Jon in Las Vegas Dec. 10, 2010

[Hunnibee]

Oops, I'm at Homewood Suites - Henderson, not Hampton Inn.

The sports book bar at the South West part of the Casino would be closest to the Ovation showroom, with a total capacity of 512 Jon Fans!

Cool, I look forward to seeing you there, Ray. It's been a long time since I've seen you... almost three years!

I hope Jon A. will be there too. Two of the last 3 Yes shows I've had tickets for were canceled. Phx 2/09, Alb 7/10.

You realize this is a Jon Anderson show, not a Yes show?

[Sheerah]

Woot!!!!!!

1/4 of a mile from our house!

http://www.stationcasinos.com/entertainment/concerts/


JON ANDERSON - The Voice of YES Friday, December 10, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Onsale Date: Saturday, September 4, 2010 at 10:00 am

GREEN VALLEY RANCH OVATION - MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY ADULT 21+ YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER, NO EXCEPTIONS - ID CHECKED AT THE DOOR NOT

I wish I could see you and Cathy again.

[crotale2112]

He is the diamond man at night

xoxox I wish I was there, tell Jon we love him.. xox

[cactus jon]

'Circumstance has forced my hand to be a cut-priced person in a low budget land." Sorry I can't be there...enjoy the voice of YES!!

[relayer4u]

Soooo great to hear Jon in such fine form again!!!

His singing is all that we remember and he seems to be in great spirit as well.

Met with Melissa before the show and even though I was under the weather myself, still managed to have a very good time. The only thing better would have been a real Yes re-union with all of the Yes Fans in attendance!

Miss you too Sheila, soon the light will lead us...I hope.

[tbohner1]

Jon was majestic last night.

Having suffered with dismal sound systems dating back to seeing Yes at the old Boston Garden in 1975, I was thrilled to hear Jon with the crystal clear sound of the TV stage friendly Ovation at the Green Valley Ranch.

As a life long fan, it was orgasmic is see Jon up close after seeing so many shows in Hockey arenas. He was in outstanding voice last night. I was concerned after hearing him on various video clips solo and with Rick Wakeman sound slightly less than angelic after his illness. I am very pleased to report that he looks healthy and his voice sounded as good as I have ever heard...a miracle.

Last night he sang his standard set list for his solo tour of about 22 songs which is outstanding for any artist. Among the highlights for me:

Move
And You and I
Owner of a Lonely Heart
Nous Somme du Soliel
Yours is no Disgrace
Heart of the Sunrise
Roundabout
Starship Trooper
Olias

Encore
3 songs ending with Soon

Soon is one of my favorite songs of all time and I can now die a happy man that I experienced this hypnotic solo version. Jon created magic last night. I missed Yes during the 2003 tour with Rick and Soon was in the setlist, but this makes up for it. I have a few videos I will post.

Jon seemed very happy, animated and relaxed with the crowd. He had some scripted stories but others that were ad libbed from his very large heart. He referenced Janie several times, said she saved his life twice, and I believe I saw her in the crowd.

I am glad Jon is back and appears healthy. It was shocking to me that his voice seems in outstanding form after all he has gone through. Jon, thank you for this outstanding evening I will never forget.

I see Yes and signed a record deal with Benoit and Oliver and perhaps they need to get that out of their system. I saw Benoit with Yes last year and I have to report that he sounded very good, but Jon is the heart of Yes and can never be replaced.

Rick has said he wants to do an arena tour with full production but only a few venues. I think the fans will flock to this and Yes will be able to sell tickets. There is no real urgency for the Benoit/Oliver project. With Jon in such good voice, and Rick seemingly willing, the stars are coming together for a reunion now. As Yes fans themselves, I am sure Benoit and Oliver will understand.

Soon the light

[Michelle Johnston]

Rick has said he wants to do an arena tour with full production but only a few venues. I think the fans will flock to this and Yes will be able to sell tickets. There is no real urgency for the Benoit/Oliver project. With Jon in such good voice, and Rick seemingly willing, the stars are coming together for a reunion now. As Yes fans themselves, I am sure Benoit and Oliver will understand.
Soon the light

I assume you mean an arena tour with Yes obviously with Jon. This is most interesting as there is nothing at all on his web site or in the interviews to cover the promotion of the Jon & Rick tour which alluded to this possibility. I do hope your source evidence that he wants to return to touring with Yes is legitimate given that he gave up the chance to do a short arena tour in 2008 with Jon Anderson prior to Jons illness and instead encouraged the band to seek the services of one of his two sons. The current line up includes his son and he already has commitments with Yes to do a UK tour in November 2011 as well as finish off the new music in January. Knowing your father wants the keyboard gantry back would seem to be an unfortunate way to start next year. In the UK we have some excellent archivists who would be most interested in your source material.

[Hunnibee]

Wow! What a show! (TWO HOURS !) It was simply fantastic! Jon was so healthy, vibrant, humorous with his little stories, and his voice was just as golden as it was 30 years ago, I kid you not! He sang mostly Yes songs, which he invited the crowd to sing along... too cute. He played many solo songs, too, including one he claimed he had just written that morning... LOL! Lots of laughter in that little, intimate venue (the crowd looked to be around 300 or so). I never realized how personable and human he really is, not some Prog god to put on a pedestal. (although I will always consider him one of the Founding Fathers of Prog!)

