------------------------------------------------------- MAY 13, 2004 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: Philadelphia Inquirer The show went long, but Yes fell short By Patrick Berkery The progressive-rock veterans of Yes played the Wachovia Spectrum Monday in the midst of a tour celebrating their 35th anniversary. By the time the 3 1/2-hour show wound down, it felt as if their 40th was just around the bend. The long evening was marked by long songs and long solos performed by long-in-the-tooth players. But they rendered few bona fide hits. Instead of the sprawling grandeur of "Starship Trooper," the New Agey opus from the mid-'90s called "Mind Drive/Foot Prints" gave the master craftsmen of Yes - Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Alan White - a chance to show off their dexterous chops while chewing up 25 minutes. And it was criminal to perform "Roundabout" not as the sinuous rock-radio classic it is, driven by Squire's serpentine bass and Wakeman's wailing Hammond organ solos, but as a lazy blues shuffle during an acoustic segment. Sure, veteran bands need to shake it up to keep things fresh. But when they're charging between $40 and $80 a head, they're somewhat obligated to give the people what they want. A lounge-band version of "Roundabout" probably wasn't high on the people's wish list. Nor was having the P.A. kept at "don't-disturb-the-neighbors" level. The lack of volume tethered opener "Going For the One" and "Yours Is No Disgrace" (played at a markedly slow pace), though it did lend clarity to the elfin Anderson's castrato voice, which is still in fine shape after all these years. Given Yes' long relationship with Philadelphia radio fixture Ed Sciaky, it was genuinely moving when Anderson dedicated the acoustic "Time Is Time" to the late disc jockey. But when "Roundabout" followed, the goose bumps were gone, and so was any chance of salvaging the lengthy evening. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, inquiries, corrections, or additions, contact yitp@yesservices.com