Who saw Yes live in their heyday? WARNING: Prog Thread

I've been rediscovering Yes over the last year or so. I've seen them live once but can't remember the year exactly, must have been in the late 70s. In those days it was all Led Zeppelin for me.

I saw Yes touring Relayer and Genesis, post Gabriel. I think it was the tour for Wind and Wuthering.

They both just kind of stood or sat on stage and played the music quite well. If you like the records you would have liked the concerts. I can't listen to them now. I was on my way to being a Dylan and Beatles fan until my big cousin told me I should like Prog. Big mistake.

The only one of them which still interests me at all is Van der Graaf generator who were much more erratic live but were genuinely odd, inventive and passionate at times.

Yep saw them on their Fragile tour and their Relayer tour (Supertramp were on before them playing the whole of COTC) they bored the pants off me.

Never been a fan of theirs.

I saw them on the Drama tour....so that's Trevor Horn for Jon Anderson and Geoff Downes for Rick Wakeman.

Drama isn't that bad an album and they performed that material well...however, when it came to performing old Yes stuff Horn was having such great difficulty reaching the high notes that he was standing on his toes to much comedic effect..

I've grown back in to Yes to the extent that I now really rate Topographical Oceans whereas at the time I was horrible disappointed after the classic that was Close To The edge.

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Shaw:

.......to the extent that I now really rate Topographical Oceans whereas at the time I was horrible disappointed after the classic that was Close To The edge.

I didn't think that I'd live long enough to see such a statement! I have it on LP and CD and try to like it every few years, but it's unutterable tosh, surely? (Unlike the previous few, from The Yes Album on, which were indeed 'classic' Yes.)

I never saw them 'live' in their pomp, sadly.

Incidentally, Gary, no offence intended, of course!

Graham

I saw them twice in the early to mid 70s. As far as I remember, first time they played Tales from Topographic Oceans in its entirety but the album had been delayed so nobody had heard it. The audience response was muted to say the least. The other gig was the complete opposite. All their best stuff, one after the other. It was magnificent.

The thing I remember most is that they were unbelievably loud. Possibly the loudest I ever heard and that includes the Who, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple.

Incidentally in the past couple of years I've rediscovered Topographic Oceans, an album I never really got into in the 70s. I think it's beautiful now.

Well, b*gger me, I'll have to dig it out and try again!

Thanks, or maybe not.

Graham

Dean, Dean,

I have been trying to forget the experience that was the Tales From Topographic Oceans Tour in 1973.

As you have stated you are young and probably at the height of your powers in making good life choices. If you were around then and like me had grown up seeing many of the great Rock & Prog bands from 69-73, including Yes, that tour would bring nightmares to you as well . My friends and I were obviously enthusiastic at the time as we bought tickets for 20 & 22 Nov 1973. I have no idea why we went back the 2nd night, as the tuesday show was so pretentious it was embarrassing. I still bought the double LP though and if you want the original it's yours .

I have found a Melody Maker review of the TFTO preview gigs @ The Rainbow Theatre from Chris Welch here.

Rick Wakeman covered the TFTO tour in his book Grumpy Old Rockstar: and Other Wondrous Stories. The famous Curry on Stage story at the Manchester Free Trade Hall is covered here.

I think I've calmed down now and will make some horlicks to help me sleep well tonight

Yours in Music

Denis

A friend of mine needledropped their early stuff...brilliant music...

Rush, Yes, ELP, Genesis...AWESOME musician making awesome music...

quote:

Originally posted by graham55:
Incidentally, Gary, no offence intended, of course!

Graham

:-) None at all taken. Until about a year ago I too spent many happy minutes on forums ridiculing the overblown tune-light twiddle-fest.

But now I love it! Senility or enlightenment - you decide ;-)

I saw Yes in my youth and some of the other bands you mention including Pink Floyd back in the early days when Syd still led the band.

ELP were quite extraordinary.

Another great band to see live were Barclay James Harvest.

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Shaw:

quote:

Originally posted by graham55:
Incidentally, Gary, no offence intended, of course!

Graham

:-) None at all taken. Until about a year ago I too spent many happy minutes on forums ridiculing the overblown tune-light twiddle-fest.

