Cecil Turner - Rabbittown

Took my daughter to her first rock concert. She was 15.

AND SHE ROCKED TO YES!!!

She was a little freeked out about all the old bald guys jumping around like early 20's folk, but she enjoyed it. And I got to influence her whole music life since. She bases all concerts on her Yes experience.

Even Angles and Airwaves fall short.

I'm so proud!

Spiritual Q.C.

Honestly,

They just can't get it right in Atlanta...

They return to a venue located dead center in the worst Ghetto in Atlanta. (take your pick... Chastain Park with yuppies, lobster, wine, cheese, and NO VOLUME..) -or- The HOOD.

They played fine, but the sound was atrocious. Good God, I would be embarrassed to charge money for a show with such UNPROFESSIONAL results.

They never could get the sound right... It just ruined the concert... I mean, what else are you there for other than to HEAR your favorite band???

Parking was a nightmare, hoodlums and thugs ALL over the venue. PISS POOR MANAGEMENT ALA YES (once again)...

Really sad.

SeanTGuitar

This was THE best Yes show for me, ever. I have seen most tours since the early 80s, but this was one that had me singing "I must have waited all my life for this....moment!". In fact seeing them play RSOG, and standing right at the lip of the stage as they did is easily by greatest Yes concert memory. It is my fave epic and one rarely played compared to the others. It was such a treat to hear it in person. I shut my eyes and it was like listening to the cd. Then opened them and there they are playing it right in front of me. I remember Chris looking at me like "You ok, buddy?!". Oh yeah, I was more than ok. The rest of the set was great as well. It was great to finally see them do America and the Awaken they did was the best I have ever seem them do. And I have seen a few of those! Khatru is always a great opener too, and one that isn't played that often. And South Side totally ruled. Such a great addition to the set. Rick was back and the vibes were great. Much better than they would seem to be on the 35th Anni tour....which failed to move me much. Some years I am in heaven and pinching myself to see if I am dreaming. Other Yes tours just kinda were there. This one though was real MAGIC!

Ed the Rock

My wife and I saw yes and what a thrilllllllllllll. (Hi Fi Buys Amp)
My favorite team musicians of all time. The last time I saw Yes was in Atlanta (again) at the Omni in 1977.(Rick Wakeman on the keyboards again!) It took me 25 years to see them live again and my heart skipped many beats during the show... (Why did it take so long? I dunnnnoooooo- Stupid me)
I sit in my basement with my les paul and -try- to play Steves guitar licks and the music Yes has created fills my heart very deep with pleasure.
Is Yes my favorite group because I was so thrilled with them when I was younger- 14-17 years old (playing keyboard then) and the music has totally filled my head or is it because of the conglomoration of fine musicians, such that I appreciate the hard work and effort they have endured to create satisfaction for themselves and the rest of us YesFans?
Don't know the answer, but I hope they live forever to continue playing.. I know I will be there to listen in some fashion or form.
In 1978 or 1979 I believe I saw Chris Squire at Dekalb College playing with some other musicians, but that was a fuzzy night. I do remember him wearing him boots and making that bass sing!

Chris Hannah

I drove four hours all the way from Nashville, braved Atlanta rush hour traffic, all to see something that I never thought I would see in my lifetime. YES, with Rick manning the 'keys'. I bought a ticket when I arrived and sat right behind the sound guys. While the seat was excellent, it was clear to me that those guys weren't doing there job to the best of their ability, and thus, the sound quality of the show suffered.

Aside from that, the show was everything I though it would be and more. Siberian Khatru was kind of rough...but the band did not lose steam. Jon's vocals were on the whole night and he was having so much fun with the songs (puffed on an invisible cigarette during "America"--"so we bought a pack of cigarettes"...) it was great :-) "In the Presence Of" is such a wonderful song and I hope they keep it in the future. Rick's playing in the song was espeicially good. TRSOG left me speachless... awesome to say the least.

Steve's solo spot amazed me mostly because as he was playing, you could have heard a pin drop it was so quiet. The audience was very respectful and I think he appreciated that.

Chris and Alan during "Whitefish" was awesome. I'm a bass player too and to see someone like Chris Squire play his bass with so much intensity and passion drives me to keep improving. Chris, thank you for inspiring me.

But by far the most intense moment of the night came during "Awaken". The song just leaves you feeling so peaceful and relaxed... I don't think it gets any better than that.

I think the most unexpected part of the show was seeing some guy run up on stage, ripping his shirt off, and being chased off the stage by security during "Roundabout". But, it was kind of funny.

In all, I really enjoyed the show, and I also enjoyed meeting some other fans. That added to the overall opinion of the show: one of the best I've seen in my young 22 years of existance! I hope that YES continue in their present lineup, and make it up to TN sometime soon.

Ryan

The show left me speechless. With the exception of the Squire incident during H.o.t.S. the show was FLAWLESS! I was extremely impressed with the vigor and energy that was brought to the stage, considering they are all pushing sixty years of age.

Jon Anderson sounds like he is still 25! My fellow YES companions believe he has found the fountain of youth. Jon was perfect throughout the show, until the last verse of H.o.t.S., then picked up the perfection for the rest of the show.

Chris Squire!!! What to say? SO much energy...he is very much the rock n' roll icon of the band. Whitefish was very impressive, especially with the Soundchaser tease. R.S.o.G...exceptional!!! He's still got it.

Rick Wakeman is still the one the of the top keyboardist ever, up there with JPJ and Rick Wright. His solo was very impressive missed only an 1/8 a beat (during H.o.t.S.) all night. Southside was brilliant and definitely the highlight of the show, as well as, R.S.o.G. Best live keyboards I've ever seen and probably ever will see.

