Yes/Toto-2015 Tour USA in August.

[Mstove]

What do you want them to say--that they're touring because they need the money?

Or, maybe, just maybe, they are saying what they actually believe and aren't just touring because they need money? Not that some will ever believe that.

[Rand Kelly]

Yes loves playing music.

[Rand Kelly]

From facebook:
Doug Curran‎Yes Fans Of All Incarnations
2 hrs ·
Alan White has said that Yes will be playing "Tempus Fugit" and "Roundabout" on this summer tour. I also know from Geoff that they will be playing a 70s song that should get a great reaction. I gave hints about 2 weeks ago here but have promised not to name the song.

[calyx]

...they were rushed because of the upcoming tour,and ran out of time. Which explains why the big prog song didn't make it.

The "big prog song" was never seriously considered for the album. This seems to be something that came out of some of the prior working sessions towards the album and was then worked on largely by Downes on his own. Both Howe and Squire, iirc, professed surprise when asked by interviewers about this "15-minute suite that didn't make it to the album" which Downes was telling them about, because as far as they were concerned these were just bits and pieces they'd played around with, and I'm not sure Downes have even presented them a demo of what he'd made of them. In any case, definitely no serious contender for the album.

[marblesmike]

Or, maybe, just maybe, they are saying what they actually believe and aren't just touring because they need money? Not that some will ever believe that.

I don't doubt that they love playing too, but it's no easier to say they are touring for the love of the music than it is to say they're touring for money.

I'm sure it's cross between the two. I was just commenting on how not everything should be taken at face value as absolute proof.

[Reginod]

Maybe if we could just change the name of this site to www.armchairquarterbacks.org . . . . . . . . . . .

[Brian Griffin]

Steve Howe: "It is pretty exceptional that Chris has been at all those Yes shows [over] all those years, so we're gonna have to respect that and pay some tribute to that, which we're very happy to be able to do, And let people kind of find a way, an inner voice to express and get over and hopefully heal some of the sadness that's gone down."

Love this ^

It's going to be some (Todd Rundgren) healing, hopefully

BG

[Facelift]

Setlist:

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/yes/20...-13f7bd8d.html

[Rand Kelly]

I like that they are opening with Don't Kill The Whale. It never stopped by some countries and the song is important because of it's message.

[Rand Kelly]

[Rand Kelly]

https://video-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hv...4b&oe=55C86EBE

[Scott Bails]

Went to last night's show at the Borgata in Atlantic City, NJ. Whew, what a show!

Anyone who has read my comments leading up to this tour knows that I expected Toto to blow Yes off of the stage. This is based on reviews of latter-day Yes, seeing them on their recent 3-album tour, and seeing Toto on their last 3 American tours. One band appears to be in decline (sadly) while the other is still in full-stride.

Toto opened the night, and delivered as promised and more. Taking the stage to music and sound effects from The Wizard of Oz (something I'd never seen them do before, but falls right in line with how seriously they take themselves), they opened with "Running out of Time," the first track off of their new album, XIV. The song starts with a screaming lick from Steve Lukather and features strong vocals from singer Joe Williams. Both were in excellent form all night. Lukather is clearly the star of the show, but every member had a chance to shine during the evening - even the backup singers had a "front-of-the-stage" feature moment, and everyone except bassist David Hungate (very capable, but possibly the most boring-to-watch rock musician since Charlie Watts) and keyboardist Steve Porcaro had a chance to solo. Toto's set was well-rounded, covering all aspects of their career and featured "the three hits," "Hold the Line," "Rosanna," and "Africa," as well as more adventurous songs like "Hydra" and the mini prog-epic from their new album, "Great Expectations." The band was well-rehearsed and fired on all cylinders, with the sole "clam" coming when David Paich mistakenly beginning to play the wrong song at one point, resulting in funny looks from his bandmates and laughs all-around. Lukather, of course, made sure to point out the mistake and rib Paich good-naturedly. They ended their set with "Africa," getting everyone on their feet while extending the song with a percussion jam and call-and-response audience sing-along. A very energetic and fun show.

Going into the show, I know many Yes fans looked down their nose at their progressive rock heroes sharing a headline with these 80s AOR kings, but I'd like to think that any doubters at least left with a new-found respect for Toto's musicianship and tightness.

