Events

Well, then… this is sort of unusual. Now some 60 years into the history of rock music and it’s not unheard of to have two different version of the same band on the road, featuring different members from various incarnations along the way. But to have them both using the same name is pretty rare. Granted, the version of Yes that exists with Steve Howe on guitar is simply “Yes,” while the version with original lead singer Jon Anderson — which will headline at the Seneca Niagara Casino Events Center in Niagara Falls on Saturday, October 7 — is going by “Yes featuring…” Just a matter of semantics, you say? Perhaps, but when there’s money, prestige and legacy involved people get petty.

We spoke with Jon Anderson about this very topic just last fall when the version of Yes he’s bringing to town this year was still called ARW (Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman). At that time, he told us he felt it was silly to dwell on the differences in the band names when the focus should be on the music. It’s hard to find fault with his thinking. But given the way he was ousted from what remained of the original Yes (he was fired in the wake of health issues that docked his ability to tour in 2008; the rest of the band felt the show must go on—and they hired uncanny sound-alike Jon Davison to do just that), fans have retained some seriously hard feelings about the whole dustup even though the man himself has moved on. As if to address that, ARW announced this past spring that it would begin touring as Yes featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman. In an official statement, Anderson affirmed his right to use the name, noted that the fans wanted it this way and, in all honesty, so did he. The Howe camp responded by acknowledging they could not stop him from doing so but urged promoters, venues, and ticket agencies to do their best to ensure consumers understood the difference between the two entities. It seems timely to remind folks that prog bands have always retained a flair for the dramatic.

The musical differences between them are more than just incidental. Howe’s band has tended toward format touring for several years in succession: specific album choices, start to finish. Especially for the sprawling album-side-long suites that characterize some of Yes’s most celebrated work, this seems entirely appropriate, and it gives concert goers something different each time rather than just the same nostalgia set year in and out. Their last tour took one cut from each release, in chronological order, but got cancelled before they reached WNY due to the sudden death of Howe’s son. Anderson’s band is delivering some of his best loved vocal performances from the 1970’s (“And You And I,” “South Side of the Sky,”) alongside material from Rabin’s tenure in the 1980’s (“Changes,” “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” Rhythm of Love,”) which — arguably — delivers a more well balanced set given that the other Yes hasn’t touched anything recorded beyond 1980. Perhaps it’s merely a matter of preference: Anderson’s iconic voice (his respiratory issues now completely healed via sinus surgery) vs. Howe’s nimble-fingered playing. For me, it’s about seeing keyboardist Rick Wakeman in a cape. Apparently, some things never change. Yes, featuring ARW at Seneca Niagara Casino, Saturday, October 7.