what they mean to the Yes fans because I am one I’m a diehard myself.” He continued to say that “it’s very special to be able to bring those to life on stage, in 2024 no less.” About the wide array of work, he mentioned said, “I treasure the fact that we play all that material, it’s such a great vast wealth of work to choose from that it’s very hard to pick a set that you want to play. We try to represent those years in the best way that we can.“
Moving onto the creation of the setlists, Billy said “I was involved, we’re all involved. Steve [Howe] takes the lead on that and we put our trust in his wisdom.” He continued by saying, “along the way, as the sets are being created, we might pitch a song or an idea, and start formulating what the set is.” Surrounding the wide range of tracks included, Billy noted that he was “quite surprised to see, when I got the first initial setlist from Steve, that there was a track from “The Ladder“, I was involved in the band then.” Billy also agreed that it “spans a vast territory,” and that “Steve’s really good at bridging those divides in terms of the eras and how they work together. We all have our input in our way.“
Continuing on with the contents of the sets, Billy said that “last year, we played a track from “Tormato“, it’s one of my favourites called ‘[On The] Silent Wings of Freedom‘ and we did an edited version of it.” This happened because, “at rehearsal, at the soundcheck rather, I would come in,” and alternate “with the bass part that I knew quite well. And then the drums join in with me, and before you know it, we’re all jamming on it.” After “a few days in a row, it’s almost like a Jedi musical mind trick.” He continued by saying, “it starts seeping into the psyche and before I know it, Steve looks at me and goes ‘we should play that’…so it’s funny how these things happen.“
As previously mentioned, Billy is a huge fan of Yes himself. When I asked if he had a favourite Yes album of his own, he said that his “personal favourite, just because of the time that I was listening to it when I was younger,” was the 1973 album, “‘Tales from Topographic Oceans’. Four songs, and you just put the needle down and let it go, you know?” He added that the four-track record “was an unusual thing to do back then. I just found it very intriguing and fortunately I’ve had the privilege to play pretty much all of it, with the exception of parts of ‘The Ancient‘, I think.” Billy concluded, “that is just definitely one of my favourites, personally, for sure.“
Referring back to the tour set momentarily, I asked Billy if he thought fans would be surprised or especially excited by any particular tracks. “Well I think along the way,” he began, “fans are going to be taking these twists and turns with the material that’s been chosen.” Billy added that “it’s fun to be standing on stage and looking out at the audience when a track starts and see this area react in a way, that another area has reacted to for the last one.” He further noted that “we’re all getting this, sort of, musical buffet of Yes in what’s being delivered, and it’s interesting to watch that happen in real time.“
“I’ve been to the UK now so many times, I love it, it’s like my second home,” is how Billy started by answering my question about the upcoming tour dates. He continued, “I’m in London as we speak, I love touring around this country.” Billy noted that they “tend to take cars between the shows, in each location, so we see a lot of the countryside experience it on the ground. It’s just something I’ve really come to enjoy and love.” When I asked about if there were any cities he was excited to visit, he joked that he “couldn’t name all the cities off the top of my head, it would be a bit like me playing The Chase, you know, I don’t know all of the names. But I’ve been to most of them at this point, that’s for sure.“
Briefly mentioning Scotland, Billy said, “I know it’s very different culturally speaking, but it feels like the same kind of vibe in terms of the people and the warmth that you get from people.” He added that he’s “a social animal in my way when I’m on the road. I’m always trying to talk to people and just get a feel for what’s going on.” He said, “I love going there [Scotland] and I’m looking forward to going back again.” Yes will be at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall on May 24th in the middle of their tour across the UK and Europe.
