[high resolution scan]
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An Evening of Yes Music Plus |
| production credits unknown | |
| Released on 2006 | |
| no chart information | |
| Find it at GEMM | |
| VPDVD26 cover [high resolution scan] |
T ake a little trip back... to 1989. Yes was no more, hung in litigation, so (rather than be silenced) Papa Anderson reached out to some old friends: Bill Bruford, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman. Under the trumpeting tarot of Justice (yes, I’m still on about that), ABWH invoked the old magic under a new four-letter glyph that drew its power from the individual rather than the collective spirit. Those who know the story from 1989 remember that the spell partly fizzled, since you can never really go back to the past. However, the following world tour (the real intent behind the reunion) was a different matter, bringing the old allies (cleric, archer, magician and monk) under a single banner again for new adventures. After years of indulging upstarts and stand-ins, a move to divide the band had brought them back together, oh irony of ironies! (Trumpet on, all-seeing tarot.) The concerts, billed as An Evening of Yes Music Plus, combined solo sections with a mixture of old classics and new material from ABWH. Hardly a word is breathed of what transpired beyond Edge (Jon sings part of “Owner of Lonely Heart” in his opening and namechecks “Soon” and “Nous Sommes du Soleil” at the end of the show). The concert begins with Anderson, the ageless heart of Yes, walking through the crowd. Joined by supporting members Milton MacDonald (who had played on the ABWH sessions) and Julian Colbeck, Anderson thumbs quickly through the Yes songbook, revealing his voice to be in fine form for the evening. Steve Howe gives the audience “The Clap” and the spellbinding “Mood for a Day.” The multifingered fireworks of Rick Wakeman ensue, and then Bill Bruford is brought onstage for “Long Distance Runaround,” closing with a drum solo. That’s the “Plus” part: individual showcases encased in a larger team effort (shades of Fragile). From there, it’s a mixture of ABWH tracks and beloved standards, with Jeff Berlin in the thankless role of squire to Chris Squire’s errant knight. The core Four don’t miss a beat (Bruford especially) in performing evergreen classics like “Close to the Edge.” The newer material, being fresh in their minds (and computer program banks), sounds even closer to the original. “Themes,” “Brother of Mine” and “Order of the Universe” may not be career highlights, but they deserve their moment in the limelight. Visually, the stageshow is tasteful but colorful. Some of the camera tricks are distracting, notably the pointless stickcam (I would have preferred the rick wakeman pointy buttcam), and the band members’ various “dance moves” suggest drunk sailors on a listing ship, but the evening is all about the music, which soars. $25 is a lot to pay for a DVD, but it’s still less than the douchebags at Ticketmaster wanted in “service fees” for two tickets to the upcoming Yes/Asia show. Until that insanity ends, I’ll stick with the best seat in the house.
TRACK LISTING
CREDITS
JON ANDERSON -- vocals, percussion
BILL BRUFORD -- drums
STEVE HOWE -- guitars, backing vocals
RICK WAKEMAN -- keyboards
Jeff Berlin -- bass
Julian Colbeck -- keyboards
Milton MacDonald -- guitar
return to YES discography
| REGION | RELEASE DATE | LABEL | MEDIA | ID NUMBER | FEATURES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 2006 | Voiceprint | DVD | VPDVD26 |
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