The "In The Present Tour," featuring Yes' Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White, is cancelling the remaining scheduled shows.
.. ..
Chris underwent surgery on his leg on February 11, 2009. The operation was successful and Chris is on his way to a full recovery. However, Chris has been advised by his physician that he needs a one month rest period, hence the reason for the cancellation of the rest of the tour dates.
.. ..
As previous stated, Chris and the rest of the band wishes to apologize for any inconvenience that this might have caused to their fans and hopes to see them again soon.
Showing posts with label in the present. Show all posts
Showing posts with label in the present. Show all posts
19 February 2009
05 November 2008
In The Present - opening night set list
Potential spoilers, so once again there'll be many carriage returns between this introductory paragraph and the meat of the piece. What follows is the opening night set list from the In The Present tour, featuring Steve Howe/Alam White/Chris Squire of Yes, along with Oliver Wakeman and Benoit David.
Don't say I didn't warn you about the spoilers:
(spoiler space)
1st Set:
Firebird Suite
Siberian Khatru
I've Seen All Good People
Heart of the Sunrise
Tempus Fugit
Onward
Astral Traveller
Close To The Edge
2nd Set:
Parallels
And You and I
Mood For a Day
Clap
Owner of a Lonely Heart
Long Distance Runaround/The Fish
New Song by Chris- Aliens are Only Us From the Future
Machine Messiah
Soon
South Side of the Sky
Encore:
Roundabout
Don't say I didn't warn you about the spoilers:
(spoiler space)
1st Set:
Firebird Suite
Siberian Khatru
I've Seen All Good People
Heart of the Sunrise
Tempus Fugit
Onward
Astral Traveller
Close To The Edge
2nd Set:
Parallels
And You and I
Mood For a Day
Clap
Owner of a Lonely Heart
Long Distance Runaround/The Fish
New Song by Chris- Aliens are Only Us From the Future
Machine Messiah
Soon
South Side of the Sky
Encore:
Roundabout
01 November 2008
USA Today article about Yes
Thanks to the people at ProgressiveEars for bringing this one to my attention.
There's a reasonable article about the current Yes/In the Present activities available on their website. It really doesn't tell us much about the situation that most of us don't already know (save perhaps for this quote from Chris Squire about Jon Anderson's current mood/thoughts on the tour: "I think what we're doing now, he's pretty much giving us his blessing,"), but it's still nice to see a major publication/website dedicating some screen inches to a prog band.
Now, if they gave this much space to an article about Art Bears or Harmonium, we'd have something to cheer about ;-)
In any event, click the link to read the article.
There's a reasonable article about the current Yes/In the Present activities available on their website. It really doesn't tell us much about the situation that most of us don't already know (save perhaps for this quote from Chris Squire about Jon Anderson's current mood/thoughts on the tour: "I think what we're doing now, he's pretty much giving us his blessing,"), but it's still nice to see a major publication/website dedicating some screen inches to a prog band.
Now, if they gave this much space to an article about Art Bears or Harmonium, we'd have something to cheer about ;-)
In any event, click the link to read the article.
03 October 2008
Thoughts on Richard Wright and Yes
A few brief thoughts…
I’ve gotten e-mails and comments elsewhere asking why I haven’t written about two particular topics that have been fairly heavily discussed in progressive music circles recently.
The first of these topics is the recent death of Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright. My honest answer here is this; while his passing is of course sudden, and tragic, and pretty much puts the final nail in the Pink Floyd coffin (and oh how difficult it is to use that analogy here and now), I simply have no real emotional response. I am sad that he is gone, and that his musical voice has been silenced. His recent work with David Gilmour touring On An Island showed him to be happy, motivated and re-energised in playing and singing. “Wearing the Inside Out” on The Division Bell showed his songwriting voice to be back…not as whimsical as he was as a young man, perhaps the flip side of the young man playing in the summer that we saw in “Remember a Day.”
