By DJ Astrocreep
A second visit to the Philharmonic Hall in a relatively short space of time sees me take in the aural delights of Yes, following on from seeing Rick Wakeman in the same venue a mere three months earlier. It’s my first live foray into the world of Yes, despite owning a number of their vinyl, one that I cannot wait to get truly submerged in to.
Given the standard of the band and the time constraints that playing two different 1 hour long sets entails, there is no support, instead we are launched straight into the action and they are all on absolutely imperious form. I find myself bewitched by the sparkly blue footwear of bassist of Billy Sherwood, being on that side of the stage and having them sparkle mere feet in front of my eyes and it’s actually quite a fitting visual addition to the sparkly progressive rock that the band are working through on stage.
The band are tight and exceptionally well rehearsed, in an almost blasé manner, though guitarist Steve Howe does make mention later on in the set of just how much background work they have to put in during their out of tour times, to make sure of just how good the live performance is. It’s an excellent example of just how effortless they make it look, though, that despite all their collective years in the band, there’s not a single dropped note to be heard, nor misplaced keys nor drums despite quite how challenging a lot of their music is to play live. I do, in fact, close my eyes on a few occasions to just fully immerse myself into the music, attempting to heighten my hearing to just be wholly enveloped by it all, losing myself fully, though happily, in the process.
The setlist goes through nine of their albums, spanning from 1970 sophomore release ‘Time And A Word’ right through to most recent release ‘Mirror To The Sky’, though the focus is heavily on the 1970-1980 time period for their choices. Verging from the dramatic sounding through to the much lighter and airier sounds that they have, they have done a marvellous job of making sure true fans of the band will be delighted in the choices they have made for it.
There is even time, midway through the first set, for their cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘America’, before the end of the first set is preceeded by a small monologue from Howe about how much late drummer Alan White loved the city of Liverpool, feeling at home here, and that it was fitting to be playing here on the second anniversary of his death, as he introduces ‘Turn Of The Century’.
The second set features only three songs – not entirely unheard of for a prog band and certainly easy enough for someone like Yes to do – as Rick Wakeman, their former keyboardist, had done a single song for the hour long duration of his second set earlier this year. While the third of these, and main set closer, is ‘The Revealing Science Of God’ and its album counterparts rightfully meshed into one track, so more than one song on physical releases, their amalgamation in the live setting does real justice to the tracks, rightfully earning a full standing ovation.
There are time for two encores in the last 20 minutes of the set, with set closer ‘Starship Trooper’ being finished with an excerpt of The Beatles’ ‘I Feel Fine’ as another nod to the warmth the band clearly have for the city of Liverpool. It’s a night of genuine warmth from both the band and us as a crowd, reflecting back upon the other, and of true musical brilliance.
What a belated introduction it was to their live sets!
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