Yes aren't particularly popular here in Australia, so they played with no support act in a fairly small theatre in Perth last night to an audience of less than 2000. I am proud to say I was one of that audience, though I only have the ticket and a few very poor quality photos taken on my phone to prove it. I paid for a minimum priced ticket, but was lucky enough to get upgraded to a seat 8 rows from the front in the centre block since the show didn't sell out. So to anyone that has or is thinking of getting a single minimum priced ticket to one of the shows, I suggest you enter the theatre early and keep your fingers crossed for an upgrade. 

I didn't look for any additional information about the concert, so I had no idea what the setlist would be beforehand. I didn't even know about Benoit David's illness, subsequent departure and replacement with Jon Davison. Still, expecting Benoit David and getting someone else is much better than expecting Jon Anderson and getting someone else.

The setlist was as above (I think they played And You And I before the two Steve Howe instrumentals, but don't quote me on that), with Heart Of The Sunrise instead of Machine Messiah. So no Close To The Edge, Awaken, Siberian Khatru, Mood For A Day or any tracks off Relayer, but I suppose you have to make some sacrifices when you are going to fit all 25 minutes of the Fly From Here suite into a 2 hour (well, more like 2 1/2 hours actually) set with no intermission. My evil side would have liked to have seen them perform all of Tales From Topographic Oceans, but that didn't eventuate either. Still, I thought the choice of songs was very good, considering that it is called the "Fly From Here Tour".

Yes kicked off the night in outstanding fashion with pretty much flawless renditions of Yours Is No Disgrace, Tempus Fugit and I've Seen All Good People. Davison's inability to hit the really high notes was most obvious on And You And I, but it didn't spoil an otherwise excellent performance of what is arguably their best song (and besides, Benoit David doesn't really do it any better). Howe was in top form with his guitar instrumentals, he really doesn't seem to be getting any worse with age. I hadn't heard the Fly From Here suite before, so it is hard to judge the performance, but it was pretty impressive. If the band went a little flat at any point in the concert it was during Heart Of The Sunrise and Owner Of A Lonely Heart, though this is just being picky as they were still good renditions (Chris Squire in particular didn't appear to miss a beat, even in his most tricky bass lines, and Alan White was very good aside from some sections of the tracks from Fly From Here where the drumming is a tad boring by Yes standards). The band managed to kick it up another gear for Starship Trooper, which was concluded with Geoff Downes taking centre stage with a keytar solo, as well as the obligatory Howe guitar solo. This was probably the highlight of the night, and received a well deserved three minute standing ovation from the whole crowd as they left the stage. Of course, they returned for a typically excellent performance of Roundabout, followed by another standing ovation.

Overall, Davison is a decent replacement lead singer. I have seen a few videos of David, and Davison doesn't sound quite as much like Anderson as David does. Davison also lacks stage presence, though that is somewhat expected with replacement lead singers. Despite this, I won't go as far as saying Davison is worse than David. Some people will probably say that Yes aren't worth seeing live without Jon Anderson, but I think that is an insult to the talent of the other four members. If I have any other criticism of the concert it is the fact that the tempo of their live performances is noticeably slower than it was back in the 70s.

So, I definitely advise anyone who is lucky enough to have Yes visiting their hometown in the near future to get themselves a ticket, especially those who get to see them supported by Procol Harum. Their North American tour kicks off in August and only one date has been announced so far, so keep an ear out for upcoming announcements of tour dates.

I would say Yes will play a bit longer - I think they were scheduled to start at 8 and will play 2 halves, but I may be mistaken. I think I will fork out on a tour programme and maybe a T shirt.

See you there soon!

Oh, its bigger than I thought! Nice find. I am glad they are touring the new album.

 

April 01 Auckland, NZ Vector Arena

April 05 Perth, AUS The Riverside Theatre

April 09 Byron Bay, AUS Bluesfest

April 11 Melbourne, AUS Palais Theatre

April 13 Sydney, AUS State Theatre

April 18 Tokyo, Japan Shibuya Kokaido

April 19 Tokyo, Japan Shibuya Kokaido

April 21 Osaka, Japan Archaic Hall

April 24 Jakarta, Indonesia The Ritz-Carlton, Pacific Place

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