The Pageantry of Yes

Howe Squire and White
of Yes
The Pageant
St. Louis, MO
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Section Orchestra Floor, Row 1, Seat 1
$210

A few months ago, I saw Bruce Springsteen in concert. I was most impressed about the energy level throughout the concert, something that was sustained by both the audience and the band. This show is the closest I've ever seen Yes have those conditions. It was a unique experience.

I was thrilled when the tour dates were announced and Yes was going to play at The Pageant. Roy and I live in the Loop, the neighborhood where the Pageant is. But as it got closer to the show, I got a little worried. My seat was in the front row, but would it be too far to the side? The stage is almost as tall as I am, would it affect my view? The bar is in the main listening room and there will be a large standing room only crowd behind the reserved seats, will they really be listening or just partying? My seat was awesome, right in front of Steve Howe. The audience was more than awesome, very high energy and rowdy between songs, but not rude at all.

The day started out nice. It was sunny out and warmer after the last few days. Roy and I went out for breakfast at the hotel where Yes usually stays. There was no sign of them. I was wondering if they were staying downtown somewhere, and I was half-tempted to go to some hotels looking for them. But I didn't know what I'd say to them if I found them, so I stayed back and we took care of some errands. My plan for this tour had been to wear Jon Anderson t-shirts to each of the shows, and I did that for the first two shows. This time, I wore a navy blue top that set off my Yes necklace nicely, so I kept that on. Not sure if there's any significance to that. We went on a walk around noon, walking down to the Pageant. The day was finally here!

I planned to walk over to the Pageant for the show around 3 PM. I bought a tour poster, and I was hoping to get the whole band to autograph it for me. So far, I only had Alan's signature. I figured I'd be able to catch them on their way in to the venue. I was going to meet up and wait with another fan from the Yesfans site. I thought I was going to get there plenty early, so I didn't mind too much that I left after 3. I was sooo annoyed with myself when I saw their white van already pulling away in the parking lot. I didn't know who had arrived, but I missed my chance then.

I was waiting in the shade, and it was getting kind of cold out. My hands were out and ungloved, so I could hold a book. I was glad when Greg got there, at the least so I could put my book away and get my hands warm! Greg had traveled from Kansas for this show, and we met when he asked me some questions about the Pageant, the area, and the setup for the show. He has a cool website http://www.thelope.com/ and he was hoping to have the members of the band take a picture with his jackalope, the mascot for his site. We chatted for a while. He got to interview Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes during the Drama tour!

We saw the white van pull back in, but without any passengers. Oliver Wakeman came out, and he was happy to sign my poster and pose for a picture. He was eating a sandwich with one hand, so I had to hold the poster very taut and he signed it. I'm surprised it turned out as well as it did. We saw Benoit David come out and go right into the van, no luck getting his autograph then. Oliver went in too, and they drove off. We still didn't know where the rest of the band was.

I was going to meet Roy and his cousin Roger for dinner sometime after 5. Shortly before that, we got lucky again. I heard one of the security guards saying something about Steve Howe. We couldn't see the back entrance to the Pageant from where we were standing, so we walked around some trucks. Sure enough, he was there smoking. I've never seen Steve smoking before, and the Pageant is not a non-smoking venue, so he shouldn't have had to go outside to smoke, but there he was. I called out "Excuse me Steve, could you come over here and sign something for me please?" and he yelled back "in a couple minutes". This was the only time at any of the three shows that I saw Steve do any autographs, so I'm really glad I was there. He signed my poster and two records for Greg, but he wasn't in a chatty mood. I had some other CDs of his with me, but it didn't look like he'd want to wait for me to dig them out, so I didn't ask. I'm just glad to have my poster signed.

Roy and Roger arrived, and the three of us went over to Pi Pizza for dinner. My new friends Mike and Pat from the Bloomington show were there, and we got a table next to them. However, we really wanted this dinner to get to talk to Roger. He's one of Roy's closest friends and was best man at our wedding. He had seen Yes once back in the 1970s, but not since then. He's a big fan of groups with vocal harmonies like CSNY, and we thought for sure that he would enjoy the show.