So yes, I am sad he is gone. But I have no other pithy, philosophical statements to make. I never saw PF live (had my chances in 1988/1989 and 1994, and passed due to show size and cost), and while I have the videos and albums, that’s as far as my connection goes. I was probably more upset over the passing of Roger Keith Barrett…not to belittle Richard Wright’s contributions to PF or his importance, but…it’s my position, and I am sticking to it.
The second subject is the “In The Present” tour with Steve Howe, Chris Squire, and Alan White of Yes, with Oliver Wakeman (son of Rick) and Benoit David replacing Jon Anderson. Jon has been very clear in expressing his opinion on the situation:
“And I feel very disrespected, having spent most of this year creating songs and constant ideas for the band, spending time with Roger Dean creating a stage design, also working with VH1 and Sirius and XM Radio to help promote the welfare of YES.”
There’s been thousands…perhaps tens of thousands…of words spent debating this subject on various mailing lists, forums, et cetera. And I am not sure what I can say or add to the discussion that in any way makes a difference…save for the fact that several people have, again, asked me why I haven’t written about it or expressed my viewpoint.
So here it is.
Yes has existed without Jon Anderson before (Drama). Yes has gone through more line-up changes than some major league baseball teams over their history…casting aside musicians without a thought when someone better or more appropriate (or more available) came along. Yes was incredibly active from 1996 through 2004, releasing 3 standalone studio albums (Open Your Eyes, The Ladder, Magnification), two mixed live/studio albums (Keys to Ascension I and II), 1 standalone live album (Live at the House of Blues), and several live DVDs. They toured heavily, every year almost, from 1997 through 2004, with the 2002-2004 tours not being in support of any new material. And none of the guys is getting any younger: Alan is the youngest of the White/Squire/Anderson/Howe quartet at 59…Jon is oldest at 63.
I understand the other three’s motivations for wanting to play out…this is the 40th anniversary of the band’s formation, and that is cause for celebration. For many people, Jon Anderson IS Yes…his voice is the one thing most people immediately recognise as being Yes. Touring without that voice, and his long, winding, easy to get lost in talks between songs, his dedications to Janeeee his wife, his pixie-ish persona, is like touring without a big part of what many people identify as Yes.
Personally, I almost prefer that Howe/Squire/White toured under a different name, similar to how Iommi/Butler/Appice/Dio tour as Heaven and Hell, not Black Sabbath (despite the fact that they are really Black Sabbath…or at least a line-up of Sabbath that had historical precedence). While some tour dates are being listed as Howe/Squire/White of Yes: In the Present, many dates are being advertised as simply Yes. Touring as Drama, or The Affirmatives, or anything else, might not have had the economic strength of touring as Yes, but would perhaps be more clear to casual fans that expect Jon Anderson, “Roundabout,” “I’ve Seen All Good People,” and “Owner of a Lonely Heart” that this is not necessarily Yes…even though it’s 3/5 of Yes, and playing Yes music. It would be fairer to Benoit David, who is being touted as not Jon Anderson’s replacement by Chris Squire (“This isn't an attempt to replace Jon Anderson, because as we all know, that would be impossible.”), and yet in the press has been called the new lead singer of Yes. And it may have gone a long way toward mollifying Jon Anderson, who currently feels disrespected as quoted above.
But this is Yes. And Yes has never been anything but a band filled with dissension, difficulty, occasional hostility, and various/sundry fractures and break-ups. It will be interesting to see how ticket sales go, how the tour goes, and what this means for future Yes activity.
I’ve gotten e-mails and comments elsewhere asking why I haven’t written about two particular topics that have been fairly heavily discussed in progressive music circles recently.
The first of these topics is the recent death of Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright. My honest answer here is this; while his passing is of course sudden, and tragic, and pretty much puts the final nail in the Pink Floyd coffin (and oh how difficult it is to use that analogy here and now), I simply have no real emotional response. I am sad that he is gone, and that his musical voice has been silenced. His recent work with David Gilmour touring On An Island showed him to be happy, motivated and re-energised in playing and singing. “Wearing the Inside Out” on The Division Bell showed his songwriting voice to be back…not as whimsical as he was as a young man, perhaps the flip side of the young man playing in the summer that we saw in “Remember a Day.”
