Yes: A Royal Affair In Las Vegas
There is perhaps one upshot to this whole apocalypse thing, and that is instead of being able to tour, artists are digging into their archives and putting out more of their incredible work than ever before. In this case I'm not talking about the box sets of demos and rehearsals and such (which are still wonderful by the way), I'm talking about the more modest collections of live material.
In the summer of 2019, progressive rock band Yes went on a twenty-six date tour of North America called 'The Royal Affair Tour' with a team of acts that included John Lodge of The Moody Blues, ELP's Carl Palmer, Arthur Brown and Asia. A melting pot of talent that saw Steve Howe joining Asia who also featured Yes and Buggles keyboardist Geoff Downes as well as the aforementioned Palmer. Arthur Brown would be vocalist for Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy band, and John Lodge would step onto the stage with Yes later in this new set. Recorded towards the end of the tour on July 26th at The Joint in Las Vegas, this concert now sees a release on CD, vinyl and digital.
But first, if you are going to listen to Yes, you must always appreciate which incarnation of the band you are listening to. Steve Howe is the band's guitarist, who joined Yes in 1970 following the departure of the band's original guitar player Peter Banks. Though largely absent from the band's 1980's works, Howe has been an ongoing fixture in the line-up since 1995.
Alan White has been a constant member behind the drum kit since Bill Bruford's departure in 1972, though would share the stage with the latter during Yes' 'Union' tour in the early 1990's. Despite recent illness, White has continued playing with the band with the assistance of additional drummer Jay Schellen.
Keyboards are played by Geoff Downes, who would join the band in 1980 for the 'Drama' album and tour. Though his first stint with the band was brief, he rejoined Yes in 2011 for the album 'Fly From Here', and has stayed put ever since. Since the death of original bassist Chris Squire in 2015, Billy Sherwood has been the band's bassist, as per Squire's wishes. Though his involvement with the band goes back to the 1980's, as he explains in The Yes 50 tour programme:
'I evolved into meeting these guys and working with them in the late '80s. I was offered the role of lead singer (when Jon Anderson left to help form Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe), which was mind blowing at the time. Everybody thought that was a great idea except for me. There was no way that I was going to replace Jon Anderson. I didn't want to do it. I just knew it would be career suicide for me at that point.' - Billy Sherwood (Gottlieb and Gottlieb, p. 64)
Sherwood's previous duties with the band prior to 2015 involved playing guitar and keyboards, as well as backing vocals - a task he still performs with Jon Davison. With Yes reforming in 2008 without original vocalist Jon Anderson, Canadian born Benoît David would step into the role, though would leave in 2012 due to respiratory illness. Jon Davison describes the events leading up to his hiring:
'My loyal friend Taylor Hawkins (of Foo Fighters), who I happen to grow up with and who was a buddy of Chris, was apparently filling his ear for years saying "I know the guy you need. He's got the range and can definitely pull it off." It wasn't until about two and a half years later though that I finally got a call from Yes' management. They said they had a tour starting in six weeks and that they were interested in having me front the band. I said, "When's the audition?" to which they responded, "There isn't going to be an audition." Apparently, there was no one else they were considering, so it made things really easy for me to just step in for the tour.' - Jon Davison (Gottlieb and Gottlieb, p. 84)
And here Jon would stay. Now sit back and relax, kick off your shoes and enjoy the ride - the performance is about to begin...
With The Royal Affair Tour, the band would go almost back to the beginning with a performance of 'No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed' from Yes' 1970 album 'Time And A Word', of which the original tour would be Steve Howe's first.