Personally, I had trepidation about Yes. The passing of Chris Squire, heartbreaking as it is, leaves a huge hole on the right side of the stage and in the bottom end of the sound spectrum. Billy Sherwood is most certainly the best replacement possible, but he has big shoes to fill. And it surely is difficult for Steve Howe and Alan White, Squire's friends and bandmates for over 40 years.

Geoff Downes and Billy Sherwood hinted that the band would have a proper tribute to their fallen icon, and honored Squire with an understated and poignant gesture. Before taking the stage, Squire's signature Rickenbacker bass was placed in the middle of the stage, under spotlight, while "Onward" played over the PA system. The screen behind the stage played photos of The Fish through the years with peaceful images interspersed, giving fans a chance to show their appreciation for one of the most respected musicians in all of progressive rock.

Soon after, the band took the stage to their traditional Firebird Suite by Stravinsky. In a stunning move, Alan White began playing a heavy beat and Steve Howe played the opening lines to "Don't Kill the Whale," a song from the widely-derided Tormato. Quieting fears that I had, the band sounded fantastic, playing the song at the proper tempo and with everyone playing their parts very, very well. Jon Davison delivers his vocals effortlessly, naturally singing in the proper key, never straining to hit notes, and channeling the spirit of a 70s hippie without coming off as pretentious or posing.

Everyone currently in Yes has big shoes to fill, facing comparisons either to their younger selves or to their extremely talented predecessors. This has been a point of contention on recent tours past and threatened to be the story again with Squire's absence, but everyone was up to task during this show. After "Don't Kill the Whale," the band ripped through "Tempus Fugit," which may have been slightly down-tempo from the original recording, but was otherwise strong and had great energy. They then launched into "America," and again I was struck by how strong and forceful they sounded. Steve Howe seemed to struggle to keep up during a couple passages, but generally nailed his long solo (one of my personal faves from a career full of highlights) and the entire song had a power that I didn't hear from Yes the last time I saw them.

Special mention has to go to Billy Sherwood, who played flawlessly all night and added strong vocals. Squire's vocals are often underrated, given his prowess on the bass, but make no mistake; his singing is a huge part of the Yes sound. Sherwood was able to sound and play like Squire on the bass and did yeoman's work singing, shining especially during "Going for the One," where Squire's counterpoint vocals really make the song.

Geoff Downes and Alan White have often been criticized as being the weak links in the modern-day Yes chain, but on this evening they both stepped-up their game. Downes seemed to play some simplified parts at times, but then at other points played complicated solos as well as the original recordings (which he wasn't a part of). Having seats near the front of the stage, I enjoyed watching him dance as he played keyboards from three different sides while also playing bass pedals. Overall, an excellent job, and even some fun with the keytar during the show's encore, "Starship Trooper." Alan White played with power and his tempos were mostly in-line with the original recordings. Again, much improved from the last time I saw them, and it was really great to see.

Yes wisely avoided playing anything from their disappointing recent album and instead played concert favorites mixed with some surprises. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" could be expected, especially when touring with Toto, but Steve Howe really ripped on this one, and the addition of pre-recorded drum hits gave this an authenticity that wasn't expected. Overall, a fantastic performance that gave hope for the future.

As an added bonus, as my friend and I were leaving the show, we bumped into Toto's Steve Porcaro on the casino floor, and he graciously chatted with us and shook our hands.

Anyone on the fence about seeing this tour, don't hesitate to check both bands out. We definitely got our money's worth and more.

[chescorph]

Great review Scott, but were you really at the Borgata?

I heard a lot of mix and distortion issues during Yes' set. Not to nit pick, but Howe clearly was off his game as well. Sherwood played some interesting variations on Squire's lines at times, but made a few blunders. He did amazing work, particularly during Starship Trooper.Howe was doing some of that Bob Weir motioning to other band members that makes you think he was not pleased.

All forgivable, but Toto had none of these issues last night.

[Scott Bails]

That's interesting.

I avoided all spoilers before I went, and before I wrote my review. So, I was surprised to read many of the comments criticizing Yes' show.

I think I had the bar set pretty low for Yes, for reasons mentioned in my review, and they mostly assuaged those concerns. I agree that they were nowhere near as tight as Toto (seriously, not many bands are that tight), but Yes surpassed my expectations, and that's all I ask. I think we're at the point with Yes where "it is what it is," unfortunately.

