YES - USA Summer Tour- Tales & Drama

[happytheman]

Has there ever been any specifics? How Moraz is "difficult"?

I've never bought this line.. IMHO there were too many egos fighting for stage time..

[JJ88]

Has there ever been any specifics? How Moraz is "difficult"?

Such stories have been around for some time, surely? I got the impression that him clashing with certain people in Yes was why he didn't stay for long.

There was also the court case against The Moody Blues (without getting into who was right/wrong)...note that he was airbrushed out of a picture of them on a recent Polydor box, so there was no love lost.

IMHO Moraz was magnificent live on the Relayer material and 'Ritual'. On the earlier Wakeman/Kaye material, less so.

[bigbassdrum]

I think Relayer must be next on the list, and would need something special like that to get the fans out again. I would love to see Patrick Moraz back in for that, but as I understand it Geoff is part owner of the name now, so that is not going to happen.

I thought Tom Brislin did very well with 'Gates of Delirium' on the Symphonic tour. Heck, that's a big chunk of the album!

I found a little interview here:
https://reverb.com/news/what-was-it-...th-tom-brislin

[dgtlman]

I think Sherwood has proven himself as the best replacement for Squire up their on stage, but, no, it's never going to be the same.

Henry

Bass-wise definitely. By far the best replacement & I believe he was hand picked by Chris to carry the torch no? Vocal-wise, even thought Billy is very good it's just not the same. Chris's vocals were just such an inherent part of the Yes "sound" & I just don't believe it can be duplicated unfortunately.

[Gizmotron]

There were plans for a 2012 US tour with Moraz, Ronnie Ciago, John Goodsall and Percy Jones. It fell through and what I heard at the time was that the others found Moraz to be difficult. This isn't the first time stories have emerged that Moraz can be difficult.

Henry

This is mentioned in several band quotes in the Popoff book on Yes. My interpretation was that he was difficult to work with musically (caused problems when the band composed) and difficult financially (wanted more money). Steve's quotes really show this yet ironically after he left Yes, Howe had him work on his second solo album and Howe was quite complimentary about his contributions.

[JJ88]

I thought Tom Brislin did very well with 'Gates of Delirium' on the Symphonic tour. Heck, that's a big chunk of the album!

He did, and 'Ritual' was also well played. But of course then they had Anderson and Squire too.

It's a pity that Brislin isn't in the band now, really.

[Paulrus]

It's a pity that Brislin isn't in the band now, really.

Agreed. If Yes has any chance of moving on beyond the original guys they'll need to bring in musicians who can play the old stuff but who also have something fresh to bring to the table. Brislin delivers that.

[the winter tree]

Such stories have been around for some time, surely? I got the impression that him clashing with certain people in Yes was why he didn't stay for long.

There was also the court case against The Moody Blues (without getting into who was right/wrong)...note that he was airbrushed out of a picture of them on a recent Polydor box, so there was no love lost.

IMHO Moraz was magnificent live on the Relayer material and 'Ritual'. On the earlier Wakeman/Kaye material, less so.

Patrick, though a likable and charming man, can be very difficult as I found out first hand. I booked him to play in my town on his solo tour in the mid 90s. He was an half hour late after showtime(he arrived in town many hours earlier after only an hour and a half drive) . His manager was furious with him. I was asked to have a good dinner for him after the show. A friend of mine loaned his restaurant and cooked a delicious meal for PM and his friends. PM blew it off at the last minute, wasting most of the food.
I lost my shirt financially renting the best grand piano I could find, beautiful concert space, etc.
Live and learn...

[Gizmotron]

Bass-wise definitely. By far the best replacement & I believe he was hand picked by Chris to carry the torch no? Vocal-wise, even thought Billy is very good it's just not the same. Chris's vocals were just such an inherent part of the Yes "sound" & I just don't believe it can be duplicated unfortunately.

Fully agree. Billy nails almost every bass line. His vocals are very good and even somewhat similar in timbre to Chris but no one had a voice like Squire. And I feel that Squire's and Howe's backing vocals are the real secret to the band. The last two times I saw the band with Chris he was especially strong vocally. (This was the show in PHX that was captured on the last live DVD. I also saw the night before when the band played Tucson. Squire's vocals in Tucson were even stronger/louder than the next night. He was stunningly good, especially on the two Heaven and Earth tracks.)

I will go to every Yes show I can, no matter who is in the band but Squire's loss is huge.

[calyx]

Patrick, though a likable and charming man, can be very difficult as I found out first hand. I booked him to play in my town on his solo tour in the mid 90s. He was an half hour late after showtime(he arrived in town many hours earlier after only an hour and a half drive).