I really feel inspired and uplifted by Jon's bits of philosophy that he interjected between songs. I knew being there would be a positive experience for me. The world would not need anti-depressants if they just listened to Jon Anderson!!!

Before the show, I met up with Ray and his very fun wife over a couple of beers, and I got to say hello to Deb Sears from Progressive Ears right before the show, and then hung out with her afterward. I didn't see or meet any other Yesfans or Prog Ears peeps there. (Thanks for an awesome review, tbohner1!)

Anyway, I recommend to EVERYONE... do NOT miss this show if Jon comes anywhere near your town... or you can drive thousands of miles like I did! It's worth it!!!

[tbohner1]

Hi Michelle,
Here is a clip of Jon last night:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu7ttHvDmNw

Nice to speak to another Yes fan.

It sounds plausible for Rick to agree to one last group of full production SHOWS (only a few and not a lenthly tour) as he still had the cumrudgenly energy to go on the road with Jon recently.

How about a farewell show at the O2 for the fans? It could go to DVD with part of the proceeds to charity? Complete the dream with all Yes Alumni included (cycling on and off the stage), Dean props/staging and the philharmonic.

I'll produce it for free.

Here is (one) article I referenced by Rick's biographer:

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2008/s08030101.htm

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: assistnews@aol.com

Monday, March 17, 2008

Rick Wakeman says ‘no’ to YES for their upcoming world tour for health reasons
He will be replaced by another Wakeman, his son Oliver

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

LONDON, UK (ANS) -- Rock keyboard legend, Rick Wakeman, has said “no” to YES, the British super group, for health reasons for their upcoming 2008 world tour.

But the Wakeman name will not be out of the picture, for he will be

Rick Wakeman on stage with YES with his famous cape
replaced on keyboards by his talented son, Oliver, while his other son, Adam, also a keyboard supremo, continues to tour with the Wildman of Rock, Ozzy Osbourne.

Rick, a committed Christian, made the announcement on his website – www.rwcc.com, in which he said, “Throughout much of last year, e-mails and phone calls were held between Jon [Anderson], Chris [Squire], Steve [Howe], Alan [White] and myself as to where we all felt the future for YES lay, and of course, there were conflicting views in many areas! (Nothing new there, but very healthy of course).

“My major concern was that of over-touring, which I felt YES had done since 2002 with far too many shows, especially in America which for me diminished the ‘specialness’ of the band.

“I also was concerned for the health of the band, both as a whole and as individuals. It's a matter of public record for instance, that Jon in particular really suffered during the last weeks of the previous YES tour which was extremely worrying for us all.

“Over the years, I have had my fair share of ‘narrow escapes’ when it comes to health and I felt that I simply could not do months and months of touring each year anymore and I expressed this to the other guys from the outset. I'm absolutely fine at the moment, but want to stay that way, so I suggested to the new management that we perhaps limited the shows we would do and make each show something special, but this was rejected with the management feeling that lengthy touring was the answer for the band.

“It was therefore with an extremely heavy heart that I had to say to the guys that I could not be part of a massive long term touring schedule as I did not feel it right for the band musically and also for the band member's health. We are a democratic band and I accept that I was a sole voice in this thinking.”

Oliver Wakeman
Rick Wakeman went on to say, “Chris and I met up a few times and spoke about who I felt would be able to do a good job in the keyboard department and I put forward just two names, my two eldest sons Adam and Oliver. Adam, to be truthful, was not really a ‘contender’ because he is fully committed to Ozzy and is touring constantly. Oliver has worked with Steve of course on various recordings and so there was already a rapport there. I was therefore very happy when Oliver told me that Steve had called him.

“I am sad of course not to be walking on stage with the guys on the upcoming tour, but like each member of YES, I have developed a deep inner spiritual feeling that takes over your whole life, and sadly witnessing too many friends around my age, (both musicians and people connected with the business), either departing this world or having serious illness, has played an enormous part in the very difficult decision I had to make.

“I truly hope that this is not the end of the Classic Line-Up and that something very special may happen in the not too distant future. In the meantime, I wish the guys, good health, great music and much happiness.”

British fans will still be able to see Rick Wakeman when next month he starts his Grumpy Old Picture Show 2008 leg. (Details at www.rwcc.com).

Rick Wakeman has been a big supporter of ASSIST Ministries for many years now and has undertaken two US tours to benefit the ministry.

Note: Dan Wooding wrote the official biography of Rick Wakeman called Rick Wakeman, the Caped Crusade, foreword by Elton John, which is still be auctioned almost daily on eBay.
Dan Wooding, 67, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma of 44 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. danjuma1@aol.com.

[Hunnibee]

I also wanted to interject that there were no copies of The Living Tree for sale at the show. Jon might have earned a few more pennies if he had brought some of those along.

I wish I could make it to the San Fran show tonight and see it all over again! However, I will be 90 miles away in Modesto instead. Oh well, it's been a wonderful trip for me... seeing my son, seeing Jon, seeing friends (I took a detour to Bullhead City, AZ yesterday to see my good friend Julie), even if I did have to leave some things still in storage. I have to return to Vegas one more time in the future.

Enjoy the show tonight, Sheila and others who are going! You will love his humor and the acoustic versions of our favorite Yes songs!

[Sheerah]

Enjoy the show tonight, Sheila and others who are going! You will love his humor and the acoustic versions of our favorite Yes songs!

I'm not going. My 8% paycut pretty much took care of that.