I told Roger the story of how we got the tickets and why I'm not sitting with them. I actually waited at the box office when the tickets went on sale. Unfortunately, the orchestra section and center tiered seats were all put aside for the VIP package, only available online. I was able to pinpoint at the box office exactly what seats I wanted to buy - I got Roy two seats in the front row, right by the stage. He bought me a VIP ticket through Ticketmaster in the front row. His seats weren't much farther from the stage than mine were; his were on Chris' side, one tier up and the next section over. The joke on me was, not many of the VIP tickets were sold and later on Greg even found a front row ticket for $35 instead of the $210 I paid.

I had a little bit of trouble getting into the venue. Apparently, Sharpie markers are banned. I had one in my purse, and they told me I had to either put it in my car or throw it away. I didn't have my car with me and I needed it for autographs. I walked outside as if I was going into my car, and then put the pen in my pants pocket. I hoped it looked like I took enough time, then went back in. It's not like I'm going to use it to vandalize the building. This is why I need to get places early. Once inside, the security was really lax. I walked right up to my front row seat without anyone checking my ticket. I talked to Roy and Roger for awhile and found our friend Ralph sitting in the row behind me.

I had a laugh with the people sitting next to me. I chatted with them a bit. When the husband got up to buy drinks, I said something to the wife about the tickets being worth the price. She had no idea how much they cost. She pulled her ticket out, and I pointed out the $210. She was shocked, but didn't seem too upset. When her husband came back, we just started giggling about it. She teased him about spending so much, and I explained how my husband was sitting in the cheap seats because he didn't want to spend this much.

Firebird Suite started. Everyone stood up and applauded as the band members took the stage. The people in the front row remained standing through the opening of Siberian Khatru, but then started sitting down. I had a dilemma. I love standing up and dancing at Yes concerts, but I'll only do it if it doesn't block people's views. I was on the far left of my section, and the people to my left were on a raised tier, just like Roy was on the other side of the audience. The stage is almost as tall as I am, so I didn't think I'd block anyone's view. I stood for about half of Siberian Khatru, waving to Roy and Roger when I caught their eyes. Then, I sat and danced in my seat. When the song was over, I ran over to the people to my left and asked if they could see when I was standing up. Yes! I took that as permission to stand up for the rest of the show, with no remorse.

The next song was I've Seen All Good People. Everyone in the band took a little solo during the second half of the song, which I think worked well. The live version of this song on Classic Yes has something similar, where Jon Anderson would sing everyone's name like "Mr. Christopher Squire", and they would play a short solo in between the solo. This time, the new singer Benoit would walk up to each band member to indicate it was their turn. This worked well visually, and it gave Benoit something to do when everyone else was playing.

Even after just a couple songs, the audience response was just incredible. The band members seemed surprised at how long and loud the applause was going on. Steve seemed more energetic at this show than the other two I'd seen and the whole band seemed more powerful. Maybe the day off between shows helped to relax them, but I think the audience inspired them too.

It took me through the first half of All Good People to really feel comfortable and warmed up dancing. I didn't see anyone else doing the raised hand peace sign during the part where they sing Give Peace a Chance and I felt a little self-conscious. I sat back down for a couple songs, Astral Traveler and Onward, but by the time Close to the Edge started, I was back up and dancing with no inhibitions. Moving around to the music helps me focus more directly on the music and also helps pull me away from distractions in the audience.

The crowd was so enthusiastic during Steve's solo time. He played his two most well known pieces, Mood for a Day and Clap, along with a song he did on Not Necessarily Acoustic, The Glory of Love. His solo can sometimes be a trigger for some people to have a conversation or get up from their seats, but the audience stayed with him and seemed to really get into it.

I was feeling Chris' bass playing as much as I was hearing it. He was using his bass pedals during And You And I, and the floor and even my jeans were vibrating. Steve looked like he was enjoying himself so much, I saw him singing along when he wasn't even singing into the microphone for backing vocals. Alan stood up again during Starship Trooper and used his drumsticks to get the crowd clapping along and then standing up. Only about half the people on the floor did. Curiously, no one tried to move up towards the stage in front of the front row of seats. There weren't any security people down there to stop it. Chris walked over to Steve's side of the stage and they played off each other for a little bit. I think I felt more comfortable with Benoit as a member of the band, maybe because I'd gotten to talk to him the other night. I watched him more, and not just in a "what's the new guy like?" mode. The first encore, Owner of a Lonely Heart, felt a lot different at this show than in Milwaukee or the other times I've seen it with Steve on lead guitar. Steve was even smiling towards the end of it. What a night!

