"Since the tour started, the reviews are the best we've ever had," the versatile guitarist/keyboardist for the progressive art-rock band Yes said during a telephone call from St. Louis, Mo. "I felt we've prepared more for this tour than any other."Yes, featuring Rabin, vocalist Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, drummer Alan White and keyboardist Tony Kaye, will perform Thursday, July 7, at the Wolf Mountain (formerly ParkWest) amphitheater. Rabin said he is extremely happy with the way things have turned out.
"This tour so far has been the most satisfying," he said. "We are reaching a very mixed crowd of older and younger people, and it's paying off."
Yes, formed in 1968, was the last supergroup to emerge out of London's Marquee Club, which once housed the Who and the Rolling Stones. But unlike those earlier blues-based bands that capitalized on rebellion and attitude, Yes founding members Anderson and Squire wanted to prove rock music could be taken seriously and ultimately lift the music to new creative heights.
By adding the complexity of classical music and jazz to the excitement of rock 'n' roll, Anderson, Squire, Kaye, drummer Bill Bruford and guitarist Peter Banks formed the first version of Yes. And the band, along with other bands like Pink Floyd; Emerson, Lake and Palmer; Genesis and King Crimson, created a new classically progressive rock sound.
The band released two albums in 1969 - "Yes" and "Time And A Word." Both received critical acclaim, but sold poorly. So, to keep the band's lifeblood pumping, the musicians played numerous gigs across England.
Banks left and the band recruited classical guitar virtuoso Steve Howe. With Howe's handling of the electric talisman, "The Yes Album" was released in 1971 and featured the hit "Your Move."
After a successful U.S. tour, Kaye left and was replaced by Rick Wakeman, who graduated England's prestigious Royal College of Music and had played with the likes of Ziggy Stardust himself, David Bowie. Wakeman proved to be a major asset to the band while recording the album "Fragile." His timeless synthesizing twirl can be heard on the band's trademark single "Roundabout."
White eventually replaced Bruford in 1972, just days before the "Close to the Edge" tour, and has remained loyal to the band ever since. He, Anderson, Squire, Wakeman and Howe released an epic two-record set titled "Tales From Topographic Oceans" and took on the world for another full-scale tour.
Patrick Moraz replaced Wakeman for the follow-up album, "Relayer." And in the summer of 1976, a whopping 100,000 people jammed JFK Stadium in Philadelphia to experience a series of sold out "Yesshows."
The next two albums, "Going for the One" and "Tormato," sampled the staple "Yessound" and was received with much enthusiasm. But during those successful times, pressures from the road and creative friction within the band caused major lineup changes. Anderson and Moraz left and were replaced by vocalist Trevor Horne and keyboardist Geoff Downes. This version of Yes released "Drama" in 1980 but broke up after the tour.
In 1982, Rabin, a gifted songwriter in the Los Angeles music community, caught up with Anderson, Kaye and White to record some songs he had written.
"When Chris heard my songs, he immediately called Alan and we all decided to officially put a band together," Rabin said. "Jon heard some of the music and wanted in as well."
After completing the tracks, the five musicians decided to once again call the band Yes. "Since I was the new kid, I was a bit apprehensive about how the audience would take to my material and ultimately how they would take to me, but after the first two shows, I knew it would all work out."
"90125" was released in 1983 and, along with heavy radio and MTV play of the hits "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" and "Leave It," a new generation was introduced to the "Yessound." The album eventually went on to become the band's first No. 1 album.
"Big Generator" and a live album called "The Solos" were released in 1987, allowing time for another rest. In 1991, a mixed effort of all eight musicians that had come and gone through the band's revolving doors saw the release of "Union." "That is my least favorite album to date," Rabin said, though he didn't state why.
The new album "Talk" cut the lineup down to the same five that shot "90125" to the top. Though the album spotlights the familiar sound, it has taken technology to new heights.
"We are releasing a compact disc single that is compatible to CD-ROMs and will allow computer users to interact with scenes while they listen to the music," Rabin explained. "But the most exciting aspect of the tour is the live show's benefit of quadrophonic sound and `Concertsonics' "
Quadrophonic sound - in concert - is an innovative plan to enhance the audio experience, Rabin said. "All reserved seats on the tour will be enveloped in the complete sound system and will hear the enriched sound enhancements. And anyone owning a portable cassette player with an FM dial will be able to listen to the show through the headphones and experience the sound in `Concertsonics.'
"The audience will still be able to experience the show without the 'phones, but by using them, the sound will come through incredibly clear. It's kind of like audio binoculars. It can only be explained best through experience."