But now I love it! Senility or enlightenment - you decide ;-)

My friend, if you're anywhere near my age, you must understand that we're all f*cked.

Have you noticed how, at this sort of age, we become 'invisible' to young girls out on the pull?

Moderators, please feel free to pull this post. It's the most likely pull of the evening, after all!

Graham

quote:

PG Genesis, Pink Floyd, ELP, Rush, Jethro Tull, Marilion

Yes - Many times with different line-ups. The first was them playing Relayer at Reading festival. Never disappointed.

Genesis - never a fan so not even when they played Slough College in the early 70s around the time of Foxtrot

Floyd - Twice. The Animals tour & the Delicate Sound Of Thunder one. Stupendous each time.

ELP - Sadly no

Rush - At least once on every UK tour since Signals. Superb musicians with a great sense of humour.

Tull - Once and they were extremely good.

Marillion - Fish-period, more times than I can recall. The first was the Quo Milton Keynes "Farewell" fest. Always, always a great show. One of my all time fave bands. With Hogarth, just the once on the Easter tour. Not the same band.

steve

steve

Saw them in Edinburgh in 1975 and I can't say more as I'm off to try Topographic again. Like Graham, never got the hang of it.

Pete

quote:

Originally posted by graham55:
Have you noticed how, at this sort of age, we become 'invisible' to young girls out on the pull?

I've been invisible to girls all my life - except for one who thankfully asked me out (just about 39 years ago now).

Recently been refining the art of being invisible on forums too!

quote:

Originally posted by graham55:

Have you noticed how, at this sort of age, we become 'invisible' to young girls out on the pull?

Graham

Graham,
This reminds me of an evening out a couple of years ago with some of my oldest, dearest friends, guys I've known for 44 years. There was a stunningly beautiful young waitress bringing our beer and I remarked on her beauty to my friend. He looked at me incredulously and said, "She can't see you. You're so far under her radar you're invisible to her. And if she did notice you it would most likely be because you remind her of her granda." Talk about being put in your place.

Started to see Yes live in 79. Drove down to London in a Citroen Pallas which we aptly named the "The Starship Trooper" to see them in the round with the PA flown above the stage. Since then I've seen them, in various guises, 9 other times including twice in Cardiff and a few years back at an open air gig at Powderham Castle in Devon.

As an aside, I was staying in L.A. a couple of years back, arrived in the evening checked into my hotel in the dark. Next morning I looked out the window and stared at two towering office blocks which I recognized but didn't know why.

It took me a few mins to realize that I was staying in Century City......Going for the One front cover.

Doug

For you Trevor Horn fans here he is performing Airwaves with Thomas Dolby & Bruce Woolley @ The Union Chapel in Feb this year. One of the best gigs I've seen and looking forward to the EP's that Thomas is releasing this year. If the fans videos that TMDR requested are of usable quality, he is hoping to release the footage of a memorable evening.

Back to Yes, I have seen them a number of times in the 70's and they were always great. It's just that the TFTO gigs seemed like they were taking the pi**

Missed a few opportunities to see Yes as I really wasn't a fan, we did go the Buggles Yes tour, and enjoyed it for what it was. I re- visited YES quite recently and enjoy most of their stuff.

We have seen Rush a few times BJH a couple of times and more recently Jethro Tull a couple of times, all good.

Like Whizzkid, I was too late for many of the bands in their heyday

One exception was Rush touring what for me is their best album 'Permanent Waves' in 1980, that was a fantastic gig.

I have seen various line-ups of 'Yes', I avoided the Trevor Rabin version, but surprisingly the best post 1980 Yes show I have seen was last year with Benoit David and Oliver Wakeman in the band. Howe, Squire and White played their socks off to show this was a valid version of the band, and the real highlights of the show were the two tracks from 'Drama'. The 35th anniversary tour was pretty good too with Wakeman back in the band.

ABWH was the worst version of Yes I saw, although I have heard Union was worse.

I my opinion the best gig I have ever seen was the Van Der Graaf Generator reunion show at the Royal Festival Hall in 2005, later released as 'Real Time', they seemed to pick up exactly where they had left off thirty years before, and had no bad 80's pop tracks to clutter up the set.

