Firstly, it was inconceivable that Yes would even come to our far away city. I remember lining up months before to by tickets at the ticket office inside the downtown Hudson's Bay store still if disbelief that Yes would actually be playing in my hometown. Having recently pick up my first bass and attempting to play some Squire riffs and listen to How Bruford Wakeman had realized the genius and pure ability of the band. The evening of the show involved some prerequisite " attitude adjustment" which only enhanced the arrival of the band onto the circular revolving stage. "Concert in the Round" From Siberan Khatru into Heart of the Sunrise the opening was mesmerizing. The show was weaved with well known songs as well as deep tracks such as Soon from relayed and Clap from the Yes album. The end of the show was a crescendo of energy and sheer audience enjoyment! I've seen over 1000 shows in 47 years and this show ranks in my top 3.
Tormato Tour Survivor
Good reviews, you Calgary guys er pretty eloquent. Best show ever, the only shows I've seen since then that came close were Tool, Jeff Beck in the Commodore 2001, and The Kinks with Angel City in 80. You get ruined by the good shows and wind up spending far too much chasing the next one. I bought a bassman and a strat and just do it at home now! Canucks Rule!! Flames HaH...have a nice winter...choke on your oil
Rick W
A teenaged dream come true was this show. I was a hero of sorts this eve as I had a contact at the venue and therefore 'best seats in the house' for my mates and I. Being the youngest of 4 kids, (DOB.1962) I was fortunate enough to have an older brother listening to great music in the early 70's and ended up being one of those teenage prog rock guys who was willing to tell you how/why Yes was in a league of their own.
It was smokey, I - uh - recall. One of my school buddies on the floor had brought along a big tie-die-type banner which was actually quite respectful of Roger Dean. I seem to remember mainly avid fans being in attendance (unlike 1984), but my memory may be a tad tainted.
The Tormato tracks were well received, but pretty much from 'The Fish' - on, yours truly was launched into the euphoric land of make believe. Rick (in his silver Super-Rick caped outfit) hit a note (you know the one) during the climax of Starship Trooper which made the roof trusses in the old Corral shudder in a way that I've never forgetten. Amazingly, the building is still standing and MAN is it archaic! I tell people - I actually saw (the definitive) Yes there!
Dave
This was my first Yes gig and very memorable. My car transmission exploded on the highway to Calgary, so my friend and I got a ride from acquaintances who had to change a flat tire (!). We got there late and well into Heart of the Sunrise. It's a long time ago now, but some impressions have stuck. The audience was glued to the stage and I was impressed by the apparent concentration level of all the musicians. I remember Future Times being very dynamic and exciting with Alan White slamming the toms during the ". . .islands of Arabia" section. I also remember a medley including Perpetual Change and Soon which came off very well. There was so much applause that the wait between numbers was quite long.
Awaken was, to me, the most impressive piece of the show. There were such dynamic contrasts between the ambient and 'muscular' sections and the changes really 'lived well' on stage. I *think* there were two encores (Starship Trooper and Roundabout). One word sums up this show: Musical. On the long drive home to a small town, my comrades and I hardly exchanged a word, and I didn't listen to a Yes album for months afterwards - the concert had a big effect on all of us.