----------------------------------------------------- MAY 1, 2001 ----------------------------------------------------- Source: Progressive World http://www.progressiveworld.net/yesvid.html Yes Video - House Of Yes: Live From The House Of Blues By Stephanie Sollow Having never seen Yes live before, at least outside of clips or something that may have aired somewhere in the past, I was quite looking forward to the House Of Yes: Live From The House Of Blues video. This review is of the VHS version, though I understand there is also a DVD version. Filmed at their House Of Blues Las Vegas performance in 1999, this Yes features Steve Howe on guitar, Igor Khoroshev on keys, Jon Anderson on vocals (percussion and harp, too), Alan White on drums and percussion, Chris Squire on bass, and Billy Sherwood on guitar.  The sound itself is fairly clear, and on newer equipment, listeners may be able to take advantage of the video being recorded using 5.1 Digital Audio. Not being a sound person, I'm not sure if this would be true on my 10+ year old VCR. Although at first the sound seemed a bit hollow, which may have been captured at the recording time, or had to do with the acoustics at HOB, as the concert got going, I noticed it less and less. David Cisco notes in his review of the audio CD that, "The sound is a mid-range mire in which instruments and voices merge to create a flat, grating sonic assault that occasionally hurts the ears. Keys, Sherwood's guitar, background vocals, and even Squire's bass -- where is the bottom? -- get caught up in the stew, often cancel each other out, giving some songs the appearance of white noise." I think the production is a bit better for the video, though it does seem to be balanced more in favor of Howe and Anderson, as the CD is. Performance-wise, Yes did very well. Short of playing songs by rote, they seemed to delight in expanding the tracks here and there. Steve Howe had a large share of screen time, and deservedly so. In fact, the focus was split between Anderson and Howe, occasionally intercutting with the rest of the band. The newer members Khoroshev and Sherwood were focused on the least. There are a few quick edits, but otherwise the editing flowed. During "Homeworld (The Ladder)," digital spaceships were inserted into the background, perhaps taking the feed from the rear projection screen, but it's distracting, because you either want to focus on that rather than the concert, or on the concert, making the background irrelevant. It's only for that track, which makes me wonder why it was done at all. Yes' set for this outing includes five tracks from The Ladder, plus a smattering of classics. Knowing that Howe was uncomfortable playing Rabin's parts on their 80s material (at least that he didn't like to), it isn't surprising that Howe is absent for the encore of "Cinema" (from 90125). But he does play on "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" and plays a great solo at the end that puts his stamp on the track. This leaves Sherwood, who left the band last year, to play Rabin's parts. I may have been a sound problem, as he seemed low in the mix during "Cinema" but I wasn't impressed with his playing here.  Anderson seemed to enjoy performing, making eye contact with audience members, waving at some (people he knew perhaps). Howe seemed focus on his performance, but hitting his cues when it came time for his backing vocals. Squire and White seemed very happy to be there, White perhaps more so as he almost always had a smile on his face. Sherwood was hard to read, perhaps already feeling that the band had one too many guitarists. That all of the solos were Howe's, I can see how he'd feel that way. Khoroshev seemed even more focused on his tasks than Howe, but as he got little screen time that wasn't from behind, it's hard to say how engaged in the show he was. The video opens with the intro of "Yours Is No Disgrace," while a series of snap shots of Yes through the years appears, leading into the live performance. I can only imagine that there is a whole lot more supplemental material on the DVD version ... which means I'll have to track down a copy of that. Anyway, those who've seen Yes live more than once might be in a better position to put this concert in context with their past performances (and other live Yes videos), but I quite enjoyed it. And so recommend it to those who, like me, have yet to see Yes live in person. Though I think with a better sound mix, it'd have been spectacular. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact YesinthePress@aol.com