Has Steve's playing improved since he started to wear spectacles?

[BrianD]

The first time I noticed Steve wearing spectacles on stage was on the Yes Symphonic DVD. He wasn't wearing them on the House of Blues DVD but I don't know when he started to wear them.

From the three DVDS - KTA, HOB and Symphonic plus having seen him a few weeks ago in Australia, my impression is that Steve's playing has improved considerably in the last few years. I do recall a number of people commenting 3 or 4 years ago that Steve wasn't playing as well as in the past. Don't get me wrong - i think he has always played well but lately he has been HOT.

I just took another look at HOB and throughout you can see Steve squinting and screwing up his face - I suspect he was having difficulty seeing his fingers and strings clearly. Now with spectacles, he appears more relaxed and he obviously can see more clearly.

What do you think?

[Genevive]

The first time I saw Steve wearing spectacles was on the Masterworks tour, and that tour rocked.

I don't know, sometimes I hear him not ripping through some songs like he used to, like YIND for example. Other songs, such as HOTS like you mentioned, he still makes a killing on.

[yarstruly]

Its a great theory, but probably not....It's more about feel than vision. There have been many great blind musicians. As a guitarist, you should be able to play just as well blindfolded as you do when you have 20/20 vision.

[yesindeed]

Originally posted by Genevive
The first time I saw Steve wearing spectacles was on the Masterworks tour, and that tour rocked.

I don't know, sometimes I hear him not ripping through some songs like he used to, like YIND for example. Other songs, such as HOTS like you mentioned, he still makes a killing on.

Sure agree with you there... Wurm for instance is always a hit and miss (imho) with steve live. Sometime he kills it and sometimes... well sometimes it looks like he is tired and he backs of the heavy duty fingering and chords it to death...

[MrPhil]

What do you think?
In general, a good guitarist, or any good musician can play with his eyes closed. There is no big need to look at the strings.

[soulsearcher]

i think steve could play in his sleep!

[pedro skychaser]

re steve's screwed up face during HOB,isn't it on record that he was pissed off by then with billy sharing axe duties? the glasses do make him look more professorial,as in professor howe,hogwarts,master of enchantments+arpeggios!


btw...is ursprungligen, mr phil, a swedish verb to watch a jon anderson ballet?

[Roan's Lady]

re steve's screwed up face during HOB,isn't it on record that he was pissed off by then with billy sharing axe duties?

I thought his screwed-up face was the result of the digestion of his pre-show plate of raw veggies. Workings of Man...

[Vic Anderson]

i think steve's palyng improved last tour imo compared to the full circle

[InverYes]

I thought his screwed-up face was the result of the digestion of his pre-show plate of raw veggies. Workings of Man...

No, no Amy. ALAN'S screwed up face is a a result of Steve's digestion of his pre-show plate of raw veggies. :1loudspkr

[BrianD]

I'm not a musician so I bow to those who know better on that. However I presume that steve has started wearing specs because he has become long sighted as he has aged - I have never seen photos of Steve wearing specs in his younger days when short sightedness (poor distance vision) usually occurs. Most of us over 45 get long sighted - you need reading glasses. So why would he need to wear reading glasses on stage if he wasn't trying to see something close up i.e. his guitar strings and fingers?

[Roan's Lady]

No, no Amy. ALAN'S screwed up face is a a result of Steve's digestion of his pre-show plate of raw veggies. :1loudspkr

:lmao: Funny!!

[wolfhound]

I'm not a musician so I bow to those who know better on that. However I presume that steve has started wearing specs because he has become long sighted as he has aged - I have never seen photos of Steve wearing specs in his younger days when short sightedness (poor distance vision) usually occurs. Most of us over 45 get long sighted - you need reading glasses. So why would he need to wear reading glasses on stage if he wasn't trying to see something close up i.e. his guitar strings and fingers?
Yeah, it misses the mark to say he could play with his eyes closed. He doesn't play with his eyes closed. So he's been staring at blurry fingers and blurry necks for a while and decided it was time to see things as he used to. If anything, the blurriness could be a distraction.

[MrPhil]

btw...is ursprungligen, mr phil, a swedish verb to watch a jon anderson ballet?

Eh what? ..... ????

A Jon Anderson ballet ????

"Ursprungligen postat" means originally posted.

A ballet!??? :dog:

[MrPhil]

I'm not a musician so I bow to those who know better on that. So why would he need to wear reading glasses on stage if he wasn't trying to see something close up i.e. his guitar strings and fingers?
Maybe he wants to see what the volume and tone knobs are set at on his guitar and amp.
What most of us mean by saying he could probably play with his eyes closed, is that he can, not that he does. One ususaly look at ones instrument anyway, even if there's no real need. And of course, if you see it blurry, it'll give you headaches. I still don't think he needs to see where to put his fingers on the fretboard or where the strings are.

