Rheinische Post Erkelenz

Sunday, June 16, 2024 11:52 AM

[Translated to English from original German]

"Yes" with a lot of light and little shadow

Rheinische Post Erkelenz
21 May 2024

"Yes" played in the redbox.

(dmai) Some proudly held up their original ticket from 2020: After two concert cancellations and a total of four years of waiting, Steve Howe now really and physically emerged from the darkness to symphonic sounds. That alone gave the Yes fans, who had aged with their band, the first comforting shiver down their backs in the Redbox. For many of them, guitarist Howe has been the musical heart of the British progressive rockers and genre co-founders Yes for the longest time in the band's over 50-year history. And the 77-year-old today did not disappoint. Whether electric or acoustic guitar, mandolin or slide guitar - from rocking-distorted to classically inspired: the song selection with pieces from all creative phases of the band offered the white-haired guitar magician all the possibilities to demonstrate his unbroken virtuosity and vitality. Keyboardist Geoff Downes created the opulent orchestral sound carpet in the best Rick Wakeman manner. Drummer Jay Schellen and bassist Billy Sherwood laid the rocky foundation for Yes classics such as "I've Seen All Good People", "Going for the One" or "Ritual (Nous sommes du Soleil)". The fact that singer Jon Davison was not always able to adequately replace his predecessor, founding member Jon Anderson, and that the sound sometimes lacked a little transparency was excruciating.