Michael Northrop
Yes outside. No walls to reverberate their efforts - just clean, amplified rockus and a full moon to boot! Somewhere in the middle of the show, Trevor Rabin put the Strat down and played piano for us - a bit of Kieth Emerson and a bit of Rick Wakeman. Billy Sherwood dressed and played the Steve Howe part to perfection. And You And I, the standout for me that evening, was played with such passion, it gave the song a whole new meaning for me.
Yes continues to astound me. There is what is called the "classic lineup". This lineup gives that incarnation a real run for the money. This was the first concert I have attended where everyone stood for the duration of the show. I hope the band noticed, Salt Lake is in love.
Bryan
Being the first time that I (and my buddies that attended as well) had a chance to see YES, we were pretty excited about the whole thing. The whole crowd ended up standing through the whole thing - that is, except for the row behind us.
Throughout the concert, the people behind us were nagging us to sit down. One of my buddies talked to them and asked "why don't you stand up? Don't you find this exciting?", to which they told him 'fuck you, just sit down'. This went on for some time and we tried to ignore it, refusing to let some jerks ruin the concert for us. And besides, the 9 rows ahead of us WERE ALSO STANDING!
Anyway, the 'intermission' comes, and my buddies' wife notices that a beer had been poured in her purse, and that cigarettes had been extinguished all over our bleachers. My response was, "oh great, now we CAN'T sit down!". We then proceeded to re-arrange our group of friends, placing the tallest people in front of these people for the remainder of the concert.
Some more arguing ensued, but I think they got the point that we didn't want to be bothered with any more. The six guys in our bunch probably average 200 lbs and 6'1". The guys behind us made even Steve Howe look like a giant.
I guess the moral of the story is to not let anyone hinder your enjoyment of YES. And stand if you feel like it.
Just say Yes. Over 5,000 people did Thursday night.
Yes, the five-man band from England, brought its classically inspired progressive rock to Wolf Mountain's amphitheater and took the mixed audience on a vivid, musical voyage through time. The show was a compilation of new and old "Yessongs." Though some audience members favored the older songs and others the new, Yes performed each song to its fullest.
At the start of the 2-1/2 hour show, [all the guys] and guest guitarist Billy Sherwood, walked out from behind the stage and kicked out the heavy mainstream rock of The Calling from the band's new album Talk. When vocalist Jon Anderson emerged and filled the air with his clear soaring tenor, the audience jumped up to greet him.
The simple, catchy rap of I Am Waiting kept the audience standing as Squire's bass rumbled through the crowd. And when the band sang the angelic choral introduction to The Rhythm of Love, hands flew to the sky. The rest of the show was incredibly tight and wonderful.
Rabin cranked out sharp, cutting solos as Squire and White provided the roaming foundation to songs like Real Love and Love Comes to You. "You sound great. You look good, too," said Anderson during one of his many monologues during the breaks. He could have been talking to the band because of the CD quality sound that was enhanced by an FM frequency transmission called "Concertsonics."
The syncopated staccato introduction to Changes and the electric symphony of Close to the Edge showcased Yes' tight trademark orchestration. Mood-setting spotlights caught and highlighted each calculated note, drum snap and chorus. After intermission, the band returned to the stage and artistically belted out Owner of a Lonely Heart from its first number one album 90125. Rabin missed a cue for the lead, but corrected his mistake with a quick step and smile. Yes played the second half professionally well and its members had a good time making music. But some fans were disappointed when "Yesstandards" like Starship Trooper, Survival, Long Distance Runaround and Time and a Word were left off the set.
Still, Rabin, Squire and Sherwood chanted out perfect harmonious backups to Anderson's heartfelt vocals on other pieces like the hypnotic Where Will You Be and the new single Walls. There were also three different highlights of the night. The first emerged when the band performed the full artistic arrangement of And You and I. Squire's bass complemented Rabin's minstrel-like acoustic interlude just before Kaye, Sherwood and White rocked into the song's majestic finale. The second highlight came when Rabin and Anderson took on an acoustic guitar duet that segued into a reverent version of Your Move that features I've Seen All Good People. Anderson encouraged the audience to sing the chorus before the band jumped into the song's electric, skipping coda. And last was the new Yes epic, Endless Dream. "It's great to be in a band like Yes and write and perform 'Yessongs' like this one," Anderson said as the band opened the opus with a blinding flash. Rabin took on the piano and displayed his classical repertoire as Squire, Kaye and White shot out quick keyboard crunches and symbol crashes. Anderson served as the singing narrator and seemed to guide the audience through the song's soaring musical nooks and crannys.
White flashing strobes and rolling colored spots once more injected the amphitheater with atmosphere as Yes reached yet another audio and visual plane of this musical voyage before leaving the stage.
Only one song served as the encore. The hyper, spiraling arrangement of Roundabout, Yes' trademark piece, finished the show and left the audience chanting for more. The song was a fitting end to an energetic evening.
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Yes (1994)
07/07/1994 Park City, Utah
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