Yes and Asia - Tower Theater, Philadelphia, PA - Progressive Rock Music Forum

And the original Asia reunion rolls on for its 4th year now. Steve Howe solved the problem of how to keep it going now that Yes is up and running again too. Both bands are touring in tandem this year, with Howe doing double duty by playing in both.

This show PACKED the Tower and I'm glad I'd headed down earlier this afternoon to make sure I could get tickets. I grabbed two for the balcony at $25 apiece.

Despite a shorter set this year, Asia is still blowing the crowd away with their high energy show. My friend Paul and I had seen them last year and he totally enjoyed it again this year. As for Yes, he didn't seem to be as enthused for them(despite the fact that he's seen them before and liked them), probably because of the fact that Jon Anderson & Rick Wakeman weren't there.

I'll admit, Benoit David has a great voice and can hit Anderson's high notes, but does not have the same enigmatic stage presence as Anderson. He even seemed to be mixed down farther than he should be in the sound at times. Indeed, there were several instances where the sound guys seemed to be asleep at the switch, with Howe's guitar or Oliver Wakeman's keyboards not always as audible as they should've been. Overall though, for where we were in the balcony, the sound was mostly okay.

Oliver Wakeman was adequate though nothing special on keys. Certainly not the flamboyant musical centerpiece that his father is. But then, few are.

Some of the group's regular set staples, like I've Seen All Good People, Starship Trooper, And You & I, etc., I wouldn't mind if they were pulled out and retired for awhile to make way for some other things. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but they've been played at practically every Yes show most of us have attended for the last 30 plus years.

The stuff that came off best to me were the rarities. Astral Traveler, from their second album Time & a Word, sounded great, as did the Drama selections Tempus Fugit and Machine Messiah. Loved the smoky fog effect during the latter while Benoit strummed the acoustic guitar. COOL!

After playing one of his solo pieces, Sketches in the Sun, Steve Howe praised his acoustic guitar which was "made by Martin Guitars in Pennsylvania.."

And original King Crimson member Ian McDonald came out to play his flute parts on In the Court of the Crimson King when Asia played it. Since we were so far up, I wasn't sure it was him at first. The guys near me joked and thought it might be Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, or a local musician they pulled off a corner to come in and play.

Not sure what the future holds for Yes. Will Anderson return? Hopefully they're not done making new music. I would hate to see them just continue doing tours only and rehashing the old music, like too many of our classic rockers are doing today....

Right before Yes hit the stage, my friend Paul disappeared. Later on I saw him standing up near the back wall. When I rendezvoused with him at the show's end, he told me that security guards had blocked his way down for a while since they were going back & forth trying to catch two couples who kept lighting up joints. I did notice the weed smell myself and it was pretty RANCID! I thought a skunk had gotten into the theater for a minute. The overpowering stank odor kept him back near the exit where it wasn't as bad, he said. Other than that and some young kids behind me who would get bored and start chatting to one another periodically, the crowd was fairly well behaved. No screaming drunks or fights.

Asia setlist:

01. Intro
02. Wildest Dreams
03. Only Time Will Tell
04. An Extraordinary Life
05. Video Killed The Radio Star
06. In The Court Of The Crimson King
07. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
08. Don't Cry
09. Fanfare For The Common Man
10. Sole Survivor
11. Heat Of The Moment

Yes setlist:

Intro - Firebird Suite(on tape)
01. Siberian Khatru
02. I've Seen All Good People(Your Move/All Good People)
03. Tempus Fugit
04. Astral Traveler (with Alan White's drum solo)
05. And You And I
06. Sketches in the Sun(Steve Howe solo)
07. Owner of a Lonely Heart
08. Machine Messiah
09. Roundabout
10. Heart of the Sunrise
11. Encore: Starship Trooper

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SilverEclipse Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: September 19 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 123	Topic: Yes and Asia - Tower Theater, Philadelphia, PA Posted: July 31 2009 at 13:28
	Good opening by Asia. they did some of their band stuff but a good 1/2 of the performance was taken up by ELP's "Fanfare For The Common Man" featuring an insane Palmer drum solo and a rendition of "In The Court Of The Crimson King" with Ian McDonald himself guest starring on flute. Yes with Beniot David were great. The guy sounds exactly like an early Jon Anderson. Setlist included great performances of And You And I, Heart Of The Sunrise, Machine Messiah, and Starship Trooper. Very good show, but I hope to see Jon Anderson back so I can see Close To The Edge and Tales material live.
	"and if the band your in starts playing different tunes, I'll see you on the dark side of the moon"

counterpoint Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: March 20 2009 Status: Offline Points: 9	Posted: August 03 2009 at 18:29
	I was there too. I enjoy the show immensely. The Ian McDonald flute solo for ITCOTCK was an exceptional treat!