[bondegezou]

^ Toto are coming off their recent European tour where they were playing a similar (but longer) set with the same line-up, so that's going to help in terms of tightness.

Henry

[Scott Bails]

^ Toto are coming off their recent European tour where they were playing a similar (but longer) set with the same line-up, so that's going to help in terms of tightness.

Henry

It's a lot more than that, Henry.

[marblesmike]

^ Toto are coming off their recent European tour where they were playing a similar (but longer) set with the same line-up, so that's going to help in terms of tightness.

Henry

Don't make excuses for Yes. They've sounded mostly sloppy for a while now, even with CS before he passed away. I saw Toto last year--just as tight. And I saw them the year before--again, just as tight musically. Yes just isn't on the same level of musicianship at this point in their career, which is fine. Who knows how Toto will sound when their primary members are pushing 70. But I will say that their precision in playing live has more to do with the players than it does with their recent touring. David Paich, Steve Porcaro, Steve Lukather and Shannon Forrest are some of the most acclaimed session guys in the business.

[bondegezou]

It's a lot more than that, Henry.

That's why I used the phrase "going to help in terms of tightness" and not "completely explains..."

Henry

[jamesmanzi]

That's why I used the phrase "going to help in terms of tightness" and not "completely explains..."

Henry

There you go, making excuses again! Get with it Henry! For Criminy's sake, can't people just snark and complain about how Yes have lost it and need to give up without wise-asses like you jumping in and expressing mildly positive thoughts about the band?

[Digital_Man]

That's interesting.

I avoided all spoilers before I went, and before I wrote my review. So, I was surprised to read many of the comments criticizing Yes' show.

I think I had the bar set pretty low for Yes, for reasons mentioned in my review, and they mostly assuaged those concerns. I agree that they were nowhere near as tight as Toto (seriously, not many bands are that tight), but Yes surpassed my expectations, and that's all I ask. I think we're at the point with Yes where "it is what it is," unfortunately.

Yes, you kind of need to just learn to enjoy it for what it is. I would rate YES's performance a 6 or 7(out of 10). I missed the first ten minutes or so of Toto( I had to run back to my car to get my second(spare)pair of earplugs since I apparently lost the first pair) but would maybe give them an 8 or 9.

I couldn't help but feel that YES's performance was rather anemic(this is the word that came to my mind)that is to say I felt it was rather weak and lacked power(a big part of that being Alan's sleepy drumming; don't be afraid to really hit the drums Alan I promise you won't hurt them ). I still enjoyed YES's performance as much as I could. I don't think any bands are better than RUSH though(live). I think there's a reason RUSH are filling up 30,000 seat venues and YES are barely filling up 2,000 seat venues and with another band! Still, I will always have a soft spot for YES and thought the show was decent enough. I did enjoy hearing these songs live(I always do). Nice to hear "time and a word," "don't kill the whale," "Tempus Fugit" and "Going for the One" in particular.

The tribute to Chris was nice but I missed most of it. I saw a woman tearing up which goes to show the impact Chris and this band has had on people.

[marblesmike]

There you go, making excuses again! Get with it Henry! For Criminy's sake, can't people just snark and complain about how Yes have lost it and need to give up without wise-asses like you jumping in and expressing mildly positive thoughts about the band?

I don't think they should give it up unless they want to. I think they're past their prime and sound pretty sloppy live, but it's their band and they can do as they like. It doesn't mean I have to buy any more of their new records if there are any or continue to pay to see them live.

[Scott Bails]

I can't imagine that I'll be seeing Yes live in the foreseeable future. This was (for me) a dream double-bill, but it would have been greater if it was conceived 20 years ago.

[jamesmanzi]

I don't think they should give it up unless they want to. I think they're past their prime and sound pretty sloppy live, but it's their band and they can do as they like. It doesn't mean I have to buy any more of their new records if there are any or continue to pay to see them live.

Who said you did?

[marblesmike]

Who said you did?

You were mocking an earlier post of mine.

[lwpmedia]

SoundPress.net NJPAC Review just posted at:

http://www.soundpress.net/files-feat...-08-10-yes.php