david c. michael

Enjoyed the concert as always.Chris Squire was on fire that night.Having to travel to Nashville to see the concert because the band did not make in Houston.Not only did we enjoy the concert but the very nice people we met at the Amsouth Amphitheatre.From the fans and also the people working there.At the Woodlands pavillion in Houston the people that work there treat you like a crimnal and the police will arrest you if you look the wrong direction.We have seen concerts in 12 different states and the Woodlands Pavillion is by far the worst venue of all.Thank you Yes and thank you Nashville.

David Momberg

This was my 5th Yes show and favorite by far. The audience was wildly enthusiasitc throughout,even thru the epics, which I knew where coming but most probably didn't. Kansas was very impressive,esp. Steve Walsh's voice,which has wavered much in the last few years. Robby Steinhardt was amazing also-the whole set was very tight,sound was great,and the choice of songs very good-most all from the Masque,Leftoverture,Point of Know Return era. Now on to THE band. The set design was sparse but colorful. Everyone was dressed quite differently,esp. Jon in his purple jumpsuit. The setlist was great for die-hard fans,esp. the epics. And this truly was the Chris Squire show. The mix was where you could hear every note he played, and He shined throughout,not just the solos in Ritual or HOTS. The highlights for me were definetely Ritual and GOD. Jon's voice was crystal clear,Steve was right on target throughout,Alan held everything together as usual, and Igor did a commanding job as He has since joining in 1997. What a phenomenal show-only complaint-it wasn't longer!!Peace,David.

Rene Lester

In Nashville, some friends of ours from Mississippi, Chuck and Jean, brought some beautiful ceramic bluebirds created by world renowned pottery masters, Lee and Pup McCarty. They gave me one and showed me the pair that were made for Jon and Jane.

We had front row seats and were in front of Steve. When Jon began reciting the lyrics to Starship Trooper, Chuck and Jean each held up a bluebird and waved it in the air. Jon looked at them, looked away, then looked at the bluebirds again and grinned. Then he paused a bit and with an impish look on his face started counting on his fingers and saying the words to himself. How many lines of lyrics had he recited?

After he realized where he was, I believe he said another line of lyrics and then the song started. We felt badly for distracting him with the bluebirds. Before the song started Chuck and Jean showed the bluebirds to the security guards (who sat with their backs to the stage facing the audience much like the Secret Service does whenever the President is nearby.) They didn't want anyone to think they were holding up grenades.

But there was no one to hand them to during the show and we didn't have any passes. Unfortunately, Chuck and Jean never had a chance to give Jon the bluebirds.

However, the next night in Atlanta I was able to give Jon my bluebird (I'll be getting another one from Chuck) and assure him that Jane would be receiving hers soon in the mail. I also showed Jon and Chris my old backstage Relayer pictures from July 1975 and they both seemed amused. I find it ironic that my only personal contacts with the band came in 25 year intervals, but it is almost too difficult to grasp that these two shows would include almost the same setlist. Masterworks was a step back into time to the days of Tales and Relayer for me.

Thanks to Eddie Lee and Steve Fleegal for taking pictures of Jon and me that night.

Ohh, and I did thank Jon, on behalf of us older fans, for the Masterworks tour. I do think he and the band know just how much it meant for us to experience Gates and Ritual again ...especially Ritual.

Finally, a thought occurred to me after watching the spectacular Ritual percussion sequence:

Did it not occur to anyone that Yes is to be commended for coming up with this idea, working out the instrumentation, rhythms and parts, on their own, without a producer, and having it ready for their audiences in just a matter of weeks....WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Audibly, visually, and emotionally this part of the concert was flawless and reflected the creativity, skill, and showmanship that keeps me coming back for more Yes!!!!!

RojonThod

Chris approached Steve twice. The first time he almost immediatly returned to the left side bass hive. The second time he wandered over they smiled and played in unison for but a few bars. That was the most interaction I have seen between those two...possibly ever from my own experiences.

Another interesting moment was the "dueling banjo's" lead swapping between Igor and Chris during Ritual.

John Higgs

A friend and I drove down from Cincinnati, Ohio to see this show. I had been on vacation for practically the whole month of July and was very unhappy that I had to miss the Cincinnati (July 12) show and the only available show to attend was the Nashville gig. But the heavens shown down on me by canceling and then rescheduling the Cincy show for August 4th. How lucky!

We were staying in downtown Nashville so we had to take a cab since the theatre is about 20 minutes away. My buddy and I went to the gates to get in at Amsouth and were immediately accosted by security who asked if we had any knives. I said no but my friend had a miniscule Swiss Army knife. They told him he could no enter with knife and to put it some where. Well we took a cab so we had nowhere to put. So my friend had to actually throw this penknife away. I got pretty testing with the burly security guy. I told him that this was the United States not Columbia South America. He told me this was Amsouth. What a jerk. My ticket was probably sharper than the barely one inch blade of the penknife.

