50 Years of YES at Chateau Ste Michelle

English progressive rock band YES are celebrating their 50^th anniversary by performing throughout North America on a thirty-five date tour. The tour made its way to Chateau Ste Michelle in Woodinville, WA and the band performed a nearly two and a half hour set to a sold out crowd.

Currently consisting of Steve Howe (guitar), Geoff Downes (keyboards), Jon Davidson (vocals), Billy Sherwood (bass) and Jay Schellen (touring drummer), YES played an eclectic array of material that spanned their entire catalog, split into two sets.

The evening started with the band opening with “Close to the Edge” before going straight into “Nine Voices (Longwalker)”. The band did not spend much time in between songs and they proceeded to go straight into “Parallels” and “Mood for a Day”, which is a solo acoustic song that was a showcase of Howe’s exceptional guitar playing, which then segued into the melodic “Leaves of Green”.

The band then picked up the tempo with “Fly from Here, Part I: We Can Fly”. The background displays were projecting images and animation that tied into the story of the song. The band finished out the first set by performing “Heart of the Sunrise” which finally saw the audience get out of their seats and get into the vibe of the music.

After a short intermission, YES played some of their most eccentric songs which also showcased the band’s musicianship and playing ability. “Perpetual Change”, “Does it Really Happen?” and “Soon” were played to near perfection and the audience showed their appreciation with standing ovations at the conclusion of each song. Howe then introduced long time drummer Alan White. The band proceeded to play the epic “Awaken”, which is a near sixteen minute masterpiece, which also concluded the band’s performance.

After a large standing ovation and screams for an encore, YES made their way back to the stage and Howe thanked the audience for attending the evening’s performance and for supporting the band for the last five decades. He then proceeded to introduce founding member, keyboardist Tony Kaye, as the band launched into “Yours is No Disgrace”. Howe then performed the familiar acoustic intro to one of the band’s more popular songs, “Roundabout” which had everyone in the audience on their feet, swaying to the beat of music and clapping along to the beat of the snare drum.

YES finished their stellar performance with “Starship Trooper”. The band put on an exceptional performance and it was an awesome evening of great music.

Set 1
Close to the Edge
Nine Voices (Longwalker)
Parallels
Mood for a Day
Leaves of Green
Fly From Here, Part I: We Can Fly
Sweet Dreams
Heart of the Sunrise

Set 2
Perpetual Change
Does It Really Happen?
Soon
Awaken (with Alan White)

Encore
Yours Is No Disgrace (with Tony Kaye and Alan White)
Roundabout (with Tony Kaye and Alan White)
Starship Trooper (with Tony Kaye and Alan White)

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