Dave Acosta - El Paso Times

Friday, September 29, 2023 9:07 PM

Yes, Toto to take over Cohen Stadium Friday

Dave Acosta
El Paso Times
August 27, 2015

Do you love classic rock? If your answer is "Yes," then get ready for a treat.

Two of the genre's biggest acts of the 1970s and 1980s, Yes and Toto, are set to perform Friday at Cohen Stadium.

The Grammy Award-winning group Yes, best known for its progressive rock hits like "Roundabout" and "Owner of a Lonely Heart," has seen many members come and go (and in some cases come back again) since the release of its self-titled debut album in 1969.

Through it all, the one member who never left was bassist Chris Squire. The virtuoso bassist formed the band, along with original vocalist Jon Anderson, in 1968 and is the only person to have played on each of the band's 21 studio albums. It was announced in May that Squire had been diagnosed with leukemia and would not be joining the band on the road this summer. Squire died in June.

"We had the kind of relationship where we didn't have to say much to each other (on stage) because we played together for 43 years," Yes drummer Alan White said in a phone interview from Biloxi, Miss., during a stop on the group's tour. "We knew each other's playing. It has been difficult but ... his contribution won't be forgotten."

Aside from Squire, White is the longest standing member of Yes, which currently also includes longtime guitarist Steve Howe, keyboardist Geoff Downes, vocalist Jon Davison and new bassist Billy Sherwood.

"Chris asked of myself and others that the band carry on regardless of what happened to him," White said. "(Sherwood) was a good friend of Chris's and Chris was his mentor growing up."

While the decision to carry on was still difficult, despite Squire's blessing, White said, the band's music is what has kept the band going for so long — and continues to do so.

"(Our songs) have always been very challenging to play and perform on a nightly basis," White said. "The standard of musicianship that's been in Yes over the years has been great."

And the band's musicianship, which pushed rock in new directions with the use of synthesizer and intricate songs influenced by classical music, will continue to adhere to those high standards, White said. Sherwood came into the band, as a friend and student of Squire, already very familiar with the songs and vocal harmonies normally handled by Squire, White said.

With that in mind, the tour should at least be less daunting than White's first show with the band in Dallas in the early 1970s.

"The band asked me to join and I had three days to learn the material," White said. "There I was in front of 10,000 people and I had never played any of the music before. It was kind of nerve-wracking."

Joining Yes at Cohen Stadium is classic rock band Toto. The group had huge success in the late 1970s and early 1980s beginning with the self-titled debut album and peaking with 1982's "Toto IV," which spawned two of the band's biggest hits "Africa," and "Rosanna." The album won six Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Producer of the Year.

Dave Acosta may be reached at 546-6138.

Who: Classic rock bands Yes and Toto

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Cohen Stadium, 9700 Gateway North

Tickets: $35; $45; $55; $65; $85. Available at the Plaza Theatre Box Office, Ticketmaster outlets, 800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com.

Information: 231-1100; elpasolive.com