So yes, I am sad he is gone. But I have no other pithy, philosophical statements to make. I never saw PF live (had my chances in 1988/1989 and 1994, and passed due to show size and cost), and while I have the videos and albums, that’s as far as my connection goes. I was probably more upset over the passing of Roger Keith Barrett…not to belittle Richard Wright’s contributions to PF or his importance, but…it’s my position, and I am sticking to it.
The second subject is the “In The Present” tour with Steve Howe, Chris Squire, and Alan White of Yes, with Oliver Wakeman (son of Rick) and Benoit David replacing Jon Anderson. Jon has been very clear in expressing his opinion on the situation:
“And I feel very disrespected, having spent most of this year creating songs and constant ideas for the band, spending time with Roger Dean creating a stage design, also working with VH1 and Sirius and XM Radio to help promote the welfare of YES.”
There’s been thousands…perhaps tens of thousands…of words spent debating this subject on various mailing lists, forums, et cetera. And I am not sure what I can say or add to the discussion that in any way makes a difference…save for the fact that several people have, again, asked me why I haven’t written about it or expressed my viewpoint.
So here it is.
Yes has existed without Jon Anderson before (Drama). Yes has gone through more line-up changes than some major league baseball teams over their history…casting aside musicians without a thought when someone better or more appropriate (or more available) came along. Yes was incredibly active from 1996 through 2004, releasing 3 standalone studio albums (Open Your Eyes, The Ladder, Magnification), two mixed live/studio albums (Keys to Ascension I and II), 1 standalone live album (Live at the House of Blues), and several live DVDs. They toured heavily, every year almost, from 1997 through 2004, with the 2002-2004 tours not being in support of any new material. And none of the guys is getting any younger: Alan is the youngest of the White/Squire/Anderson/Howe quartet at 59…Jon is oldest at 63.
I understand the other three’s motivations for wanting to play out…this is the 40th anniversary of the band’s formation, and that is cause for celebration. For many people, Jon Anderson IS Yes…his voice is the one thing most people immediately recognise as being Yes. Touring without that voice, and his long, winding, easy to get lost in talks between songs, his dedications to Janeeee his wife, his pixie-ish persona, is like touring without a big part of what many people identify as Yes.
Personally, I almost prefer that Howe/Squire/White toured under a different name, similar to how Iommi/Butler/Appice/Dio tour as Heaven and Hell, not Black Sabbath (despite the fact that they are really Black Sabbath…or at least a line-up of Sabbath that had historical precedence). While some tour dates are being listed as Howe/Squire/White of Yes: In the Present, many dates are being advertised as simply Yes. Touring as Drama, or The Affirmatives, or anything else, might not have had the economic strength of touring as Yes, but would perhaps be more clear to casual fans that expect Jon Anderson, “Roundabout,” “I’ve Seen All Good People,” and “Owner of a Lonely Heart” that this is not necessarily Yes…even though it’s 3/5 of Yes, and playing Yes music. It would be fairer to Benoit David, who is being touted as not Jon Anderson’s replacement by Chris Squire (“This isn't an attempt to replace Jon Anderson, because as we all know, that would be impossible.”), and yet in the press has been called the new lead singer of Yes. And it may have gone a long way toward mollifying Jon Anderson, who currently feels disrespected as quoted above.
But this is Yes. And Yes has never been anything but a band filled with dissension, difficulty, occasional hostility, and various/sundry fractures and break-ups. It will be interesting to see how ticket sales go, how the tour goes, and what this means for future Yes activity.
25 September 2008
Yes - In The Present Tour details
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 25, 2008—YES concerts have always been very special events, and this winter’s “In the Present” tour, hitting a total of 30 cities in November and December, will be no different, as Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White play selections from hit albums like Fragile, Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans and 90125 along with audience favorites like “Roundabout,” “Owner of a Lonely Heart” and “I’ve Seen All Good People,” some of the enduring classics that have made YES the most influential and groundbreaking progressive group in rock & roll.
