------------------------------------------------------- APRIL 13, 2004 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: San Jose Mercury News http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/music/8421848.htm At 35, Yes is improvisational and worth another listen By Brad Kava When they bring their 35th anniversary tour to San Jose's HP Pavilion on Saturday, members of Yes will defy not only the odds, but also the predictions of plenty of critics. This band came up as part of a sub-genre -- art rock -- that mixed long-form classical music aspirations with electric instruments and a Tolkien-like sense of myth and graphics. The more fans ate it up, the more critics bashed it as pretentious. But the band lasted through numerous personnel changes, and total changes in music, including its most lucrative period as a Top 40 band in the 1980s with a single, ``Owner of a Lonely Heart.'' In its last two tours, appearing at Cupertino's Flint Center and San Jose's Center for the Performing Arts, longtime members (Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White) showed themselves to have grown as musicians, even if fans wanted to hear mostly familiar songs. Pretentiousness aside, they stood the classics on their heads, infusing them with jazzlike improvisations and mastery, well worth another listen. Yes plays at 8 p.m., with tickets ranging from $35 to $75, available at Ticketmaster. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, inquiries, corrections, or additions, contact yitp@yesservices.com