[cinderella]

i think steve could play in his sleep!

I think so too. Maybe he just needs to see where he's going and not what he's playing and yes blurriness can be a distraction.

[pedro skychaser]

A Jon Anderson ballet ????

"Ursprungligen postat" means originally posted.

A ballet!??? :

sorry mr phil,weak attempt @ humour-"ursprung" was title of ballet music jon wrote for ian anderson's brother who controlled royal scottish ballet,circa 1982--daniel ernshaw is on trail to recover it..wish him luck...if memory serves its all about water sprites!!as it would be!

back on topic,oh that's right,steve's playing--still top-notch,perhaps could do better,egged on by another glass wearing genius,trevor charles horn (next year-deep in the english countryside @ sarm manor-veggie meals provided)

[Earl Grey]

Steve Howe is playing amazingly!

Howe always sounds great, but he's in the pocket right now, I think it's high time for a new YES album...

[MrPhil]

A Jon Anderson ballet ????

"Ursprungligen postat" means originally posted.

A ballet!??? :

sorry mr phil,weak attempt @ humour-"ursprung" was title of ballet music jon wrote for ian anderson's brother who controlled royal scottish ballet,circa 1982--daniel ernshaw is on trail to recover it..wish him luck...if memory serves its all about water sprites!!as it would be!

back on topic,oh that's right,steve's playing--still top-notch,perhaps could do better,egged on by another glass wearing genius,trevor charles horn (next year-deep in the english countryside @ sarm manor-veggie meals provided)
Well, not so weak! I laughed out loud! :)

Well what do you know!? A ballet called "Ursprung"! Amazing, I had no idea!
So now you know that it means "Origin".
Wonder if Jon does?? :)

I want Horn to produce the next Yes-album!

[relayeire]

"The first time I noticed Steve wearing spectacles on stage was on the Yes Symphonic DVD. He wasn't wearing them on the House of Blues DVD but I don't know when he started to wear them."

Brian, I may be able to shed some light on when Steve started wearing specs... I saw Steve in August 2000 on the Masterworks Tour in Fla... no specs then... I saw him in November of that same year on his solo Pulling Strings Tour... he had the specs then, and has every time I've seen him since - which is at least once a year... so, sometime in the Autumn of 2000...

as far as his playing, I don't tie it to his specs... I tie it to his realizing he got rusty and didn't want to let that slip too far...

[BrianD]

Well, not so weak! I laughed out loud! :)

Well what do you know!? A ballet called "Ursprung"! Amazing, I had no idea!
So now you know that it means "Origin".
Wonder if Jon does?? :)

I want Horn to produce the next Yes-album!

Has anyone ever heard this piece? it was written for a show put on by Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

[BrianD]

"The first time I noticed Steve wearing spectacles on stage was on the Yes Symphonic DVD. He wasn't wearing them on the House of Blues DVD but I don't know when he started to wear them."

Brian, I may be able to shed some light on when Steve started wearing specs... I saw Steve in August 2000 on the Masterworks Tour in Fla... no specs then... I saw him in November of that same year on his solo Pulling Strings Tour... he had the specs then, and has every time I've seen him since - which is at least once a year... so, sometime in the Autumn of 2000...

as far as his playing, I don't tie it to his specs... I tie it to his realizing he got rusty and didn't want to let that slip too far...

OK - thanks for that

[YesJen357]

At risk of people throwing rocks at me; (and this isn't directly related to the thread topic of prescription glasses) I have recently been adding a considerable number of Tormato tour weeds to my collection. It is my observation that Steve's playing in recent years is not quite so powerful as it was back then. - But this is not meant as any form of critisicm. I'm well aware of my own 'middle age' general decline. Steve's entitled to his too. I'd be happy to play 100th as good as him at any time!

[wolfhound]

At risk of people throwing rocks at me; (and this isn't directly related to the thread topic of prescription glasses) I have recently been adding a considerable number of Tormato tour weeds to my collection. It is my observation that Steve's playing in recent years is not quite so powerful as it was back then. - But this is not meant as any form of critisicm. I'm well aware of my own 'middle age' general decline. Steve's entitled to his too. I'd be happy to play 100th as good as him at any time!
I agree with you. It's like he isn't amping his guitar as much.

It's okay with me if he doesn't bob his head up and down like he used to. But I like when he was pushing the preamps a bit more. His speed seems just fine, yet the intensity seems somewhat dulled. Maybe it's my ears. I'm not sure.

Also, it seems like the group is playing some songs about 4 to 7% slower than they once did. I wonder of it is too much to hope that they'd play "Close To The Edge" just the littlest bit faster.

[VanDerGraaf]

It's not just your ears- Steve has had a less "intense" sound in recent years.
Having said that, his solo tour last year was awesome as as was the 35th Anniversary tour. On both of these his guitar tone seemed much improved compared to a year or two before.
So he's on the up i say!