progkidjoel Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: March 02 2009 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 19643	Posted: August 04 2009 at 01:57
	Sound solid - I hope they come back to Australia...


jimmy19029 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: April 24 2009 Status: Offline Points: 4	Posted: August 31 2009 at 14:05
	And the original Asia reunion rolls on for its 4th year now. Steve Howe solved the problem of how to keep it going now that Yes is up and running again too. Both bands are touring in tandem this year, with Howe doing double duty by playing in both. This show PACKED the Tower and I'm glad I'd headed down earlier this afternoon to make sure I could get tickets. I grabbed two for the balcony at $25 apiece. Despite a shorter set this year, Asia is still blowing the crowd away with their high energy show. My friend Paul and I had seen them last year and he totally enjoyed it again this year. As for Yes, he didn't seem to be as enthused for them(despite the fact that he's seen them before and liked them), probably because of the fact that Jon Anderson & Rick Wakeman weren't there. I'll admit, Benoit David has a great voice and can hit Anderson's high notes, but does not have the same enigmatic stage presence as Anderson. He even seemed to be mixed down farther than he should be in the sound at times. Indeed, there were several instances where the sound guys seemed to be asleep at the switch, with Howe's guitar or Oliver Wakeman's keyboards not always as audible as they should've been. Overall though, for where we were in the balcony, the sound was mostly okay. Oliver Wakeman was adequate though nothing special on keys. Certainly not the flamboyant musical centerpiece that his father is. But then, few are. Some of the group's regular set staples, like I've Seen All Good People, Starship Trooper, And You & I, etc., I wouldn't mind if they were pulled out and retired for awhile to make way for some other things. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but they've been played at practically every Yes show most of us have attended for the last 30 plus years. The stuff that came off best to me were the rarities. Astral Traveler, from their second album Time & a Word, sounded great, as did the Drama selections Tempus Fugit and Machine Messiah. Loved the smoky fog effect during the latter while Benoit strummed the acoustic guitar. COOL! After playing one of his solo pieces, Sketches in the Sun, Steve Howe praised his acoustic guitar which was "made by Martin Guitars in Pennsylvania.." And original King Crimson member Ian McDonald came out to play his flute parts on In the Court of the Crimson King when Asia played it. Since we were so far up, I wasn't sure it was him at first. The guys near me joked and thought it might be Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, or a local musician they pulled off a corner to come in and play. Not sure what the future holds for Yes. Will Anderson return? Hopefully they're not done making new music. I would hate to see them just continue doing tours only and rehashing the old music, like too many of our classic rockers are doing today.... Right before Yes hit the stage, my friend Paul disappeared. Later on I saw him standing up near the back wall. When I rendezvoused with him at the show's end, he told me that security guards had blocked his way down for a while since they were going back & forth trying to catch two couples who kept lighting up joints. I did notice the weed smell myself and it was pretty RANCID! I thought a skunk had gotten into the theater for a minute. The overpowering stank odor kept him back near the exit where it wasn't as bad, he said. Other than that and some young kids behind me who would get bored and start chatting to one another periodically, the crowd was fairly well behaved. No screaming drunks or fights. Asia setlist: 01. Intro 02. Wildest Dreams 03. Only Time Will Tell 04. An Extraordinary Life 05. Video Killed The Radio Star 06. In The Court Of The Crimson King 07. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes 08. Don't Cry 09. Fanfare For The Common Man 10. Sole Survivor 11. Heat Of The Moment Yes setlist: Intro - Firebird Suite(on tape) 01. Siberian Khatru 02. I've Seen All Good People(Your Move/All Good People) 03. Tempus Fugit 04. Astral Traveler (with Alan White's drum solo) 05. And You And I 06. Sketches in the Sun(Steve Howe solo) 07. Owner of a Lonely Heart 08. Machine Messiah 09. Roundabout 10. Heart of the Sunrise 11. Encore: Starship Trooper