I met back up with Roy and Roger. Roger enjoyed it and sent an e-mail to us saying:
"Roy & Rhea thanks again for inviting me to the concert. I really enjoyed myself. If Yes plays in the midwest again let me know I will try and make it. They are so unique. I cannot believe I let 35 years pass between shows."

This was the show to see.

Roger went home after the show. Roy and I went back outside to wait for the band to leave. Greg joined us. Fans were waiting in a couple different places, because the white van was by the usual back exit, but there was also a tour bus parked by another exit. There was about a dozen people there, which was a good amount. With too many people, the band might not try to accommodate everyone. With too few, you might get to talk to one band member while the others walk by, and there's no one else to stop them.

Steve Howe was the first to leave. He travels separately from the rest of the band. His car pulled right up by the exit, and he got in. People cheered him, and he waved to us as the car pulled away. I'm glad I was able to get his autograph before the show.

I saw Benoit walk out. I waved to him, and he walked right over to me. "I saw you dancing again," he said enthusiastically. I think he's sweet. Benoit signed my poster and chatted with a group of us for a while. He told me he went sightseeing while he was in town and took my recommendation to go to the Arch. I told him about the Yesfans site, and said people were saying nice things about his performances there. He doesn't spend much time on the computer, and he deflected the compliment by adding that most people were just happy the tour could take place. I think he's well aware of how delicate his position is, filling in for someone as beloved as Jon.

While we were talking to Benoit, Alan came out and started signing autographs. People began to leave our group. I didn't. Thankfully, Alan already signed my poster back in Milwaukee, so I didn't need him. Also, Benoit was standing right next to me and talking to me. I'd feel weird slipping away to see someone else in the band. Benoit also told us how he started singing in Yes tribute bands and was discovered by Chris and how the hardest parts to him are remembering the lyrics and getting the timing right.

Chris walked over to our group, and I lent him my Sharpie to sign things for everyone. He didn't say anything about recognizing me from the other night. But Chris usually pays attention to things, even when he doesn't let on that he's doing so. He signed my poster, so I got all of the band on it!

A close-up of the autographs

Oliver was walking around, and actually asked the crowd if anyone else wanted anything from him. Roy went over to chat with him about some mutual friends. The whole band (except Steve) were out signing autographs and chatting with fans. They all seemed like they were in great moods. It had to be because of how well the show went and the reception they got from the crowd.

I didn't need anything signed from Alan, but I went over to talk to him. When he saw me, he said, "Oh, you're here again." Alan is usually so sweet, I hope I didn't annoy him after the Bloomington show. I told him I thought the show was great. He replied, "Even though we didn't play Parallels?" Oy. Then I told him I hoped I didn't come on too strong the other night. "Yeah, well." He shook my hand at least.

The band left. Our friend Ralph had waited for autographs as well, and he gave us a ride home. It was so cold out that Roy didn't want to walk. I was on cloud nine after the show and interaction with the band. I had wishes of spending more time with the band members while they were in town, but we didn't want to try finding their hotel at this point. It was nice just to be home and think of what a great time we had. I took the next day off from work, and it was good to have some time to come back down to Earth before getting back to my real life.

Yes, Yes!!

Howe Squire and White
of Yes
US Cellular Coliseum
Bloomington, IL
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Section Floor Center, Row 3, Seat 5
$85

We had to go from Milwaukee to Bloomington. It is normally an easy drive. The directions say it will take 3 1/2 hours, and I find I-39 an easy interstate to drive on. I drove this whole distance without a break on another trip.

But this was now our fourth winter in a row of traveling to a show and dealing with snow.

Roy drove. The roads weren't bad, but visibility was. We were both tense from being hyper-aware of the surroundings. Roy wasn't driving much slower, but we had to take a number of breaks to get away from the strain of driving. We had plans to meet some people from the Yesfans website at 5, but we were still just getting off the highway to our hotel. I didn't know if we should skip dinner and just rest up for the show or if the socializing would do us some good. It wasn't going to be a big group of people, which probably would have kept us away. Roy lay down for a little bit at the hotel while I got directions and freshened up.

