Tower Theatre
Upper Darby (Philadelphia), PA
Sunday, October 26, 1997
Section Right Center Orchestra, Row OO, Seat 125
$50
The previous two days brought a lot of excitement and adrenaline highs. That feeling could not be maintained. After two of the best Yes days ever, my energy level crashed. October 26, 1997 remains my least favorite Yes concert. Nothing to do with the band; I just wasn't there mentally enough to appreciate it.
Roy's best friend and cousin (and future best man) Roger was celebrating his 20th anniversary that night. Roy didn't want to miss the party, so he flew home that morning, missing the last of the three Philly shows. Even though we stayed up late the night before, we woke up early Sunday morning. I went with him to the airport. This was the first time in our four month long distance relationship when I did not know when I'd see him next. I cried when we said our goodbyes.
I had been juggling an out-of-town boyfriend, living with my parents, following a band around... I was tired and the boyfriend had left. The smart thing to do would have been to go back home and get some rest before that evening's show. But no, I also had a lot of friends in town for the Yes shows, and Zoey, Jerry, and their friend Ben were staying at The Courtyard by Marriott by the airport. I took a shuttle to their hotel. It was raining and just a dreary day.(The funny thing is, I rarely pay attention to sports. But that day, The Eagles were playing some big football game, and the visiting team was staying at one of the other Marriotts by the airport. People on the shuttle were talking about it and pointing one of them out.)
There are a million things to do in Philly. I lived there and knew all the touristy places, all the record stores, but none of us wanted to do anything. We got lunch and then drove out to Jersey to Yes' hotel. I thought I had this great secret by knowing where they were staying, but Zoey already knew. I felt kind of pathetic and stalkerish there - it didn't have the same vibe as getting a drink after a show or seeing the band by the venue. We saw Igor smoking in the lobby and I got this picture with Chris.
All this time, Ben and Zoey were driving together, and Jerry and I were in his car. This was real awkward for me. Jerry and I went on a date the year before and we were still working on just being friends again. I've never told anyone about this besides Roy, but I'm sure my other Yestogether friends knew anyway. I was upset about being apart from Roy, and this was not a good way to deal with it. Ironically, now that Roy and I weren't holed up in a hotel room, Jerry was going to come home with me that night and sleep on the couch in my parent's family room. I could deal with my parents knowing my friends, but I didn't want all the privacy intrusions into my love life. On the plus side, we heard Open Your Eyes on the radio twice while driving around.
We then drove back to Philly and ate at a place on West Chester Pike near the Tower Theater. In a few months, I'd get my first real full-time job, in Havertown, and I'd go here for lunch sometimes. Lunch had been just a few hours earlier, so I wasn't ready to eat. I ordered overpriced mozzarella sticks and then complained when half of them ended up being hollow.
Afterwards, we drove to the Tower and hung out in Ben's van, just talking for a while. I was surprised there was no one else I knew coming to the concert this early to hang out. I bought two tickets for this concert without really knowing who would use the other seat. Dawn and Zoey had been concert buddies for the other shows, but Dawn wasn't at this one. Zoey took my other seat. It was one of those where we got two seats one row apart rather than next to each other. Mine was the same seat as the Friday show, but 14 rows further back.
Most of the talk in the audience was about the Eagles' win. When the concert started, even Jon Anderson was talking about the game. He said he was a 49ers fan, which earned him boos, probably a first for him in Philadelphia! He quickly added that when he's in Philly, he's an Eagles fan. I can't say anything else about the concert. I just wanted it to be over, so I could get some sleep. I was fighting to stay awake. I normally love to stand up and dance during concerts, and when everyone stood during the encore, I was too tired. I stayed seated. I was actually getting the chance to see my favorite band and I couldn't enjoy it. It was so sad.
Still, Jerry and I stayed afterwards to see the band leave. Chris walked out to a group of people hanging out. His driver/bodyguard? asked Chris if he should keep us out of the way. Chris walked right into the crowd and said he didn't mind signing autographs as long as there weren't too many people. I tried telling Chris that I'd love to hear Tempus Fugit in the set sometime, but he never responded. I don't know if he heard me or not.
Chris was going to WMMR's studio in Bala Cynwyd for a radio interview. Earlier in the day, I wanted to go there to see Chris on his way in and out. But now, I wanted sleep. We drove to my parents' place in other opposite end of the city. I finally got the sleep I should have gotten earlier in the day.
Yes didn't get as much press as I thought they should have. Selling out three nights is a big deal, even if it's a 3000-seater like the Tower. The Million Woman March the same weekend overshadowed it. All I saw about it was that strange review of Saturday's show. Yes is a men's movement?
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