UK Drama Tour 1980

[Ash Armstrong]

Yes on stage at Leicester's De Montfort Hall, Drama Tour 1980

[Old Frothingslosh]

Thanks for sharing those pictures. I still remember that show (Pittsburgh) vividly. That triangle lighting rig doesn't look like much, but it was really cool live.

[Ash Armstrong]

Thanks for sharing those pictures. I still remember that show (Pittsburgh) vividly. That triangle lighting rig doesn't look like much, but it was really cool live.

Repurposed from the In The Round stage I think.
The photos were not taken by me, but by a chap called Paul who used to work at Leicester Uni, as I did.

[True]

What a pleasant surprise this tour was. I only saw some of the shows in the U.S., including MSG, and I thought they were great. I went in with low expectations and after a couple of tunes they had won me over. Of course, before I heard the Drama album, I was prepared to hate it, due to the absence of Anderson/Wakeman. But I loved the Drama album. After seeing the gigs, I remember thinking that I would be excited for the next album with this line-up.

[Yesjim]

I've seen few high quality photos from 1980, these are wonderful. Would love to see more.

[Ash Armstrong]

I've seen few high quality photos from 1980, these are wonderful. Would love to see more.

I'm sure there are more. My friend Paul who took them has a hefty backlog of transparencies (slides) to digitise.

[Soundwaveseeker]

Drama tour! Now, that would be my time machine tour to go back and see. Too bad there's no live footage of this tour. Trevor Horn's image on stage - sleek and modern, totally the opposite of Jon Anderson's 'angelic' vibe. I'm cool with that. Yes was supposed to be futuristic, and Drama era certainly was a bit of that. That period post-70's but pre-MTV felt like something new, something electric.

From the live material I've heard from the tour, I think Horn's voice sounded pretty good on And You And I and Yours Is No Disgrace in particular. Of course, as we know or read, by the time Yes got back to the UK for that part of the tour, his voice was shot. But he was ok by me. And the In The Round set-up for the Drama tour, looking like the bridge of some studio spacecraft. I think Yes are due to revisit the in the round live setup. As far as I know, they did it for Tormato, Drama and Union tours.

I like how the Drama tour focused on the 'now' - playing most of Drama as well as Go Through This and Fly From Here. That's the tour I'd go back to see, rather than Tales or something. But Tales, jeez. That would be something to see too. Didn't see them live until Big Generator. Love to see more Drama-era stuff.

[RelayerI]

Birmingham Odeon and my first Yes gig.

I remember being a bit disappointed but couldn't help grinning at Geoff's inclusion of Video Killed The Radio Star in his solo.

Abiding memory ? The woman strolling down the central aisle before Yes came on, with a kid on her arm and her very long hair almost dragging on the floor. Pretty sure it was Nikki Squire.

[PeterCologne]

Yes was supposed to be futuristic, and Drama era certainly was a bit of that....

Hah, yes! That's directly written out of my heart. One can't say it better. Yes-West and especially Big Generator followed that as well. And Endless Dream was kind of the futuritsic reload of the prog-epic in the 90s. Too bad that Yes did not go on from there further on in the future.

[Mr. Holland]

Hah, yes! That's directly written out of my heart. One can't say it better. Yes-West and especially Big Generator followed that as well. And Endless Dream was kind of the futuritsic reload of the prog-epic in the 90s. Too bad that Yes did not go on from there further on in the future.

I am actually thankful that it lasted till then. How many bands can look back on such a high quality and daring, challenging main sequence, followed by a complete resurrection with new blood, new audience, lasting for say another 12 years. We got spoiled as it is

[Ash Armstrong]

Hah, yes! That's directly written out of my heart. One can't say it better. Yes-West and especially Big Generator followed that as well. And Endless Dream was kind of the futuritsic reload of the prog-epic in the 90s. Too bad that Yes did not go on from there further on in the future.

I'm beginning to wish I hadn't shared the photos now....
I was at that show, and it was grim. Four little words that killed it: And You And I...
I was standing on the other side, in front of Chris that night. Horn was dire!

[PeterCologne]

I'm beginning to wish I hadn't shared the photos now....
I was at that show, and it was grim. Four little words that killed it: And You And I...
I was standing on the other side, in front of Chris that night. Horn was dire!

Ash, we are generally agree about a lot of music - but not here I have enough bootlegs to judge that I would have loved it. The energy, the vibe, the modern futuristic rock-sonics! I like the slow-motion way in some songs like And Yoo And I, Trevor stretches it to be able to sing it his way. I love it. Well, I just own boolegs from the US-tour, maybe they were frustrated by the bad vibe in the UK and were not able to play as good.