The dinner was nice. It was at a little bar/restaurant near the venue that served mostly sandwiches. I tried to get something somewhat healthy. I have a huge circle of friends that are Yes fans, and for a long time, I was less interested in meeting new fans than having time to catch up with my friends. But none of them were coming to this show and I'm new to the Yesfans site, so we ventured out to eat with new people. All the people from Yesfans were really friendly. They held off on ordering until we got there. There were Mike and his wife Pat, who are from the St. Louis suburbs, Gary, and Larry. Scott YesChef, who we've known for years, was also there. I had to bring the bad news to the table when I told Scott about Zoey's passing. But the rest of the conversation was nice. Everyone was excited about the show. Gary wanted to be surprised there, so we couldn't talk about the songs. We all talked about the first time we got to see Yes live. Everyone else beat me by a dozen or more years. There were no uncomfortable silences or trying to fill the space and everyone was a good listener as well as a talker. I'm glad we were able to make it.

After dinner, we headed over to the coliseum. I didn't know what the crowd would be like. Why is Yes playing Bloomington anyway? It's an area that doesn't have a huge population, and I don't think Yes has much visibility among the younger people there in the college town. Before I left on this trip, I saw that 6th row floor seats were still available, and cheaper seats were on sale two-for-one. When Roy and I got down to our seats, we saw there were only about eight rows of seats on the floor, and 6 sections of tiered seating - less than even listed on the venue's seating chart as "theater layout". I guess some people who bought tickets didn't show up because of the snow. The seats on either side of us were unused.

We had third row tickets right in front of Squire. One thing that was really nice was the amount of room between the rows. We were a decent amount of space back from the people in the second row. It really helped with potential tall-people-in-front-of-me siteline problems, and it also made me feel like I had a lot of personal space. I can get a little claustrophobic sometimes, and this helped to relax me. Everything at this show was going to be alright.

This show just put me in my happy place. I just felt joyful the whole time. I was bopping along in my seat all night. Gary from dinner had bought front row seats from someone at Yesfans and was clearly enjoying it. He stood up and beckoned the people behind him to stand during All Good People, so we all got to get up for that. We also got a kick out of him standing up to play with the dry ice drifting off the stage during Close to the Edge, only to have an usher come over and have him move back away from the stage. I had the option to buy those same tickets. I passed on it, but it added to the fun to see him enjoy those seats so much.

Chris Squire made a comment about this being an intimate show. I heard that less than 1000 seats had been sold. I can't help but wonder if there was a better fitting venue in the area, something that would be nicer and smaller. But I thought the sound was excellent for an arena and I liked how much personal space I had.

I love sitting in front of Chris. I never did make eye contact with him, or anyone else in the band, or notice them recognizing me. Chris is such a performer, and being so close to him makes me really focus on his bass playing and backing vocals. I was singing along to his "float your climb" in And You And I and the "coil their said amazement of her story" harmony parts in Close to the Edge. Those backing vocals that he and Steve do were so prominent this time around. I could see Alan well from this seat also. In the other shows, his head was obscured by cymbals, and I could only see him when he was standing up. I barely paid attention to Oliver. He was very stoic and serious looking, not engaging the audience at all.

Steve Howe did All's a Chord from The Steve Howe Album as his first solo piece. I recognized the melody, but I couldn't place it. The song originally had vocals, but he performed it instrumentally. It really sounded nice. Once he announced it, it was like of course, that's what it was.

Steve introduced Starship Trooper as a quintessential Yes song. The crowd stood up this time without Alan's prompting. One thing that frustrated me about Starship Trooper was the harmonies during the "ah ah" part. I remember back on the Masterworks tour, Jon sang it with Igor doing the high harmony parts. This time, Benoit saing it, and Oliver played a keyboard part to harmonize. I missed the vocals there. The crowd stayed standing after the band left the stage. I was surprised when Yes came back on and started playing Roundabout. We could even see Alan singing harmony on it, and I never noticed him doing that before. In Milwaukee, they had played Owner as the first encore. No Owner this night. The show ended right at 10, so I wondered if there was a curfew issue.

We talked to Gary again after the show and bumped into Kevin's friend Greg, whom I had met the night before. We had a bit of luck coming into the venue - we parked in a covered garage and on our way to the entrance walked past the "artist entrance" just as a security guard was mentioning it to some other audience members. Roy and I went back there. We were joined by two other guys. It was cold, but only snowing lightly at this point. I mainly wanted to get my tour poster signed, but I didn't want to bring it out in this weather. We waited for about a half hour outside. One security guard told us the band had left right after the show, but I know they usually stick around for awhile, and I saw their van. We asked another guard, and he told us they were still there and it wouldn't be long.

