Common opinion would have you think that Punk washed away Prog Rock in the 70s as some big musical cleansing exercise. Well, album sales and concert attendance since that “Year Zero” event would tell you otherwise. In fact, one look around the Glasshouse in Gateshead tonight shows a sold-out hall to come to witness arguably one of Prog Rock’s most revered sons, Jon Anderson, former lead singer with Prog behemoths YES.
Joined on stage by the supremely impressive five-piece Band of Geeks, led by the ridiculously talented Richie Castellano of Blue Öyster Cult, Anderson had the perfect backing to perform some of Yes’s most iconic songs alongside a few original Geeks compositions.
Not one to do anything by halves, Anderson skipped joyfully onto the stage partway through the 20-minute opening “Close To The Edge”, looking sprightlier than a man half his 81 years. This was impressive stuff as the Band of Geeks handled the complex time changes and mood shifts with ease, leaving Anderson all of the space that he needed to show that his voice remains untouched by the ravages of time.
The slightly sharper “Perpetual Change,” one of three songs featured from 1971’s The Yes Album, followed before a Geek composition, “Counties and Countries,” brought us up to date.
A simply sublime “Soon” closed the first half of the show, creating an atmosphere of pure, shimmering beauty as Anderson’s angelic choirboy’s voice soared serenely overlain by layers of ethereal keyboards and dreamy slide guitar from Angus Clark of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Clark really shone throughout the evening, reinterpreting Steve Howe’s original guitar parts perfectly.
Quite how the second half could match that was the big question, but match it they did with an epic “Awaken” which was huge in scope and ambition, featuring Anderson on mini harp at one point in the sinister mid-section before the whole hall became enveloped in the most dramatic church organ. Absolutely stunning to experience.
“I’ve Seen All Good People,” featuring some sublime 6-part vocal harmonies, was an up-tempo and lively romp, and “Leaves Of Green” was a pleasant uplifting acoustic piece and a welcome change of pace and mood.
A Geek’s original, “Once Upon A Dream”, managed the impossible. Cut from the very same cloth as classic Yes, this stood shoulder to shoulder with many of their biggest songs and could easily have fitted perfectly to any of their classic albums of the 70s. High praise indeed, but very well deserved.
With the brooding “Starship Trooper” giving each band member the chance to shine with a brief solo spot, it was left to the Yes classic “Roundabout” to get the crowd back up out of their seats as Jon Anderson brought his wife on stage for the final minutes to dance in a touching moment, bringing the night to an emotional close.
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