One of the things I was most keen to know was if changes in the Yes lineup also changed the way songs are played, and if he had to adapt his playing style to accommodate these changes. “I know what you mean,” he began, “something I was always drawn to about the band is that the structure of the band is such that you have to play what you have to play because otherwise, the music doesn’t work.” Billy added that “it’s very much like an orchestral piece of music that is played by many different musicians over the years, obviously, but it still remains the same tunes, and everything is working the same way in the arrangement.“
With that said, “along the way as I’m playing certain things, there’s areas where you can do your own thing and put your own thing into it. For the most part, I try to paint within the lines as best I can.” He added that this is “mostly because I want to respect the music on a level that I know Yes fans respect it in the same way.” He added that he thinks that is “why Chris [Squire] was so trusting in me taking his spot, because he knew I understood that, and respected it. I wasn’t going to come in and start walking all over these things just because I can.” Billy further emphasised that “there’s a deep respect there, for the composition of all the parts and Chris’ compositions through the entire catalogue are such that I have just the deepest respect for that. I really wouldn’t want to improvise over something I know should be a certain way.“
Alongside them on tour, artist Roger Dean will also be present. Roger is behind the creation of some iconic Yes album artwork pieces. I asked Billy what it has been like getting to know him. “I’ve known Roger for a long time now,” he started, “we first met back when I joined the band we did the “Open Your Eyes” and “[The] Ladder” days. I had never met him up until that point and he’s a lovely man.” When I asked about bringing Roger on tour he added that “it’s just so nice to be having him with us,” and that “it’s like having the sixth member of Yes with us.” Billy described Roger by saying, “he just feels so Yes, in his being, you can just feel it off of the guy. He’s a lovely man and he’s got a great sense of humour.” Billy also added that when they’re heading to shows, sometimes “we’ll hop in my car and we’ll just have a chat on the way to the gig.” He also emphasised that he “can’t say enough about Roger.“
Referring to artists and painters generally, Billy said, “I’m a huge fan of painters and artwork and art pieces. It’s amazing to have him, that creative mindset, out with us. It’s on the same level as Yes, but it’s a completely different branch of the art tree, but it fits so perfectly that it’s just a great thing to have.” When I asked if he paints, he said, “I wish I could. It’s one of those things, I love watching people paint, I find it completely fascinating.” He continued, “it’s tantamount to me coming into a studio with just raw materials and turning it into something. That said, I’m so hopeless with a paintbrush in my hand, other than my apartment wall, that’s about it, I’m really not too good at it.” About painting, he added, “I just have no clue how they do it, and that’s part of the magic for me. I almost don’t want to know.“
Since he was so passionate about different kinds of art, I asked Billy if album artwork is integral for him in the enjoyment and visualisation of a record. “Definitely,” he began by saying, “you’re not old enough to know a time before the internet, so yes, the answer is big time!” Reminiscing, he continued by saying, “we used to sit around and stare into the cover, you had one picture on the back of the guts and so the mystique factor was massive, because you didn’t know anything.” Referring to the digital age, he stated, “we’re so saturated with imagery that it’s taken a bit of that away. I think that’s the beauty of Yes, there’s still an outpost for that mindset.” Billy emphasised his thoughts on how “the art form lends itself perfectly to the progressive rock genre. You think of so many great album covers, Yes being one obviously.“
He also noted that one of his “favourite bands, U.K., and their album covers, the “Danger Money” album, it just sounded like what you were looking at, and it just gave it this vibe. Your imagination was just sparked from that, and that’s all you really needed.” We continued chatting about how digital add-ons almost take more away than they contribute. “It takes your mind off the prize really,” he began, “which is to immerse yourself in the musical experience. That’s really what music is about. For me, it’s like the movies, it’s a form of escapism.” Billy further stated that “music composed in various ways, chords and whatnot, rub you emotionally a certain way, and either bring joy or a melancholy feeling.” He finished his answer by saying, “that’s the power of music, I think that’s a very special thing. Art and music together makes it even more powerful.“
To conclude the interview, and to summarise, I asked Billy to summarise the upcoming tour in a few words. He stated, “an incredible journey through the Yes legacy. That would be the shortest version of that I can give you.” He also added just at the end that he hopes everyone will “enjoy the experience of coming to a Yes show in the same way I do when I’m on stage. I’m not only in the band, I’m still a fan of the stuff. Sometimes as I’m playing, I get lost in that whole concept. Come and enjoy that emotion and that feeling with us!“
Check out the tour dates and their website for remaining tickets.
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Yes (2024)
05/24/2024 Glasgow, United Kingdom
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