It seems intimate to only have a few people waiting for autographs, but it didn't work out too well. Chris came out first. I asked him to sign something for me. He was very friendly, even asked what my name was, which he had never done before. He signed my Going for the One CD sleeve "To Rhea, Love, Chris Squire". I asked him if they could please play Parallels at the next show. Chris explained that there were complaints the show was getting too long and that it was a tough song to sing. While we were talking to Chris, Oliver, Benoit, and Alan walked past us and went into the van. I can hardly fault them, it was cold and snowing outside, and they weren't going to wait around to see if we needed anything! So nice of Chris to stay outside for a few extra minutes to make some fans happy.



When Chris had moved on to the other fans, I saw that someone was still standing outside the van. It was Oliver Wakeman. I walked over. Oliver saw me and asked if I was coming to have Alan sign something for me. I said, actually, I have (Oliver's) 3 Ages of Magick with me and I was hoping he could sign it for me. He seemed so happy to see his own CD, like I was doing him a favor. He saw that I did have the White CD sleeve in my pile of stuff, so he took my pen and CD cover into the van for Alan to sign, and then brought it back out to me.




Bloomington didn't have many nice hotels, and I made a guess of where Yes was staying. The band members are usually cool about people coming to their hotel and hanging out in the bar. Benoit saw us and walked over to talk to us. He recognized us from the show and said he wanted to talk to us. He said if he forgot the words to any of the songs, he'd know them by looking at me singing along! That's a nice first impression to make, in both directions.

Benoit chatted with Roy and me for a good ten minutes. We talked about how the tour's gone so far, how long we've been Yes fans, downloading recordings, why Bloomington had such a low turnout, how excited we were for a show in our own neighborhood in St. Louis. He said they try to keep the shows at the same quality level from night to night, even when there's a disappointing turnout, but I told him I enjoyed this night's show better than Milwaukee's. We also talked about St. Louis for a bit too. Yes did not have a show scheduled for the next night. Usually, they'd travel to the next city on their off-day, so they'd have some extra time in St. Louis. Benoit said he liked to do sight-seeing, but not museums, so we told him about the Arch and that he couldn't miss spotting it when they were arriving in the city. I was tickled after the St. Louis show when I got to talk to Benoit again, and he told me they went to the top of the Arch. High expectations and little windows, he said.

This was a longer conversation than I'd ever had with Jon or any of the other current band members. I can't believe how open and friendly this guy is.

I had joked to Roy that I was going to bring up Parallels to each band member I got to speak with. I didn't have to here. Benoit brought it up as a song they had dropped. "I know, and I was really looking forward to that one," I replied. Benoit mentioned that the band was talking about it, actually talking about my request to Chris earlier that night. Benoit brought Roy and me back to talk to the rest of the band; everyone but Steve was there. I'm afraid that when I should have been gracious, I pressed too hard. My goodness, these are my idols here. Everyone shook our hands as we left and were so friendly, it was just surreal. I wondered afterwards if I handled it well.

Roy and I joked later that we'll always have Bloomington. We got our Yes back that night.

Are We Not Yes?

Howe Squire and White
of Yes
Riverside Theater
Milwaukee, WI
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Section 1 LT, Row F, Seat 12
$75

Eight years ago, YesWorld, the official Yes website, polled its readers. They wanted to know what two songs we wanted to hear live. I voted for Tempus Fugit and Astral Traveler. I finally got to hear them on Saturday. The only catch was, I had to see Yes without Jon Anderson.

Yes has been my favorite band since I was a teenager, and they hadn't toured since 2004. I had seen several of the band members since then in other projects. If you're reading this, you probably know the story. This summer's scheduled tour was canceled due to Jon Anderson's illness. He's on doctor's orders to rest the rest of this year, and no one really knows if he'll be up to touring again. The remaining members of Yes got a new singer and organized a smaller fall tour. Roy and I cut back too, we're only going to three shows - Milwaukee, Bloomington, and here in St. Louis. The new singer is billed as an "understudy", until Jon is well enough to tour again. His name is Benoit David. They are also touring with a new keyboard player, but this is less controversial. It's Rick Wakeman's son Oliver Wakeman.

