A packed Symphony Hall audience gave a series of standing ovations as fans finally welcomed rock band Yes to the music venue after two years of postponements.
The pioneers of progressive rock delighted fans with a two-and-a-half hour performance that celebrated the 50th anniversary of their iconic 1972 album, Close to the Edge.
The five-piece band, led by 75-year-old lead guitarist Steve Howe, was due to have played Symphony Hall in 2020, but was forced to cancel due to the Covid pandemic.
They certainly made up for the long delay as their UK tour finally arrived in Birmingham.
Yes, with lead singer Jon Davison in excellent voice in the role of legendary founder member Jon Anderson, performed the whole of Close to the Edge in chronological order in the second half of the concert.
But they began by producing a series of songs from several classic albums released throughout the 1970s, as well as a couple of tracks from The Quest, their 22nd studio album, released last year during the pandemic.
The concert had begun with a tribute to long-standing drummer Alan White, who sadly died in May.
But with the help of a large screen displaying a non-stop selection of stunning artwork, graphics and videos, Yes were quickly into their stride with songs from albums released between 1970 and 1980.
The band, which also comprises Jay Schellen on drums, Geoff Downes, keyboards, and Billy Sherwood, bass guitar, sounded brilliant throughout, with special praise reserved for Yours Is No Disgrace from 1971’s The Yes Album, Wonderous Stories, and Heart of the Sunrise from Fragile, also released in 1971.
The standing ovations came thick and fast after the interval as Yes performed the whole of Close to the Edge, with fans celebrating each track in ecstatic style.
And, to put the icing on the cake, the band returned for a fully deserved encore that started with Roundabout, from Fragile, and ended with Starship Trooper off The Yes Album.
Full details of the band’s ongoing Close to the Edge tour can be found here: https://www.yesworld.com/live
· Pictures all © Tony Collins
I was at the concert, which was the first time I’d seen them since May 1975. They were absolutely brilliant.
Yes weee absolutely fantastic at Birmingham Symphony Hall. Anyone who thinks they have become a tribute band to themselves is missing the fact that, their music is eternally brilliant and the line-up is of mortal men and bands either evolve or they fade away and be forgotten.. I have the greatest memories of seeing Yes in 1975 for their Relayer tour. I now have wonderful memories of Yes 2022 to add to that era.