Steve Shaw

Saw Yes twice this year and both times they were outside. Yes must have had Foghat's manager's this year - Yes is not an outdoor band - Foghat can outcrank noisy people with gazillions of watts - I found myself cupping my ears and that helped focus the sound - I think this was the show that had a person get up and do sign language during the songs (ad lib). That was really fun to watch - especially during "Don't Kill the Whale."

Michele Hriciso

Here's a couple of things you need to know about me before you read this review:

I have fibromyalgia syndrome. Going to a concert for me is quite painful. The vibration whoops my ass. So I was barely functional last night after the concert, which is why I didn't post my review then. People with FMS FEEL noise. And I swear I can hear light at times.

That having been said ...

I am one of those annoying people who sings at concerts too. I don't sing LOUD but I do sing in tune and it actually paid off last night that I wasn't the only one at the concert doing that.

So ...

We got there in plenty of time because we were told we were going to be searched. What a joke. We walked up with my camera bag and security says, "That's too big" when they see my camera bag. My husband says it's just got a camera in it and they say, "Oh, that's even worse." Those fuckers wouldn't even let me take my digital camera in. "No professional setups." Y'all can trust me on this one, I am a strictly amateur photographer. They said those throwaway cameras or a 35mm with a built-in zoom lens - well, I saw people with CAMCORDERS in there so I was quite pissed off that I couldn't take at least my digital camera in.

Back to the car we go to drop off the cameras. We go back in and they don't make the women lift their shirts up but the men had to lift their shirts up for a waistband inspection. So a woman could have gotten a gun in but not a man. Allrighty then. My husband got grilled about what he had in his pockets until he pulled out his wallet and they see that little sheriff's star on his ID card, then it was like, "Oh, go in sir." Like the fact that he works in law enforcement makes a difference. Gee, wonder if I had brought my ID card would I have been able to get my camera in ...

First stop I make is the souvenir booth. These people were so ignorant about Yes it was disgusting. One guy told some drunk guy that the Symphonic DVD was from ALL the concerts (I told him it was from Amsterdam). One of the women told this lady that it was the box set (which they had a poster up for). So of course I asked her if she had a DVD player; she asks me why so I tell her it's a DVD and she says, "Oh." Then I explained the box set. The guy told someone the picture from the Mag T-shirt was just a design, so I explained it was from the Mag cover insert. If you haven't seen it, it's the picture with the bald lady. They should have had me selling this stuff, I could have sold so much more for them because I actually know what the stuff is about. Sheesh!

After they tried to explain the Mag t-shirt to me, I bought one. And a TFTO shirt. And a Fragile shirt. And a tour book. They tried to tell me the "We must have waited all our lives for this moment" quote was from the new album. I managed to choke back my laugh until I got my merchandise.

We walk around for a bit, since we're early, and listen to some yucky local band called Lucky Dawg. At one point the singer announces, "We're gonna do another cover." NO! Really?

I decide I want a drink. So we go to one of the 18 bazillion concession stands and pay way too much for a Smirnoff Ice and a Guinness. They ask us for ID. Now, it's been a while since I've been carded, and dumb ass me left my driver's license in the car. I don't look 18 anymore so I didn't think it was an issue. The lady tells me, oh, we card up to 35, we are all volunteers so we want to be REALLY sure. So I don't have my ID but hubby has his and that's all right. As long as he buys it, he can give it to anyone he wants I suppose. Amazing. Maybe I've just been living under a rock too long.

Finally we go inside and they are being real lax about checking tickets at the first entry point, but the guy by our seats is a ticket Nazi. I must have gone through there 6 times in the course of the night but he still didn't recognize me, had to inspect my ticket with a flashlight every singl

Bill S.

At first, The Band looked stiff and actually appeared to be
suffering from stage fright during Siberian Khatru, as only Chris
seemed confident. Finally, Steve broke the ice with a great guitar
solo during America. The energy started to build during We Have
Heaven/SSOS, which Jon dedicated to three climbers killed on the Himalayas.
Luckily, The Band was sufficiently warmed up to attempt RSOG, which they executed flawlessly and with great
emotion: Wakeman's solo was awesome! Then, Steve played most of The
Ancient on classical guitar and received a standing ovation. And You
And I was just Jon and Rick; it was good but it may have been even
better with the other three. Heart of the Sunrise was beautiful!
Chris' bass solo on Fish was spectacular! Awaken was thunderous! Alan
White was hard-hitting and technically perfect all night long. People
in the non-covered areas got soaked in the pouring rain. The concert
ran late for a Sunday, some people dashed to their cars, YES responded by cutting Roundabout. P.S. to YES: Thanks and next time
when playing only one show in Florida, make it Orlando!!
P.S. to YES: Thanks and next time when playing only one
show in Florida, make it Orlando!

