Yes

Venue:

Vicar St, Dublin

Date: 28/06/2022

What the hell am I doing here? It was suggested that I go a see Yes back when the ‘covid was a twinkle in a monkey’s eye. Back then, at the turn of the decade, the gig was advertised as being a performance of the album Relayer. I was not familiar with this album, as I didn’t own it. Or any Yes albums, as it happened.

The gig was postponed and postponed, but lo and behold over two years later than intended, Yes come to town, albeit after the death of drummer Alan White. Plus there had been a change from playing Relayer to Close To The Edge, which was now 50 years old in 2022. 50! Even I’m not 50 (yet). Happily I was not the youngest person in the crowd as there were 20-something Progheads amply dotted about the place.

A few days beforehand I realised the whole thing clashed with a very important primary school graduation, then the instigator of all this, Mr Steven C, had to call in sick and my ticket remained in Belfast. This explains why I sauntered in late having explained everything to the very nice door staff at Vicar St and missed the first half-dozen or so songs. When I did find my impressively good seat, Yes, for it was they etc, were mid-Wonderous Stories, a song I know, all of a sudden things seemed well in the world.

Having crash-landed into the gig I could only marvel at the Steve Howe-ness of Steve Howe and the insouciance of Geoff Downes, who might as well have been wearing a dressing gown as he was so relaxed. If I was responsible for Video Killed The Radio Star, I’d be the same way too.

Then they said those words every gig-goer loves to hear: “Here’s a song from our new album.” But here’s the thing, because I really don’t know their catalogue, the new song sounded fine to my ears. Then there was another song and it was intermission time.

I bought a t-shirt, because of *that* logo.

Post-intermission and it was time for the Close To The Edge album, an album I was about the hear for the second time. Throughout the whole thing I had a big smile on my face at the whole spectacle. Is it technically marvellous? Is it ridiculous? Is it transcendant? Does it rock? I don’t know. Am I enjoying this? Yes. Are the crowd enjoying this? Definitely – by the second half it was a standing ovation for each song.

I really have to give it up for the crowd themselves. Post-covid gigs seem to have had audiences who have forgotten what it means to watch a show – I have found them distracted & chatty. This crowd were (a) delighted to be there, (b) paid attention when it was time to pay attention and (c) whooped and hollered when it was time to whoop and holler.

When Close to the Edge was over we got Roundabout and I knew enough about Yes to know it would be very, very unlikely to get Owner Of A Lonely Heart, so we ended with Starship Trooper. It is a lot of fun to see people going nuts for a song you’ve never heard before.

And then it was over. The roadies packed the drums away into a flight case marked “Alan White” – It’s a tough business.

The audience:

The queue for the toilets was in the gents for a change.

It made me think..

I don’t know if I will start listening to Yes, but I would 100% go and see them again.

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