The YesO Concert Experience

[Davy]

An ABWH album thread morphed into a discussion about live songs that you might skip for a bathroom break or beer run, and I mentioned that I have occasionally left early during the encore break. Most of us have seen the band many times - what makes you want to go see them, and what do you dislike about seeing Yes live, or any band for that matter?

[Olorin]

As to why I want to see them, there is the allure of perhaps seeing them perform something I have not seen them perform before. Also, there is simply the aspect of a fun evening out. I get to go eat at places I wouldn't normally have access to. Of course, Covid totally nuked all of this. I've not seen a concert since 2019 and not sure when I will again, even though I have tickets to see Clannad next month on their farewell tour.

Things I don't like about going to concerts...well, there are quite a few of those. First of all is the drive. Very few concerts that I want to see occur where I live, so I usually find myself driving to Chicago. I hate doing that. Chicago is an immense city and the traffic is appalling. Once I'm off the highway and driving around downtown, it's both better and worse: fewer cars but way more pedestrians. Parking is expensive, too, though since I've discovered sites like ParkWhiz and SpotHero that let you buy parking in advance for a discounted rate, it's more palatable. Then, being jammed into what is usually a musty old venue with thousands of strangers, the majority of whom seem to continually need to squeeze past me to go to the concession stand or restroom instead of like, you know, actually watching the show, is not a lot of fun. And then comes the drive home. Traffic is not as bad then, but I typically get home between 1 and 2 am and those last fifty miles or so are pretty rough.

I always count myself fortunate when the concert is in Indianapolis instead of Chicago. It's a little closer and there's not nearly as much traffic. Moreover, it's in the Eastern Time Zone, so I gain an hour on the way home, so I'm home and in bed at a much more respectable hour.

Does all this sound like old man considerations? Well, I'm 61, and as time goes on, I'm less willing to put up with things that vex me. Prior to Covid, I'd occasionally ask myself how many more years I would do this, and the answer would always be that to give up concerts, which I do really enjoy in the moment, would be a capitulation to age, and therefore I would continue as long as I could. Since the Covid pause, I've not had to confront any of this. At such point as things ever get good enough again that I feel like I can share air space with 3000 total strangers, the new consideration will be how much trust to I want to put in my ancient car for a road trip to a big city. Car will be 19 years old at the end of this month and currently has 256,000 miles on it. Hey, it's paid for and seems to run well enough, so I am holding off on a new one. Since cars are kind of scarce and stupidly expensive right now, that's an involuntary reinforcement of that decision. Anyway, my hope is to not have to get a new car before my house is paid off, which is about 3 more years.

[Davy]

Things I don't like about going to concerts...well, there are quite a few of those. First of all is the drive. Very few concerts that I want to see occur where I live...

Being jammed into what is usually a musty old venue with thousands of strangers, the majority of whom seem to continually need to squeeze past me to go to the concession stand or restroom instead of like, you know, actually watching the show, is not a lot of fun...

I'm home and in bed at a much more respectable hour...

as time goes on, I'm less willing to put up with things that vex me...

These are my primary considerations as well. Is the hassle worth it? Yes! Shows in MD, specifically Baltimore, are relatively easy to get to, a drive of little over an hour. DC is a lot more cumbersome, though it isn't that much further away.

[Soundwaveseeker]

These are my primary considerations as well. Is the hassle worth it? Yes! Shows in MD, specifically Baltimore, are relatively easy to get to, a drive of little over an hour. DC is a lot more cumbersome, though it isn't that much further away.

For DC shows, I generally take the metro - driving in the city isn't very appealing, Wash DC is an octopus. Ram's Head in Annapolis is 20 minutes or so away from me, so I can even do that on a work night. But shows are costly these days, especially when trying to save up some dough. I saved so much money in 2020 by not going to shows, but I'm making up for it now. But even then, I might not go to see every thing that's coming. I actually drove over to Annapolis yesterday, to where Adian Belew was playing at Ram's Head, just to buy his new CD. Didn't see the show. Kinda wanted to see him, but decided to save some money. Plus I had seen him before and he's got pretty much the same trio band format(though good) as he's had for several years now. So, grabbed the new disc, skipped the show. Hope I don't regret it. Maybe I'll catch him later in the year with Todd Rundgren when they do the David Bowie tribute show in November.