dabronks

Aside from Chris' sound problems in the first half,seeing too much of Steve's personal lackey handing off guitars and bringing out chairs,and the constant need for the West Palm Peckerwoods in the audience that simply must get up to relieve themselves or get another beer,the show and mood were wonderful as usual.
Just seeing Steve's bunny hop at the end of Siberian made me feel that we were in for a special evening.He seemed less uptight and more looser feelings wise.The good-natured laughter from the crowd and looks from the band members when Jon twice forgot the words during HOTS were enjoyable also.
I've seen many other tours with different keyboardist weather it be Moraz,Downes,Kaye,or Khoroshev but truly love when Rick is there.Hope this lasts at least another year 'cause I'll be back.
Other reviews of this show have dealt with the whether,sound mix problems,etc.They are true-but my special moment came 1 hour after the shows' conclusion in a Denny's parking lot off I-95 when my 15 year old son thanked me for taking him-he really truly enjoyed it-I teared a bit just like when the lights went off and Firebird Suite began or at the end of Awaken.Thanks guys for ommitting Roundabout-long overdue-and as Frampton says-let's do it again !!!

Jeff

This was my 7th Yes show, being 23 years old. I've seen them every year at least once since 1997.

Seeing Rick with the band offered the perfect balance. At the beginning of the show, my sister and I played a little musical chairs and ended up in the front row... We at least had the pleasure of sitting there throughout all of "Siberian Khatru" until the rightful owners of the seats arrived. SK was great, although I have to admit I was a little distracted by how surreal the whole experience was, Janeeee sitting two seats away, so I can't give a fair description of the song (I was starting to go numb). Anyway, we went back to our seats after the opener, which were fourth row in front of Rick.

"America" had its faults, but it was nice to hear.

Next, "In the Presence Of": Rick did an excellent job emulating the orchestral parts to this song. Everyone was pretty right on for this one...

"We Have Heaven" was great, Jon and Chris' vocals were soaring. I have to say, Jon's voice improves every year lately!

"South Side of the Sky" next, really great, everyone went all out for this one... Alan did a good job playing Bill's parts in his own style. Steve and Rick were improvising a little, which was a treat to hear... Chris' bass (or wireless system?) gave out toward the end of the song, but the band persisted and ended the song gracefully... After SSotS, Steve approached the mic and said that there had been a change of plans and he wasn't really expecting to do his solo, but he was about to... (I was worried we weren't getting RSoG) Absolutely beautiful were his performances of "Leaves of Green" and "The Little Galliard" from _Natural_Timbre_. He played both on his Kohno classical guitar.

The rest of the band returned to the stage and they closed the first set with "The Revealing Science of God". It was a stellar presentation of the song. The Moog solo toward the end of the song was one of my favorite moments of the entire show, the whole band was so intense!!!

The second set began with a short, funny tour song into "Show Me". It was a nice, mellow song. Rick's additions were nice: washes of mellotron-sounding strings with harpsichord lines.

Rick's solo was next, which was quite amazing for me to see, having been a fan for seven years without actually seeing him play in person...

"Heart of the Sunrise", I must say, was flawless! The whole band was a lot tighter in the second set, I know I'm not the only one with that opinion either!

"Magnification" was great to hear live, but I must say I'm looking forward to hearing "Give Love Each Day"...

"Don't Kill the Whale" was fun, I like that song a bit more having heard it live.

Chris' solo was heavy, and I loved hearing a bit of "Silent Wings", I also hope they dust that one off next time around...

"Awaken" = perfect. Rick seemed to have altered the middle part slightly, it might have been a little longer. His organ sound was huge! Spiritually uplifting is the way I would describe the entire excecution of the song.

The encore was "Yours is No Disgrace", great energy during this one.

No "Roundabout", but I actually wanted to hear it for the sake of not wanting the night to end!

All in all, I think we're in store for a few more years of great shows and a new album. Rick seemed thrilled to be with the band again, I saw him singing along to just about every single song they played. He and Chris were very close, as others have mentioned. He again caddy'ed Chris' triple-neck after "Awaken", and then gave him a big hug. Amazing it was to see Rick and Steve hug immediately after that, I didn't think Steve allowed anyone to touch him! Best show I've seen yet.

