Musician
August, 1984
YES
The Ghost of Yesses Past

There's a different Yes now, that's for sure. The former
art-rock Yes would never have run Bugs Bunny car-
toons before a concert (Bugs Bunny cartoons?!), nor used
a dance-beat version of their own "Leave It" as an opening
fanfare instead of something by Stravinsky. But the ghost
of this old band won't die.  Their show in New York's
Madison Square Garden -  the last date of the group's
first North American tour in four years - proved that to a
sellout crowd.

  Not that it wasn't a good show, with lots of energy, high
caliber musicianship and tech wizardry. The present
golden age of wireless allowed Trevor Rabin, Jon
Anderson and Chris Squire to roam playfully around an
80s-deco slanted metal stage.

  Unfortunately, the Garden's lousy sound reduced Yes'
transparent textures to the quality of roadbed gravel
The band's schizophrenia didn't help; they couldn't
make the old material toe the new 90125 line. Vast portions
of the crowd spontaneously sang ,along with "Hold On"
and "Hearts," but the old songs sat there like a lump.
Trevor Rabin isn't Steve Howe. Tony Kaye isn't Rick
Wakeman or Patrick Moraz. Since the band didn't revamp
its "classics," the audience was compelled to reminisce
about how Yes was in the good old days.

  Why repeat the past - even with new faces - when
there's a bright future to explore? Having made a stun-
ning rock comeback, Yes can afford to leave"Starship
Troopers" behind on its path toward. new music.- Freff

Photo by Ebet Roberts [Musician.jpg]