[Mr. Holland]

Well, over here in Europe they play much less than in the States, so it's exciting to have Yes come around. Concerning the travel distances; things are much closer here.

But the main attraction remains the music; there is something about hearing and seeing Yes music played live and moreso as long as there still is long time member(s) involved (before anyone suggests seeing a tribute band). I find it hard to explain, but I do know that I, as well as a friend of mine, were completely mesmerised by the performances of Revealing Science of God and Ritual the last time I saw them in 2018. The music captivates me live, and emotions of being moved and being happy run both run through me simultaneously. Still, after all these years.

So, I'm anxiousanxiously awaiting next year's Relayer tour!

[madbear]

So, I'm anxiousanxiously awaiting next year's Relayer tour!

After this year's cancel lation of that I'll believe it when I see it. Do you think it will happen? Or that they will be able to play Sound Chaser? I'd love to hear that and To Be Over.

Why go to concerts? New interpretations and arrangements of music, different songs in different orders. There's always something about the energy of live gigs and events. And the 50th tour in London had special guests too.

[Davy]

On the music side of things, I'd like them to play more music from the '90s and the past decade, with maybe a track or two from the '80s even if Steve thinks that material belongs to the '80s band.

It would be nice if they changed the encore tracks, too, maybe moving them around to different parts of the show. Starship Trooper is (or was) my favorite song, but I wouldn't mind if they replaced it with a newer song. They have to play Roundabout, but maybe they could close the main set with it instead.

[Mr. Holland]

After this year's cancel lation of that I'll believe it when I see it. Do you think it will happen? Or that they will be able to play Sound Chaser? I'd love to hear that and To Be Over.

Why go to concerts? New interpretations and arrangements of music, different songs in different orders. There's always something about the energy of live gigs and events. And the 50th tour in London had special guests too.

Yes, I think the Relayer tour in 2023 will definetly happen.

[Mr. Holland]

On the music side of things, I'd like them to play more music from the '90s and the past decade, with maybe a track or two from the '80s even if Steve thinks that material belongs to the '80s band.

It would be nice if they changed the encore tracks, too, maybe moving them around to different parts of the show. Starship Trooper is (or was) my favorite song, but I wouldn't mind if they replaced it with a newer song. They have to play Roundabout, but maybe they could close the main set with it instead.

That would be nice. Not too sure about the 80s songs though. Wasn't too impressed with Rhythm of Love on the 2019 tour to be honest. I think it is just too different in style. Or Steve must leave the guitar duty on those songs to Billy and play bass, like he did on Owner at the RRHOF induction.

You have made me think of a thread idea though....

[kkleinschmidt]

Interesting question, Davy! What motivates me to go see live music is the simple fact that it is music being played live right before my eyes by humans who are (generally) passionate about what they do, and in extra special musical moments the performance literally transcends into something larger than the individual parts and performers that make up the composition. There are times when watching and listening to high quality performances, like those offered by YesO, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, and that's just in the prog world (!), when I look down and see my arms covered in goose bumps and my head is tingling from the intensity of what is coming from the stage in front of me. Other than the love from my family and friends I can't think of a more intense feeling.

And then there is the simple matter of sound systems. I have a great surround sound system here at home which I enjoy listening to music on for sure, but it is nothing in comparison to a high quality stage setup for live music. If you have ever seen Roger Waters live indoors you know what I mean by crystal clear surround sound live music - the gold standard as far as I'm concerned. Yes of course has excellent audio as well, and there is nothing like a song with a full on bass pedal to get the joint rattling.

But there's a lot not to like too, and it starts with four words: Ticket Master/Live Nation. They have essentially destroyed the ticket purchase process especially for shows with high demand, and because of that they have dramatically reduced my desire to go to their shows. Then there's the travel as we live at least 1.5 hours from anywhere we generally see shows, and just like Olorin said getting to and from a show in this part of the world definitely takes some of the fun out of it. Then there's the talkers and smokers, and the venues where they take the damn lid off the $5 water bottle you just paid for (we carry in extra lids just to get around this BS).

