Pete Wilder

Saturday, June 15, 2024 2:31 PM

I saw 6 shows this tour (7 if you include the last one at MSG the following year) and this one was one of the smaller, more intimate settings. It was General Admission, which wasn't great - however it was attached to a campground (as well as the amusement park) so my fellow Yesfan buddy and I were able to walk to and from the amphitheater from our campsite! Adventures like that are hard to come by these days.

mike rae

I found it funny to go to this show; I surely was glad to see all the olde elements of YES re-united, and with a Bruford/Levin rhythm section to boot! But seeing them at Darien Lake was probably the worst venue I ever went to see any of the YES-related shows I've attended; most of the crowd chattered incessantly, which was a real bummer during the quiet bits, and it was just A BIT peculiar that the folks in YES had divided into factions....while I certainly liked this show more than the 90125 show I went to, something was definitely amiss....much like no Steve Howe in the 90125 line-up, no Chris Squire in the ABWH line-up made it a tad bit odd, even though Tony Levin is certainly nowhere close to being a slouch....I was also feeling 'really well' at this show and found it hard at times to stop giggling at the absurdity of having this group play at that venue with that chattering rock n' roll crowd...they finally got the performance space right later on, but this show stands as another peculiar chapter in the YES saga (to me anyways), so much so that I didn't even bother to see the UNION tour, though in retrospect I really should have.

Howe Fan

Jim, Levin did play at this show. His illness came later on in the tour when they got out to the west coast. I saw the next 4 shows and he was at all of them.

Jim

I saw this show and Tony Levin did not play on it. He fell ill and had to bow out of the tour. You can see some of the later dates credit Jeff Berlin. I am a KC fan and I also knew Jeff Berlin from his work with Bruford. I clearly remember going to the show expecting to see Tony and instead seeing Jeff.

Charlie

I have to correct Dave Wilson in his review as the Who did not play the night before this show, they played Rich Stadium exactly one month before this show (7-18)>>>>[Link] also remember that this show was held @ the old Riverside Amphitheatre @ Darien Lake...I was 14 @ the time and was amazed @ how hot these guys sounded...a funny lil thing about the show was it was advertised as "an evening of Yes music, plus"...so, when they came out and did their little solo things with Yes tunes littered throughout and then left the stage empty, I was under the impression that we had, indeed, got our "evening of Yes music, plus" and the show was over...but they all came back out and put on what was, up to that point (and even though i was fourteen, this was probably the 20th concert i'd been to), the best show i'd ever seen...of course, it was my first exposure to live "yes", so i hadn't yet been introduced to the thunder that is Chris Squire...that would occur 18 times in the next 10 years....

Ben P. Stein

I traveled with my friend Corbin from Binghamton NY where we went to college. It was my first time in the Buffalo area. I remember that Bruford was "on" that night. Seeing the Bruford/Levin duet for the first time was special. Also I enjoyed the solo spots at the beginning because it was a good way to introduce the band, and it was a novelty that hadn't been over-done yet! When Wakeman started playing his Six Wives of Henry VIII, I was among those gasping in amazement and surprise. When he walked on stage, he clasped his hands together, and shaked them in the air as if he were a medieval king, just as a joke.

John Yeara

This was my wife's first time seeing "YES"...she was impressed & has become somewhat of a Yesfan since....
This was my first time seeing Wakeman also....Don't remember the crowdsize, but adequate....it was before they changed Darien lake to a huge outdoor amphitheater so it was very quait. The sound was incredible also. Because it was smaller & general admission, I go to get right in front...And my wife didn't complain about it!!!!!(we were newlyweds!) "Close To The Edge" was awesome...Tony Levin was an interesting change from squire esp when he used the 'fast fingers'. Great show...great memories...

Dave Wilson

The place was somewhat full but I don't think it neared the 5,000 mark. Ringo Starr's All Star Band was also in town that night at The Aud and The Who had been the night before at Rich Stadium diluting concert dollars and attendance.

I was extemely jacked for the show for it was my first live viewing of Wakeman. I stood right of the stage for the first couple of tunes and admired him. After that I just walked around the grass area. It was a very carefree concert with plenty of mingling and drinking on the premises. Most enjoyable!

Duke A. Potter

I have to disagree with the above posting: this show had at least 5,000 in attendance (4,500 in the bleachers and 500 in the stands). The venue was SRO from my recollection.

John

I got there about 15 minutes late and missed Jon's solo paid 16 dollars for tic, 15 for show and 1 for amusement park was a small venue, 500+ people standing and aluminum bleachers seats behind us about 200 feet away. The stars were out and it was a beautiful night to listen to this classic rock band.