----------------------------------------------------- JULY 20, 2002 ----------------------------------------------------- Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Fans soar with Yes as band kicks off tour Saturday, July 20, 2002 By Bill White After two weeks of rehearsal in Seattle, Yes opened its 2002 North American tour with a three-hour extravaganza at the Paramount Theatre. Boasting the classic lineup of Jon Anderson (vocals), Steve Howe (guitar), Chris Squire (bass), Rick Wakeman (keyboards) and Alan White (drums), Wednesday night's show was heavy on epic suites and light on top-40 hits. The charged members of the audience saved most of their exuberance for the standing ovations following each piece of music. During the songs themselves, they were quiet and intent. Each Yes fan has a different way of listening. One person headbanged while another swooned; one followed the lyrics while another journeyed along with the guitar and keyboard explorations. And some simply spaced out to the rising and falling of yellow bubbles of a light show projected on the triptych behind the band. Yes, which has just released a boxed set chronicling its 34-year existence, traversed both the wonderlands and the wastelands of art rock. Today this kind of music has been termed "math rock," because it is counted out in measures, rather than played intuitively. Unlike straight rock, the soloists do not ride the rhythm, but are contained by it. Howe uses his drum kit like the percussion section of an orchestra, measuring out space according to his chosen tempos. The musical terrain is one of foible and fascination. Just as one begins to question the clumsy throb behind a lilting pastoral aria, the band charges into ecstatic dynamics that suggest the sort of music Beethoven might have composed had he written for a rock quartet. Wakeman's return might be a significant factor in the leaning of the set-list toward the epic pieces. Fans have been waiting a long time to see him on stage with his old cohorts, and he did not disappoint. Looking wizardlike in a silver-and-black smoking jacket, Wakeman proved himself master of the keyboard realm, in perfect syncronicity with Howe's versatile guitar. One of the first rock musicians to exploit the possibilities of the bass guitar as a lead instrument, Squire was the band's rudder. With a fan blowing his hair about, he maintained the pose of a man keeping the ship on course as it pierced through the storm. Time has weakened and reduced the range of Anderson's vocals. On a deconstruction of Simon and Garfunkel's "America," his non-melodic treatment of the verses amounted to a strained shout. Squire's much-appreciated harmonies saved the song from utter devastation. After a first set that climaxed with a solo guitar turn by Howe that incorporated aspects of classical, Spanish and rock music, a more relaxed Anderson met the challenge of "Heart of the Sunrise" and "Roundabout," both from 1972's "Fragile." Although the tunes came off well, his voice was better suited to "Magnification," the title song from their most recent album, than the more difficult expanses of his earlier work, which is perhaps another reason the band favored their instrumental side this time around. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact YesinthePress@aol.com