farmer in the sky

THIS SHOW WAS A PAYBACK TO MY FRIEND JOHN WHO HAD GAVE ME A TICKET TO A JULY 20,1975 SHOW. ALTHOUGH I HADN'T SEEN HIM BUT A FEW TIMES IN SOME 15 YRS I KNEW WHERE HE LIVED AND DROVE UP TO HIS HOUSE WHILE HE WAS RAKING LEAVES AND FROM MY CAR ASKED IF HE WOULD DRIVE I WOULD GIVE HIM THE TICKET FOR FREE(READ MY STORY FROM JULY 20,1975 YPSILANT MI,RYNERESON STADIUM E.M.U.)WE WENT AND HAD A GREAT TIME.AS I HAD MET JON ANDERSON SOME 16 YRS PRIOR I FELT EMOTIONAL AND TEARS FLOYED AS MUSIC IS ALL POWERFUL NO!,YES1 THE THING THAT STICKS OUT IN MY MIND MOST WAS THE (IN THE ROUND) REVOLVING STAGE, AND BILL BRUFORDS FANTASTIC ELECTRONIC DRUM SOLO!.AT A SMALL VENUE(THE MAGIC BAG THEATRE) DET. A FEW YEARS PRIOR AT A BILL BRUFORD BAND PERFORMANCE,AFTERWARDS SOMEONE ASKED HIM ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PLAYING HIS SOLO MATERIAL BEFORE A SMALLER CROWD COMPARED TO THE YES SHOWS I REMEMBER HIM COMMENTING IN A NEGATIVE WAY ABOUT 10,000 SCREAMING FANS BEING ANNOYING.I HAD TO LAUGH WHEN HE PLAYED BEFORE THIS LARGE CROWD @ THE PALACE! WHAT THE HECK EVEN THE BEST CHANGE THEIR OPINIONS,WHICH REMINDS ME THAT AFTER A KING CRIMSON (DISCIPLINE SHOW CIRCA 1981-82) SOMEONE SAID TO BILL "YOUR THE BEST FUCKING DRUMMER EVER!) TO WHICH HE EXCLAIMED "THERE IS NO BETTER OR BEST! OHH BILL! TRUE STORY

Elizabeth Gehrman

Saw the boys at The Palace/Auburn Hills, MI last Saturday. I could reiterate/elucidate on what's already been said technically, musically, etc., but won't. Instead I'd like to share something that has only happened at one other YES concert I've attended (I've seen them, let's see, 8 times now). Anyway, at the end of 'And You and I' before intermission, I had a few sneaky little tears trying to embarrass me by leaking out of the corner of my eyes. (To make the scenario complete I was attending the concert with my ex-husband! - weird!) On the other side of me was this burly, oh, maybe 6'4" guy that looked meaner than hell. I glanced over at him at the end of the song and - I'll be damned! There were some sneaky, leaky little tears dancing down his cheeks as well. And sure enough, there were many others similarly moved. The whole experience was very bittersweet and one I'll remember for a long time.

Bilbo

During the show at Auburn Hills he was most annoying at some points. They opened with Yours Is No Disgrace, Steve took a very well thought out solo (though it too could have been better), then Trev stepped to center stage and did his "classic solo" -

arpeggio - arpeggio - arpeggio - hold note - arpeggio - hold note - hold note -arpeggio - arpeggio - arpeggio - I - arpeggio - AM - arpeggio - NIGEL - arpeggio - TUFNEL! - arpeggio - arpeggio - arpeggio - hold...(This goes on for two or three minutes). It really came off as nothing more than masturbation. I almost offered him a tissue. And to be honest I did actually yell out "GO Nigel GO!" a couple of times during the show. It wouldn't bother me as much except he did that same solo (though on different chords) three or four times that night...and he did it on the BG tour ruining (IMHO) "Yours Is no disgrace". I really am trying to give him the benefit of the doubt but he keeps doing those horrible solos. On the bright side he really nailed the slide guitar part on "And You and I" this time (he didn't play it on slide mind you but he really had it down!) he missed it horribly when I saw him on BG.