Classic tales of YES with Steve Howe still reviving great memories of perhaps the ultimate Prog Rock band.

Review and Photos by John Hayhurst

Men (and some women) of a certain age will remember gathering in student halls in the early seventies clutching the latest vinyl copies of ‘The Yes Album’, ‘Fragile’, ‘Close to the Edge’ or ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans’, they probably all had long hair and beards (not the women). At that time progressive rock was at its peak and firmly in the eyes and ears of most fans – Yes were the pinnacle, and whilst there isn’t a founding member in the band playing tonight, guitarist Steve Howe carries the legacy of the band and takes the mantle of the longest serving member since 1970.

Those students carrying the LPs are now in their late sixties or early seventies, and whilst a 2 hour show would be amazing, there is a need for a seat and frequent toilet breaks these days, most long hair has gone but the beards remain – albeit grey or white!

In the foyer of the York Barbican was a gallery of album covers and Yes butterfly logos, all created by one man, who has been associated with Yes since their creation – Roger Dean. To top the evening off, he was in attendance at this gig and met many fans, happy to chat and sign autographs, whilst promoting his life long work.

I don’t want to go into the history of band members because we could be here all day, but it is safe to say that there has been a conveyor belt of impressive musicians that have stayed a while in the Yes camp. Sadly some have passed away too and most recently drummer Alan White who has been replaced under his own request by Jay Schellen who has toured with them previously.

On keyboards we have Geoff Downes who has played with this version of Yes since 2011, on bass guitar replacing Chris Squire is Billy Sherwood a touring member since 1994 and on lead vocals is Jon Davison who replaced Jon Anderson in 2012. Anderson did have a version of Yes touring under the names Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman but this has disbanded. That’s the only part of this story that doesn’t quite feel right for me, founding member Jon Anderson is not a member of this group anymore. However, if you want to hear authentic Yes, then this is the only show in town and as Steve Howe is 77 years old, we don’t really know how long this will continue.

For a prog rock group the stage setting is minimal with some projections behind them, but no space age pyro or pink floydesque production, the music will do the talking and as far as the setlist goes we are expecting something from a selection of albums but as it is ‘Classic Tales’ then surely ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans’ should feature along with some classic pieces.

We start with the ‘Drama’ album and the 10 minutes of the heavier in parts Yes with ‘Machine Messiah’. ‘It Will Be A Good Day (The River)’ from ‘The Ladder’ album followed and then a real classic with some nifty pedal steel from Howe in ‘Going For The One’. This is at the top end of Davison’s vocal range but I have to say he was more than capable of delivering, and then the crowd were in full flow behind him for ‘I’ve Seen All Good People’. Sing-alongs weren’t something I expected tonight, more studious nodding I thought would be the order of the day.

We then get a cover, an instrumental version of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘America’ which did appear on the 2003 CD reissue of the ‘Close to the Edge’ album. Davison sits it out but it showcases some great work from Sherwood and Schellen.

‘Time And A Word’ title track of the album (1970), an interesting choice as nobody on stage tonight played on that record although Howe did appear on the US cover as the UK version was apparently too offensive for American tastes.

Howe then decides to give a short speech about conservation before our only venture into ‘Tormato’ with ‘Don’t Kill The Whale’. We then close out this first half with an immense version of ‘Turn Of The Century’, it starts with just Howe on an acoustic, and then each member builds on it, turning it into a magnificent rock piece at the end, those that can get on their feet do so and we break for the interval.

I’m not paying £7 for a pint I heard someone say, must admit that does feel a bit steep for Yorkshire.

We start the second half with the ‘Fragile’ album and ‘South Side of the Sky’, with lots of thunder and lightning and then a venture into newer territory as ‘Cut From The Stars’ from last years ‘Mirror to the Sky’ album is now deemed a ‘Classic’, I’m not sure about that, but it does show that they are still writing material and not just standing still.

Then it happened, ‘Tales of Topographic Oceans’ started with ‘The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)’, I’m thinking that’s 20 minutes at least, surely they aren’t starting the whole double album now, we’ll still be here at midnight. However, this is where it gets interesting as they proceed to condense a 2 hour album into a 20 minute medley, incorporating all the key parts. From ‘The Revealing’ to ‘Ritual’ it was quite brilliant, the musicianship was top notch, Geoff Downes should have worn a cape for those Wakeman keyboard sections. If they hadn’t played an encore of ‘Roundbout’ and ‘Starship Trooper’ that would have been the highlight of the night for me.

Those 2 songs were the bedrock of many a student night up and down the country in the early 70’s, along with funny smelling smoke, memories flood back every time they are heard. Tonight was a proper trip down memory lane for those here, with a group of musicians that deserve to be keeping the Yes legacy alive. I’m guessing when Steve Howe hangs up his guitar, then that will be the end of it. But for now catch this version of Yes, the likes of which may never be seen again.