Yes – In the Present – Tour Dates
Dates for the upcoming Yes tour have finally surfaced. As I mentioned previously, the band won’t be led by Jon Anderson who is still recuperating from a respiratory illness. As it turns out, Anderson was left out of the loop concerning this new tour and lineup. He wrote on his myspace blog:
..Disappointed that, with the exception of one phone call from Alan, none of the guys have been in touch since my illness, just to find out how I am doing, and how we will foresee the future for YES. And disappointed that they were not willing to wait till 2009 when I’m fully recovered.
…Of course I wish the guys all the best in their ’solo’ work, but I just wish this could have been done in a more gentlemanly fashion. After all YES is a precious musical band. This is not YES on tour…
Disputes among band members and line-up changes are nothing new for a band like Yes but it forces fans to decide where their loyalties lie. Will fans side with Anderson and skip out on seeing this new lineup? and how about the general public? Will they be duped into thinking that the group out on tour this winter is the “classic” lineup? The current advertisements and websites like ticketmaster aren’t that forthcoming with band member details.
Now that I know that Anderson isn’t all that thrilled with the group going out on tour without him, I’ll probably pass on seeing the band this time around.
Here are the tour dates for those that are interested.
Nov 4 Tuesday Hamilton, ON Hamilton Place Theatre
Nov 5 Wednesday Toronto, ON Massey Hall
Nov 7 Friday Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Nov 8 Saturday Williamsport, PA Community Arts Center
Nov 9 Sunday Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
Nov 11 Tuesday Hershey, PA Hershey Theater
Nov 12 Wednesday Columbus, OH LC Pavilion
Nov 14 Friday New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
Nov 15 Saturday Asbury Park, NJ Paramount Theater
Nov 16 Sunday Baltimore, MD Rams Head
Nov 18 Tuesday Reading, PA Soverign PAC
Nov 19 Wednesday Richmond, VA The National
Nov 21 Friday Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Casino Event Center
Nov 22 Saturday Westbury, NY Theatre at Westbury
Nov 23 Sunday Albany, NY Times Union Center
Nov 25 Tuesday Cleveland, OH House of Blues
Nov 26 Wednesday Detroit, MI The Fillmore Detroit
Nov 28 Friday Cincinnati, OH Taft Theatre
Nov 29 Saturday Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre
Nov 30 Sunday Bloomington, IL US Cellular Coliseum
Dec 2 Tuesday St. Louis, MO The Pageant
Dec 3 Wednesday Chicago, IL The Chicago Theatre
Dec 6 Saturday Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues
Dec 7 Sunday Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
Dec 9 Tuesday Louisville, KY Palace Theatre
Dec 10 Wednesday Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
Dec 14 Sunday Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live
Dec 16 Tuesday Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
Dec 17 Wednesday Miami, FL Seminole Hard Rock Casino
Yes – In the Present Tour 2008
Chris Squire – Bass
Alan White – Drums
Steve Howe – Guitar
Oliver Wakeman – Keyboards
Benoit David – Lead Vocals
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It’s such a shame they couldn’t hold off and wait for Jon to tour with them, Yes aren’t really Yes without Jon’s distinctive vocal talents..
This is like a bad dream or something…I do NOT see Dallas on that list.
I wonder what kind of respiratory illness has him out for that long that he could recover from in a year? Somethin’ serious.
My understanding is that it was/is a very serious health problem for Jon and that he was very near death at one stage. Let’s hope he makes a full recovery.
What I’d love to see from yes is a new album of new material, I’m sure Jon could manage that at some stage. Their last two albums just keep growing on me.
[...] use the time to record a followup album. That way, the momentum isn’t lost. Instead, we have Howe touring as “Yes” without Jon Anderson and Wetton/Downes releasing material that most likely could have been material for another Asia [...]
