Relayer

Thursday, August 1, 2013 9:47 AM

THE REVIEW BELOW SAYS:
As we exited the theater we heard two fans comparing notes.
"I saw the band in 1975," said one. "The other said, me too, in 1976, during their heyday." "And they were none better than what we saw, tonight?," asked one fan, the other replying, "You're right, they were never better than this.

The above comments are nonsense!!!!!!!!!! Even though the set list for this show is the greatest, the show, performance, lights, EVERYTHING!!! in 1975 & 1976 are 1,000,000,000,000,000 light years better than this. Saying this show was better than the 1975 or 1976 show is like saying you would rather have $1 in the bank instead of $1,000,000,000, NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rich and Laura Lynch - SOUNDPRESS.NET

Wednesday, July 31, 2013 8:01 PM

"YES - GOING FOR THE THREE: ROCK ROYALTY RECAPTURE THEIR CROWN IN MORRISTOWN"

Review by by Rich and Laura Lynch

n the midst of the same week that the latest heir to the British throne was born and celebrated the kings of English progressive rock were reclaiming their own crown as powerful purveyors of the genre. Yes fans assembled and rejoiced as the lords of prog played three of their most pivotal albums in their entirety at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey on July 25, 2013.

Yes is an "art rock" band with a long and storied history. They are ambassadors of the progressive genre and they are one of the most hotly discussed acts on the Internet. In the same way that every move made by they royal family is dissected by the tabloids, so too, is Yes followed by their fan base. And, there's been a lot to talk about since the group made the decision to forge on without founding member and lead singer Jon Anderson back in 2008.

Yes found a new vocalist in French-Canadian cover band specialist Benoit David who fronted the outfit admirably before abdicating with health issues in 2012. Soon after it was announced that Glass Hammer singer Jon Davison would be joining Yes to fill the shoes of the fill-in singer. Many fans considered this new replacement just another pretender to the throne before he even uttered a single note. The very capable Davison, however, quickly won over many with his strong performances during the band's summer tour with Procol Harum.

Then, in early 2013, Yes announced a World Tour to perform not one but three of the most important albums in their catalogue. The lofty decision to play The Yes Album, Close to the Edge and Going for the One in full in concert was a proclamation that really captured the imagination of Yes fans.

Many consider the 1970's one of the group's most prolific periods. The Yes Album (1971) was their third studio album and the first to feature guitarist Steve Howe. On this record they layered and lengthened their songs utilizing what was at the time new musical tools such as the flanger and Moog synthesizers. Close to the Edge (1972) was the ambitious title track for their fifth release. It set a pattern for future records in which an album would be structured around a single epic. "Edge" was epic with its spiritual themes and spectrum of sounds clocking in at over eighteen minutes. Going for the One (1977) was a more "scaled back" record but still had lavish and long tracks. The signature Yes sound was present with the Polymoog enhancing it.

Classical music was heard as the three album covers flashed on the screen above the stage. Additional clips of past and present Yes moments scrolled by as bird calls became apparent with bold bass lines heralding the fact that Close To The Edge was first.

The opening stanzas of the title track unfolded through intricate interplay with the lights and videos synchronized to the music. Yes was in good form. Steve was already utilizing two guitars backed by Geoff with his multitude of keyboards that at one point sounded like church organs. Rhythms were thick and tight and Jon was in fine voice. As the epic ended, Yes received a standing ovation from their attentive audience and this would be the pattern for the rest of the evening.

"And You and I" was magical and melodic. Davison was expressive visually and vocally as he was often moving to the music, smiling and adding elements of percussion to the mixes. "Siberian Khatru" started off with those super cool chunky base lines as the rest of the band flowed into the fast and fluid blend thus completing the first of three albums on a soaring note.

"Great to be back in Morristown, New Jersey," greeted Chris Squire. Steve Howe asked how everyone was doing and mentioned that it was interesting doing albums rather than just songs. Next up was Going for