"Yes pulls out the stops at Pechanga"

Review by: Daniel Knighton

This show marked the seventh time I’ve seen the progressive rock band YES in concert, including the short-lived Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, and Howe at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Gone are the Avatar-like stage sets and laser light shows of the 1970s (picture Alan White’s drum kit encased in giant fiberglass mushrooms). The music, however, is timeless.

#For the first time, the band played three full-length albums onstage. During the tour, they will be switching up the order, but Pechanga’s nearly three-hour show began with 1972’s Close to the Edge, followed by The Yes Album (1971), and finishing with Going for the One, which was released in 1977.

#As the feud with original singer Jon Anderson is still unresolved, vocal duties were relegated to Laguna Beach resident Jon Davison, who was recruited from SoCal Yes tribute band Roundabout. Davison is a very capable replacement until they can get Anderson back. Though that seems less likely to happen as the years pass.

#Despite the occasional missed cue or dropped beat, 63-year-old drummer Alan White still has a thing or two to show the younger musicians. Guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Chris Squire, and keyboardist Geoff Downes seem to still be at the top of their game, though, putting on a music clinic for the sold-out crowd.

I saw them in LA two days ago and it was a great show. I thought this was better. There were a few flubs, more noticeable than the ones in LA. However, the rest of the performance was tighter and more interesting. GD seemed to want to get closer to the original lines and succeeded (CTTE and Awaken). Howe was in exceptional form. Very confident, happy, looking like a rock star, and smiling on several occasions. Awaken was very close to album quality in performance.

The order did change. CTTE, TYA, GFTO. Better performance order, IMO. My 17 year old daughter said it would be a better order on the way in to the show, and right she was.