Interesting - one of the many contradictory anecdotes/stories about his ousting from Yes had him (according to Anderson) turning up late at rehearsals in Montreux (during preparation for GftO). Apparently, the main motives for Anderson to decide to part with a member of Yes was : (a) turning up late at rehearsals; (b) not obeying his orders; (c) if (b), not countering his orders with stronger counterproposals. Banks, Kaye, and possibly Moraz, were guilty of some or all of the above.

[bondegezou]

Was this going to be called Brand X?

No, not as far as I know. They were to have played lots of Moraz material and stuff from Relayer, as well as Brand X material.

Henry

[bondegezou]

Interesting - one of the many contradictory anecdotes/stories about his ousting from Yes had him (according to Anderson) turning up late at rehearsals in Montreux (during preparation for GftO). Apparently, the main motives for Anderson to decide to part with a member of Yes was : (a) turning up late at rehearsals; (b) not obeying his orders; (c) if (b), not countering his orders with stronger counterproposals. Banks, Kaye, and possibly Moraz, were guilty of some or all of the above.

Yet the King of not showing up on time was Squire!

I get the feeling that Kaye was kicked out because he was more interested in partying and shagging than the band.

Henry

[thos]

Bass-wise definitely. By far the best replacement.

Uh... as far as I know he's the ONLY person who has tried to replace Squire in Yes....

He did, and 'Ritual' was also well played. But of course then they had Anderson and Squire too.

Uh... and let's not forget... a full orchestra as well!!!

Just being snarky.. They are both great players who do a wonderful job.

I thought Brislin was great when I saw the Yes symphonic show at Radio City in 2008.. one of my top Yes concerts.

[Dan Marsh]

Fully agree. Billy nails almost every bass line. His vocals are very good and even somewhat similar in timbre to Chris but no one had a voice like Squire. And I feel that Squire's and Howe's backing vocals are the real secret to the band. The last two times I saw the band with Chris he was especially strong vocally. (This was the show in PHX that was captured on the last live DVD. I also saw the night before when the band played Tucson. Squire's vocals in Tucson were even stronger/louder than the next night. He was stunningly good, especially on the two Heaven and Earth tracks.)

I will go to every Yes show I can, no matter who is in the band but Squire's loss is huge.

Totally agree.....loved the show I saw in Bethlehem on Saturday.

[calyx]

I get the feeling that Kaye was kicked out because he was more interested in partying and shagging than the band.

This has been suggested by other members of the band, in particular those who shared his hotel rooms when they still had a room for two (I think it was Bruford originally, then Howe inherited the privilege when he joined). But I believe his lack of variety in the keyboard department really did factor - it wasn't just one of those bullshit "musical differences" they usually give to cover for the real, much more private reasons.

[rickawakeman]

Patrick, though a likable and charming man, can be very difficult as I found out first hand. I booked him to play in my town on his solo tour in the mid 90s. He was an half hour late after showtime(he arrived in town many hours earlier after only an hour and a half drive) . His manager was furious with him. I was asked to have a good dinner for him after the show. A friend of mine loaned his restaurant and cooked a delicious meal for PM and his friends. PM blew it off at the last minute, wasting most of the food.
I lost my shirt financially renting the best grand piano I could find, beautiful concert space, etc.
Live and learn...

Just want to say, Andrew, that my wife and I have extremely fond memories of the solo piano Moraz show you arranged at the beautiful church in Brattleboro. You recall that he required the piano be tuned between sets, so Karen and I ventured behind the scenes and had a nice chat with Patrick. Seemed like an affable fellow. So know that your efforts were not unappreciated by the audience (who didn't have to deal with the stuff you did!)

[the winter tree]

Thanks for your kind words Rick!
It was kind of funny looking back ( not so much then) when Patrick casually sauntered into the church 30 minutes after he was supposed to begin playing...

[olias]

I saw them in Westbury, NY last night, a little 2000 seat theater-in-the-round they've been playing on the past few tours. They played tight. Sherwood is fully integrated now, the stand-in drummer was very solid (probably better than White has been the past few years, to be honest), Howe was a pro as usual, Davidson sang with a lot of passion and even ventured out into the crowd at one point, and Downes struck me as less sloppy covering Wakeman than he's been in the past. I enjoyed hearing Drama in it's entirety more than I expected to. But the number of empty seats was alarming. There could not have been more than 1200 people in attendance, and even that may be a generous estimate. As well as they are playing, there clearly is no longer much public enthusiasm for an endlessly touring prog oldies act (they could have played this same set 36 years ago) featuring one member from the period nearly everyone considers their peak era. It really made me wonder if this is the last time I was seeing one of my favorite bands. If you can barely sell half the tickets in a small venue a stone's throw from NYC on a Saturday night, where do you go from there? Bar band?

