"In The Present" Tour Discussions (Spoilers here)

[just_bassics]

Okay, now that Yes have conluded the 2008 tour, I welcome any and all discussions about the band, the tour, the gear, setlist, etc... Tell us where you saw them and what your impressions were of the music and performances. I was lucky enough to catch three shows, made new friends and got some nice memories. Please share yours, if you wish.

[woodyng]

generally speaking, i was grateful to see a band playing very well together to a most appreciative audience. drunks and catcalls were noticeably absent,and appreciated for their absence! the guys managed to please on "the old favorites",as well as presenting material unplayed by them on tour in decades. i was hoping to hear "a venture",didn't happen, but hey,they played tempus fugit,machine messiah,and astral traveller,which i have never heard live,and they sounded freakin' fantastic doing them. they also changed the beginning arrangement of one of the MOST favorite of the yes catalog,"and you and I",basically dropping the 12 string intro/meandering and starting with the big "da da da da da....da.....da dah...da dadum do dah" slide guitar part from later in the song......really had a much greater impact starting that song that way..... all the guys,including the newbies were in great form,and i do remember thinking how i was glad i made the trip,as i initially did not plan to go.....this is my xmas and birthday presents to myself for the next few years! much has been written on the yesfans website about chris's new song "aliens are only us from the future"-i liked it,had a great piano melody from oliver. i met some fans who had been to 4 previous shows on this tour,and there had been several songs dropped,apparently for time as the shows were running close to 3 hours....i did not mind not hearing owner

[gearhed289]

They've actually been doing the "bombastic" And You and I intro since the song was new.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkX8IafsnBM

NO Owner of a Lonely Heart? That's good!

[just_bassics]

Regarding "And You and I", it is funny how things change over time. The version on CTTE has the 12 string intro, but they always played it live with the steel guitar melody opening... then around 1996, they started doing the album intro again, so that was nice to hear. Now, hearing the Yessongs version again makes that one sound nostalgic... At the three shows I attended, AYAI stole the show, the performance was amazing, especially due to the small theatre sizes. In Reading, the crowd went crazy after AYAI and Chris finally quieted them by saying "So I guess you like that one".

This song is just one example of how Yes music changes and grows over the years, as Miguel stated "They are still composing the music".

I think the nicest surprise for me was Astral Traveller, which Steve played on his ES-175 almost exactly as Peter Banks recorded it. Simply Fantastic! Chris played his custom FOOW 4001S on Machine Messiah, which was also great. Tempus Fugit was the other classic, also, it was nice to hear Onward. Benoit and Chris harmonized well. When I spoke briefly to Chris, I asked him what the chances were of them just playng the entire DRAMA album, he laughed and said they hadn't quite rehearsed it all yet.

This tour really moved me, and I know that Jon and Rick are a big part of Yes, and I know how they played in the 70's, etc... but to have them on tour in these small venues, very intimate, was for me a special treat. The music took on a whole new meaning and the band members all showed up acting like old friends, IMO treating the audiences with a great deal of respect. Some fans thought that Steve Howe was "grumpy" because he was chastizing rude fans, but I just thought that he was trying to make the show better for me. We all know the guy who just has to yell out in the quiet sections, just to hear his own voice... well, Steve silenced a few of those guys at my shows. Well done!

I hope they keep going for another ten years.