Yes Ohio (8/15/15) and Michigan (8/15/15)
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Topic: Yes Ohio (8/15/15) and Michigan (8/15/15)
Posted By: emigre80
Subject: Yes Ohio (8/15/15) and Michigan (8/15/15)
Date Posted: August 16 2015 at 19:15
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My
husband and I saw Yes in two shows this week, Ohio (8/14) and Michigan (8/15). Overall
impression: Both
shows were very good, solidly played, had an interesting set list and high level of
musicianship, and appeared to be enjoyed very much by the vast majority of the
crowd. The OH show was more inspired,
but the sound was better at the MI show, so I enjoyed both about equally. The
band: Steve
Howe: sweet merciful jesus, but that man can sure play the guitar. He was
great. Alan
White: I was a bit concerned because, although on last year’s tour (saw two
shows), he was great, in the DVD from last year’s concert in Bristol (Like It
Is), the songs were dragging somewhat,* and I thought the version of CTTE on the
Mesa concert was a bit tentative as well. Not so in OH – he played at just the right
tempo, and in MI, only slowed a little on two songs, the second halves of Seen
All Good People and GFTO. Otherwise, he
was spot on, and the pace on Siberian Khatru was pretty blistering. *In
White’s defense, the audience in Bristol had apparently been dug up from a
local cemetery, and I can’t imagine anyone who could have played an upbeat show
in response to their complete lack of interest in the proceedings. Billy
Sherwood: well, considering the show started with the audience applauding Chris
Squire’s bass, the man had a whole lot to live up to, but he did a very
credible job, particularly during the second half of the show. Geoff
Downes: not sure where the keyboards were for the first two-thirds of the show,
but once they started coming through (on SK, SAGP, Roundabout and Starship
Trooper), he sounded good. Jon Davidson: I must confess I’m not a big fan, and found him way too shrill on the first night, but part of that may have been the sound being a bit off. He sounded much better in MI. Still not a big fan - his voice just isn't very expressive. High
points: Steve
Howe on SK and ST. Both nights. Awesome. Siberian
Khatru. Both nights. Worth the price of
admission and the long drive from KY alone. The opening
tribute to Squire, which I am sure everyone has seen on youtube by now. If not, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Vq1LmRa8o" rel="nofollow - The
band’s interplay: one thing I notice from watching early 2000 DVDs (Symphonic
Live, Live at Montreux, etc.) was how each band member (which the occasional
exception of Squire) would stand in his own area and not even look at the
others, as if they were all playing in completely separate locations, which
does make me wonder about what on earth was going on between all of them. This
iteration of Yes actually seem to like each other and like playing together. I
enjoyed watching that. Really
fun versions of Roundabout and I’ve Seen All Good People. Low
points: Nothing
personal, but America is one of my favorite Paul Simon songs, and I love the
simplicity of the original. I just don’t
enjoy seeing it reworked so elaborately, but I did prefer the version this
weekend to the one on Keys to Ascension. I don’t
like Owner of a Lonely Heart. I have never liked Owner of a Lonely Heart. I
probably never will like Owner of a Lonely Heart. Just a song to which I have to resign myself. Downes’
keyboards cut out a few times on the second night. Not anyone’s fault, I assume, but it was a
part of the show where he was actually supposed to be heard, so bummer for both
him and us. Incredibly
low point: About
two or three songs in (it was so awful I’ve tried to forget it), Davidson asked
everyone in the audience to say in unison “Chris, we love you and we will never forget
you.” In contrast to the beautiful simplicity of the opening tribute, it was
cheap and embarrassing and my husband and I both ducked our heads and cringed. It
was appalling, and he really needs to
stop doing this. Extra
observations: My
husband thought they should have started with GFTO and played Don’t Kill the
Whale further down in the set list, but I thought it worked well as an opening
number, and I think that after the Squire tribute, a song that had a more serious
message was necessary. Tempus
Fugit was fun. Time
and a Word could have used a lot more keyboards. On the first night (OH), Howe clearly came on determined to make sure the audience enjoyed themselves. He was very animated, and more relaxed with the audience than I have seen him in the past (live and on DVD). He even made a joke, and what’s more, it was amusing. He was a bit less outgoing in MI, which is why I think the concert was less inspired. I don’t
know what it is with American audiences and beating the traffic. A lot of people – even though they were
clearly en masse enjoying the show – left before the encore. Who misses out on the encore of a concert
they are enjoying? Especially when a little on line research would have let you
know the encore was Starship Trooper? What is wrong with these people? Sherwood
needs to wash his hair more often, or buy a more effective brand of shampoo. My husband,
who plays the drums, noted that White had simplified his parts in a few places.