I've been excited about the shows, but with some trepidation. The setlist would include some different songs from their catalog, songs Jon didn't want to do. But what would the shows feel like? I count ABWH in my number of Yes shows. Would these feel like Yes shows or just like a bunch of band members playing Yes music? And who could replace Jon?

We had a real easy drive up to Milwaukee. It's seven hours away, but with lunch and rest stops, it ends up taking nine hours. I drove most of the way there. I knew what hotel Yes usually stayed at there, so we booked it for ourselves. It was expensive, and really nice, but we didn't see the band there. Maybe they're doing something cheaper.

We had tentative plans to meet up with our friend Kevin for dinner. Unfortately, he got there later and I was anxious to get to the theater, so we didn't have long to catch up. Kevin is such a big Jon Anderson fan, Roy was surprised he went to the show. But one of his patients won tickets to the show and gave them to him. We didn't see him afterwards, but I'd love to know what he thought of the show.

Our seats were in the left section, Steve Howe side, on the aisle across from the center section. This section started with row D, so our Row F seats were only three rows back from the stage. Our row had eight seats across, and all the other people looked young. The crowd had a good mix age-wise. We had an excellent view, even for a short person like me. I bought the tie dyed tour turtle t-shirt and decided to buy a poster after the show, so I wouldn't have to carry it around during the show. The concert started about 15 minutes late.

The setlist was:
Firebird Suite
Siberian Khatru
I've Seen All Good People
Tempus Fugit
Onward
Astral Traveler
Close To The Edge
Steve Howe solo
Clap
And You And I
Long Distance Runaround
The Fish
Machine Messiah
Aliens (Are Only Us From The Future)
Starship Trooper
Owner Of A Lonely Heart
Roundabout

The stage set was simple, but looked nice. It certainly looked better than the weird inflatables they used in the last tour in 2004. There were some white sheets draped above the drumset and the back of the stage. Different colored lights or patterns would bring different effects. Roy liked the particular shade of green they took on during Close to the Edge, just like the album cover. I paid attention to the lighting more at this show than at the others. Oliver Wakeman's keyboards were to the left of Chris, like the stage setup at SLO with only Alan in the backline, unlike other times when the keyboards would be in back behind Steve.

It took me the first few songs to get into it. I don't know if it's because I was tired from the long drive, rusty from seeing Yes, something to do with their performance, maybe apprehensive about the new singer. Roy and I had already listened to one of the shows from earlier on the tour, and Benoit can sing these songs well. But it wasn't until Tempus Fugit that the show became alive for me. That song lived up to all expectations. I was so happy to hear it. From the moment you tell me ... YES!!!!!

Steve Howe introduced Astral Traveler. He gave a slightly different introduction each night for it, but said he got to learn it when he first joined Yes, and that it was part of the setlist for The Yes Album tour. Alan had a drum solo during it. I love Alan, but the solo hurt the momentum of the song. It was nice to have him stand up from the drumset so everyone could see and applaud him at the end.

The song that really affected me was Close to the Edge. I've seen this song performed live over 20 times, and I don't usually get emotional about it. But this time, it was like reuniting with an old dear friend. The harmony vocals during I Get Up, I Get Down and the music in the end really got to me. I turned to Roy after this song and said this was really Yes. You wouldn't think deciding whether to count these shows in my "official live Yes count" would matter so much to me, but it did.

After this, Steve went into his solo. I've read reviews where the audience was rude during this part, but everyone here was paying attention and enjoying it. The next song was And You And I. I didn't like Benoit's singing on this one. It's funny because And You And I was one of those songs we played on Youtube when we first learned about Benoit, and I felt much better about a new singer after hearing it. But here, I didn't like the tone of his voice, like it was scratchy or something. I noticed the same thing during one of the long notes in the I Get Up, I Get Down portion of Close to the Edge. Roy noticed something funny during And You And I. Steve switches between guitars on this song, and one of the settings must not have been correct. He looked over to his roadie, who ran out on stage and stomped on one of the pedals, with just a second before Steve had to use that guitar. Steve wiped his hand across his forehead, as if to say "whew, just in time".

