Guillermo Vázquez M.

This tour was the second time YES visited Mexico. And this time was with very few publicity. And this time they only played one concert in Mexico City, in the "Palacio de los Deportes", a place designed for sports events, not for concerts. A place with a lot of echo. This time one cousin told me that YES was going to play at the "Palacio de los Deportes" two weeks before the concert´s date. In 1998 I bought my ticket at least one month before. This time, I bought my ticket one day before the concert because of job´s reasons I didn´t know If I could attend the concert. I went alone to the concert. People who saw YES in 1998 in a better place didn´t want to see the band again in this place. Some years before I went to see Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins at this place, so I knew about the acoustics. Before buying my ticket, in the Internet I read that YES played "Awaken" in South America, so the main reason to go to this concert was "Awaken". But they didn´t play "Awaken". They played "Close to the Edge" instead, a good substitute. They played some new songs from "The Ladder". I liked very much "It will be a good day", and that was the main reason to buy "The Ladder" days later (and "House of YES Live from the House of Blues" in 2000, with, of course, "Awaken"). The "Palacio de los Deportes" wasn´t full of people like the "Auditorio Nacional" in 1998, maybe because the lack of publicity and the place of the concert. The setlist was more varied. Billy Sherwood´s guitar, again, almost inaudible for me, except in the "Rabin Era" songs, with Howe again hiding from the stage for the most part of these songs, and with Sherwood playing a good lead guitar in "Hearts" and "Owner of a Lonely Heart", followed by Howe´s solos at the end of these songs. In "And You and I" some members of the audience were so excited by the end of the song that a very loud and long ovation distracted the band, and they decided to finish the song without playing the "Apocalypse" part. They smiled and seemed amazed, maybe. Igor Khoroshev again played very good on all the songs, mainly in "Close to the Edge". Maybe he was the best keyboard player in the history of YES because he played very good the songs from all the periods of the band, but I still think that Rick Wakeman was better, at least in the songs he originally recorded . But Khoroshev brought to the band a new "fresh" sound in the keyboard parts. Chris Squire seemed tired (the last date of the Latin American tour), he played good, but I saw that sometimes he didn´t sing backing vocals in the old songs. Billy Sherwood sang very good backing vocals on all the songs. He has a good voice. Alan White, again, very solid and powerful. And Jon Anderson, again, very good vocals. They finished the concert with an "abridged" "Roundabout" followed by a Jam. In general, a very good concert, despite sometimes the band seemed tired, and despite the acoustics of the place.

Dr. M. Christopher Laisequilla Mayer

My name is Dr. Christopher Laisequilla Mayer, i'm a traumatology and orthopeadic surgeon and i'm 33 years old,also i'm a martial artist because I practice chinese boxing Shaolin T'su Kempo Kung Fu and taoism meditation.

I know the music of YES since 1974, but my first experienced that I listened a complete album was in 1980 with the album DRAMA, since that time i'm one of his biggest fans here in Mexico City. I love a lot the whole music of the band, special the words of the songs because they transmit and special feeling to me and I had a spirit awaken with his messages. My first concert of YES was the last year, when they came to play in May 25 and 26th at the National Auditorium in Mexico city. These concerts was incredible because the play his best songs Like Starship Trooper, The Reveling Science Of God, and many others. Before of this I went to the concert of Jon Anderson gave at National Auditorium in March of 1993, that concert was very special to me because Jon gave us an special message of our culture.

Well, my adventure begans in september 23th at the Mexico City airport, I was waiting that the band arrived to Mexico at 12:30 in the fly from Caracas, Venezuela; but they doesn't came in this fly so I went to the president hotel for wait them. I stayed at the lobby about six hours until this I wrote a letter for the band, but they doesn't arrive so I went to my home. The next day I woke up very early in the morning, I took my photographic camera, my albums (Lp's and CD's)"Fragile", "Yessongs", "Drama", "90125", "Talk", "Open Your Eyes" and I went to the hotel. I arrived at 09:30 amand I was waiting at the lobby. One hour later I saw to Mr. Steve Hove, he was walking near to the stores because he was buying some souvenirs. I get closer to him for told him: "Hello, Mr Steve Hove. You're the best guitar player that I know, could you gave me your sign", well he singed my records but he dont want to take a photo with me, later I gave him my letter.

After that, he goes on at the store, a few minutes later, I saw to Mr. Billy Sherwood I spoke with him, first I introduce me to him, he gave me his sing and he leaved the stores. Then I returned to the lobby, Mr. Hove and Mr. Sherwood was talking, and I took some photos of them. Later I continue talking with Billy Sherwood, he a very nice guy, he had a nice personality, I told him that i'm a orthopeadic surgeon and he said to me that his wife had an accident the last year and she broked her tibia of her right leg. We took some photos, later Billy introduce me to Mr. Alan White he also sing my records and we took another photos and then Steve came and all of them left the hotel.

