Christopher Boccalupo

Well, the last outdoor venue was Jones Beach- extremely hot and Humid. The PNC- which is a fine place to see a show- had gorgeous weather. 70’s with a breeze and dry as a bone.
The PNC was packed!!! Wow. I hope this is the beginning of another great era of Yes music. It certainly has been a great run of shows. Yes has had a good run here in the NYC area. Crowd was pretty good. Better than at the Beach.

Same set – Roundabout was back just before YIND. Jon was not too talkative tonight. (I think due to some long ovations) It was all business. They have hit their stride for sure. Sound was decent, but for the second time I couldn’t really hear the drums and percussion clearly…. Why don’t they turn it up a notch? If Squire is going to do a Bass solo they need to let him rumble the joint. You know, the type of levels that you feel in your chest, shakes the roof, and that causes unspeakable things in women. Let it rip!!

Southside of the Sky sounds great, but the middle section has me yearning for Bruford. …maybe next time we will get a full version of Sound Chaser or On the Silent Wings of Freedom……

A Whole bunch of people tried to beat traffic and leave after Awaken. Bet they regretted it if they heard that Yes did YIND after Roundabout. On the radio after Q 104.3 in New York mentioned Yes day. The DJ encouraged people to drive down! Had me wishing I could as I headed back to Long Island.

I think about a third of the crowd didn’t know a lot of the music. Comments I overheard: “Man, I think they must of played that Tormato album, because I didn’t know a lot of that”…"Hear comes the old stuff" (upon hearing the beginning of Heart of the Sunrise- But it was all “Old Stuff" in the first half except In the Presence of) “ I’m pissed – no Starship” I wonder if the next tour will be new music, plus more of the “Hits.” I hope not.

Very good show! I feel very privileged to see this line-up of Yes. I look forward to the new album they will record. I get the sense (from the good feeling the band has and Anderson’s solo song) that it will be great. I picked the right band in 1983 to be my favorite. There is just nobody like YES!

Tom - This Is As Good As It Gets

Absolutely Amazing!!!!! This show reminded me of the Tormato tour years of '78 & '79....when I saw this quartet twice during that time. They have not sounded this good since then.

The songs were played flawlessly and you could feel the energy flowing from each member. Steve Howe was awesome, Chris Squire showed that he is the premier bassist of our time, Jon Anderson still hits the high notes, Rick Wakeman gets better with time, and Alan White still keeps the songs rolling with excellent drumming.

The first half of the show seemed to emphasize Howe's abilities...while the second half provided a show case for Squire's talents. The song selection was outstanding, while the two newer works (In the Presence Of & Magnification) sounded excellent with Wakeman's exceptional play. SSotS was tremendous!!!!!!!!!

I first saw a YES concert in 1974 during the Tales tour. When they played RSoG, it brought me right back to Madison Square Garden when this quartet played that wonderful piece of music.

All-in-all, as a YES fanatic...it just doesn't get much better than this. I will be reliving this concert for many years to come.

JOHN IACOBACCI

NO C.T.T.E.ARE THEY OUT OF THEIR MINDS?KHATRU AND TRACKK TWO WAS GOOD.BUT I COULD NOT SEE RICK GETTING THRU THE SHOW WITHOUT DOING HIS WORLD FAMOUS MOOG SYNTH BLAST,AND THAT MOOG SOUNDED SPECTACULAR.AS A KEYBOARDIST MYSELF I HAD TO GO HOME AND PLAY THAT PART ON MY MINIMOOG JUST TO SATISFY THAT CRAVING(SORRY HONEY).BUT I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER SEEING CLASSIC YES ON STAGE.ITS BEEN MY DREAM TO SEE IT SINCE 1994.I WAS 13 AND I WAS INTRODUCED TO YES BY MY DAD SOMEWHAT UNINTENTIONALLY.I HAD HEARD OWNER OF A LONELY HEART BEFORE BUT CLOSE TO THE EDGE AND FRAGILE WAS WHAT I WAS LISTENING TO RIGHT AFTER.AND I FELL SO DEEPLY IN LOVE WITH IT.THATS THE FEELING I GET EVERY TIME I SEE THEM AND I CANT THANK THEM ENOUGH FOR THE EXCELLENT SHOW.THANKS FOR MAKING THE PAST EIGHT YEARS MEMORABLE!!!!!!!!

Ray Cannella

"Cold Summer Listening..."

Nine days of steady oppressive heat gave way to clear skies, mild temperatures and a gentle breeze. What a beautiful night to see YES outdoors. It's funny how this always seems to work out for me when YES plays PNC in the summer. It's usually day after day of terrible humidity until YES comes to town. After 24 years of attending Yesshows I have to say that seeing them under the stars has always added a little bit more to the evening. My wife and I wouldn't have it any other way.