'I was moved and motivated by the whole band, the way they played, the way they had so much musicianship. I think what attracted me most was the instrumentation. The fact that Bill (Bruford) and Chris (Squire) were so profoundly individual, and that Jon (Anderson's) writing and voice were so individual. This was a team that worked well together. There was definitely something creative going on unlike anything I had heard before.' - Steve Howe (Gottlieb and Gottlieb, p. 9)
The first performance of the set has that air of 1960's aftermath featuring more organ than synthesizer work from Downes. Famously Yes' original guitarist, Peter Banks, who played on the band's first two albums, would not receive a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction. Yes' inductees included Anderson, Howe, Bruford, White, Squire (though posthumously), along with original keyboardist Tony Kaye and successor Rick Wakeman. 1980's and 90's guitarist Trevor Rabin would also be inducted, who mostly wrote the band's biggest hit 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart'. This line-up of inductees would mean that Banks was the only original member not to be inducted in 2017.
Though No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed is actually a cover by Woodstock opener Richie Havens, the sound is as if the band made it completely its own. This might've been the first cover of the evening, it certainly wouldn't be the last.
'In the case of Drama, just the three of us were rehearsing in a room and The Buggles were next door. Next thing you know, Trevor Horn came in, and said, "I've got a great song you guys could do," and within two days, they were in the room playing with us, and it became Drama.' - Alan White (Gottlieb and Gottlieb, p. 55-56)
'Tempus Fugit', from 1980's 'Drama' was the beginning of a long association with producer Trevor Horn. He would go on to produce their other albums in the 1980's - '90125' (1983) and 'Big Generator' (1987). After a significant gap, he would return in the new millennium to work on 'Fly From Here', released 2011, with a remix featuring Horn's vocals released in 2018. Geoff Downes was one half of Horn's band in the late 70's:
'It was a strange set of circumstances, really. In a way, we just morphed into Yes. Trevor and I were actively working on another Buggles album at the time. We had a few ideas and we were writing quite a lot. ...So we got talking and we bumped into the Yes guys, and that was nice. They had copies of our album and knew who we were. Chris (Squire) was a big fan of The Age of Plastic.' - Geoff Downes (Gottlieb and Gottlieb, p. 59)
Tempus Fugit, meaning 'time flies' in Latin, was a brilliant way for Yes to introduce themselves to the 1980's. Here Geoff Downes and Steve Howe play synchronised parts in the song's introduction. The drums sound powerful as you feel the room's reverb. Credit to Billy Sherwood's mix, who doesn't lull the listener into believing this is a quiet crowd. They're loving every moment. Likewise, Sherwood's bass is thick and fast, his tone supporting Howe's well. Davison's lead vocal blends well with Sherwood's backing, imitating the blend Horn had with Squire.
'"Going For The One" was Jon (Anderson's) sporting song. It was very much about football, sport, competition, challenging things.' - Steve Howe (Gottlieb and Gottlieb, p. 49)
With barely a pause for breath, the band goes into the less extreme title track from 1977's 'Going For The One'. The slide guitar from Howe is a break from the flurry of notes on the previous track.
'"Going For The One" was a whole different kind of song for Yes at the time. It blew people away. It was rocking, right from Alan (White) counting the band in. We did the count to let people know where we were, and also because it fitted the kind of number it was perfectly.' - Steve Howe (Gottlieb and Gottlieb, p. 50)
Going For The One is perfectly placed amongst the band's shorter tracks earlier in the set, building up to some of their more epic pieces. For a song that originally featured Rick Wakeman on keyboards, there is less audible keyboard than one would come to expect from Yes. It only succeeds to further highlight Howe's exceptional playing, his bluesy tone is more laid back, as is the drum performance. The whole song shows the band is capable of more appealing pieces, and are actually suited rather well to it.
The a cappella introduction to 'I've Seen All Good People' is something I couldn't tire of. Davison takes the higher register of course, with supporting backing vocals from other band members. Howe's acoustic playing here is lovely. I feel his playing was always showcased best on bare acoustic guitar without being hidden behind the talents of the rest of the band.
