Post by stevielad on Jun 25, 2022 18:28:39 GMT
YES, you piss-taking knuckledraggers! I went last night.
It was actually a nice evening. The Boss and I met some friends beforehand for a nice meal, and made an evening of it. We were all trying to work out how many times we've seen Yes together, but the fact of the matter is we've all been attending gigs together since the 70's, and we've lost count of the times and various locations we've seen them in all their various line-ups. Let me just state that Yes were really my Wife's band. Back in the day it was ELP vs Yes, and Emerson vs Wakeman. You were forbidden to like both....it had to be one or the other. Obviously, my feet were firmly in the ELP camp. However, time and appreciation (and the Wife's constant moaning) changed all that.
It was certainly a gig with a difference. The 'Support Band' was none other than Roger Dean, and he gave an on-stage presentation of his work and inspirations through the years. There was also an exhibition of his work, and an opportunity to buy some of it if you were so inclined. I've met him before on the HMS Prog experience, and at that time I managed to get him to sign an armful of albums that I took along. I must say that I was sorely tempted to buy a re-worked litho of the One Badger album......I've actually been tempted by this particular artwork before. However, at £2.5k my good lady made me sit on my hands. Maybe one day......
The band, and the tech were great. It was a slick and polished performance enhanced by the constantly changing Roger Dean created backdrop, an amazing lightshow, and the superb acoustics of the Symphony Hall. Especially magical was the movie that supported 'Roundabout'. It gave the impression of coming in to land onto the planet off the 'Fragile' cover. Really effective!
A real shocker was when they lobbed in 'No Opportunity Necessary' from Time And A Word, closely followed by 'Does It Really Happen' from Drama. A setlist with a difference!
Close to 2500 people had a great night last night, yours truly included.
