The setlist for this concert couldn't have been much better. The show started with the epic "Close To The Edge". Right off the bat you could tell that the orchestra blended perfectly with the band - in no way upstaging the original music. After the classic "Long Distance Runaround", Yes played two of the best songs from the Magnification album. The first one, "Don't Go" is a catchy little pop song with some great harmony vocals. It would have fit perfectly on the 90125 album. The next song, "In The Presence Of", is surely destined to be a classic. Alan White comes out from behind the drum kit to begin the song with a beautiful piano intro. The song then follows a similar arrangement to "Starship Trooper", with the slow, steady buildup that leads to an incredible crescendo. Great harmony vocals, great bass, great steal guitar, great frigging tune! OK, so how do they follow that up? What else..."Gates Of Delirium". Holy Shit! For those of you who don't know, this is their album side length, ultra-progressive, epic from the classic Relayer album, and is not exactly a concert staple. John, looking more like a gypsy than ever, introduced this song with a few choice, sentimental, peacenik words about the current state of affairs in the world. I quote: "war is not needed, the light is more powerful". The guy is just so damn likeable and enjoyable to watch perform, that I couldn't even make fun of him for that one. He reminds me of someone on Ecstasy - the big happy smile and so full of LOOOOOVE. "Gates Of Delirium" is definitely not for the timid, occasional Yes fan, but for those fanatics who actually dug the Tales From Topographic Oceans album. It is long, heavy, and intense. "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" this song isn't.

After an excellent performance of "Starship Trooper", they played a third great new song from the Magnification album called, getthis, "Magnification". This sounded superb live because it was originally written and performed with an orchestra. It was very inspiring to see these new songs hold up so well against the classics. Two more album-side epics followed - "And You And I", and "Ritual". Once again, the orchestration skillfully breathed new life into these classics. Yes saved their 1980's, number one hit song, "Owner Of A Lonely Heart", for the encore. Guys, I beg of you, please consider playing something, anything!!, else off that album other than the played to death "Owner". You can just tell that Howe despises playing that song, but he begrudging plays it like a good little starship trooper. Although I love the 90125 album (it did come out while I was in high school after all), that song really seems out of place against the likes of "Gates Of Delirium", and "Ritual". That is, however, what makes Yes great. The grand finale was non other than "Roundabout" - possibly the most played song on album rock radio during the 70's and 80's. The damn song does have it all though - smoking guitar riffs, incredible bass, soaring vocal harmonies, and of course Rick Wakeman's jaw-dropping keyboard solos. Although I am an expert air-guitarist, I was always inspired to play Wakeman's parts when my friends and I would drunkenly perform the air band version of this great tune.