------------------------------------------------ SEPTEMBER 3, 2001 ------------------------------------------------ Source: Hartford, Connecticut Courant http://www.ctnow.com/ (abbreviated link text) Yes at the ctnow.com Oakdale Theatre  By Thomas Kintner Progressive rock has always been about marrying pop music proficiency with an artistic sensibility that aspires to more serious standards, so it is not much of a stretch to see how the veteran concern Yes came up with the idea to include a full orchestra on its current tour. Saturday evening that tour played to an announced crowd of 3,200 at the ctnow.com Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, bringing occasional fresh interest to a lineup heavy with songs long since worn into memory. The orchestra started the evening with a brief overture, conductor Bill Stromberg's leather pants hinting that it wouldn't be a typical night at the symphony to those who had not already guessed. Yes soon made its way onstage and joined in, guitarist Steve Howe's jazz-inflected electric playing immediately taking the place in the spotlight it would hold throughout the show. Although it occasionally came off as window dressing, the orchestral support gave the group's sound a depth fitting for such meandering, multitempo jams as "Close to the Edge," all the while leaving room for accents such as the bass plucking of Chris Squire. A cheer went up when Howe interrupted a soothing instrumental flow with his signature line at the top of "Long Distance Runaround," Jon Anderson's high-end vocal sound ringing above a swell of strings in familiar fashion. Anderson then led the audience into unfamiliar territory with a pair of new tunes, following the up-tempo "Don't Go" with the long-winded four-part suite "In the Presence Of" that strove to be epic, but came off as overblown. It was curious to watch the rock band and orchestra as they interacted, such as when Stromberg had to keep an eye on the soloing Howe to follow changes during a long run through "Gates of Delirium." The real problem posed during that song and many others was that the sound of the five-piece band was so stout that the orchestra was hardly noticeable, and as a result hardly necessary. During soft passages the combined sound was pleasant, but the easiest sounds to track during "Perpetual Change" were the chattering and pounding of keyboard player Tom Brislin and the pyrotechnics offered by Howe in a blistering climax. Howe's engaging acoustic guitar showcase while all other musicians headed offstage for a break pointed up his position as the group's ace, but everyone got a chance to show off chops. For Squire it was a theatrical turn as he plunked down a rumbling line during the melodramatic "Starship Trooper." Drummer Alan White's moment in "Ritual/Nous Sommes Du Soleil" was pleasantly free of big rock drum solo cliches, as three band mates joined in on their own sets of drums to form a percussive churn. Big finishes were standard issue for nearly every song, but the audience reserved special enthusiasm for a sing-along to the main set closer "I've Seen All Good People," then took to dancing in the aisles as the orchestra rose up beneath Howe's blues-style flourish late in the number. The band returned without the orchestra to offer its 1972 hit "Roundabout" with an arrangement so loaded that few people could have missed the extra musicians. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact YesinthePress@aol.com