Yes, one of the definitive progressive rock bands in both success and excess, has had an ever-changing roster of musicians throughout the band’s almost 40-year history, which explains why the DVD lists the line-up as “The Definitive Yes.” Some fans may disagree with that designation, not to slight Alan White, but because Bill Bruford was the drummer on three of the band’s most successful albums, The Yes Album, Fragile, and Close To The Edge. However, as a unit, singer Jon Anderson, guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Chris Squire, keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and White have logged the most time together under the name Yes, from 1972-’74, ’76-’79, ’90-’92 (during this time Yes was an octet), ’95-’96, and 2002-to the band’s current hiatus, which began in ’05. That doesn’t include time spent as members of Yes in other variations, which they all have done.
Live at Montreux 2003 captures Yes touring in celebration of the band’s 35th anniversary. Audio from nine of the songs was previously released in the Essentially Yes box set from 2006. While they do play a few hits that all classic rock fans know, such as “I’ve Seen All Good People” and “Roundabout,” which close out the show, this is a concert for the serious Yes fan.
They open with “Siberian Khatru” from Close to the Edge. I found it an odd choice as the keyboards sound terrible, delivering a flat, harsh sound straight out of the ‘80s. Next, they perform two tracks from Magnification, their last studio album from 2001 sans Wakeman. They offer up the very obscure “Don't Kill The Whale” from 1977’s Tormato for the die-hards before finally performing something the causal Yes fan would recognize: “We Have Heaven,” the first of six out of the nine tracks off of Fragile that appear in the set list.
Article comments
1 - Hung
"“Siberian Khatru” from Close to the Heart"
Someone is either confused or has Rush on the brain.
2 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! This article has been forwarded to the Advance.net websites and Boston.com.