So we finally made our way in and decided liquid refreshment had a higher priority than seeing Kansas. Kansas was mediocre and I think Alan Parson's Project is a better band to open up for YES but that is just my opinion. I've never been one to criticize how someone looks but those Kansas guys look terrible. They looked like a bunch of drunken, scarred pirates up there. The music is bland and simple.

YES came on after about 20 minutes after Kansas' last tune. I was really going to watch this show closely. I have never heard YES sound this good. The technical proficiency of the band was amazing. Watching Steve Howe's fingers bounce through CTTE was absolutely riveting. Jon's voice was so crystal clear and entrancing. Squire was incredible as usual. I have never seen a poor performance from him and his bass guitars. Starship Trooper is such a positive piece of music with Howe and Squire taking into the skies with Wurm. Gates was excellent however there was so many notes being played and so much music trying to get out of everybody's instruments that I don't think the mixer could keep up. Igor was jamming away but sometimes his notes got lost in the cacophy. Ritual was played with precision and the percussion jam session is so cool to watch. Squire and Igor were concentrating so much on beating their drums. I thought people might get a little bored after the first 5-10 minutes of Ritual but I didn't see anybody stirring. Hell, everybody was having fun. I even saw Steve smile which never happens.

I can do without the YES mainstays of All Good People and Roundabout but the crowds enjoy them. Not that they aren't great tunes it is just that I've heard these songs so many times and it would be fun to put in maybe something like Soundchaser or To Be Over. Something fun and unusual but still a masterwork.

All in all a fantastic show and I'm psyched to see them this Friday at Riverbend. I have to say thanks to Keith and his friend who let us share the cab with them and Rashid the driver. If it weren't for them I still might be in Antioch.

And to know that tempo will continue..........................

Jim Rauman

Had great seats for this event.

Going into the concert, I was quite bummed that Billy wouldn't be there and that they weren't doing any Ladder material.

Having gone to the concert, I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

Notes of interest:

1) This was just about the CHRIS SQUIRE SHOW. He just took over. He way dynamic, fun, goofy, and really played up to the audience. His bass playing was more prominent than in any tour I can remember. His work in Starship Trooper, Heart of the Sunrise, and Ritual was the most amazing live bass performance I've ever seen.

2) A very interesting show. I don't know songs like Gates and Ritual that well, but they were so interesting musically that it didn't matter.

3) Drums - I loved the full-force drum/percussion explosion near the end of Ritual

4) Igor - OK, I'm convinced. YES found a good one. He was awesome and nearly as dynamic as Chris

5) Steve -Was decked out in my Great-grandfathers outfits from the 70's. But only Steve make it cool. He didn't move the whole night. When Chris came over all excited, Steve just shrugged and kept on playing.

6) SPANDEX - Has Chris been wearing Spandex to every show. He did last night. YIKES!

Good show. Yes still has it all together.

John Smith

What vital groups Kansas and Yes both are...and having fun it would appear.

I am now a little surprised not to have seen more postings on the tour set. As an actor and lighting designer, I was most impressed with the elegant forms and simplicity of design. Certainly evocative of Roger Dean imagery. The color palette seemed especially useful in keeping the players 3 dimensional. I've seen a couple of other shows recently that needed a lesson in such contrasts. It was very empowering, yet with lots of stage depth.

The show had more than its share of technical bumps, sound wise. We only had two bouts of feedback; a slice at the beginning in and at the end (unfortunate bookends). Steve had to have a bit of an assist just before "Heart of the Sunrise"; thought perhaps it was a string at first, but maybe a pick-up problem instead. The guys were great none the less. The crowd was pretty good, if belligerent. When Chris tripped on the timpani mount the crowd stayed right with them, but I suspect this might have had more to do with Chris' speedly and dignified recovery than the good will of the audience.

One question:

Why is it that there are those who spend over $100 for a night out, yet feel compelled to talk about work so loudly that the two rows surrounding them know that their boss is a F*ckhead during one of the more frenetic moments of "Gates..."

One of the great imponderables?

RickMeece

Well, finally attended the much anticipated the nashville masterworks concert last night. To give an idea of the power of the whole thing, early in the day, there were plenty of seats left, and lawn seats were mostly giveaways from radio promotions. I was a little dismayed, fearing the band I love most wouldnt have the reception they richly deserve in a town where musicians reign from all genres, and have incredible respect for this group and Kansas certainly as well.

It rained, and I mean RAINED all day without any break till about 5:00pm, Lightning, Thunder, the whole works.....little did we know it was the announcement that real music was about to be performed at Amsouth Nashville Ampitheatre.

Coming in about an hour early, cars were streaming in from everywhere, parking was hassle, people were milling.....something was in the air.....and thankfully it was not rain, but an oasis in time.