I also enjoyed the King Crimson UK tours in 90's and 0's.

Of the post 1980 bands, the one prog tour I have no excuse for missing was Tool touring 'Lateralus' in 2001, I just didn't get them at that point and missed seeing one of my favourite albums performed live. Gutted.

Porcupine Tree were great live around ten years ago, but I haven't liked their last couple of albums.

I saw Marillion the day they were signed to EMI, (with Tull headlining a festival, 'Broadsword' tour), but quickly got bored with Fish and co. Twelfth Night were dull, but IQ had some energy live, but to me they were all paled in comparison with the bands from ten years earlier.

As for Tull, I have seen then 6 times, all good, until this year where the band were pussyfooting around Anderson's wrecked voice, great up until then, but I doubt a patch on their 70's shows. Great entertainers though.

Listening to recordings of the prog, and similar, bands in their hey day, and before I was old enough to go to gigs, a few shows stand out, Yes on the 'Tormato' (Wembley 1978) and 'Relayer' (Boston 1974) tours, Genesis on the 'Trick of the Tale' tour (Hammersmith 1976), Van Der Graaf Generator 1975 (Woolwich Poly) but the best performance I have ever heard a recoding of must be Led Zeppelin at Earls Court, Sunday, 25th May 1975. Ask Munch, he was there.

I never saw any of the bands before 1980.
However, saw Yes on the Drama tour and Jon Anderson on the Song of Seven tour 3 days earlier. Anderson was far better.

Pink Floyd - The Wall in 1980 and 1981
Never been the same since Waters left. The individual tours of Gilmour (About face) and Waters (Pros and Cons..)were better than the reformed Floyd tour of 1988

Rush - Every tour since Permanent Waves. We travelled down to London for the 4th night of the "Five Night Marathon" at the then Hammersmith Odeon.

Didn't read all of the first post. I saw PG with Genesis as the support to Lindisfarne and at the Great Western Festival in 1972. But again wasn't really into them

I first saw Floyd on the 21st July 1967 and also saw them at Knebworth. I saw Cream 11 days earlier at a re-scheduled gig. 67 was a good year as it was the first time I saw The Who as well.

Of this type of genre I've seen Rush, The Who, Zeppelin, Genesis but not Floyd or Yes. The latter were more listening music than gig music to me.

For entertainment punching well above their billing - Rory G, fantastic when ever I saw him, Budgie, Thin Lizzy, Golden Earring - great live set that, and the fantastic Alex Harvey.

Joe

quote:

Originally posted by JamieL_v2:
I my opinion the best gig I have ever seen was the Van Der Graaf Generator reunion show at the Royal Festival Hall in 2005, later released as 'Real Time', they seemed to pick up exactly where they had left off thirty years before, and had no bad 80's pop tracks to clutter up the set.

I was there too and agree entirely - was it REALLY 5 years ago? Van Der Graaf on TotP or MTV? Hmmmm...

Saw Genesis (post-Gabriel) at Earls Court - dull, soulless and so far away. I have never been to a huge gig since.

I saw Peter Gabriel several times, including his first solo gig on the 'Peter Gabriel' tour. That was excellent.

Saw Jethro Tull on the tour recorded for 'Bursting Out', they were excellent live.

No mention of Steve Hillage yet... he was good live too.

I saw Yes at the Rainbow Theatre with my brother and a couple of friends. We managed to escape from boarding school in the middle of rural Norfolk one Friday night without anyone noticing. They played Topographic Oceans and I believe some of Close to the Edge if my memory serves me well. I think the concert was made more enjoyable by virtue of the fact that we were there illegally and not because of the music! I cannot remember when I last listened to TO. I saw Led Zep at Earls Court which was brilliant, Van der Graaf at Imperial College equally impressive, Genesis at De Montford Hall doing Foxtrot and Nursery Crimes which was quite magical and Pink Floyd at Wembley doing Wish you were Here, most of Meddle and DSOTM. Stunning concert. As this is a family friendly forum I also saw David Bowie at Wembley on the Station to Station Tour, the Moody Blues and a host of other bands...Rolling Stones at Knebworth etc etc. Halcyon days...