dabronks

All I know is that when we left Hunts Point on the way to Parkchester we all felt relieved (LOL)

steve from the bronx

hey DABROOKS. I live and still are in the Bronx. Come on, i was not that rough. i went to those shows and still take trhe 6 to the shows , Next week in the town hall in Times Square. The area isnt nearly as rough as years ago. Wish they would change the setlist!!!

dabronks

Gil,I lived in the Parkchester section of the Bronx and saw the Roosevelt Stadium show by luck when my best friends brother had measles.Saw every tour after that including the Rabin years.Last Garden show was in 12/87 before I moved down here.I used to sit in the blue seats but worked my way down to the orchestra section by '87(LOL).What I recall about the '77 show was that we came home on the 6 line and we were the only people with rock concert t-shirts as we went through the rough areas of the Bronx.One of my friends used to joke that we only had to survive 13 stops and we'd live to see the next day.Thank goodness we were always in a big group...Now I can go to City Walk in Orlando with no worries about getting my hubcaps clipped or being mugged on the way home from the venue...

gil

dabronks,
I too used to ride home on the subways from the Garden to the Bronx!!
Later, drive home from the Nassau Coliseum and Roosevelt Stadium. Still later, I've seen Yes in other countries in Europe and cities here in the U.S.. I did miss their Orlando and St. Pete concert this past Sunday and Monday because I was overseas but did catch them in Hollywwod Wednesday. Mised the frst 3 or 4 songs due to the long drive from Orlando.
Just curious where in the Bronx?
This was my forty first Yes show. First saw them in '74. Maybe there's some shows better than others, however, with Yes one thing for sure. They're never disappointing.

dabronks

One question for anyone to answer...Why is it that Steve can play Owner of a Lonely Heart and Astral Traveler,Rick could do the back end of Gates of Delirium,but Jon won't concede to do anything from Drama ? I think Jon singing Into the Lens would be wonderful.

dabronks

Have to admit,that every time I hear Firebird Suite I still get chills.I truly don't know what the hell those are looking at whom criticize these performances.Great musicianship again and if someone misses a note so be it.The band's age doesn't seem to be a factor.We're not talking 1976-79 here.
Alan White looked exhausted,but enthused,and having Steve speak to the audience and run out and slide across the floor before the encores was fantastic and great to see.I think the love many have for this band was evident most of the evening and especially during the last half hour.The noise after Starship Trooper was wonderful.I only wish I had caught them at the beginning of the tour in order to get an hour more of showtime.
I'll be back with or without Jon-it's a win win scenario.I used to see this band at the Garden in New York and would always ride the subway through the South Bronx stoned but elated.Now I drive home after a show and still smile on the way home.Thanks guys again for the joy you bring me....One last thing-you people who constantly have to get up to get a beer or piss or try to get over by moving down without paying-stay the hell home !

John Kuehne

I've been going to Yesshows since 1972 -and have seen some amazing shows. This one was very enjoyable. The venue kind of sucks - basically a big bar with a stage- but that is not the band's fault.

Benoit has a very strong stage presence, and does an excellent job covering the vocals in Jon's absence. The vocal harmonizing on this tour is actually amazing. Chris' voice is much more up front than in previous tours and he sounds better than I can remember him ever sounding. Chris, Steve and Alan can still play much better than most other musicians of any age.
Oliver did a good job covering his dad, and I'm glad he is doing it so that we still get to see this magnificent music played live.

The set list this tour is *really* great, Astral Traveler, Tempus Fugit and Machine Messiah + a very good performance of CTTE - the whole FN album!!!! Even Roundabout and Owner are enjoyable this tour. Sorry that by the time they got to Florida - HOTS and Parallels were gone from the list. But I am just happy to be able to still see these guys put on a great show after all these years.
After the show Alan White signed the cover of my Tales Album that I've had since I was 15 - Thanks Alan you are a great drummer and a very decent human being.

I will be seeing all three shows in Florida. And I feel very blessed to be able to still experience this wonderful music live 36 years later. YES is still very much alive.

Get well Jon.

Jay Rogers

Here's an interesting quote:

Chris Squire, 60, insisted age isn't going to slow down Yes. Steve Howe is 61, while Alan White is 59.

"There are classical musicians who perform into their 90s," Squire said. "I don't see why that can't be the same for people who play rock 'n' roll."

The "In The Present Tour" performance in Orlando was awesome. One of the best Yes concerts I've seen. Masterworks in 2000 may have been better, but it was outdoors my seat was too far away from the stage for it to have had the same effect on me. At Hard Rock, I bought general admission but figured there would be a few empty seats available. I grabbed one near the back row on the floor which was less than 100 feet from the stage. It was actually a good vantage point. I was sitting in the center in front of the sound board and the acoustics are probably best about there.