The show started on time at 8pm not with Benjamin's "Young Persons Guide to Orchestra" but with Stravinski's "Firebird Suite." I was walking from the parking lot to the venue when that familiar theme rose over the landscape. By the time "Siberian Khatru" had started I still wasn't in my seat but I wasn't bothered...even from the venue gates I could tell that after nearly 3 weeks on the road the band sounded tight.

The setlist seems to suggest a nod of recognition to the "Fragile" album. Five of the nine tracks are performed; "We Have Heaven", "Southside of the Sky", "Heart of the Sunrise", "Roundabout" & "The Fish." Wakeman's interpretations of two "Magnification" tracks fit rather nicely in place of the orchestra and Jon performed an upcoming solo piece.

Without evaluating song for song, the band was in good spirits with lots of hugs on-stage, big broad smiles (even from Howe) and much more lively interaction between band-mates than I have seen in recent tours. They look like a happy bunch. One of the more fun experiences was hearing the crowd reactions to some of the songs. Obviously not everyone bothers with the internet and it was evident in the way the crowd would stir first and then holler when the first few notes of "Awaken" or "Don't Kill the Whale" were played.

The highlight for me was when Jon stepped to the mic and said, "I never thought I would ever play this next song on stage." They then went into "We Have Heaven." Jon sang each line once then it was looped and he'd sing the next line building it all into a soundscape of vocals with Chris and Steve singing back-up. Then the loud echo of a door slamming shut brought it to a dead stop. The sound of high winds and thunder swirled around the venue with flashing lights during the thunder claps. Alan plays the opening drum riff and "Southside of the Sky" jams it's way to a stunned audience. Without question SSotS is one of the most requested songs by Yes-heads coast to coast. Rare live recordings of the elusive track have been called "the Holy Grail of live Yes recordings." The middle section belongs to Rick and his piano solo is flawless...Jon, Steve and Chris sing the harmonies so well you wonder why it's taken 25 years to get them to play this song live again. The song returns to the main theme and ends with Steve and Rick trading riffs in an extended closing duel of the masters.

It was a great night and a great show...see this tour!

Frank E Babes

The Yes PNC show was amazing. I had seen them at Jones Beach on Saturday night, but I enjoyed this one better. It was pretty much an exact duplicate, muscially, but that's OK.

There were some unique moments worth noting for the Jersey show. The crowd gave a standing ovation after each song. They were very into it. The "Siberian Khatru" opening had a lot more energy than Jones Beach. These five survivors of classic rock need a few minutes to get warmed up. But, with "Khatru" they hit the ground running.

"America" was very special, especially when Anderson sang "Counting the Cars on the New Jersey Turnpike" to the Jersey crowd.

The Squire solo mix was great with "Fish, Silent Wings, Tempest Fugett and Sound Chaser" riffs all cobled together.

Howe was clearly the work horse. Yes, he does have his hands full indeed. One of his acoustic numbers was from side 3 of Tales, "The Ancient."

Wakeman is simply a musician's musician. He makes it look so damn easy and he is so talented. He completely opened up towards the end of "Revealing Science of God." His duet with Anderson on the abbreviated "And You and I" has cool.

White has got to be in pretty decent shape as well. He contributed as much to the success of the Squire solo with his percussion.

"We have Heaven / SS of the Sky" was epic. Fragile was well represented at this show. "Heart of the Sunrise" had amazing power with Squire and the band in full bloom.

Anderson's voice sounded great. Plus, he weighed in with the Harp on "Awaken". Awaken was amazing.....AWAKEN GENTLE MASS TOUCH.

Although I desperately wanted to hear "Starship Trooper", Yours is No Disgrace was a suitable surrogate. The did the extended of "YIND" play a la Yes Songs. They waited until the very end to represent The Yes Album.

They did not play "Your Move/AGP" which was a little disappointing. My boy Dave B, was screaming for "Parellels", but to no avail. He was even screaming for it on the way back to Queens as I was counting the cars on the NJ Turnpike.

They mailed in Roundabout. What a shame, gutting the middle of the song with the Squire riffs. They must be under contract to perform that song.

I only see one use for Roundabout - To assist a male Yes fan taking a (non yes-fan) girl on a date who will hopefully recognize the song and maybe have sex with him after the show because she recognized it.

The "Tempust Fugett" Squire riffs on his solo spawned an idea. I think that they should re-record and re-release DRAMA with Anderson and Wakeman on the album. I think Drama had a lot of really good music, and I think that YES fans would by the re-issued DRAMA

Great shows at PNC and Jones Beach. The YES group proved once again, that they still have it.

e-babes.

MikeTEACHR

Ahhhhh..... Just got back

Not sold out, some lawn seat areas were open.

Since its an ampitheater; show began in light; always weird for me.

Setlist seemed the same as posted elsewhere; roundabout and yours is no disgrace were the encores. I purposely dont follow setlist posts so i might be pleasently surprised; which seems ironic since im writing this.

The sound was excellent from the 5th row. yep; its not as loud as past concerts, but for me, that just makes it all the clearer. you could hear each instrument.