I hate to say it, but probably the smartest thing for Yes to do at this point is take 2017 off, then have a Union-style 50th-anniversary farewell tour with all of the key players involved, including Anderson and Wakeman.

[happytheman]

I saw them in Westbury, NY last night, a little 2000 seat theater-in-the-round they've been playing on the past few tours. But the number of empty seats was alarming. There could not have been more than 1200 people in attendance, and even that may be a generous estimate. As well as they are playing, there clearly is no longer much public enthusiasm for an endlessly touring prog oldies act (they could have played this same set 36 years ago) featuring one member from the period nearly everyone considers their peak era.

I hate to say it, but probably the smartest thing for Yes to do at this point is take 2017 off, then have a Union-style 50th-anniversary farewell tour with all of the key players involved, including Anderson and Wakeman.

I mentioned in another post that for the "average" fan they are asking a lot of them to sit through 2 sides of Tales.. From what you are describing the "average" fan is forgoing this tour.. Gotta believe if Anderson and Wakeman were on board they would fill a few more seats.. that and a different set list..

[Obscured]

I saw them in Westbury, NY last night, a little 2000 seat theater-in-the-round they've been playing on the past few tours. They played tight. Sherwood is fully integrated now, the stand-in drummer was very solid (probably better than White has been the past few years, to be honest), Howe was a pro as usual, Davidson sang with a lot of passion and even ventured out into the crowd at one point, and Downes struck me as less sloppy covering Wakeman than he's been in the past. I enjoyed hearing Drama in it's entirety more than I expected to. But the number of empty seats was alarming. There could not have been more than 1200 people in attendance, and even that may be a generous estimate. As well as they are playing, there clearly is no longer much public enthusiasm for an endlessly touring prog oldies act (they could have played this same set 36 years ago) featuring one member from the period nearly everyone considers their peak era. It really made me wonder if this is the last time I was seeing one of my favorite bands. If you can barely sell half the tickets in a small venue a stone's throw from NYC on a Saturday night, where do you go from there? Bar band?

I hate to say it, but probably the smartest thing for Yes to do at this point is take 2017 off, then have a Union-style 50th-anniversary farewell tour with all of the key players involved, including Anderson and Wakeman.

I was at Westbury last night too. Think it's the 5th time I've seen them there. Wonderful venue with amazing sightlines, amazing sound. The band was very tight, any Yesfans not wanting to see this tour are truly missing out. It was, for the first time I've seen them there, not sold out. Yes (ahem) about 3/4 filled. But, they are playing 2 more "local" shows this week which might have something to do with that; think only 3 others were on the railroad heading back to the city after the concert. Staten Island & Westchester shows are more convenient as those venues are steps from the Ferry/train stops. Westbury is a 10 minute taxi ride from the station. Anywho, glad I went.
"In The Round, again"-

I mentioned in another post that for the "average" fan they are asking a lot of them to sit through 2 sides of Tales.. From what you are describing the "average" fan is forgoing this tour.. Gotta believe if Anderson and Wakeman were on board they would fill a few more seats.. that and a different set list..

They're making the average fan well aware of the fact what selections are going to be played. Not sure if Jon A. and Rick would help sell more seats, they're upcoming tour is not selling well in the NYC area, but, Yes (ahem) that's the best chance for a better attendance. Or maybe not even.

[Sean]

Odd to see Steve playing a Les on this tune. I wonder if his 335 was having issues.... He used it on other shows from this tour on this tune.



And playing the Line 6 guitar here makes me think the 335 is indeed having issues...

[JJ88]

Sad to hear about indifferent ticket sales, but unsurprising. I think there are just too few original or key members left by this point. They aren't going down that well here either:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/thread...567581/page-12

Am now checking out that earlier 'Revealing...' clip...yikes.

[happytheman]

Sad to hear about indifferent ticket sales, but unsurprising. I think there are just too few original or key members left by this point. They aren't going down that well here either:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/thread...567581/page-12

Am now checking out that earlier 'Revealing...' clip...yikes.

I watched the first five minutes of this clip.. I stand by my original thoughts.. Sad to see Yes end this way..

[Prognosticator]

Guess we can just agree to disagree

[JJ88]

To be clear, I give them a certain amount of credit for attempting the Tales material at all. But the earlier clip of TRSOG had some speed issues and again, Downes is changing the parts (especially the solo). Maybe the kinks will be ironed out...