I saw them Sunday night at Mohegan Sun in CT. The show was excellent. Steve especially was in top form. (I heard he had to deal with some hecklers at the Hampton show. WTF?? On Sunday he reminded the world that nobody knows their way up and down the neck of a guitar like he does. ) Benoit David did a fine job covering for Jon. The similarity in their voices is uncanny. Certainly no singer can replace Jon’s stage presence. Jon carries the soul and essence of the Yes message–that positive, affirmative spirit that goes way beyond “peace, love & grooviness”–and that was missing from the show. But don’t skip the show for that reason. Go see them, and savor what the other members do to try to make up for Jon’s absence. I went with two first-timers (I’ve lost track myself–12x+ since ‘75), and they both had a great time. One said he though the presence of Benoit and Oliver (who, btw, was also just fine, as expected) gave the band some youthful energy, and that Alan, Steve and Chris seemed more energetic than he had expected, perhaps influenced by the new guys. It’s kind of sad and ironic that a band that has created so much uplifting and hopeful music has had to deal with so much animosity from within. Maybe it’s a ying and yang thing. All I can say is I’m so glad I didn’t skip this show. In fact I’m going to try to catch them in again in NYC on Friday. Jon–please take care of yourself and get back on stage as soon as your health allows. Don’t begrudge the other guys their decision to go on tour without you. Bird gotta fly, fish gotta swim, musician gotta play–that’s the way it is. I hope to see you all together again someday.
Yes has already done their best work. That may be wrong but, in most cases, it’s the artists in their younger years who do their finest work. So, let this tour go on. Even Chris Squire, who is an egotistical personality is not without his love for Jon. It’s better that they go ahead and play…that’s what they were born to do. Tell a fish not to swim…it’s the same as telling the greatest composition band in rock and roll (not to mention some of the most original-sounding and accomplished musicians, ever) to stop playing. That’s why they’re doing this, it’s not for the money.
What a shame they don’t come to Europe!
I saw this lineup last night in Reading, PA. It was the best I’ve seen Yes since their Tormato tour in the round. They absolutely miss Anderson but the guy filling in was beyond adequate. He did tend to “groove” a bit too over the top but as far as vocals, at times he was dead on, at least enough to thoroughly enjoy the music. The setlist was remarkable. I’d have to believe if Jon were touring with them it would have looked nothing like this what with so many predominately penned Squire efforts like Onward, Tempus Fugit, Parallels, and Machine Messiah just to mention a few. That’s what made this show so special for me – hearing different music that they typically wouldn’t play. Oh and they left off Owner of a Lonely Heart, praise God. I saw them on TV over the weekend playing it and it was just awful. Made me wonder if I was truly excited to be going to this show. However they delivered above and beyond and as never before. Sure the classic three have aged and aren’t in their prime anymore but as far as the live magic goes for Yes, it is most definitely still there.
I have seen this band on tour 3 times. Tales from Topographic Oceans, Relayer and Tormato. Relayer for me anyway has proven to be their best disk at least when translated to a live performance. When they have a line-up that showcases Steve Howe they are without a doubt the best on stage prog band. From this tour I have only seen the youtube videos and with some of them the quality isn’t half bad. The “new” singer does a couple of things well. He sings the stuff from Fragile and Close to the Edge like it was 1972 all over again. No small feat. He also has made Siberian Khatru sound more dramatic than it ever has in previous performances and you can see the other players get a serious energy boost from this. They are not a recording act anymore so anything that improves performance is fabulous. That said only Jon Anderson can sing the signature And You and I but with everything else Benoit sounds great. What gives with the Drama songs? I always thought they sounded tinny and pop-y. Benoit absolutely saves them from what Trevor Horn originally did to them. At least they now sound like Yes songs despite the fact that Drama is their weakest stuff.
Great music. Whoever get up there and do it justice should be listened to.
They played Owner of a Lonely Heart in Atlanta. The show was intimate and kickin’. Squire and Howe are the bomb!
They also played “Astral traveler”. Never heard that one live.
I saw Yes in Atlanta on December 7th and loved it. Matter of fact, I loved it so much, I saw them in Hollywood, FL on the 17th. I’ve never done that before and I’ve been a fan of this group since 1975. I think I’ve seen them over 10 times since 1979. Benoit did a great job and he seemed like he was having fun. I think its true what someone said that Benoit and Oliver re-energized the band on this tour. Benoit seems to be channeling Jon Anderson. Its kind of weird. He really nailed it on CTTE at the end when he sings “Now that you find now that you’re WHOLE!” The song selection was great. I got to hear songs that I’ve never heard them play live before like the Drama stuff and songs like Astral Traveller. They start the 2nd leg of their tour in February. I’m seriously considering going to another show. I just can’t let go of this band!
[...] news for west coast Yes fans looking forward to seeing the In the Present shows in February. Chris Squire apparently had a blood clot in his leg and had to go into surgery [...]