'I saw a clip from the BBC of Yes playing in 1972 and I was astounded at how good we were, and I still am with Yessongs, when I hear us playing "I've Seen All Good People". It not only rocks, but it sounds like a zillion players. It sounds like Vanilla Fudge in reverb. It sounds very big, and there were only a couple of guys just playing, chomping away at their parts!' - Steve Howe (Gottlieb and Gottlieb, p. 18)
Taken from 1971's 'The Yes Album', the feel is different again from Going For The One. The lyric 'just give peace a chance' is a curious one in light of a cover played later in the set. The prominent bass is maintained, a mixing staple in the band's music which suits this song well given that it was co-written by Chris Squire. I can't help but feel the audience could've clapped in time during the song's breakdown led by bass drum.
'"Siberian Khatru" was based on a separate instrumental song that I had at the time and Rick (Wakeman) developed that very nicely for his section of the piece. It was really good for me when I could plant a structure somewhere in a piece, and Yes could build something around it. That really only happened when Jon (Anderson) and I collaborated. Jon was the channel for me through which my music went through to Yes. Songs I would bring were just open books, or structures, for the group to build together.' - Steve Howe (Gottlieb and Gottlieb, p. 34-35)
Steve Howe's tone is great in his riff introduction for 1972's 'Siberian Khatru'. The multiple rhythms and melodies woven in by the instrumentalists during that introduction is one of the many reasons why 'Close To The Edge' remains a favourite album among Yes fans. Downes' organ work is done with ease. Though not an actual organ in sight, he is surrounded by keyboards on three sides as well as three laptops, presumably to select MIDI voices with. This amount of gear allows Downes to move seamlessly from one sound to another as on the studio recordings without need for multiple keyboardists. The bright piano sound is a great example of this level of difference to the earlier organ emulation, and later the synth stabs. Sherwood makes good use of delay in the post-production work on Jon Davison's voice, enhancing the mood.
The spacious drums bring in the start of 'Onward' from 1978's 'Tormato' album. The slowest song yet, and also the shortest of the set, Howe's inventive guitar line is in stark contrast in speed to the pace of the rest of the band. Though he could easily fall out of time with such a risky manoeuvre and ruin the song, the listener can rest assured it goes off without a hitch. Geoff Downes' grand keyboard lines give way to the idea that this could've been written for a film. Howe elaborates further on the making of Tormato:
'We started Tormato in Advision (Studios). Jon (Anderson) once again, wanted to go in a studio, get a good sound in everything, play the song, and live with it, like Bob Dylan does. Play the song, and say well, "That's just how it is." The other way of recording is, you start with a click, and everybody plays that click, and you build your picture up around it. You play to it, you work with it. So everything is extractible, or everything could stay, if you wanted it to. But what happens, if you record the band playing live, it either all stays or it all goes, because it's such a mess. It's such an overspilled, somewhat inaccurate, blind recording. Maybe it felt good at the time, but when you analyse it, it isn't what you want. We tried this "live in studio" approach again on Tormato. It didn't work.' - Steve Howe (Gottlieb and Gottlieb, p. 52)
One of the unexpected songs that is given an airing on this set is Yes' cover of Simon & Garfunkel's 'America'. The band adapted the unlikely song for their own repertoire in the early 1970's, which exists in a single edit, and the full ten minute-plus version which is replicated here. The band sounds like they really are enjoying themselves, the harmonies manage to both hark back to the original version, as well as being quintessentially Yes. A more traditional guitar solo from Howe works with rhythmic bass from Sherwood, while Jay Schellen provides great accompaniment on percussion, adding a totally different depth to the set - like the band are just jamming and having fun.
For this tour, the band had been covering John Lennon's 'Imagine', featuring a video backdrop with clips from the original album sessions. Alan White played drums on this particular track, in the late 1960's he also took part in The Plastic Ono Band's live performance in Toronto. For this version, which has been released as a single from The Royal Affair Tour, John Lodge of The Moody Blues shares vocals with Jon Davison. The full impact is felt with an extended guitar solo from Steve Howe. His tone is sympathetic to the arrangement without going overboard, finishing with one more chorus sung in unison by Lodge and Davison.
