Hung

I saw this lineup when they came through Bass Hall in Ft. Worth several months before. To me, there was no question that this was the better show. The crowd as well as the band were energetic and lively. The mix was so much better. A lot of people say the Bass Hall had better acoustics - which may be - but to me the balance was better at the HOB.

Hearing the Drama material was the highlight. To me, Machine Messiah is one of Yes's best and most underrated songs. To see them finally play it live and do it more than justice was nothing short of thrilling. And You And I is another big highlight for me. Most of the classics held up and still sounded very strong. One nitpick: they need to learn to open the show with something other than Siberian Khatru. If it disappears from the setlist on future tours, I for one would not miss it.

It seems to me that no one is happier about going and playing live than Steve Howe. I think the man is having more fun on stage than we have seen him since he rejoined Yes in the mid-90's. It speaks volumes when he happily introduces and plays Owner of a Lonely Heart. Benoit and Oliver do a fine job of holding their stations. Chris and Alan still perform to their usual high standard. You definitely get the Yes experience from this lineup.

I consider it a luxury, in 2009/2010, to have a chance to see Yes no less than three times within a year. In spite of circumstances with Rick and Jon, I am ever grateful that the boys are out and playing so I can still hear this great music live. As much as we want these guys to go on, retirement is on the horizon. We should be grateful for every performance these guys still give us.

Tim

I saw YES for the 40th time last night and must say the guys still have it. Steve was GREAT as usual as was Chris being the wild man on stage. Alan played good but they seemed to have him turned down somewhat. Oliver was good and they did seem to have his sound up a good portion of the show, he had some shining moments. Now for Mr.David he seems to struggle a bit with the songs, I'm not sure if he is tring too hard or what but he had a few issues. I'm not sure he has the true emotion that Jon has when he sings he songs, he is a decent singer but....he's not Jon. I think not knowing what feeling the songs arose from holds him back. (not his fault) I think he is a bit better suited for the Drama type music. All in all the show was great accept for the drunk chick yelling in the back. I hope they can workout their issues with Jon and can get back together and do a True Yes show as I have seen so many time in the past.

Stephen M.

What a fun evening !!!
From the pre-show party at Dick's Last Resort ( Thanks to our waiter Tyronne for your "special" hospitality skills) to the last chords of Starship Trooper the evening was wonderful.
Always great to see the fellow YesFans. Someone at pre-show said when we get together it's like family getting together(was that you Pete?) It really is so true. One of the highlights of the evening was looking to my left during the show & seeing a VERY happy Dom (YES2) jumping up & down like he was on a pogo stick! So wish I had taken a picture of that.
And about the show... once again the band played great. During one of my trips to the bathroom an enthusied fan yelled out "Steve Howe for President!!" Steve once again played his ass off! During the show I mentioned to the guy next to me how easy he makes it looks with his playing. " He's ALWAYS made it look easy" was his reply. Mr. Squire was in good spirits throughout the evening & cracked many a smile during the show. And yeah the rest of the band had their sh*t together during the concert too
I count my blessings that after all these years YES is still putting on a great show & hope this happens for many years to come.

ROCK ON YES!!!

Eric

I’ve seen Yes in concert at least once on every tour since the late 70’s and am in Dallas on business. Ended up with a General Admission ticket last minute and arrived after show had begun. Was surprised to see seats on the HOB floor this time, looked around and also saw a very packed house. Thanks Dallas you really showed up tonight!! I stood in steerage near the soundboard for awhile and watched a few songs among a tight crowd where the soundmix was not very good. After YIND completed, I checked out the balcony and found an empty 2nd row seat on left side (Steve) and watched the last 1.5 plus hours of the show from there.

It was great to view the band from above and the sound was phenomenal. Flawless actually – and several around me agreed. Steve was his usual incredible self, and it’s amazing the speed, dexterity, creativity and charisma he still has in his 60’s. Chris rocked and impressed many of the young next generation of Yesfans in attendance with his powerful bass style. His vocals to me sounded great tonight not weak as others have commented at previous shows on this tour. Alan played exceptionally well also and provided a formidable drum solo during one of their classics. Oliver has definitely matured as a keyboardist creating his own playing style as stepping into his Dad’s shoes is probably one of the toughest keyboard gigs ever to fill. He has expanded his repertoire significantly since last year’s tour, appears much more comfortable now and I got the feeling that he’s ‘home’ in this band.

