Yes @ The Old National Centre Murat Theatre — Indianapolis on August 12th, 2013
Within the confines of the historic Murat Theatre at Old National Centre, a near-capacity crowd witnessed a rock show that featured a set list that consisted of three classic albums in their entirety, soaring vocals, psychedelic videos being projected onto a screen, trippy keys, unrivaled guitar solos, an audience eager to eat up anything thrown its way, confetti and a rousing encore that proves that they don’t make bands quite like they used to.
Put that all together, and you get the band Yes, who made one last stop on their Three Albums Tour.
First, a little disclaimer: I don’t listen to Yes, I’m not very familiar with their work and I don’t particularly listen to much music from this era, and it is because of this that I thought I would deviate outside of my comfort zone to review something I’ve never witnessed before.
Now back to the action. Old National Centre is buzzing with anticipation, with a fairly diverse audience, from those who grew up in the 70s listening to their records to even a few from the younger generations (though probably more of the former than the latter).
The theatre itself is also starting to fill out, with many already seated and the rest trying to find their seats before the show begins. Before too long, the lights go out, and we’re treated to a brief video package set to an excerpt from Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite” that highlight the three albums that we would all hear this evening. The band greets the crowd, and we’re underway.
Back to what was alluded to earlier in this review, Yes performed three records in their entirety: Close To The Edge, Going For The One, and The Yes Album, in that order. As pointed out to me, the band is very true to their records. Everything sounded great, the band was spot-on, and even though these records are close to 40 years old, they still hold up in their own way. Hey, you don’t become one of the most influential bands in history by just sitting there.
On that note, maybe they felt a little too true to their records. Aside from standing ovations after each song and the graphics on the video screen changing, there isn’t much to break up the action as they blew through each song. There wasn’t much talking to the crowd. Rather, they let the music speak for itself. For younger fans and people such as myself who have never really heard them before, this could be enough to tune out for a second.
However, Yes clearly knows who their audience is, and those who grew up with them are clearly loving every second of it. One person in the audience has his own interpretive dance from the beginning to end, one enthusiastic fan in the front has both hands raised as he belts out the hits along with frontman Jon Davison, and no matter who you were, everyone stood up and applauded at the conclusion of each song.
We get a brief intermission, and many take this time to converse with one another or head out to the lobby for a drink or to grab a quick smoke. As soon as it’s over, it’s right into The Yes Album.
Yes, they’ve been around for the better part of the last 40 years, and for bands from that era, it could be easy to just rest on their laurels and let that speak for itself, but as I discovered, there was no hint of that. This was by no means self-indulgent and there were no signs of phoning anything in. These are four guys who still genuinely love performing, and although they may be just a few years older now, they can still rock with the best of him, and I’m sure everyone here in attendance will agree.
By the time they get to “Perpetual Change,” almost everyone is out of their seats, nodding and singing along as the confetti rains down on the audience. They thank the crowd, take their bows and exit the stage.
Meanwhile, the applause never stops, and we all want an encore. Something Yes is more than happy to oblige as they come back to the stage. Before they begin, they thank not just the crowd, but everyone behind the scenes, from the roadies to the sound and light techs to even those taking tickets. After this, it’s right into “Roundabout” before taking one last bow and sending this capacity crowd home happy. Well, except for maybe the three people towards the back who were still in their seats still requesting an encore…
Yes will be taking a bit of a break from touring, but I’m sure we’ll be feeling this show for quite some time afterward. I know I will.
The Good: Musically and visually, this was everything you wanted from a rock show. Their video screen was impressive, the lighting went together perfectly with it, and more importantly, the band was completely in sync with one another. As it became evident from the first note, this is a band that still enjoys what they do, and will do everything in their power to make sure their audience sees a show.
The Bad: As pointed out, Yes is very true to their records, and to that note, maybe a little too true to it, as they don’t deviate much outside of performing lengthy song after lengthy song. Almost like you are just listening to the record. To newer fans or those who aren’t familiar, this might be enough to turn them off. However, Yes knows who their audience is, and of course, those who know the show and their music, will love every second.