Jon Anderson - vocals, percussion; Steve Howe - guitar, vocals; Chris Squire - bass, vocals; Patrick Moraz - keyboards; Alan White - drums
Whenever Yes played a Northeast US tour date the response was overwhelming, and this Connecticut gig is no exception.
This is classic Yes, with many of the band's cornerstone songs performed in this show, first heard 34 years ago. "Close To The Edge," "Soon," "And You And I," and "Roundabout" are clearly the highlights and are placed at key points during the show, around less well-known tracks, such as "The Gates of Delirium."
Yes, one of the most successful of all the progressive rock bands to come out of the UK, is featured here in their 1974-1976 incarnation, with Patrick Moraz on keyboards during Rick Wakeman's "sabbatical." It was 1974 and the band was at its commercial peak with albums like Fragile and Close To The Edge dominating the charts both here and in Europe. As with their contemporaries ELP and King Crimson, Yes had taken the musicality of prog-rock and brought it to the masses. In retrospect, the prog movement of the '70s was the fore-runner to the popular "jam band" movement of the late-'90s and early-'00s.
Vocalist Jon Anderson is in fine form and was probably at the peak of his vocal prowess when this performance was recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour in 1974.
This line-up of the band, which featured original members Anderson and bassist Chris Squire, as well as guitarist Steve Howe, drummer Alan White, and keyboardist Moraz remained intact until Wakeman returned to replace Moraz in 1976.
The Close To The Edge-era line-up reformed in the late-'90s and has toured on-and-off since then. They are currently planning a North America tour for summer 2008, which would have the distinction of celebrating the band's 40th Anniversary.