Yes 2014

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I caught them in New Hampshire, USA on Wednesday night (16 July).  The show was excellent.  Much better than when I saw them last April in the same venue.  Jon Davison's voice was much stronger (I think he was ill last time) and the sound in general was better.  Steve Howe seemed grumpy as usual, to the point of seeming to rush from one song to the next.  Chris Squire was on point with his bass playing and singing.  The man charmed the audience and his harmonies were spot on.  According to Chris, they got a new sound technician somewhat recently and it certainly showed.
It was great to hear "Fragile" from beginning to end.  "Five per cent for Nothing" was kind of suspect, as it seemed a bit sloppy and not quite on the money, but it was fun to see nonetheless.  "Heart of the Sunrise" was a brilliant performance, with Davison really making the hairs stand up on my arms during the end of the song.

They played "To Ascend" and "The Game" from the new record, which I had no interest in.  They performed them well, but the diversity and excitement of classic material is not captured in this music.  The music feels like a contractual obligation, not a passion project.  It felt very "vanilla" being bookended by "Heart of the Sunrise" and "Close to the Edge".

The entire CttE album was performed flawlessly for the most part.  The vocal oriented midsection of CttE was beautiful.  "Siberian Khatru" was all but perfect, in comparison to the last time I saw them, when Howe seemed to lag a bit at times during the "main riff" of the song.

They closed with "I've seen all good people" and "Starship Trooper", which surprised no one, but were welcomed by all.  I was very pleased that they did not play "Owner of a Lonely Heart" as they had done for several earlier shows in this particular tour.  I have manufactured this idea in my mind that the reception to the song wasn't as strong as they had anticipated, considering they seemed to be playing to audiences full of prog fans.  In reality, the real reason is likely because they've started to incorporate a second song from the new album and didn't have time to play the aforementioned 90125 song.  I would rather hear an extra new song than something from 90125, which is really saying something.

I did not pay for the monumentally overpriced meet and greet/VIP package for this show.  Regardless, I got to meet all of them just as I did last year, as they stayed at the same hotel as my girlfriend and I (again, just as they did last year).  Chris Squire, Alan White and Geoff Downes came down to the hotel bar for a drink.  I got to have a brief chat with Chris and get a photo with him.  I was also able to show him my Roger Dean (particularly CttE inner gatefold) themed tattoo sleeve and joke that they should play Topographic Oceans on their next tour.  I actually had a much more in depth conversation with Alan White last year, but after taking up so much time with Chris, I didn't want to bother them any further, so I just opted for a handshake and "Great show, Mr. White".
Geoff Downes was very approachable and nice, and we even sat at the adjacent table to him at breakfast the following morning and had a brief chat.  Steve Howe sat at his own table and was unapproachable as usual.  If the man wants to be left alone, I can respect that, so instead of a loud and obnoxious bout of fan gushing, I opted for a gentle wave to get his attention and an Indian style bow and a "Thank you".  

Overall, this more organic way of meeting and conversing with them felt like it was more enjoyable than a planned meet and greet opportunity.  As they were very nice and approachable (with the exception of Howe), I look forward to seeing if they remember me after the next gig, since I've now met them twice.  As they meet hundreds of people every week, I won't hold my breath.

Great times.  I'm a Jon Anderson die hard, but if you displace any cynicism about their supposed lack of integrity and just try to enjoy yourself you will have a great time seeing Yes on this tour.  I never managed to catch Yes with Anderson (I am 31 years old), but this line up is good fun, and I always hope that one day he'll return to Yes, if only for one tour.

Edited by calm_sea - July 18 2014 at 12:52