Edward Kyle

My dad, a 50ish Methodist minister, took a carload of us to this, my first Yesshow (I was 16) and straight away I met Martyn Dean who was there taking pictures for brother Roger's book "Views". A tiny photo showing me and a friend examining the stage set appears in the book.

All the speakers were stencilled "Iron Butterfly". The fiberglass set pieces were jewellike and beautiful but I was surprised to see "idiot cards" with handwritten lyrics to the Tales suites taped to all the green "rocks" at the front of the stage.

John Martin opened, letting us know that his set was just a sort of sound check. "If you want to fuck, have a good screw," he said.

The actual show was astounding, easily the best of my Yes memories even though the sound was rough and the band was obviously really challenged by its own material. I think that after all Yes are at their best when challenged, when things are not going quite 100% right and they have to improvise their way out of situations. This show was in no means slick, it was raggedy and dangerous. The feel was deeply magical, as if we were in on the actual formal creation of something.

Despite tension onstage (at one point I believe that Jon went over to Steve's mike and turned it off) everyone present knew that they had been witness to something special. I remember wondering how the band felt about the performance, could they enjoy what was obviously a challenging performance.

[Starship Trooper] finally played only after it became clear nobody was going to go home. We applauded and raved for a full half hour. I don't know how anybody else remembers this tour but they wowed us in Roanoke.