------------------------------------------------------- JUNE 22, 2004 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: The Scotsman http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm\?id=715232004 YES *** SECC, GLASGOW By Jay Richardson After three-and-a-quarter hours pinned to my seat by the sheer, self-affirming spectacle of Yes, I felt like Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange, my eyes prised wide and unblinking by the near ceaseless excess. Amid a ballooning set of inflatable abstract animal parts, they routinely orbited a stratosphere somewhere beyond Spinal Tap irony - singer Jon Anderson's crowd-walking Rhythm of Love recalling a televangelist pressing hands, his glow-in-the-dark jacket and failure to keep the vocals up to speed a squirm-inducing sight. Yet his voice is still that rarest of falsettos, as displayed on a classily acoustic Owner Of A Lonely Heart, and the band are still capable of stunning with the breadth of their ambition. Penultimate number Ritual showcased an intense duel between Rick Wakeman's synthesisers and Chris Squire's bass, with Alan White's drum kit, augmented by six massive automated skins, crashing through its impressive finale alongside Squire and Anderson's additional drums and percussion. Preceded by a superb And You And I, this brace could have been the night's highlight were it not for a juggernauting Mind Drive and a welcome acoustic set in the middle section. Momentarily abandoning the swaggering pretension of Squire pointing to the ceiling and such like, this was simply five skilled artists playing off each other, and, on his Portuguese guitar especially, it gave Steve Howe the opportunity to shine. A wiry, intense performer, he was at the heart of the bluesy treatment of Roundabout and played The Clap solo with an intricate vigour. Two hours of this would have been preferable, but as the tumultuous reception for the encore, Starship Troopers, demonstrated, Yes fans like their roar from the belly of a space-age behemoth. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, inquiries, corrections, or additions, contact yitp@yesservices.com