Chris

Last Yes show I saw. Scored really good seats in the front and enjoyed the show for the most part. I do have to say that some of the tempos seemed a little restrained at first. There were definitely some drumming problems during "Revealing" - I think Alan got lost or something!

Overall, probably not the best Yes show of the five I've seen over the years. Squire seemed like he was having a good time though, and it was great to see Wakeman back with the band.

Brad Tarr

Sorry to quibble about the set list, but I distinctly remember them playing "We Agree" from Magnification--isn't that the case? I remember because it really rocked--which didn't happen as much as at the Magnification tour show at the Hollywood Bowl in 2000, what with the orchestra. On the whole, it was good to hear the arrangements for rock band.

Brian

This marks the first time I've been to a Yes concert, leave alone any concert. And, what a concert it was!

First of all, I arrived early to make sure I can find close parking. Programs and T-shirts were being sold. (Eventually, after the concert, I would actually purchase a program.) Getting to the seating itself, I could see in the distance Wakeman's keyboard rig. How expansive! Later, Howe's guitars were uncovered out of the aluminum foil(?) under which they were initially hiding (as well as the drums). And, to think that's a small part of his collection! That was quite spectacular in itself, after having seen pictures of all that stuff. Apparently, I wasn't alone; those people who bought the more expensive tickets actually got close to the edge, err, of the stage and were looking at the stuff up closer!

Gradually, people trickled in, until all the seating save the far right and left upper seats were occupied (I guess this constitutes a full crowd!). For some reason, the grassy area behind the seats were mostly off-limits (wasn't that one of the perks to Shoreline?)!

As for the concert itself, after the band took their positions during the orchestral intro., they launched into Siberian Khatru!! Awesome! From the start, one can see how the band was with one another, enjoying the music. They were more or less on target the entire night!
No major flub-ups. Wakeman and Howe were in relly fine form tonight.In some respects, it seems overall that Howe's guitar had more of an edge that were lacking somewhat in the last two live albums. And, that's a plus! After that, they rolled into a very engaging rendition of their revision of Simon and Garfunkel's America. Then came the first of two Magnification tracks, In the Presence Of. It came off very well, with Wakeman effortlessly replacing the orchestra, with his keyboards.

Then, the moment everyone was waiting for: South Side of the Sky, complete with the 'blowing wind intro.' going for a while, with Anderson introducing the piece. Why did they wait so long to do it? (At least I was there to see it.) Yes absolutely nailed it! (Too bad Bruford's syncopations weren't present!) Nevertheless, perhaps to compensate for no Starship Trooper, Howe and Wakeman had their exchanges at the end of the song. Wakeman makes it look so efortless doing those squiggly solos of his with only one hand! Especially great applause from the appreciative fans followed (and had occured during parts of the song, like the piano break...).

Surprise number two; a very solid performance of The Revealing Science of God. Thank goodness, this is my favorite piece off of Tales.... It seems as if Wakeman had never left! The whole piece seemed to come to life (esp. the drums), compared to the studio version. Finally, to close the first half, Howe performed two solo pieces, including the Leaves of Green of The Ancient. Very pretty, well done (what else?). And he can sure move swiftly across the fretboard!!

After the intermission, Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman had their solo spots. Most noteworthy is that Wakeman did a pretty version of Wonderous Stories on the keyboards, as well as the two 'dueting' on an excerpt of And You And I. Then the rest of the band came out to shake us up (esp. Squire) with the rumbling riff from Heart of the Sunrise. Again, I miss Bruford's deft touch in the beginning part of this song, but White did very well nevertheless. And, Jon can still reach those high emotional notes reasonably well! Then, we have a energetic rendition of Magnification done with Rick's orchestra, smoothly going into Don't Kill the Whale. Yikes!! This version beat the studio version into the ground. while, the lyrics are still as funny as ever, the song has a much fuller sound to it (thanks, Chris and Rick!), Steve's solos seemed more inspired, and Rick's solo didn't sound quite as plastic-like. Good job!!

Then Chris Squire had his solo shot, Whitefish, quoting, well

Jordan Zimmerman

All in all a pretty mediocre show. Especially Alan White. He was not having a good night. He seemed totally lost during South side of the Sky. Then, there was the massive train wreak in Revealing Science of God. His mind must have been elsewhere.

Wakeman seemed to be having fun but, especially in the first half, I could barely hear him (not his fault - but annoying).

The band just didn't have good energy. It's only their third show of this tour, but don't they rehearse?

