Clair Brothers and Tait in Lititz, PA!

[Guitarplyrjvb]

I found this article to be fascinating! Both of these companies have prog connections with our beloved Yes! Read on Yuppets and others!

http://online.wsj.com/articles/rock-...own-1407452570

[Paulrus]

Cool -- thanks for the link.

[strawberrybrick]

Great article.

[JeffCarney]

Great article, but I take issue with this utter nonsense:

"Once wired with tinny speakers and harsh lights, the world of live entertainment is now powered by computer systems that control sophisticated video displays on sets worth tens of millions of dollars."

Yeah, nobody ever had good sound or a decent light show before the "computer age."

And given the connection, if we use Yes as an example, their light shows are absolutely amateur compared to what they once were. Same with many bands. Look at Nektar, who once boasted one of the most incredible liquid light shows on the market. By the time of NearFest about ten years ago, they were superimposing a still image of an elephant over a moving backdrop during "Nellie The Elephant." This looked like something that might take an "Honorable Mention" in a contest amongst a 3rd Grade art class.

With respect to sound, I think it still varies. To think of two examples on opposite sides of the venue coin, The Musical Box sounded utterly horrible when I last saw them. The board was "computerized" to the gills, near as I could tell. But the bass was so tinny and so over amplified that I would not in my wildest dreams imagine that Genesis on even the worst audio night in 1973 wouldn't have sounded better. On the flip side, Black Sabbath's recent outdoor shows I saw at Shoreline and Hollywood Bowl featured utterly mesmerizing sound. Shoreline was one of the best sounding shows I've ever seen. Whoever is doing their sound is dialed in in a way that I would certainly feel is taking live sound to "another level."

Anyway ... I always get a kick out of this premise that things were in the "stone age" before computers arrived. Maybe live sound would rank higher in a poll, I don't know ... but there is no question that sound in general is considered by many to have taken a major nosedive.

[jrw]

I came across this morning in a doctors office. There are two mentions of Yes in the article.

[GuitarGeek]

. Look at Nektar, who once boasted one of the most incredible liquid light shows on the market. By the time of NearFest about ten years ago, they were superimposing a still image of an elephant over a moving backdrop during "Nellie The Elephant." This looked like something that might take an "Honorable Mention" in a contest amongst a 3rd Grade art class.
.

I'm pretty sure the image you're describing wasn't used during the concert itself. I think that and a lot of the other questionable visual choices were done to get around having to use copyrighted video images (drawn from various movies) that Mick Brockett used as part of the light show on the night. Trust me, during the show itself, the light show was absolutely amazing. I do agree they couldn't come up with some better for the DVD, but then I'm sure if that's the band's fault or the fault of the production company that put the DVD together.

As far as Yes' light show not being what it once was, well, what do you want from a band whose last gaggle of Cleveland area gigs were at the House Of Blues, Cain Park (a small amphitheater in Cleveland Heights, and nowhere near the size of the sheds they played 10-15 years ago), and the "Hard Rocksino at Northfield Park" (again, a much smaller venue than they used to play). Even if they were still playing 10,000 seat venues, they probably don't have the budget to hire lasers, Varilites and the techs to run them.

[JeffCarney]

I'm pretty sure the image you're describing wasn't used during the concert itself. I think that and a lot of the other questionable visual choices were done to get around having to use copyrighted video images (drawn from various movies) that Mick Brockett used as part of the light show on the night. Trust me, during the show itself, the light show was absolutely amazing. I do agree they couldn't come up with some better for the DVD, but then I'm sure if that's the band's fault or the fault of the production company that put the DVD together.

Ah ... good to know.

As far as Yes' light show not being what it once was, well, what do you want from a band whose last gaggle of Cleveland area gigs were at the House Of Blues, Cain Park (a small amphitheater in Cleveland Heights, and nowhere near the size of the sheds they played 10-15 years ago), and the "Hard Rocksino at Northfield Park" (again, a much smaller venue than they used to play). Even if they were still playing 10,000 seat venues, they probably don't have the budget to hire lasers, Varilites and the techs to run them.

I know what you mean, but I think you're reaching to defend what is a complete regression. Last time I saw Yes (2004?) they had a backdrop that looked like Windows XP on Hibernate. That was at a 20,000 seat venue (admittedly, maybe 5,000 people there).

Even if their budget isn't what it used to be, what I saw was more about using someone with intermediate computer skills instead of someone with advanced lighting skills. I'm sure the two aren't mutually exclusive, but this article suggests that things are far more advanced. Certainly as it applies to Yes and lighting, such a claim is simply not true, IMO.

I don't buy the argument that live sound has only recently come "together" either. People with an interest in this stuff should read up on the PA techniques used at California Jam, for example. Forty years ago. Amazing stuff.

[Paulrus]

Even if their budget isn't what it used to be, what I saw was more about using someone with intermediate computer skills instead of someone with advanced lighting skills. I'm sure the two aren't mutually exclusive, but this article suggests that things are far more advanced. Certainly as it applies to Yes and lighting, such a claim is simply not true, IMO.

Yeah -- they seem to have decided to keep the budget for lighting and visual effects to almost nil. I almost wonder if their current approach is a reaction to the 2004 debacle with the Roger Dean balloons and their chipping paint jobs.

And since they're doing these album tours maybe it's also sort of a "We didn't need all that stuff in '72 -- why bother with it now?" As Michael Tait said in that interview, all he had back then was some lights and a disco ball.

[Jason]

Clair Brothers and Michael Tait also toured with ELP, ELPowell, Asia, ABWH, Moody Blues, etc... I think in one of the Yes documentaries, you see ABWH rehearsing at Tait Towers. If you listen to Jon on YesShows, you will hear him thank Clair Brothers and Mike Tait... They are also mentioned by name on the packaging of YesSongs. In those days, it was actually Roy Clair and Mike Tait sitting out at the sound table. I remember chatting briefly with Mike Tait when I saw ELPowell.

I found this article very interesting, not only because I love these bands, but because I grew up in Lititz and was a neighbor of Gene Clair. When I visited my parents on the 4th of July, I saw Gene's house was for sale, and my Dad told me that he had died and talked a little about talking with him not long before... and about the funeral. He also drove me by the new building. As a teenager, I helped tear down the stage of Yes the night before the 90125 tour... and then saw them the following night at Millersville University.

[QUOTE=JeffCarney;291514]Great article, but I take issue with this utter nonsense:

"Once wired with tinny speakers and harsh lights, the world of live entertainment is now powered by computer systems that control sophisticated video displays on sets worth tens of millions of dollars."

The point being made is how far live sound has come over the years; it's not trying to imply that live sound was saved by computers. When the Clair brothers were getting started, most artists would simply use whatever sound was provided in the hall... the house PA system. In many/most venues, these really were terrible quality systems. When The Four Seasons came to play Lancaster, that was what they were used to. Clairs sound was so much better than what they were used to that they hired them. I remember Roy saying once that he figured out that they would lose money if they went on tour, and so he was prepared to turn them down, which is kind of funny to think about. But Gene realized that it would be a way to get the company going even if they lost money for a while there at the beginning.
-Jason