------------------------------------------------------- MAY 13, 2004 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: Nashua Telegraph http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article/?AID=/20040513/ENTERTAINMENT/40513079 Yes to hit Lowell on 35th anniversary tour By Patrick Meighan Yes’ 35th anniversary tour When: 8 p.m. Saturday, May 15. Where: Tsongas Arena, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell, Mass. Tickets: $50-$75; available by calling Ticketmaster at 868-7300 or visiting www.ticketmaster.com. Longevity sometimes is its own reward. In fact, guitarist Steve Howe cites longevity as one of the best qualities of the musical collaboration that has dominated his career. “Yes wasn’t a fly-by-night group,” Howe, 57, said in a recent telephone interview. “It didn’t collapse after its second album. It’s gone on for 25 years. Certainly, it has baggage and history because of that.” The baggage has been well-documented. Here’s the short version of a history that included a lawsuit over use of the name and a revolving door of musicians: A British rock band that defined “progressive” rock, or the unfortunate term “art rock,” in the ’70s, Yes dazzled critics and fans with such hit records as “The Yes Album,” “Fragile,” “Close to the Edge” and “Going for the One.” A famous breakup ensued in the ’80s. The band reemerged with a new lineup that nearly robbed Yes of its identity. Lead singer Jon Anderson and keyboardist Rick Wakeman left to pursue solo projects and were replaced by Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes. Meanwhile, lead guitarist Howe teamed up with a couple other refugees from top rock bands, including drummer Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, to form the band Asia. Then some of the old Yes guard, including Anderson but sans Howe, hooked up with South African guitarist Trevor Rabin and released “90125,” which struck gold with such songs as “Owner of a Lonely Heart.” Following another record, Rabin left, Howe returned, and after a reunion album and tour in-the-round in the ’90s, new and rereleased material hit record stores this century. Now, Yes is again on the road, with a stop Saturday, May 15, at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Mass. The lineup for the tour is all veteran Yes men – Howe, the angelic-voiced Anderson, Wakeman, bassist Chris Squire, who co-founded the band with Anderson in 1968, and longtime drummer Alan White. Howe once said he never felt fulfilled playing with Yes if Wakeman wasn’t manning the keyboards. Wakeman’s wizardry provides a “good balance” to his own playing, Howe said. “If I’m going to play with Yes, it’s best that Rick’s in the band. You can have somebody else play the music, but not as well as Rick,” said the London-born guitarist. Both he and Wakeman share a compatibility of styles, Howe noted. Despite the intricately textured, melodic sound, Yes’ music allowed sufficient space for each to shine as a soloist, he said, as well as for the other musicians. “Rick and I do take extended, improvisational solos. There really isn’t a limit on how long they can be.” Through its history, Yes has been an incredibly tight band and a collection of master musicians. Each was more rock musician than rock star, Howe agreed. “Being a rock star certainly wasn’t the crucial thing with it . . . There is a kind of complexity, a balance of complexity and ‘rockness.’ ” Howe has appeared on nearly every critic’s list of the best rock guitarists. He’s been described as something of a chameleon, soaking up the influences of numerous styles, including jazz, blues, classical and country. “I was able to draw from a lot of different styles, and that was fulfilling,” he said. “I didn’t conform to the blues and rock style most bands were playing. I guess I was a nonconformist.” Howe has a sharp ear for “artistry” in other guitarists. “When I come across a player and they’re inspiring, and they’re interesting and they bring something to me, I don’t forget them,” he said. Some of those influences – or at least players who have impressed and inspired Howe – include well-known names such as Django Reinhardt, Chet Atkins, George Harrison and Roger McGuinn. Others are more secure, such as Martin Taylor, whom Howe described as a “Scottish jazz guitarist”; Nashville cat Hank Garland; Steve Morse, “one of most impressive guitarists and influences of last 20 years”; and Alan Murphy, who used to play with Go West and died of AIDS in the late ’80s, and who was brilliant, Howe said. Some of Howe’s most impressive work with Yes has been on acoustic and 12-string acoustic guitar, such as on “I’ve Seen All Good People” and the spectacular, Spanish-flavored “Mood for a Day.” “A Spanish guitar is a serious instrument,” Howe said. “It has a wonderful sound.” With so large a song catalog to draw from, it was a challenge to choose which songs to perform on the tour, which is being billed as equal to the “grand scale of past years.” The tour will feature performances of more than three hours, as well as stage designs by Roger Dean, the graphic artist whose distinctive style has graced numerous Yes album covers. Howe and Anderson sat down and picked out the songs, offering as a litmus test “likeability” – that is, which ones they wanted to play. Don’t expect to hear “Mood for a Day,” though, or Wakeman’s “Cans and Brahms,” or any other solo instrumental piece. “For this tour, the emphasis is more on group playing,” Howe said. Besides Yes, Asia and GTR (a short-lived band Howe formed with Steve Hackett, formerly of Genesis), Howe has had many other projects, such as the recent Elements with his two sons, drummer Dylan and keyboard player Virgil. The project marked a return to roots of the music, straightforward rock, blues and jazz. “I wanted to do that,” Howe said. “Yes certainly can do that with Yes music. But I wanted to do that with other music.” Rock star, master guitarist and now father of rock musicians, Howe occupies a unique perspective that one can only achieve through longevity. Asked what advice he would give to a teenager who might strap on an electric guitar and aspire to play rock ’n’ roll, Howe offered this: “It doesn’t matter how fast you can play. That’s boring, if you’re not having musicality and expression. “Follow your instinct. Music is about instinct. Work hard. Improve through hard work and love of music. Learn your instrument. Learning is a big part of it. You’re always learning. I’m still learning. It goes on until you stop playing, I guess.” As for Yes, the band isn’t quite close to the edge of retirement, Howe noted. “The band wants to go on,” he said. “Of course, we can’t make promises. We can only look ahead, year by year.” Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, inquiries, corrections, or additions, contact yitp@yesservices.com