As for Benoit, for me it’s a real tribute and blessing to Jon and Yes that they found someone who has a voice where when you close your eyes, you hear a young Jon Anderson. I don’t know if there is another band that has been so fortunate? Sure Benoit’s style and composure is nothing like Jon and it takes time to get used to this change. And he missed a few notes, was spot-on for most but as the concert progressed, I saw a singer and band come together and provide that Yes sound we all crave for. Machine Messiah, Heart of the Sunrise and Starship Trooper were some of the highlights for me. This incarnation of Yes is not a tribute band as others have stated, and hopefully they’ll create and record new music soon. The only sadness I got was realizing how much Steve, Chris and Alan have all aged (as we all do) and I wonder how much longer these guys can continue to play together. And hopefully they’ll be a ‘time and word’ for Jon to rejoin the band soon. But it’s tough haul to tour like these guys do and hopefully they’ll find a way to for Benoit and Jon to share the stage if possible.

Dib

Saw Yes last night and they put on a great show. They played the classics including "Siberian Khatru", "And You and I", "I've Seen All Good People" and some that I haven’t heard in a long time including "Machine Messiah" and "Tempus Fugit" from Drama and "Owner of a Lonely Heart" off of 90125! The show was absolutely fantastic. Steve played brilliantly as usual - I continue to be amazed at his fingering and his fluid playing – Chris and Alan both played with a lot of energy; Alan did a nice drum solo and Chris demonstrated his skills ably on “Heart of the Sunrise”. Benoit and Oliver played great although I would have loved to have seen Jon and Rick.

Two complaints though: 1) every show I’ve seen at the HOB, the floor in front of the stage is setup for general admission tickets. However, this time, the floor in front of the stage was arranged with seats; I Couldn’t get close to the stage. 2) People all around me were talking and so hearing the quite passages was tough; I wished the crowd would have quieted appropriately.

But overall, the show was excellent and Yes continues to impress.

Jaganatha das

Great high energy show. Totally "intimate". Yes has made the jump from big arenas to smaller venues well. My first show since 1981's Drama tour! I guess I am cursed to never get to see YES with Jon Anderson! Hope that changes. Lots of 50 something dudes some with their sons in tow. Mr. Squire, Mr. Howe and Mr. White look like rugged explorers or tenured professors. They are ubber professional and so relaxed, mugging for the crowd the whole night. Love was in the air and both audience and band got it cooking. It was glorious! To be with a couple hundred other people who felt the same way as I did about Yours Is No Disgrace was fanstatic. This was the most emotional moment for me and many others. Spine-tingling goodness to hear them do this one and to see how EVERYONE was affected by it. Other highlights were Astral Traveler, Machine Massaih and Heart of the Sunrise. Sad not hear "South Side". Someone has breathed new life into Roundabout, which surprised me. It was as good as I ever heard it live. The "new" guys were very, very good. Mr. David is from the same planet as Jon Anderson (Gandharva Lokha) and his voice and performance were very fine. He appears to be a sweet and sensitive soul, a real heir-apparent to Mr. Anderson. Mr. Wakeman got it all SPOT ON! Lots of blond hair flinging flourishes to go with the big key moments, but in a humble way. I could hear him fine, maybe because I was close to his monitor. The sound was good to me, I could hear them all. NOTHING and NO ONE ELSE compare to this band as it is right now in this form. We should be happy to get to see them even without Jon Anderson. YES is toally unique and was a gift from the god's. We are not likely to see such a band again in our short lifetimes. Best wishes to all the YES fans out there and to the band, THANK YOU!

whiskeyvengeance

My friends and I were privileged enough to witness Yes at the HOB last night, and I must say, they exceeded all expectations. We were in the fourth row, stage left, just a stone's throw from Steve. Astounding. It's hard to believe that these guys can still play like this! From the beginning, Steve seemed to be pushing it harder, faster, and meaner than usual. From the opening "Siberian Khatru" to the full-stop extended arrangement of "Yours Is No Disgrace", Steve really seemed to be putting some extra "teeth" into his solos (much to the delight of the audience). The band itself seemed very "together", as well: "And You And I" could almost be described as a religious experience. Even the band themselves seemed humbled by the overwhelming power of their performance!

The audience was *extremely* appreciative, shouting with enthusiasm and standing for applause tune after tune. Benoit David is clearly gaining confidence as a singer and performer, jumping around with infectious enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the jerks behind us didn't ever seem to shut up, and kept shouting out to Steve, even during the quieter parts of the set (drawing many a death glare from our beloved guitarist)!

Regardless, I must say I feel blessed to have caught Yes in such fine form. Here's to hoping for another album and many more tours to come!