When the next song started, I got nervous. One of the songs that got me so excited about the setlist for this tour was Parallels. It should have been at the start after intermission. But now it was clear there was no intermission, and they were already into the next set. I've been thinking a lot about this in the last couple days. Because of my age, I never got to see Yes in the 70s or 80s. I'm so excited every time they bring in another song from that era. I've seen them play every song on the Going for the One album, except for this one. And they dropped it just a few days before I had seen it. If I had gone to one of the earlier shows, I probably would have seen it. I know these things happen and I usually try to see a show early in the tour just for this reason. But I didn't this time, because I didn't know what to expect with the new lineup and I wasn't excited enough about/didn't trust my favorite band enough to travel more to see an early show. So there's frustration mixed in with a bit of guilt as well. Yes did something, and I missed it.

I was strangely removed from the rest of the show. I loved hearing Machine Messiah, but the rest didn't have much impact for me. The Fish ended abruptly, and before we were sure it was over, the next song Aliens started, so we never got to applaud just for the Fish. Roy gave Aliens a standing ovation, to honor Chris in general for his spotlight pieces and to cheer them for doing a new song.

Steve introduced Starship Trooper. As the long instrumental end section was starting, Alan stood up from his drums. He led us into clapping and then used his drum sticks to motion us to stand up. Some people started doing the stage rush thing, running up the aisles to stand in front of the stage. I joined them. I love doing this, but I had to really. My whole view of the stage had been from looking across the empty aisle over to the stage. Now that it was growing full of people, it would block my view. I didn't want to leave Roy, but I secured my purse and merchandise bag and went up to the stage. I was in the second row of bodies.

This should have been so excited, but it wasn't. My view was partly blocked, but the weird thing was that I was just standing there. I usually bop around in my seat and I love to get the chance to stand up and dance at concerts, but here, I felt isolated. The performance of Owner in the encore didn't help. It felt perfunctory and I was just watching people around me being more excited. Maybe I was just tired from the long drive up to Milwaukee and it was catching up to me. Or maybe all the people around me were distracting me.

The woman in front of me right up at the stage decided to leave just before Roundabout, and she helped me move into her spot. I was now in the front row, in the aisle in front of Steve. This is where I really missed Jon. I don't know, if asked about this part of the concert, if I would consider this band Yes with the thrilling concert experience that implies. I talked to Roy about it afterwards, and he enjoyed it very much, but it didn't seem like Yes to him either, except for the Drama songs and Aliens. He had trouble getting past the fact that Benoit wasn't Jon. I think we needed this show to accept the new lineup. The next two shows we saw were so different in feel for both of us.

After the show, I bought the tour poster. We talked with a friend of Kevin's for a bit, and some annoying guy who talked like he knew everything, but didn't. I gave Roy our secret signal and we left to wait for autographs. The Riverside Theater has a back alley where the bands exit. A bunch of fans were waiting on the sidewalk, half a block away.

Alan walked right out to our group. He was by himself, no security or managers around, and signed autographs for us. He signed my poster, and I asked him if they could play Parallels in either of the next two shows. They had played it just four days earlier, so it unlikely, but not impossible for them to bring it back. I just wanted them to do it when I would be in the audience. Alan walked off by himself afterwards.

The band's van pulled into the alley. We followed it in, and I saw Benoit David and Oliver Wakeman sign a few autographs before security pushed us back to the sidewalk.

The crowd dwindled down, but we hung around longer and talked a while with another friend of Roy's, a very knowledgeable and opinionated drummer named Tony. He was a blast to talk to. He invited us to a after-show get together with some friends of his, but the place was way too smoky, so Roy and I went back to our hotel. People were telling us Yes usually stays in one of two hotels - the Pfister, where we were staying, and another one. I felt bad about spending so much on a hotel without getting the side benefit of bumping into the band there. We thought about going to the other place to see if they were there, but it was already midnight. We just had something to drink in our hotel lounge and took some time to wind down.

The next morning, we walked over to the other hotel. It was in the middle of renovations and looked like a dump. We saw a tour bus there. There wasn't really a lobby or reception area, but we went up to the top-floor revolving restaurant to take a look at the view of Milwaukee. It was getting close to check out time, so we took a cab back to our hotel and packed and got ready for the (relatively) short drive to Bloomington. It was already starting to flurry a bit.