I read in another post that there was a two-hour time limit imposed by the venue managment, so Jon & Chris made the decision to drop [Awaken] for that night.

A different environment. The natural wood and Native decor was very pleasant to walk into. With a capacity of 3000, this room looked like the inside of a factory painted nicely and carpteted and decorated to a "T" The tables were radiating out from the stage. Our seats were in front of Steve's speakers. They did an interesting thing with the light show - they put 2 CCTV screens on either side of the stage (the Homeworld Towers are back YaaaayyyYYYY!). The CCTV would not only show the band, they would overlay the fractal displays on top. (you would have loved it, Tim B!) (hey! put that technicolor jockstrap BACK ON!)(sheesh, SOME people!)

Jon's voice sounded clear and very very very expressive. His tone and inflections seemed very emotional. Igor was a little more frenetic on his tambourines - as if he were using them as machine guns! At other shows, he would wave them about like a graceful ballerina - this time he was "in your face" with them! As if to say, "Take THIS Tambourine Mofo, and take THAT Tambourine, Too!"

They were playing sooooo sooo tightly, there was one point that they stopped after a phrase, and they stopped so abruptly, and so >together<, that I thought the sound went out. Then they started back up, less than a half-breath later, at exactly the same, sharp, tight level of synchronicity as they had stopped.

For most of the songs, there was about a 30% standing ovation in the middle. Occasionally the ovation would reach the sides and back - such as for AYAI - and Hearts. I may have figured out a >tiny< piece of the JuJu on AYAI (this one's for you, Eddie) - it's the >shifts<. Now they've always done shifts between movements in AYAI, but there was something that they did to make these shifts more majestic, more intense, more magickal - I still can't nail what that was - whether it was Igor (hmmm, this >is< a new element; scientifically speaking, it is very likely) or Steve, or the way Chris hit his pedals. Or the synergy of Steve and Chris reacting with the Igor element. THE CROWD WENT WILD!!!!!

In Lightning Strikes, John did a little invocation at the end. When he told us to sing the OOOooooaahhhh's at the end, he says, "Everybody sing," and we say, "Oooooahhhh," and he says, (this is the new part!), "Everybody love!" Ooooooahhh. "Everybody sing!" OOoooooahhhh "Everybody love!" and he repeated it until >he< was satisfied that we got "the message!" Like a mantra.

At The Messenger (I've stopped writing down setlists by this time) I started to wonder if the setlist wasn't being mixed up a little bit. But I couldn't remember - somehowe I thought IBaGD came before Messenger, so I started getting confused.

The vocal harmonies in Face 2 Face - were exquisite "we began at the very first spring" (a capella) right on pitch, right down the line, a solid hit. When those harmonies fall into place, it is indescribably sweet. The cathedral of Yes.

On Hearts - I've noticed this all tour - it is interesting to me - that while Billy takes the vocal solo on "set your heart sail on the river," then they switch to a Jon/Chris harmony - to choose the timbre and tone of the Chris voice over the tone of the Billy voice. Like using them orchestrally. An interesting compositional / arrangement tool. Symphonic, or like different "voices" on a keyboard. You know - everyone who has been raving about Steve's solo on Hearts - I'm sorry folks, but this time I noticed that all he was doing was tracing the main vocal or bass line melodies. I thought he could be more imaginative than that . . . counterpoint, you know? (sadly, Trevor's soaring solos >do< come to mind) At the end, as Jon sings, "As we flow down life's river. . ." Igor is twinkling like a starry sky. Nice touch. One which has never been there before.

The room itself was frequently overdriven - the bass resounded and vibrated the tables - but somtimes it was too much and bordered on feedback.

All Good People had

I love Yes this was a very good show except no Awaken! I can't beleive they didn't play it. The sound sucked also. I've seen Yes many times and the casino made them sound like shit. I was dead center and had a very hard time hearing Chris. Can you imagine not hearing Chris? Either the sound man sucked or it was the place it's self. Someone tell me why they left out Awaken! This was less than 2 hr show I've never seen a Yes show that short. Was someone in the band sick or what? Don't get me wrong I love Yes they are the best and will see them every time they come around but something just was not right at this show. The sound, short show, I'll just guess it was one of those nights. I hope everyone else enjoyed it. If anyone knows what happened at that show please tell me.