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July 7, 2018

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There has been a lot going on in the Yes camp for the last couple of years.  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finally made the long-overdue call and admitted them into the hallowed hall last year.  Everyone in the band seemed to put their differences aside and attended the ceremony, performing at the event.

 

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the band and two different versions are out touring under the name "Yes."  The band featuring long-time members Steve Howe and Alan White along with Geoff Downes, Billy Sherwood and Jon Davison played at the Carnegie Of Homestead Music Hall on Thursday.  

 

Since this Yes tour decided not to make a stop in the Cleveland area, we decided to make the trek to Pittsburgh to check them out.

 

As expected, most of the set list consisted of songs from the 1970s as they opened the show with “Close To The Edge” but the second song was a surprising “Nine Voices (Longwalker)” from the 1999 album The Ladder.

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Throughout the evening, Steve Howe showed his virtuosity on the guitar by playing a Gibson, a Strat, a Telecaster, an acoustic, a pedal steel guitar and even an acoustic guitar that looked like it was from the Medieval period.  Of course, he played them all flawlessly.

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Other songs in the first set included "Parallels," "Sweet Dreams," and "Heart of the Sunrise."

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After a twenty-minute intermission, the band returned to play "Perpetual Change," "Does It Really Happen?" and "Soon."  For the the last song of the set, long-time drummer Alan White joined the band for "Awaken."

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For the encore, Howe introduced original keyboardist Tony Kaye to a very joyful crowd.  Howe mentioned that Kaye was not only an original member, but he also contributed to Yes throughout the '80s.  Interestingly, they did not play anything from that era of the band.

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Kaye, White, Howe and the rest of the band jammed to "Yours Is No Disgrace," "Roundabout," and the show-closing "Starship Trooper."

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It was an excellent evening of progressive rock.

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Review and photos by Greg Drugan

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