Symphonic Live

Agree with all you say BTB, best concert DVD I have. Having seen them on that tour, I wondered if they would be able to capture the magic of the performance I saw. The DVD does so perfectly.

It's great to see the orchestra actually enjoying the music. Tracks like "Close to the edge" and "And you and I" sound amazing. I didn't really miss Wakeman (great to see him back though!), as his substitute plays his parts superbly, and the orchestra fill the sound so well.

My one BIG disapointment was that they did not open with "Firebird Suite". To hear a live orchestra open with that would have been one of those "moments"!

benny bouncer wrote: Well the pianist just played Wakemans stuff, he played it excellently, but i could imagine something being a little different if Wakeman was actually there, a bit of improvsation, i think he would be more comfortable, he is a legend, he's allowed to push things a bit

I think with the Symphonic tour there was very little room for improvisation. It must have been hard enough keeping things together without allowing anyone to do there own thing. From that point of view, if Wakeman was going to be missing, perhaps this was the best time.

I would suggest though, that there is very little improvisation on any Yes tour, with or without Wakeman. Every note has been very carefully rehearsed, and every band member knows exactly what he is to play at all times. Even sections like the recent Wakeman/Howe "battle" on "South side of the sky" are played note for note each night.

Another example. On the recent tour, when Chris Squire gave a protracted introduction during the accoustic set, Wakeman started reading a paper. At the Glasgow gig, we all thought of course that this was spontaneous. Reading the concert reviews though, he did the same thing every night.

This is not in any way a critisism, in fact it's part of what makes them so damn good. They are professionals, and take pride in the show they put on.

I think most bands are the same, even those who play long abstract pieces. If you were to see them night after night, the music would be presented in exactly the same way. True improvisation is something bands do in private, not in front of a paying audience.

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