Jon Anderson, Aracada Theater, St. Charles, IL USA

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   Greetings!   My wife and I had the pleasure to attend Jon Anderson's "An Acoustic Evening With Jon Anderson, the Voice Of Yes" at the historic Arcada Theater in St. Charles, Illinois USA on Friday, 5 August.   This venue, seating about 1,000, was a very intimate setting for the concert, providing us with excellent sight-lines and reasonably good acoustics (despite some problems at the mixing board throughout the show....!  Amateur!)
http://www.jonanderson.com/tour.html

Jon's setlist seems to be very similar to others he has played on this tour, mixing classic Yes music with a few originals, solo bits and generous banter with the audience.   I didn't write the entire setlist down, but songs included "Starship Trooper," "Roundabout," "Owner of a Lonely Heart," his reggae-infused "Time And A Word,"  "Sweet Dreams," "Soon," and bits of "Turn of the Century," "Close To The Edge" and even "The Revealing Science of God"!   

He sang "Will You Marry Me?" directed to his wife, Janee, sitting in the front row.  Lovely. 

My own favorite was "Flight of the Moorglade" from Olias of Sunhillow, which I recorded (*gasp!*) and posted onto Youtube.   See below. 

He mostly played acoustic guitar, but used his "Strumstick" on Moorglade, did one song on ukele (can't recall, it was a hoot!) and played the Kurzweil keyboard to accompany himself on "Revealing"  

Having first seen Jon in concert in 1972, I had a long history of performances with Yes to compare this concert to.  
His voice seems fully recovered and was classic Jon Anderson contra-tenor, with virtually no trace of his health problems in the past.  He did get a bit hoarse on some very high notes (he had another show a few days before), but I didn't detect any problems with his range, power or diction.  His skills on his instruments were more than adequate for this performance, and the crowd was very loud, boisterous and supportive. 

Interestingly, he told one poignant story about Yes playing in Argentina in the years of the Falklands War (the band had a death threat against them), and he spoke somewhat kindly of Chris Squire in that story....(Chris told Jon that the singer was likely the first one who would be killed!)

There is much of Anderson's "Voice of Yes" material on Youtube, including his singing of "Soon" at this show, so please search around for it!  This performance was at least the equal of other shows I've watched onliine, and I highly recommend seeing him if you can.  

Also, please note that Jon and Rick Wakeman have announced some tour dates in the near future at his website!!  Clearly, we have not heard the last of Jon Anderson!!  Cheers to all at PA, Charles & Ginny