Alan White played a great show. Bruford would have been nice for a couple songs, however White was still excellent. Not too show-off like, yet very strong. Overall, played a great show and didn't miss a beat.

Steve Howe was the highlight of the show and played the best out of anyone. I was surprised to see such energy from him. His voice on Southside made my hair stand on end and his guitar was phenomenal. Howe's hand are unbelievebly fast. The solo before the setbreak was a religious experience, to say the least.

Highlights:
1. Steve Howe
2. Vocals were incredible, especially Southside of the Sky!!!
3. Revealing Science of God
4. Squire's energy
5. Wakeman solos

Lowlights:
1.Technical mishaps

All in all, I give the show a 9 (a 10 would promptly be given, however technical matters changed that). Hope to see them next year!

Jeff Sewell

There is a God. He smiled upon me last night on Atlanta, GA. Driving to the YES concert- ticketless- I pull over to the first scalper I see. I don’t totally believe him when he tells me the ticket’s location, but I buy them anyways…. 3rd Row center.

THIRD ROW CENTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got to see YES live.. the REAL YES (not those innumerable faux line-ups)… from 15’ feet away. Died and gone to heaven. …been far too long… 24 years..1978… Yes in the Round. LA, CA….. .

Took me awhile to realize the attractive woman in front of me was Jon’s wife Jane…….. I guess she always gets front row center? Was a nice touch… .. him singing to her….. her so receptive to the music… just added to the wonderfulness……

So I don’t have previous YES gigs to compare this too (24 years ago a hazy memory). … but Jon has his celestial voice, still. From him the magic emanates and is enhanced and projected by…… Alan’s stalwart drumming.. .. flawless? To my untrained ear.. Chris… the carrier of the YES torch.. playing his ass off and giving us stage excitement and drama (as counterpoint to professorial Steve)…… …. Rick is back. Rick is back!!!!! What more can I say??

And Steve-is- GOD- Howe. I have played on my guitar Mood for a Day 3000 times. Turn of the Century a 1000 times. The Ancient 1000 times. I am devoted to learning and playing the Steve Howe repertoire of classical guitar creations. So to watch from arms length away Steve playing The Ancient during his solo stretch before intermission… . .. ‘twas a life defining moment. As a classical guitarist Steve is innovative, flawless, nuanced and subtly soulful.

But fellow YES aficionados? Steve’s electric guitar playing admittedly near-flawless, but lacking in fire? I’d read such on some Usenet YES group posting… .. last night Steve played essentially error free, apart from passing on a few more challenging passages…. But error-free is not stepping outside the box. He rocked a tad, but seemed to keep things too safe. No string slinging wah wah pedal amplifier swapping passages in Yours Is No Disgrace…. .. what’s the deal? Is Steve an ultimate team player and let’s the spotlight shine elsewhere? Has he lost a step and is doing all he can to just keep up? Can some of you give me your thoughts?

Bottom line. I have been missing out. Not catching these guys live. Never again will miss a YES gig that hits town.

Oh- and. Hey Chris?

That one cat who spent just about the entire show twirling around with a crystal in each hand and some sort of incense pouch around his neck? Wandering around the parking lot afterwards banging a drum?

After the show, to kill time letting the cars creep out of the parking lot, I pull out my classical guitar and sit on my car playing The Ancient, etc…. when the drum banging guy wanders over drumming to his beat. I am a poor improvisational player, but I start to thump out a Bo Diddly-kinda chunky chord thing and we groove awhile before chatting…… .. he tells me the crystal and incense gives Jon and the audience an improved vibe.. ….I saw him come up to near the stage and wave the crystal towards Jon until security booted him back… Crystal Guy (his name is Chris….) says that Jon is very sensitive to such.. … the vibe of the crowd… says during a previous YES gig his crystal waving got the crowd so worked up Jon said better cool it- they’re fired up enuff.. ..

.. and so it goes…..

Chris Hosford

I just got back from the show. It might not have been the tightest or most intense Yes performance I've ever seen. Masterworks has tonight's show beat on both counts. However, I don't know that I've seen the band having this much fun and so, obviously, happy to be around each other over the last few years as I did tonight. Steve Howe even rocked out with Chris Squire a bit. I didn't think I'd ever see that. Squire and Rick Wakeman seemed to be the best of pals, which surprised me. There were a couple of glaring tecnical mishaps. Squire's bass went out completely at one point near the beginning of "Heart Of The Sunrise". Jon Anderson had to "conduct" the band back onto the rails during "Revealing...". Wakeman seemed a bit lost during the two _Magnification_ songs. I think he was trying too hard to mimic the orchestral arrangements from the scores instead of just Wakemanizing the songs. I think "In The Presence" of would sound great with some Hammond type sounds and "Magnification" is screaming for bit 'o' Moog. The setlist was the same as it's been. "Roundabout" was back in it's traditional closing spot. "We Have Heaven" preceeded a blistering "South Side..." that made me wonder what in the heck took them so long to get around to playing it. Overall, if Masterworks rates a 10, this show rates a solid 8. I'm looking forward to what's next.

By the way, there was this one cat who spent just about the entire show twirling around with a crystal in each hand and some sort of incense pouch around his neck. I leaned over to my friend who only knew Yes from "Owner..." prior to tonight's peformance and commented, "See, you just don't get that sort of thing with any other band." After the show we saw the same dude wandering around the parking lot banging a drum. Now *that's* hardcore.