In the context of a concert, I didn’t notice (that’s what I have him for) but
he found it a bit disappointing. There
were tshirts with the Yes logo and a Roger Dean-designed fish for sale. I
bought one. Very nice tribute. There
were four very drunk guys in front of me at the MI show who were obviously
dedicated Yes fans and who had a hell of a great time. I didn’t mind because they were boisterously
happy without being obnoxious about it, and although I don’t usually like public
drunks, it would have been churlish to begrudge them their fun. I
got to meet Rushfan4 in between the acts in MI.
Hi, Rushfan4! Toto: They were fine, certainly not great. The songs were well played, but with the exception of a few songs from the new album (which I sure didn’t see anyone lining up to buy), they weren’t good enough to raise the band beyond their obviously solid musicianship. The crowd in OH was more into their set then the crowd in MI (many people in MI did not bother to take their seats until Toto was done), but aside from jumping up and down to Africa, Hold the Line and Roseanna, neither audience really seemed as incredibly impressed as cemego’s review (over in prog polls, The Future of Yes) seemed to imply. They did a good job with the material they had, but I still can’t see ever buying a Toto album. Anyone else see a concert from this tour and have an opinion? I'd be interested to hear it.
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Replies:
Posted By: garfunkel
Date Posted: August 16 2015 at 19:26
Yuck! |
emigre80 wrote:Posted By: emigre80
Date Posted: August 16 2015 at 19:31
| ^ It was revolting. I wish I could erase that part of the show from my memory. |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: August 16 2015 at 21:47
Man, you took the word out of my mouth! I was going to reply "Ick!" |
Posted By: Intruder
Date Posted: August 17 2015 at 05:23
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I was finally going to break down and see Yes on this tour, but then CS announced he wouldn't participate and I changed my mind. This review seals it - I'd love to see SH before it's too late, but if I've been passing up Yesshows since 1984. Why start now? A Steve Howe Trio show, on the other hand, I'd drive all day and all night to see. ------------- I like to feel the suspense when you're certain you know I am there..... |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: August 18 2015 at 10:07
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Being the AOR fan that I am, I really enjoyed Toto. As emigre80 (Hi Terri!) said, the crowd mostly got into Hold the Line, Rosanna, and Africa. I also really enjoyed the three new songs from their latest album, which I have listened to fairly frequently in recent months. I also enjoyed Yes' performance. It was a strange feeling though to look on the stage and not see Chris Squire. The Onward tribute to begin the show was quite touching. After seeing them play Close to the Edge and Fragile in their entirety last year, their choice of playlist this year was interesting. On one hand, this being a good thing, since it is always nice to see other songs performed rather than just the same old songs. On the other hand, they only played Siberian Khatru, Roundabout, And You and I, Going for the One, and Starship Trooper from their classic prog period. Owner of the Lonely Heart was the only track that played post GFTO, so for me that was a little disappointing. I would have liked to heard them play a couple of tracks from their latter period; especially something from Magnification (sans orchestra). I must agree that Jon Davidson really should not continue to do his bit with having the audience say in unison “Chris, we love you and we will never forget you.” I understand the sentiment, but when he did it, it made me cringe. All in all I thought it was a good show. And unlike emigre80 travelling up from Kentucky, I only had to drive 3 miles to get to the venue, so pretty much can't beat that, accept to have the band show up and play at my house. ------------- 
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Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: August 18 2015 at 14:56
...Ohh boy, where to begin! -------------   
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Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: August 18 2015 at 14:57
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That's a great review, still have no regrets not seeing Yes these past few tours. I also probably would have liked seeing Toto... -------------
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Posted By: emigre80
Date Posted: August 18 2015 at 15:56
I wouldn't mind having them turn up and play at my house. As long as JD does not ask me to tell Chris Squire how much I miss him.
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Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: August 18 2015 at 20:35
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Posted By: Chris S
Date Posted: August 19 2015 at 23:59
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Great review thanks and excellent to see honest positive feedback not just naysayers ------------- ...As I venture through the slipstream, between the viaducts in your dreams...[/COLOR] |
Posted By: emigre80
Date Posted: August 20 2015 at 06:36
Never say nay! I can certainly understand why some people prefer not to see this version of Yes, but I had a good time and I'm not ashamed to say so.
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: August 20 2015 at 07:05
White has been like that for a while - there are very few drum fills on the last 2 albums. I guess it could be an age thing?
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Posted By: emigre80
Date Posted: August 20 2015 at 18:24
I should imagine that drummers, because of the pounding they put out every night, would be more susceptible to age-related issues. Apparently some guitarists can go on forever, though.
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Posted By: Michael678
Date Posted: August 22 2015 at 07:42
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yeah, i think the start of the concert was all they needed as a tribute to Chris; you don't need to shoehorn this stuff in the concert in order to pay tribute to him since you've already had one such idea in mind. ------------- Progrockdude |