It Was 40 Years Ago Today...

[beano]

Yes 1980 tix0001.jpg Yes 1980 tix0002.jpg

[Sputnik]

Tomorrow (June 18th) is the 40th anniversary of my first time seeing Yes, in the round in Springfield, MA. Fantastic show, I got a boot of it a while back and will have a listen to it tomorrow. Man, what a life changing experience that concert was for me!

Bill

[mozo-pg]

Mine was April 16, 1979. I had amazing seats with a perfect view of the band. I can remember parts of show quite well.

[rickawakeman]

My first Yesshow was TFTO at MSG in '74. I was 15 and remember very little of the evening other than Roger Dean's set. Saw the Relayer tour the year after at MSG and then the famous Roosevelt Stadium (Jersey City) show also in '15 iirc...broadcast by WNEW, available on many a boot.

[abhorsen]

That Jersey City gig is a good one! I've listened to that boot. I really wish I could have seen Yes in that era. The only time I got to see Anderson Howe Squire White and Wakeman was on their 2002 tour. It was a great gig. Played at least one long track from Magnification. That was the last time I saw them.

[bigbassdrum]

Saw them in April on the same tour. It was a GA show, and instead of trying to get as close to the stage as possible my group went for the front row of the actual arena seats, above floor level but eye level with the band, and with no visual obstructions of any kind.

It was my first time seeing Yes as well, in New Haven, CT. Similarly to this, I was about 4 rows up from the floor, and close to the '50-yard' line of the arena. I definitely was at eye-level with the band. I can clearly remember looking straight on to Steve Howe at one point, and thinking he's only about 30 feet away.
All those on the floor had the top of their heads at stage level and had to look up. Fantastic show. I also caught them on the return leg in the fall, where I was way up, close to the top. It still was not bad being able to see the band.

EDIT:
Oops, it must be that I saw them first in September of 1978, and the second time in the June 1979

[miamiscot]

The band had forgotten how to write a good song by 1978-79 but live they were ON FIRE!!!

[doneg]

My first Yesshow was TFTO at MSG in '74. I was 15 and remember very little of the evening other than Roger Dean's set. Saw the Relayer tour the year after at MSG and then the famous Roosevelt Stadium (Jersey City) show also in '15 iirc...broadcast by WNEW, available on many a boot.

Yep, that was also my first Yes show, MSG February 74. Next one also Roosevelt Stadium, both in 75 and 76, and also the legendary JFK show in 76

[mogrooves]

My first Yesshow was TFTO at MSG in '74.

I was there. Gryphon opened.

My first Yes concert was in '71 (Thanksgiving); King Crimson and Procol Harum were on the bill as well. My last time was '75, the Relayer tour.

[doneg]

A few thoughts on Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City NJ, things were much more loose and not as controlled as today, I'm not saying that's good or bad, it was just a different time. But because of that fans were allowed into the stadium as you got there and since it was general admission many got there early in the day to get a good seat on the field in front of the stage. You could bring almost anything in, no checking at the gate, no restrictions on what you could bring in, so everyone came prepared to spend the day there, folding chairs, blankets, coolers, food, drinks, etc. We would get there in the middle of the afternoon and picnic all day and into the evening when the show started. Those were the days! I seen Yes there twice, 75 and 76 but l think it was the 75 show that we got a nice surprise, in the middle of the afternoon Jon Anderson came on stage to entertain everyone who was there hanging out all afternoon. From what l remember he did a short set of acoustic songs. I remember it fairly well but unfortunately I don't recall what songs he did! Maybe someone else was there that remembers better. And of course there was the infamous laser incident! At the time Yes was either the first or one of the first bands to use the laser beams as part of the light show, the green lasers shooting into the night sky. Well Jersey City was just across the bay from Newark Airport and one of the flight paths went over the stadium. Again because of the different times there probably weren't any permits or regulations required for things like that so the next day it was in all the papers about how the 'lasers at rock concert' disrupts the planes coming into Newark Airport. And so the flight path had to be rerouted around the stadium for the evening! Some good memories, those were the days.

[doneg]

My last time was '75, the Relayer tour.

Yikes, 1975! What are you waiting for? Patrick is not coming back