Liverpool Philharmonic – 20/06/22
There’s something incredibly profound about the fact that two of the shows I’ve seen in the same number of weeks both started with a tribute to their late drummer. The first was the Rolling Stones, remembering Charlie Watts and the second was YES, with their tribute to their long standing drummer Alan White.
As the tribute plays out, a cheer comes from the crowd in recognition of Alan White’s incredible contribution to the band. Replacing original drummer Bill Bruford, Alan appeared on 43 Yes albums, with a staggering 17 original studio albums and after bass player Chris Squire died in 2015, he became the longest-remaining member in the band and the only member besides Chris Squire to never leave the band prior to his death in 2022.
Sitting behind the kit tonight and looking rather unfazed at filling such huge shoes is Jay Schellen, Jay has toured as second drummer with YES for a number of years. The band is completed by bassist Billy Sherwood, Geoff Downes on synth and keys, vocalist Jon Davison and star of the show and my new favourite guitarist, Steve Howe on guitar!
As the band enter the stage and begin the opening lines of ‘On the Silent Wings of Freedom’, I became instantly transfixed. This was the songs first airing in over 30 years, and my God, it was truly incredible. This was my first time seeing YES and what a treat to see them play that!
It was great seeing Billy Sherwood perform with such flare tonight, he is someone else who, upon joining the band, had enormous shoes to fill. I think in the last few years he has really grown into the role and tonight, he even threw a Sherwood lick in here and there, what a great bass player.
After the second song ‘Yours is No Disgrace’, another incredible song, Steve Howe remembers Alan which receives another applause from the crowd. There is a feeling in this Audience that Alan White wasn’t just the drummer in YES, he belonged with every single audience member too. After a touching tribute from Steve it was straight into ‘No Opportunity Necessary’.
I have to say throughout the first half the sound levels weren’t great. The mix was shoddy at best. The vocals were very low down in the mix with the whole thing feeling a little muddy, which surprised me, as the sound in the ‘Phil’ is usually spot on. I am pleased to report that after the interval that sound dramatically improved, and was on par for the rest of the night.
Two solo acoustic pieces follow, and if you weren’t completely sold already on Steve Howe being up there with the rock heavy weights, then this section of the show will blow your mind! He really does make that guitar talk and as a guitarist myself, I was in awe! His acoustic resonated through the hall as everyone looks on in complete adoration.
Two new songs follow, each receive a great reception from the crowd, which demonstrates they can hold their own, even in the throw away culture that we have in the 2020’s! I particularly enjoyed the newer ones, they packed more of a punch and you could tell both band and audience were absolutely loving it.
The highlight of the first half for me was ‘Wondrous Stories’! The bar was lifted even higher as Steve Howe launched into the song, wielding a mandolin to start with, before switching to a guitar mid way through. An absolute belter of a song.
The first half drew to a close and after a brief interval, the band were back to it. They would play the seminal album in full. They begin to an eruption of applause from the audience and begin playing the title track of the album. I’m pleased to say that the sound issues that were present in the first half had been sorted, it now sounded absolutely pristine.
Geoff Downes, dressed in a white Hawaiian shirt unleashed his full arsenal of keys and synths, and throughout the song, played all ten of them! It’s hard not to compare Geoff to the flamboyant Rick Wakeman, who played on the original album, but just like Billy Sherwood, I think Geoff Downes has put his own stamp on this incredible music. Another mighty fine musician.
My one criticism of Geoff, or perhaps the stage designer, is that his keyboard rig was facing the back of the Stage, which I didn’t quite understand and was a mild annoyance for me. It meant that he spent a good portion of the show with his back to the audience, which felt very uncomfortable and even unpractical, as when he was looking to Steve Howe for cues, he had to turn around and look behind him to pick up the cue!
Talking of Steve Howe, Geoff Downes had 10 keyboards with him on stage and at one point, Steve had three guitars! Steve masterfully played all three of them and he switched between them seamlessly, like the true musical genius he is. I absolutely loved his guitar tone, especially when he switched to his Danelctro, the sound of that was incredible! He also sported a Fender lap steel, which again, sounded incredible.
Sitting through the second half, I was captivated, not only because I was witnessing musical genius’ at work, right there in front of me, but I was enthralled solely by the music too. To think, this is 50 years old and on stage at the Philharmonic it felt so fresh and contemporary, it really was amazing.
The forty five minute album passed in the blink of an eye. Jon Davison’s vocals were second to none, what a voice and he well and truly commanded the stage throughout. The band briefly left the stage before returning for the encore.
Roundabout and Starship Trooper brought the evening to a close and as the band left the stage, I contemplated just what a special evening it was. A mighty fine display of musicianship coming from that stage, a musical masterclass you might say. My first time seeing YES live but it won’t be the last, I can’t wait to see them again. Bring on the ‘Relayer’ tour in 2023!