All seemed in good spirits; chris especially. steve howe didnt crack a smile; but he's a busy man with all those guitars.

Solos were all very nice; yep they take up some time, but...

Anyway; instead of details I'll say I went away very pleasently surprised. Its been a long time since I've seen a Yes show where the five guys onstage are the five guys who recorded the songs. As in Awaken and Dont Kill the Whale.

Didn't notice any of the looseness posted about early shows. I think the multi-post on "America" may be true; but listening live, I realize its one of those songs that has a loose and/or difficult groove to lock into.

Posts also mentioned the paucity of light show; but for me, it didn't detract from the music, but I was up close, so it may have been quite different from way back.

Standouts for me were a very animated squire solo on the fish. smippets of tempus fugit and on the silent wings of freedom were very cool.

Howes solo was nice; the tales excerpts i believe. no clap or mood for a day. he sat for the solo.

crowd sat for most of the show; stood for the encores. doesnt mean they werent into it, we were.

All in all; they can still pull it off, in my humble opinion. Best part of this tour, again, is seeing the Tales/Going/Tormato lineup doing their songs. I suppose more from those albums would be desired. I really, after 15 YesShows, can do without roundabout and most of the solos, if it meant digging deeper into the catalouge.

Prozakc, dude man

There is only one complaint I have, and that was the audience. Why is that audients have the want or need to be heard by others around them? Whistling, talking during the performance, shouting during the quiet parts of the song, getting up and going for beers or bathroom break during the middle of a piece, etc. There was even an older guy who had a police whistle - jamming along with some of the songs. What the hell is the matter with these people? Shut up, sit down and listen! Be respectful to the band and your neighbors around you. We would all appreciate it.

Ron

Excellent show maybe the best Yes I've ever seen. There wasn't a
bad note all night. I'm still amazed how good Jon's voice is and he's 57. "South Side of the Sky" was a highlight for me even "Don't Kill the Whale" was excellent and that's not one of my favorites.
All in all a perfect evening. Highly recommended to anyone who's on the fence about going to see such an older band.
Good lively crowed and a big turn out. PNC holds 17,000. A little over 7,000 in the seated area and another 10,000 on the lawn.
Last night the inside was mostly full with maybe 1,000 or more on the lawn. Not bad for a band who gets no press and who's heyday was 25 years ago.

Prozakcbluesman

What can I say? Starting with the SLO shows in March 1996 and carrying through the Yes Symphonic 2001 shows, we have been treated right by this band; pulling out all the stops and getting to listen to live performances of Close to the Edge, Ritual, The Revealing Science of God, Gates of Delirium, America, etc.

Somehow, now it is complete. Rick is back in the fold and all the guys were sharp and having a good time on stage. That magic feeling is back, and you can really hear it and feel it, even moreso than over the past few years. Last night, we had the pleasure of seeing We Have Heavan > South Side of the Sky, and awesome renditions of America, Revealing Science of God, Awaken and Yours Is No Disgrace. (Was that smoke coming from Steve's fingers during YIND???). Thanks guys!

George S.

hi everyone,
this had to be one of the best yes shows i've ever witnessed. to see that '77 lineup again and hear some of the songs i haven't hear live in 20 years was just incredible. i actually cried at the end of awaken!(a very special personal favourite). it was about 60 degrees, no humidity and the band was so much more energized than jones beach. and unlike the previous shows which my buddy c.c. stated were not as tight and flowing this one rocked. the sound was a little bassy in the beginning but 20 minutes or so later the soundboard finally had it right. the sound was crisp and clear and the boys just seemed to be feeding off each other.if any of you were entertaining the fact of missing this show your downright crazy. i've been attending and.... yes shows since the tales days and i'd run,not walk to get tickets for this one.i left that place totally fulfilled, satisfied and euphoric!

Shikedants

Roundabout was back in the setlist. The rest of the setlist was the same as most of the recent shows. Great mix of songs. The highlight for me was "We Have Heaven/South Side of the Sky. I knew that they were throwing in Heaven, but I didn't anticipate how good it would be. Also, Chris threw in some Sound Chaser in his solo which I don't remember reading about. I can't say anything else other than it gets better and better. The band just wants to challenge themselves every year.

There is an old Monty Python sketch where someone writes a joke that is so funny, that anyone who reads it dies laughing. I predict that someday, when the Lord calls these 5 guys (and I hope that is way down the road) that they will start playing as complex a tune that they can imagine, like Sound Chaser or something like that, and that will be it. Hey maybe there will be an Ascencion like you know who.

One thing, and boy I though I would be the last person to criticize, I know that Jon is not the greatest ad libber, but I think a mention and thanks to Tom Brislin (here in his hometown) would have been nice. Tom was in the audience mixing with everyone, including me. Nice guy.

Colby Wallace

What a crock. Does anyone here think that they will
also play the
Mann in Philly or the E-centre in Trenton, since
they are playing Holmdale?