JCRYIAD

Wakeman was excellent. Great work and the moog solos were fun and damn good! Squire is arguably one of the most innovative and fantastic bassists of all time, but he should no longer solo. White is 1/10th the drummer he once was, but held it down fairly well. He was asleep during RSoG at one point, but no big deal. Howe was fine. He screwed up at the finale of SK, but hey, it happens. Anderson is the reason Yes should even still be out there IMO. He sounded fantastic.

Overall, I'd say it was a 6.5 on a scale of 10. There is an energy that just isn't there any longer. I think it's time for a farewell tour within the next few years, but hey, that's just my .02.

I suspect many would disagree, but I was sitting in row P, section 102 (the middle section right down front), and I must say that the concert was simply not loud enough. I don't like my ears to ring for days but.......... man oh man, there just wasn't enough volume IMO. It seems to me that the second half of the show was much more energetic than the first half, but still lacking something. Can't quite put my finger on it. ;-(

Finally, Yes should start when it is dark. Oh, and the backdrop light show was about as interesting as a Windows preset. It was godawful. No idea why they even bothered. I mean, it is beyond pathetic. They must have told somebody to give them $20 worth of backdrop a night. Well, that's about what they are getting.

Anyhow, had fun, and it was very good. I have now seen them a half a dozen times and this will be my last unless they announce a farewell or something equally important.

zmoq

When the video screen showed a close-up of Rick in profile, I was horrified! Was Rick in an accident recently? Is he well? His jawline was full of pits, large enough to need spacking paste to cover. And under his chin, he had lots of flaps of loose skin, like a rooster. While waiting for the cars to clear out of the parking lot, I chatted with some guys in the truck parked next to me- they'd noticed the same thing. I'm sure it isn't age... Jon is 5 years older and looks far better.

Yeeah, Yes was a little "off" on some parts of RSoG. The rhythm section (Alan and Chris) just weren't in sync with each other. They'd done a far superior job in '96 at SLO. Still, with Jon pushing 60 (2 years to go), his ability to retain most of his voice is amazing... even those last few notes of "Awaken"

mcadkstar in san mateo

Hi!
This is the first time I've seen Yes in 24 years (Philly Spectrum, In the Round 9/78) and this was one of the best nights of music I ever had!
I really didn't know what to expect - were they passed their prime? Were they only in it for the money? Had John lost his voice and need to sing in another key?
What a wonderful suprise to find out the answer to all questions is NO!
The band was tight and fluid. A few sound problems, but what the hey, it's only the third show of the tour, and I'm sure they'll be perfect within a couple of shows.
'America' and 'The Revealing Science...' were two pieces I never dreamed I would hear live! The new songs were sweet and heartfelt.
The crowd was small (quite a change from the 'super-band' days of the 70's) but intensley devoted and loyal - everywhere I looked were big smiles! Most of reserved was sold out (except the fringes) and maybe 5 people on the lawn (some contrversory there with ticket sales) but in the end, I think everyone went home very happy!
Thanks Band - great to see you again, and hope for more of the same next year!

mca

djp

Mary & I had very nice seats about 4 rows back off to Steve's side. The performances were pretty solid - I only noticed some slight flubs. YIND was not performed due to curfew. Otherwise I think that the setlist was the same as Konocti (DKTW might have changed in position.)

Southside was a blast. Not that Alan did it poorly, but I had a feeling that it could have used the Bruford touch. DKTW *stunk*. Sorry, it just plain STUNK!

Rick sung along inaudibly several times, most noticeably during "America". Had a view of the beloved Janeeeee who often sang along also (her hair's bunched up in some sort of topknot style these days...)

"Whitefish" was closer to a traditional "Fish" than I've seen recently. It started off with Steve doing his little picking accompaniment. It included snippets of "Tempus Fugit", "Soundchaser", and "Silent Wings".

Several technical difficulties: one of Steve's guitars was nearly inaudible, two or three of Rick's keyboards needed more volume, Steve's amp got cranky just before "Magnification" - giving Jon some space to improvise some babble.

The venue seemed to be pretty full, except for the lawn area, where there seemed to be only a couple dozen people.

The band *really* seemed to be enjoying themselves. It's a good show - catch it if you can!

:^)
djp

yes fan with kids

I want to attend the YES concert with my kids but the lawn seats are not for sale! I think a blanket on the lawn
is the ideal way to see YES and I'm upset that I may not attend. The box office spokesperson said it was at the
request of the band that the lawn not be sold. However, if the reserved seats sold out the lawn MAY be available.
I say make the lawn available to those who wish to sit there/dance there/etc....JMHO