This week, some 45 years into their career, Yes made their first ever appearance in Victoria. On this current tour, they are promising to perform three of their sprawling progressive rock albums from the ’70s in full. You may wonder how a band can fill arenas worldwide with a promise like this in 2014.
The answer lies in the broad spectrum of band’s appeal. Serious musicians flock to Yes gigs to see the wide selection of guitars and to watch the seemingly effortless, flawless execution of highly technical compositions. Classic rockers show up to hear the Yes riffs they remember hearing on FM radio as a kid; I say riffs, not songs, because most normal people cannot memorize an entire Yes song.
And hippies, for lack of a better term, love Yes because the music always has an uplifting tone, and a lot of the extended guitar solo parts have a jam-band feel that would fit right in at any outdoor summer festival, if you just let go and stop trying to count through all the changing time signatures.
The stage production on this Yes tour is basic and humble, with a simple video screen announcing song titles and morphing from spinning spiritual iconography to sea turtles swimming across night skies. No pyro to distract from the music.
The current band members all seem to be in good health, and although Steve Howe (guitar) and Chris Squire (bass) are probably irreplaceable, there’s a big family of Yes ex-members (and their children) to draw from if any lineup changes are needed to keep the touring machine going in future decades.
See you in another 45 years.