----------------------------------------------------- OCTOBER 16, 2002 ----------------------------------------------------- Source: Akron Beacon Journal http://artemis.thebeaconjournal.com Yes still in harmony: Members give Akron performances befitting their status as prog-rock deities By Malcolm X Abram The nearly full house that came to the Akron Civic Theatre on Friday night saw two star attractions. The first was what they had paid to see, the English progressive rock band Yes, which performed a 2 ½ hour set of its intricate music encompassing nearly all of its 34-year history. The second attraction was the recently reopened building itself, which almost served as an opening act as audience members walked around gawking at the renovations and reminiscing about past concert experiences before the band took the stage. Later in the evening, even singer Jon Anderson felt compelled to comment, ``This place is such a dump, it's so dirty,'' he said jokingly. When the five-piece band did step on stage, to the recorded strains of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, the crowd was quickly snapped out of their nostalgic reverie with the opening chords of Siberian Khatru from Close To The Edge. To nonfans, prog-rock's trademarks -- exhaustingly lengthy songs with complex chord changes, jumpy time signatures and often obtuse lyrics -- are much too cerebral to be considered good, old-fashioned rock 'n' roll. But what has made Yes more commercially successful than many of their '70s peers such as King Crimson and Emerson, Lake and Palmer is their ability to drop in some catchy hooks, soaring melodies and basic rock riffs among all the technical fireworks. In their three-plus decades, there have been many permutations of the band, but the current lineup of guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Chris Squire, keyboardist Rick Wakeman, drummer Alan White and singer Jon Anderson is the most beloved by fans. The group delivered by faithfully recreating many fan favorites with just enough flourishes to make the performances unique. Throughout the show, Anderson, Squire and Howe's harmonies were as tight as they were on the records. And, although he celebrated his 58th birthday last month, Anderson -- known for his high, ethereal vocals -- can still hit the high notes as he proved early on during In The Presence Of... from their most recent studio release Magnification. The set list concentrated on the band's 1970s heyday, completely ignoring its '80s flirtation with pop that produced their biggest hit Owner Of A Lonely Heart. Instead, the band performed several of its multipart songs, including a sonically perfect version of the nearly 20-minute Close To The Edge. Yes also played most of its 1972 breakthrough release Fragile, including the classic rock staples Roundabout and Long Distance Runaround. Befitting their status as prog-rock deities, each of the band members took solo spotlights with Howe (whose receding hairline, horn-rimmed glasses and stern face made him look like an Oxford professor moonlighting in a rock band), performing a few songs on acoustic nylon string guitar. Anderson sang a lovely song accompanying himself on guitar. Wakeman used his many stacks of keyboards to mash out a pieces of his The Six Wives of Henry VIII and a finger cramping solo that sounded like a fugue Bach might have written had he spent a few nights in New Orleans. Squire, the most animated of the group, did his Whitefish medley with help from White and jumped around the stage posing dramatically -- all to the delight of the crowd. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact YesinthePress@aol.com