And thanks for starting that thread

[PeterCologne]

I am actually thankful that it lasted till then. How many bands can look back on such a high quality and daring, challenging main sequence, followed by a complete resurrection with new blood, new audience, lasting for say another 12 years. We got spoiled as it is

True!

But also a little bit a pity, because the possibilities were always there for some more - they still are, at least in theory. I can imagine a lineup with Rabin, Brislin, Braide, Sherwood and some drummer - it sounds great

[Ash Armstrong]

Ash, we are generally agree about a lot of music - but not here I have enough bootlegs to judge that I would have loved it. The energy, the vibe, the modern futuristic rock-sonics! I like the slow-motion way in some songs like And Yoo And I, Trevor stretches it to be able to sing it his way. I love it. Well, I just own boolegs from the US-tour, maybe they were frustrated by the bad vibe in the UK and were not able to play as good.

And thanks for starting that thread

The playing of the principals was fine, Downes' technical shortcomings notwithstanding, it was the current material I didn't like, and Horn's vocals were awful. I'm not nor have ever been an admirer of Trevor Horn in any capacity, on whichever side of the studio window he sits.
While I'm not overfond of the direction they were taking with Tormato, in keeping with the times I suppose, I found Drama almost desperate in its attempt to reinvent the band of the Yes Album/Fragile period, and reinvent the success they'd enjoyed, I'd always hoped they'd look to pursuing the direction set with Relayer, but with Wakeman coming back in that was never going to happen. I had to look elsewhere for that fulfillment, in classical music, avant-garde and mainstream, jazz, dark-wave, and ambient, throughout the 1980s. With the arrival of the music video, rapid returns on investment, short-term impact, corporatisation, image-management and marketing to the fore to name just a few factors, I took refuge from it in other areas.
When the former-members of Yes became Trevor Rabin's band, and subsequently sought to sell themselves as "Yes", all my perspectives were realised and my take on what was happening confirmed. I'm first and foremost a music lover, not a brand fan. I didn't like the music, so the collective name it adopted was irrelevant to me, and that's still the case now.
There are any number of authors who have written and published novels under various different names, novels quite different in style and genre and for a different audience, from those they might ordinarily be associated with, and do so in part to distance themselves from those different styles, genre/s and audiences. Quite a few wrote soft-porn...
That's sort of what happened with various members of Yes for me, only they stuck with the same name. Regrettable. A somewhat similar situation exists now as well, but only as far as I'm concerned. My view of these things, insofar as that's of any consequence, need not trouble anyone else, and I'm not open to persuasion towards a different take on any of it.

[Gtkgasman]

The playing of the principals was fine, Downes' technical shortcomings notwithstanding, it was the current material I didn't like, and Horn's vocals were awful. I'm not nor have ever been an admirer of Trevor Horn in any capacity, on whichever side of the studio window he sits.
While I'm not overfond of the direction they were taking with Tormato, in keeping with the times I suppose, I found Drama almost desperate in its attempt to reinvent the band of the Yes Album/Fragile period, and reinvent the success they'd enjoyed, I'd always hoped they'd look to pursuing the direction set with Relayer, but with Wakeman coming back in that was never going to happen. I had to look elsewhere for that fulfillment, in classical music, avant-garde and mainstream, jazz, dark-wave, and ambient, throughout the 1980s. With the arrival of the music video, rapid returns on investment, short-term impact, corporatisation, image-management and marketing to the fore to name just a few factors, I took refuge from it in other areas.
When the former-members of Yes became Trevor Rabin's band, and subsequently sought to sell themselves as "Yes", all my perspectives were realised and my take on what was happening confirmed. I'm first and foremost a music lover, not a brand fan. I didn't like the music, so the collective name it adopted was irrelevant to me, and that's still the case now.
There are any number of authors who have written and published novels under various different names, novels quite different in style and genre and for a different audience, from those they might ordinarily be associated with, and do so in part to distance themselves from those different styles, genre/s and audiences. Quite a few wrote soft-porn...
That's sort of what happened with various members of Yes for me, only they stuck with the same name. Regrettable. A somewhat similar situation exists now as well, but only as far as I'm concerned. My view of these things, insofar as that's of any consequence, need not trouble anyone else, and I'm not open to persuasion towards a different take on any of it.

Ash. I don’t think he was trying to persuade you. 😊 I believe he was just trying to say he liked it. We all know by now you loath Horn on the classics. 😂 Lol. Almost as much as you can’t stand Asia. 😁

i for one enjoy how you put forth your views. Whether in agreement or not.