Yes
Paramount Theatre
Denver, Colorado, USA
October 26, 2023

lineage: Sony ECM-717 (mic) / Sony PCM-M10 (recorder) > 24/96 (limiter on loud claps and nearby coughing using Audacity) > CD wav (track splitting) > MP3Tag (for file tagging) > FLAC (using Traders Little Helper) Level 8

Tracklist (2:17:04)

00 Roger Dean talk
01 The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra
02 Machine Messiah
03 It Will Be a Good Day
04 I've Seen All Good People
05 Time And A Word
06 South Side Of The Sky
07 Turn of the Century
08 Don't Kill the Whale
09 Cut From The Stars
10 Excerpts From Tales From Topographic Oceans
11 Roundabout
12 Starship Trooper

Notes: This is the 26th Yes/related show I've seen. I was excited to see the show in the days and weeks leading up to it, but a combination of various non-show related issues had me uptight and tense pretty much the whole day before showtime. By the time my wife and I got to the venue, I was mostly not into the idea of the concert. Tired, grouchy from work, overall just not into it.

Roger Dean came out and was surprisingly entertaining. The slideshow and his comments about his work were illuminating and the 30 minutes went by quickly. Yes came on stage about 15 minutes after he finished and I knew something was amiss when they started with Machine Messiah - other shows have started with Going For The One, so I figured we were getting a shorter show due to the hand injury Steve Howe suffered a few days ago that resulted in a couple of cancellations immediately prior to this show. In fact, I think this was the first show back?

If it was, it was reflected in the performance. The band seemed rusty and took a few songs to get into gear - by the time they reached South Side Of The Sky, they started to settle in. For me, the best song of the night was Cut From The Stars - this is the one song that actually belongs to this version of the band and you can tell they like playing it. The Tales medley has grown on me a little listening to other recordings, but seeing it live, I firmly feel they erred in not playing one complete piece - the arrangement is interesting, but it also doesn't really work, as there is no unifying theme and it feels randomly tossed together. Not to mention, I know Tales forward and back and hearing this is jarring - just as I'm getting into it, it suddenly switches. Ugh.

The other dropped piece for the evening was the America instrumental excerpt - not missed. Overall, 100 minutes or so feels too short for a Yesshow, but I can't say it would've made much of a difference if they'd played the full set. Steve Howe is the reason I was there, but Yes now feels too weighted in his direction - you can practically feel the deference the rest of the band pays him oozing off the stage and I'm not sure having everyone kissing his behind is good for Steve's musicality. I can't help but think he would be better having someone in the band that could say "no, Steve, your Tales arrangement sucks, we're not playing it." Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen are a strong rhythm section - Billy's really living his inner Chris Squire now and that bass was booming tonight - Geoff Downes is fine on keyboards and, while I don't much care for his voice, Jon Davison is clearly having a good time. Yet, something is missing.

It's probably me. At this point in my life, I'm really beginning to feel like concerts are no longer worth the trouble. The bands I like are all old and dying off - if they haven't already passed - and the audiences are just as old and mostly drunk. Tonight's crowd was fine, but there was absolutely zero energy from the band or the people in the seats. I wear earplugs and my ears still hurt after the show. I no longer drink or smoke dope at shows and overall, it feels like an old ritual, everybody going through the motions. I love these songs and, prior to going, figured I would always be there for any band calling itself Yes. This very moment, I'm no longer sure if I feel that way.

My wife and I just both got over sickness and twice during the recording, I suddenly had to cough - I limited those, but they're still present. The Paramount is a wonderful venue - easy to get to, free covered downtown parking, good sightlines from the seats - but it is pretty cavernous and that's reflected in the tape. We were seated directly next to the soundboard, about 20 rows or so from the stage. There's a little talking from those around us, but generally speaking, this is as good of a recording as I could've hoped for.

Maybe I'll feel differently in a few days - I'll listen to this recording a few times and look at the pictures I took. But it takes a lot of effort to drag myself to these shows these days. This year, we saw Ringo, Clapton, Tears For Fears and Yes - these are all major acts to my wife and I. I enjoyed them all to various degrees, but I could've just as easily skipped them and watched Netflix. Your mileage may vary. Maybe next year, when the next round of "possibly last time ever" shows come through, I'll have a different attitude. We'll see.

Finally: please don't sell the recording, but, otherwise, do with it what you wish. Share it and trade it, and remember: these and other greats will not be around forever, so, let's enjoy them while we have them. Best wishes to all of the fans out there and Namaste.