I don't know the attendance, but the lower level was about 80 percent full. The venue didn't put out seats filling up to the back for the remaining 20 percent. So it was a privilege to see a band of this caliber in such an intimate setting.

During Starship Trooper and through the encore, everyone was on their feet so I was able to move up to about the fourth row. I'd never been so close to Yes, so this probably influenced my opinion. It was the best concert I've ever been too.

I have so many things to say, but I'll try to sum it up. My first concert was Drama, so I appreciated hearing Machine Messiah and Tempus Fugit live again. For me, these songs were high points of the show -- two of the most underrated Yes pieces ever.

As I saw Benoit David and Oliver Wakeman take the stage with the others, I remembered that this is a band that has had about 17 to above 20 members, depending on how you count, since 1968. This is just another chapter and it is what makes Yes epic and unpredictable.

Benoit David had to replace two vocalists -- not just one -- Jon Anderson and Trevor Horne. Let's just say he was a much better performer than Horne and slightly worse than Jon Anderson! Can anyone replace Jon Anderson? Probably not, but Benoit is certainly the best Yes tribute singer on the planet. At times I closed my eyes to see if I could tell the difference. In places I could, but most of the time he was spot on. Kind of amazing.

Then Oliver Wakeman not only has to replace his dad on most pieces, but also Tony Kaye on Astral Traveler (a song Wakeman never covered) and Geoff Downes on the Drama material. He was spot on mostly, although like his father he did improvise in places. Squire, Howe and White have improved with age. New sound and equipment technology has allowed them to reproduce their music with more integrity than ever before. I thought it was a high energy show considering the very small venue. In fact, some veteran Yes fans I talked to were psyched that they had this opportunity to sit so close to their heroes. Every song ended with a standing ovation and the whole crowd was on its feet for the last 20 to 30 minutes.

Other times I saw Yes, I was disappointed when Roundabout came around because I knew the concert was over and frankly I've heard that song more often than I need to. But this time, the finale of Starship Trooper was amazing! Then I actually enjoyed the encore of Owner of a Lonely Heart and Roundabout like I never have before. Being about four rows from the stage in the midst of a blown away crowd really made it special.

Every person had a big smile on their face on the way out. The tour was a triumph.

A few years ago, Rick Wakeman said he was going to be with Yes until his death. Jon Anderson was reputedly annoyed that the band would not wait for him to recover before they toured again. So if this line-ups success puts a fire under them, then we may see the classic line-up again.

Now Squire is saying they are going to record new songs and continue with this lineup on tour again next year. This is a band that has a huge repertoire of songs to choose from. Some have never been played live before -- and many have rarely been played in 30 to 40 years.

Who knows what the next incarnation of Yes will look like? I can't wait!

Scott

I went to the Orlando Hard Rock concert last night and was privileged to sit 2nd row center. These fellas give on heck of an incredible show. The crowd was VERY enthusiastic and the band ate it up. The show started at 8:15 promptly and was over at 10:40. And it was onme of the best I have seen. I have seen every tour since 1979 and I think this was one of the best, even without Jon. Benoit was in great voice. Steve was AMAZING! Chris rocked, and looked like he was having fun. Oliver actually smiled (once). I am thinking of going again on Tuesday!

Mark Tinker

Set List:

Firebird
Siberian
Your Move/All Good People
Tempus Fugit
Onward
Astral Traveller
Close to the Edge
Steve's Solo: Classical Gas, Ram
And You And I
Long Distance Runaround/Fish
Aliens
Machine Messiah
Starship Trooper

Encore:
Owner
Roundabout

Jay Rogers

I'm excited about the show tonight and happy to see so many positive reviews. The reviews are better than what I read about eight yeas ago for the Masterworks tour, which I thought was excellent. My first YES concert was the DRAMA tour, so this will be coming full circle for me. I am a little sad to see the set list has shrunk about almost an hour worth of material from the first shows. What gives? I can't imagine YES playing any less than two hours. I don't know if anyone in the band reads these pages, but two of my favorite YESSONGS are Parallels and South Side of the Sky. I was really excited to see these two songs in the set lists early on. So Chris, Steve, Alan -- PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE put Parallels and South Side back in -- or do something completely unexpected to both shock and delight us! BTW: If this is your first time to Universal, parking is free after six o'clock. There are a lot of great restaurants to go to before the show. The only place with reasonably priced beer is a bar above the movie theater called Cigarz. I also recommend Bubba Gumps -- it's a restaurant based off the Forrest Gump theme with great food especially if you like shrimp and seafood -- it's a real laugh.