The tour will get underway at the Hamilton Place Theater in Hamilton, ON, on Nov. 4 and run through Dec. 17 at the Hard Rock Casino in Miami., featuring guitarist Howe, bassist Squire and drummer White, joined by keyboardist Oliver Wakeman, the son of YES’ Rick Wakeman, and vocalist Benoit David, a Montreal, Quebec, native and vocalist in several YES tribute groups, who was discovered by the band on the Internet and invited on the tour.
The group’s itinerary includes performances at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Nov. 14, Baltimore’s Ram’s Head Live Nov. 16, Cleveland’s House of Blues Nov. 25, Detroit’s Fillmore on Nov. 26, Cincinnati’s Taft Theater Nov. 29, St. Louis’ The Pageant Dec. 2, Chicago’s Chicago Theater Dec. 3, Atlanta’s The Tabernacle Dec. 7, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium Dec. 10 and Orlando’s Hard Rock Live Nov. 14, with more dates to be announced.
Over the course of a remarkable 40-year career that has time and again redefined the boundaries of rock, YES have become renowned for their live performances since being formed in 1968 by Chris Squire and Jon Anderson, who shared a mutual interest in vocal harmonies and classical music. With drummer Bill Bruford, guitarist Peter Banks and keyboardist Tony Kaye, they became YES, earning a residency at the famed London venue The Marquee Club, where they played with the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd, releasing their self-titled debut album in July 1969.
Guitarist Steve Howe, who went on to play in the popular prog-rock groups Asia and GTR and continues releasing acclaimed solo albums and touring, brought an experimental cutting edge to YES for their 1970’s The Yes Album, their first album to top the UK charts. Drummer Alan White, who had been hand-picked to play on John Lennon’s Imagine and George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, came aboard in 1972. YES then went on to conquer America and played at some of the largest paid attendance concerts of all time, including JFK Stadium in Philadelphia in 1976 to a crowd of over 130,000 people.
A dominant force in rock music for more than four decades, YES has created some of rock’s most enduring and compelling hits, selling more than 30 million albums worldwide. The group has defined music history with their dynamic instrumental contrasts and abstract lyrics. Their symphonic use of sound and innovative musical styles continues to make them the most successful progressive rock band in history and their amazing career continues to defy many of their rock counterparts.
Says Chris Squire: ‘In the Present’ perfectly describes our experience in rediscovering these songs all over again while performing them in concert, as if for the very first time.”
“IN THE PRESENT” TOUR DATES
Nov. 4: Hamilton Place Theater, Hamilton, ON
Nov. 5: Massey Hall, Toronto, ON
Nov. 7: Hampton Beach Casino, Hampton Beach, NH
Nov. 8: Community Arts Center, Williamsport, PA
Nov. 9: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT
Nov. 11: Hershey Theater, Hershey, PA
Nov. 12: The LC Pavilion, Columbus, OH
Nov. 14: Hammerstein Ballroom, NY, NY
Nov. 15: Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
Nov. 16: Ram’s Head Live, Baltimore, MD
Nov. 18: Sovereign PAC, Reading, PA
Nov. 19: The National, Richmond, VA
Nov. 21: Borgata Events Center, Atlantic City, NJ
Nov. 22: Theatre @ Westbury, Westbury, NY
Nov. 23: Theatre @Times Union Center, Albany, NY
Nov. 25: House of Blues, Cleveland, OH
Nov. 26: The Fillmore, Detroit, MI
Nov. 28: Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH
Nov. 29: Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI
Nov. 30: US Cellular Center, Bloomington, IL
Dec. 2: The Pageant, St. Louis, MO
Dec. 3: Chicago Theater, Chicago, IL
Dec. 6: House of Blues, Myrtle Beach, SC
Dec. 7: The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
Dec. 9: Palace Theater, Louisville, KY
Dec. 10: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
Dec. 14: Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL
Dec. 15: Ruth Eckerd, Clearwater, FL
Dec. 17: Hard Rock Casino, Miami, FL
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