CLMoon

Yes, this band can still rock 'n' roll
By Joel Engelhardt, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 13, 2002

If there were a mandated retirement age for rock 'n' rollers, would progressive rock pioneers Yes have reached it?

After all, the five band members who performed Sunday at MARS Music Amphitheatre are in their 50s, and the oldest, singer-songwriter Jon Anderson, is pushing 60.

There's no question the group's intricately layered sound deserves to be performed long after the performers themselves are gone.

Eventually, the group may have to bring in singers to hit the notes Anderson can no longer reach.

After all, even Michael Jordan retired. Didn't he?

Not quite.

In a show as noteworthy for its sound problems as its fine music, the silver-haired rockers proved it's not time to give up. Not yet, at least.

The three-hour show's weak point came from the soundboard, not the performers. Muddy best describes the mix for the first half of the show, with guitar sounds and vocals lost in the off-balance din.

But it got worse. On South Side of the Sky, bassist Chris Squire realized the audience couldn't hear what he was playing. After half-heartedly strumming air-guitar style until the song's end, he stalked off the stage and the band cut early to Steve Howe's fine solo while technicians fixed the problem.

Until that point, the show revolved around Howe, 55, and his inventive lead guitar, particularly on the group's rocking version of Paul Simon's America, a Yes cover dating to 1972.

Where was venerable keyboard man Rick Wakeman, whose return generated the most pre-tour hype? Waiting for the second half of the show.

Fortunately, by that time, the sound operator had reworked the mix and the group began to sound less ready for retirement.

Wakeman, 53, fit in with the group he has played with off and on since 1971 like an old, comfortable pair of shoes. He knows the songs so well, he completes them, filling musical voids with rich texture.

Yes doesn't improvise its old songs in concert. It performs them, throwing in subtle twists. Seeing them live fulfills a craving for nostalgia and something more: the need to keep something fine alive.

But as the performers who wrote the music age, it begs the question: Who's going to be there to play it when they're gone?

For every forgotten lyric or missed note, there are moments like Squire's driving bass medley, his duo with drummer Alan White and Wakeman's interplay with Howe that makes seeing these silver-haired rockers now, while they still have the ability to play, worthwhile.

While Yes has had its splits and reconciliations, it has avoided tragedy. But as rock fans learned once again with the recent death of The Who's John Entwistle, rock 'n' rollers are not immortal.

The reality is that great rockers don't just fade away. They die. The question the audience should be asking before shelling out $75 to hear them play is this: Can they still rock? For Yes the answer is "Yes." At least for now.

Whitney Johnson

First of all ,what a fantastic musical experience!!The guys were on top of their game!!!Seeing Wakeman again was a great thrill!!The first concert I ever saw was Rick in NYC in 1974!!!It was great to see him singing along to RSOG!!!!Chris's amp malfunction was rectified by a blistering WhiteFish!!!We have Heaven into SSOS was a mind blower!!But it had to be the lamest crowd I have ever been a part of in 27 years of attending showws!!!Maybe they were just stunned!!I know I was!!!A note to the guys,next time in Florida play Tampa!!!!We know how to rock with the best band of all time!!!Peace to all!!!

Scott Richards

Out here from San Diego for a vacation and took the kids, age 9 and 6, to their 3 and 2nd YESSHOWS respectively (my 67th)

Pretty much a different show and feel than back in Konocti or Shoreline. The band is much tighter than the first few weeks and they really were much more comfortable on stage toghether.

As previous reviews-------NO ROUNDABOUT!!!!!!!

With seeing Steve paly OOALH last year in Amsterdam and now to NOT have Roundabout...........I can say that I have completed my wish list (almost---Sound Chaser--To Be Over)

We Have Heaven is just great.

Highlights.
1. Awaken was awesome
2. NO Roundabout
3. Rick's solo is a bit longer and his intro to RSOG is really nice
4. Seeing lots of East coast friends including those who flew in from Puerto Rico and New Hampshire and childhood firends from Miami/Lauderdale and enjoying the music with them
5. Getting 7 more days of vacation to get some fish and lobster in the Keys.


Lowlights:

1. Hotter than Hades at the beginning as the humidity was near 95%
2. Chris' amp set up blanked out at the end of Southside of the Sky
3. Jon forgetting the words to HOTS
4. Ampitheater is out in nowhere'svile(I still can't understand comming to outdoor show in FLA in August.......too humid and hot and wet)but they must like it because I've been to the last 3 at the same venue

On to LA and the 2 Vegas INDOOR shows!!!!!!

My 6 year old just ROCKED when they played Magnification as he loves that tune!!!!!

Peace and light to all