Rolfe

My memory of Donavan was that he was rubbish and that we couldnt wait for him to finish so that we could get on with the proper music!

jim w.

donovan was very good yes was great.i saw every show from tales on except relayer,this probably was my favorite.yes they opened the roof,which was expensive to do and as everyone watched in amazement,except for my friend who was about to twist another joint,when the paper blew out of his hand.they opened it the whole way,i believe it had to before you could close it back up,and jon said we are going to close it part way it is a little chilly.pittsburgh people who have seen the civic arena with the roof open will tell you how amazing it was,especially for back then.it's like being in a vey intimate stadium surrounded by the city lit up, quite a spectacle.this was truly a great show.

Joshua Mooney

It's been a very long time since I've thought of this fine show from 25 years ago---but reading these great reviews brought it all wooshing back to me, from the opening of the Civic Arena dome ( really rare occurence) to Donovan as opening act (I dimly recall a moody version of "Hurdy Gurdy Man") to the guy who lept, weeping, on stage and grabbed Jon. At the time I was only 13, yet I was very moved by the way Jon treated this emotionally distraught guy. Great show---but I think I preferred the "Tormato'" show in '79--probably because I had better seats!

vettman

I remember this concert very well. Donovan was an opening act and I think some kind of folk dancers too. It was the only time I ever saw the roof of the Civic Arena open, although only partially. The opening framed a view of the U.S. Steel Building and it was amazing how much it looked like the Going For The One (?)album cover. The concert was great. I have a few photos somewhere from that concert. These were still the days when they allowed cameras into the performance. Anyone that was there will remember that it was a great performance !

Yesdad

favorite experience: that's really a tough one, they're all great. Going for the one tour,Pittsburgh. They opened up the retractable dome at the start of the show, and looking through this opened dome I could see the U.S Steel Building(now the USX tower).It was completely lit, and if any of you are familiar with this building, it looks just like the ones on the GFTO album cover. Yes had a backdrop of these same buildings onstage, and I'll never forget the sight of the stage lights going up looking at that lit-up skyscraper. After firebird suite, Rick leaned into the opening chords from Parallels, and guess what? NO SOUND!!!! He yells over to roadie and 5 seconds later Rick joins the rest of the guys who were 15 seconds or so into the song. Seeing Awaken that night affirmed in my mind that Yes was more than a band,like a modern day spectacle of Music and visual stimulization. I haven't missed a tour since Relayer, which I think is tied with Going for the One as the best shows I've seen. I could go on and on...

Mike Kearney

A well known happening at this show:

While playing Awaken, Rick and Jon were doing the piano and harp solo when a man lept on stage crying and grabbed ahold of Jon. Jon, seeing that the man was in an emotional state, took a few minutes to calm the man down, hugged him back, and instructed security to allow the man to walk offstage unharmed. The band resumed Awaken where they left off.