Tonight I went to see Yes at The Greek Theater, and because there are two touring versions of Yes nowdays, I am referring to the ARW unit, the one with Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman (rounded out by two fantastic session musicians on bass and drums). To me, you can't have Yes without Jon Anderson, for it is his voice above all that makes their music so unique.
Let me start by saying that the traffic was horrendous on the way down there. Positively apocalyptic. I was stuck first on the 101 freeway and then on the streets of Hollywood and I thought for sure I was gonna miss the first fifteen minutes of the concert, which was scheduled to start at 7:30. But I somehow made it to my spot at the bottom of the hill, just off Los Feliz, where I park for free to avoid the $25 Greek parking fee, and by 7:15 I was walking as fast as I could the one mile distance from car to Greek Theater, uphill, good thing I'm a hiker. I got in line precisely at 7:30 - a long line, letting one person in at a time with a TSA-level security check - and I expected to hear the crowd roar inside the theater at any moment as the band came onstage. I was anxious because I am one of those people where, if I miss even half a song at a concert, it kind of ruins it for me. Same with movies, where I would never even consider entering a theater even as the opening credits were rolling.
The reason is because it just ain't right.
I am not a casual fan of music, or movies. But this rule applies especially to concerts, which are sacred to me. If I miss the first song - which thankfully has only happened a handful of times in 44 years of concertgoing - then it feels to me like I have missed the whole concert. That may sound ridiculous, but it's just the way it is for me.
So I was waiting in this freaking TSA line, where it was taking forever to let people in, and I was stressing and saying "never again" (also because of the traffic), and somehow I finally got through the security checkpoint and into the theater itself.
It took me three more minutes to get to my seat, and I kid you not, as I was stepping gingerly past the already seated people in my row, the lights went down.
Yes came on stage about 20 seconds after I got to my seat.
Then the music started and all the stress from the horrible commute just drained out of me. I absolutely revere these guys and I was locked in from Note One.
The two hour set was a combination of the more pop-oriented music from the "90125" Trevor Rabin era and the longer, landmark progressive pieces from the band's early period in the 1970s. I was not initially a big fan of 1980s Yes music, but as time went by I came to appreciate it more and more. It was "Yes with hooks", and though the songs were shorter they still retained core elements of the original sound.
Yes has had many members over the years. Three different guitarists, beginning with Peter Banks, then Steve Howe, who is most closely associated with the classic Yes sound, and finally Trevor Rabin, who helped redefine the sound into the 80s.
Yes has also had four different keyboardists, beginning with Tony Kaye, who played with them on the early formative albums and up to their first classic, "The Yes Album" in 1971 (or was it 1970?). Then Rick Wakeman joined, in 1971 when he was only 22 years old, and he remained for most of the band's classic progressive run on albums like "Fragile", "Close To The Edge" and "Tales From Topographic Oceans". Swiss genius Patrick Moraz was brought in to play on one album, "Relayer" in 1974, that many people consider to be the band's most advanced work. Finally, there was Geoff Downes, who first played with Yes on the "Drama" album in 1980, when Jon Anderson was first replaced by another singer, Trevor Horne.
There have also been two drummers, the legendary Bill Bruford and then the sturdy Alan White, who was with the band since 1974 and now plays with Steve Howe in the other Yes.
Confused? If so, it is understandable.
There was only one instrument that was only ever played by a single member, and that was the bass, played by the musical giant Chris Squire. He was the only guy who played on every Yes album, and to some folks, he was the driving force behind the band. I won't argue that point, because I think that with Yes, you have several musical forces, and one overall genius, that being the singer and lyricist Jon Anderson.
Jon will turn 74 in a couple months, but onstage you would guess him early 60s. His voice is about 94% of what it was at his peak, which is not too shabby and in fact it's great.
The music is so spiritual and it harkens back to a time when experimental music was encouraged and celebrated, and this encouraging and supportive spirit resulted in a waterfall of truly inspired music during the period of about 1972 to 1976.
At the concert tonight, I was thinking, "I can hardly imagine music like this".
The music of Yes has meant - and means - so much to me that I cannot put it's meaning into words.
I felt these indescribable feelings as I watched the band from my seat, about one third of the way back, in the center.
Rick Wakeman now holds the record for Musician Who Has Elapsed The Longest Time Period Between First Concert Witnessed and Most Recent Concert Witnessed.
I first saw Rick Wakeman, as a solo act, at the Hollywood Bowl in September 1974. He was my third concert ever, so - granting him a few days leeway as we are still in August - Mr. Wakeman holds the record at 44 years between first concert and most recent. Right behind him is Alice Cooper at 43 years.
Then you have Sparks, who in November will come in at 43 years, Todd Rundgren, at 41 years, and Black Sabbath at 40 years. Van Halen has an outside shot at joining the 40 Year Club if they ever play again, for I first saw them in 1976.
Watching Yes tonight, and even Jon Anderson at age 74, I could see them going for another ten years at least.
We are in a new age of human potential and lifespan.
I don't really know what to say about the music except that it means more to me than I can say, because it touches me in my spirit, especially when performed live by the artists themselves.
See you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
No comments:
Post a Comment