‘Jon (Anderson) and I got "Roundabout" going in hotel rooms. We had gone to Scotland, and gotten the idea going. And then in rehearsals that followed, some of it would have been there, the verse and chorus structure was there. Maybe it didn't start like that yet, and maybe we didn't have any of the milk bottle percussion in the middle. And there again, we wouldn't have constructed the guitar and keyboard solos, and usually the ending was left to last. I mean we did endings, but they were never good enough, and the way we did endings was to radically change the idea. "Roundabout" was mysterious.' - Steve Howe (Gottlieb and Gottlieb, p. 24-25)
The reverse fade-in hum is the first thing a person would hear if they were to drop the needle on Yes' 'Fragile' album from 1971. Then they would hear more incredible acoustic guitar work from Howe, just like they do in this live performance. The audience love it and you are absolutely certain they are enjoying every moment. With Fragile being Wakeman's first album with the band, his presence is immediately felt, which is expertly recreated by Geoff Downes here.
'The music is so full of clarity. "Roundabout" is so clear. It was partly created by very clever instrumentation. We made a very good use of what little we had, so that things really didn't get in each other's way. On Fragile, we were developing even more than we might have hoped. We had real aces up our sleeves with "Roundabout", which was about to be probably the most recognisable and popular songs that we ever did. And I'm really honoured to have a writer's guild Citation of Merit award, that was presented to Jon (Anderson) and I for "Roundabout". It was called the best song of 1972.' - Steve Howe (Gottlieb and Gottlieb, p. 28)
Those brilliant Chris Squire basslines come across both in Billy Sherwood's performance and mix of the album. Jay Schellen is back on percussion with Alan White on the full kit, White's touch lighter than the more eager Schellen. When the band drop back for more of Steve Howe's solo acoustic playing, I love the atmosphere Downes creates, still bringing the rhythm, which then allows him to go crazy on organ shortly after! Schellen brings a sweet touch with chimes. The big finish shows Jon Davison sustaining an almost impossibly long and pure note.
‘“Starship Trooper" had one note that took me three hours in the studio to get the way I wanted it. It's an F sharp, and it comes fading in as Chris (Squire) finishes a climb. It had to sustain for about 10 or 15 seconds, then die away gently. One note taking three hours was kind of exceptional, even for Yes. But it was the exception for me, not the rule.' - Steve Howe (Gottlieb and Gottlieb, p. 18-19)
Just when you think Roundabout might be the finale to this concert, there is one more song in The Yes Album's 'Starship Trooper'. The band are on a roll and though this is an audio-only release, I don't imagine any of the seats are being sat on at this point in the show. Howe's acoustic playing features in a band breakdown that changes the mood of the song entirely, this band is so versatile and isn't given enough credit for being so. The Tony Kaye organ work is back from Geoff Downes as Alan White picks up the pace, him and Billy Sherwood locked in tight together. That last sustained chord shared by the band, including the vocalists is a real thing of beauty.
It's excellent form that the majority of the band's 1970's albums get a look-in with this performance. Yes released eight albums over the course of that decade, with Drama bringing in the next. Though 'Tales From Topographic Oceans', the band's double album from 1973 was absent from this tour, Yes gave this collection of songs a thorough airing over the previous tours these past years.
The other absent record is 1974's 'Relayer', recorded with keyboard player Patrick Moraz, also not inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's omission from performance on The Royal Affair Tour is for good reason, Yes were scheduled to perform Relayer in full during their tour this year, which for obvious reasons hasn't happened. But fans can look forward to the band's rescheduled dates in 2021 beginning in Europe in April and finishing in the U.K. at the end of May. Maybe there'll be a live album from that too. We can hope.
Image Credit: Glenn Gotlieb
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Programme references taken from:
Gottlieb, D., Gottlieb, G. (2018) The Yes 50 Tour: The Tourbook Gottlieb Bros./Yes Magazine
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The Royal Affair Tour live album is available to buy on CD and vinyl from Yes' store here.
For information on dates and tickets on the upcoming Relayer tour, visit the band's page here.
Follow Yes on facebook @yestheband, on twitter and instagram @yesofficial.