I still waiting for see the other members of the band at the lobby. One hour later I saw to Igor Koroshev but I asked him if he could gave me his sign but he ignore me. I'll continue waiting, until that I wrote another letter to Mr. Jon Anderson, I said him that I love his music, his spiritual messages because I practice transcendental meditation and I had many different experiences with some ritual with chamans in Huatla Oaxaca, the land of the magic mushrooms (hallucinogen) and in Real de Catorce with some huichol chamans eating peyote. My experiences was wonderfull and in this rituals I listened some music of YES and music of album Toltec of Jon Anderson. Jon Anderson is a very sensibility man and he unsderstand very well the esoteric message of our culture and of the ancient culture like Chinese, Japanese and India culture. About 01:30 pm I saw for second time to Steve, Alan, Igor and Billy, they was prepering for go to the Sport Palace, I talk a few minutes with him and he recomend me his new album "The Big Peace", so they go up into a VAM Suburbam and they left the hotel.

Until that another guy was waiting to Mr. Chris Squire, he go down of his room and I saw him in the lobby, he sign me my records and we took a photo. When he go up into the Suburbam I saw to

Luis Sifuentes

Years ago I never dreamed watching Yes perform live, and now I've done it twice!! I saw the group in the Open your Eyes tour,and when they left the stage I sadly thought that I may not see them again in my life......WRONG!! My friend Pablo got two tickets in the fourth row in front of the stage...incredibly...my heroes being just a few feet from me!.. Specially Steve!!, I'm a guitarist, and seeing him perform just in front of me was like a dream come true !!

As soon as the first notes of Firebird Suite began we know it was the time, pure emotion !, Steve arrives just in front of me and takes a beautiful red Les Paul, he and the group follow the last notes of Firebird Suite, and after an Alan count, they explode with Yours is no Disgrace!!, ....simply amazing, great master Steve looks happy, and he attacks his guitar fierly , pushing that wah-wah pedal in his solo parts; Chris plays his bass with great precision and smiles all the time; Jon...well what can I say?, his voice as fresfh as ever, and his stage presence rules !, Alan plays with a lot of punch, and a lot of felling; Igor recreates Tony Kaye's Hammond organ parts note by note; my postion in front of the stage was on the left, just in front of the left part of the PA system.. maybe that's why sometimes I didn't hear Billy's guitar so much, maybe I was hearing more the left side of the stereo field, but anyway, Billy looked happy and very integrated with the band..YIND ends... supreme ovation.

Next.... America...wow.. my favourite Howe's solo of all time performed note by note just by the man right in front of me... I was in Guitar heaven!!

Jon sings a part of Time and a word with Igor on piano...almost 12000 voices singing along him...many tears rolled down....

Sadly I'm not able to recognize by name the new songs, they performed three, I think, they are great, specially the two last ones... this just confirm the fact that I must get The Ladder Album as soon as I can!

Nous sommes du soleill... we love when we play.. Jon sings, we sing: Nous sommes du soleil... we love when YOU play !!

And then.... Perpetual Change, I wouldn't expected it, but was extraordinary!

And you and I.. Heanly.. Cellestial.. just before the very last part of Jon singing with Steve on acoustic, when the big sound calm down, there is a long, long standing ovation from the crowd, that they even left the song inconcluse !! they owe us the very final part !!...but of course they can be forgiven..

There's no Squire solo this time...we missed it.. Howe's acoustic solo wonderful with a meddley of his acoustic classics.. Just a brief White's solo before......

Owner of a lonely heart.....obligatory...Steve doesn't leave the Stage, plays all the time and does a great solo in the end...

Hearts....Never imagined to hear this ... I've seen in other reviews that was the weak part of the show... to me was one of the finest part of it, maybe because I really love this song... Steve plays slide in parts of this leaving the stage just for a while..

I've seen all good people... Lovely ... the entire venue sings along Jon and ritmically make sparks with thousands of fire lighters, a fact that even Steve stops playing briefly to admire... when the beat goes up, everybody jumps and claps, even a 7 year old boy who was near me!

Close to the Edge... Extraordinary.. period.

The group leaves the stage..... everybody ask for more...of course they return and give Roundabut...everybody sings, the little boy is still jumping and clapping; they gave us an "edited version" of the song, missing the middle section... but, again, they can do what the want!

They finish, says bye ... and go... No second encore...the lights go up.. It's over....

Anyhow , a wonderful experience....personally I expected one song to be performed and they didn't....The Revealing Science of God.. I've seen in the reviews that they anren'