People, by the time YES took the stage the place was pumped up and packed, many of whom had never seen Yes and was only familiar with a couple of classics from Fragile and The Yes Album....We sat 4 rows from Chris Squire's shoes...the stage went dark.......and the birds began to sing........without a word, Close To The Edge opened the show to a gaped mouth audience. The band obviously knew Nashville was the place to show and do their best.....they were smiling and moving the entire show....even Steve Howe was animated most of the show, moving around the stage, blistering every passage with incredible execution. John has never sang better and more in control.....Alan was exhausted after every song from his intense dedication to every note and rhythm change.

One of the most talked about things, at least up front, was how well received Igor was as the new keyboard player.....he is clearly the first Yes keyboardist who has shown full respect to Wakemans' compositional work. He stuck to the parts, executed them with flair and attitude.....his work on the phenomally difficult Gates of Delirium was beyond belief, and reliving the whole experience from seeing the Relayer tour in '76 was more than I could describe, hearing this piece delivered by technology that only now can give the epic the power it was written to communicate.

Of course, as usual, Chris held it all together, drove the band emotionally with Jon, had more presence and animation than ever before, never missed a note, and looked me in the eye numbers of times during the sequences where only I knew how to keep the beat! The band all playing percussion towards the end of Ritual was a mind blower....there was not a single person in their seats.

People, this show was unbelievable, the sound was unbelievable, the set list is unbelievable. Any true fans who have not seen this Masterworks tour need to get some plane tickets, and some scalp tickets up front close to the stage, and get your butt to one of the last 2 shows in the US and forget about pro football money. I guarantee it is worth every penny you'll spend, and you'll gladly do it again.

I only hope you fans who do all the analysis on this group realize what the band and its management figured out on the short lived Ladder tour....that if the new albums dont sell, then sell the OLD ones. Reestablish your stake in the next millenium by reminding those behind you how you mastered the last. YES needs to repeat Masterworks next year with a slight adjustment to the setlist...Soundchaser, South Side, The Fish, Hold out your Hand, Siberian Khatru, Turn of the Century, Release, Release, and Going for the One. During this time, write an album that is true to the classic approach to the genre they created, not living the past, but building the future with the same time commitment they gave to the early material. Masterworks 2 will be something to behold!

Tim Lutterbie

Well just back in from the SHOW here in Nash!! WOW what a show! I now have a better understanding why you TROOPER fans longed for the days that this tour has brought back! It was something special to see Gates and Ritual done live....WOW.....I have always listened to these songs thru the years, but to hear them in person gives a new meaning to them! While I am a huge "WEST" fan, and that I will still go up to bat for the Rabinazation of Yes at that time, this was a great time tonight!

Chris was great as usual, THOUGH during his work on RITUAL he ALMOST fell on his Arse when he backed up into the kettle drum, and during his usual Jumping Up and down at the end of Roundabout, when he came down one time he hit his bass and mad a AWFUL sound, ha ha ha....

Alan, man, he was on, his work on Ritual was great, has not lost a BEAT in my mind!!!

Jon, great also, voice seemed to be a bit strained!?!? but he was very interactive with the crowd...

Igor......KEEP him!! If he doesn't get jail time....He plays with such flare for it all, gets into it like Chris....To me just seeing them get into it gets me even more into it!!

And Steve.......Still the same stick in the mud for me! PLAYS GREAT, and he is just the way he is up on stage, but man, HAM IT UP A BIT, ha ha ha...... CTTE was good, I thought that would be a odd opener, but it worked fine....Starship Trooper rocked.......Leaves of Green, man I was happy to hear that one, I love the words to the tune!

HOTS, well like ALL GOOD and Round, I am ready for it to be retired for a few tours!!!! AS far as the final two songs, All good and Round, I realize they must be played, but even tonight the guys seemed a bit bored with them....who knows!!!! They have WAAAAAAY to much a history f tunes to not play a diff closer or two.....

In the beginning of this tour folks were clamoring for some DRAMA....Good stuff live I bet, but I don't think it would have FIT this tour.......

I need up takingmy little 5 year old boy, TREVOR, yes after Rabin, what can I say, it was that or Emerson after ELP...... He sorta liked it, but did perk up for the final tunes, he knew those!!! Kansas, OK, but Yes by far is much BETTER!!!!

I ran in Jan Harris and her friend YESJEFF, I think that's it, sorry man if I am getting your name wrong!!! Nice to see you again Jan!! See you in cincy!!?

Jimi Aoxomoxoa

Although there was a threat of thunderstorms, the show went on without any storm related problems. Lineup and set list seemed to me to remain the same. Kansas was fantastic and full of energy. The sound was clear and well balanced from where I was sitting. Yes was mind-blowing!! The band seemed in excellent form in all respects. And the sound was awesome. I could not imagine these songs (Wonderful full length versions) ever played any better. I hope a good boot of this show turns up.