[Soundwaveseeker]

That would be nice. Not too sure about the 80s songs though. Wasn't too impressed with Rhythm of Love on the 2019 tour to be honest. I think it is just too different in style. Or Steve must leave the guitar duty on those songs to Billy and play bass, like he did on Owner at the RRHOF induction.

You have made me think of a thread idea though....

Rhythm Of Love wasn't the best live rendition on that tour, but Yes could really do justice to some 80's material. It just depends on which material. They don't really have to play Owner & Rhythm to represent those albums just because they were the hits. Hearts, It Can Happen, Our Song, Final Eyes and Miracle Of Life could be done. And do I hear Steve's steel guitar towards the end of Endless Dream? Or switch bass and guitars with Billy, as you said. Could work.

[Olorin]

But there's a lot not to like too, and it starts with four words: Ticket Master/Live Nation. They have essentially destroyed the ticket purchase process especially for shows with high demand, and because of that they have dramatically reduced my desire to go to their shows. Then there's the travel as we live at least 1.5 hours from anywhere we generally see shows, and just like Olorin said getting to and from a show in this part of the world definitely takes some of the fun out of it. Then there's the talkers and smokers, and the venues where they take the damn lid off the $5 water bottle you just paid for (we carry in extra lids just to get around this BS).

One reason why I'd prefer to see shows in St. Louis instead of Chicago, even though it's considerably farther away, is that Ticket Master seems not to operate there, or at least doesn't have an exclusive lock on the market. If I get tickets for a show there, it's usually through Metro Tix. Much better to work with. Case in point: today I got a email from them that the Clannad fall tour has been canceled and I'd automatically be refunded as long as my credit card was the same. If my credit car was different, I should call. As fate would have it, my card number had changed, so I had to call. I had minimal hold time and then spoke to a nice young lady who took my information and said "I'll transfer you to Laura who will take care of this for you." She transferred me and I was soon talking to Laura, who already had all the information on her screen and was ready for the new card number. Altogether a pleasant surprise!

Zooming out to a bigger picture on this particular example, it was both a relief and a sorrow that the tour got canceled. The official statement from Clannad was that it was due to how much prices of everything had escalated since they first planned to undertake this tour (which was supposed to occur in Fall 2020). No mention of Covid. But in any case, even though I had tickets for both the St. Louis and Chicago shows, I was going to skip them due to Covid. I figured I could try talking to the ticketing agencies about refunds, but didn't have much hope. As it turns out, I don't have to ask for refunds.

I'm sad the tour had to be canceled but relieved it won't be going on without me, if that makes sense. I just hope they release a Bluray of it, as they did do some shows in Europe before Covid hit, and have done some shows in Europe again this summer. In any event, I saw Clannad in 2012 and 2014, fabulous performances both, and took care of that particular bucket list item then. If I hadn't seen them then, and was now confronted with the fact that the North American leg of their farewell tour was canceled, I'd be heartbroken.

[Gilly Goodness]

Sorry to hear about Clannad. Saw them once. Best harmony singin' I've ever heard. Hope they come back.
Plenty of up and comin'Brennans in the pipeline.

[Ash Armstrong]

I suppose we are fortunate in the UK in a way as distances that might need to be travelled to get to a gig are generally much less. I don't drive and never have, so I don't have traffic and parking etc, to contend with, and public transport gets me to half a dozen cities, including London, within fairly easy reach of Leicester, which is centrally-located in the East Midlands.
Tickets-wise, I always go to the actual venue to buy tickets, rather than an agency, when I can, and I almost always can. I avoid arena shows anyway, some of which might be located on city outskirts. I've not been to an arena show by anyone for 30 years (Pavarotti, G-Mex Arena, Manchester in 1991 was the last time) as I don't like them. I'm seeing Steve Hackett only a mile away from home, at Leicester's De Montfort Hall, in October, and Sigur Ros in Nottingham in November, only half an hour on the train away, and Gong and the Ozrics in November at Leicester Uni, which is where I work. So, circumstances for gig-going here are very different logistically, thankfully.

[Somis Sound]

When Yes did all of Fragile, I ran to the bathroom when Roundabout started. I ran into only 1 other person: Billy Sherwood. We had a laugh...