Bridgewater Hall, Manchester: Live Review – At The Barrier

Yes – Bridgewater Hall, Manchester – Thursday 23 May 2024

Yes is back in Manchester and so are we, for the Classic Tales Of Yes tour which has traveled across Europe and kicks off its UK run at Manchester’s smart venue.

It’s been almost a few years since Yes played Manchester with their 50th anniversary show Close To The Edge. We’ve been there, as we/the team are, in some form, ATB or otherwise, since 1980 or even before. It almost seems like yesterday, but the ever-evolving line-up and a current flurry of activity resulting in new material finds Yes 2024 in pretty rude health. As some would say, the journey continues.

Classic Tales – There’s a clue in the title. A clear indication that we can expect some “Stories” in the form of a toe dipped in Topographic Oceans and also the expectation of some “classic” crowd pleasers Yes it’s not rocket science. However, there is no Close To The Edge material to set the stage this cycle, which has been the basis of the 2022 tour. Time for a setlist shuffle then…

A quick scan of said setlist sees a balance in favor of the early years, ie the seventies, where Steve Howe began his tenure with the band and the era and music he puts his most faith in. The Trevor Rabin period is almost naturally bypassed and the 13/14 albums from 1980-2024 are represented by the first two cuts and a nod to their last album Mirror To The Sky. To be fair, it must be a daunting task to put together a set that meets the criteria for classics, taking into account the songs that didn’t make the cut. Some critics will chime in on the forums that there is no Awaken this time (although Going For The One is well represented) and Relayer is once again conspicuous by its absence.

However, there is more than enough to acknowledge the legacy of over fifty years, and the adjustments begin immediately as the band descends into darkness, when the intro music sees Stravinsky give way to Britten. Ten minutes of Machine Messiah (which along with second set opener South Side Of The Sky representing Yes’ heaviest side) begins. There’s a drift towards more accessible and restrained elements with It Will Be A Good Day and Time And A Word – no epics or grand masterpieces, leading Howe to declare that after “electrifying drama and a trip up the ladder” we get a well-executed Your Move/All Good People and a brief inclusion of Simon & Garfunkel’s jazzy Yessifed America as a fun workout.

Unusually, given that he is the oldest member of the current band and a Yesshow feels strange without him, there is no solo slot for Steve Howe. Instead, he sits with an acoustic for the start of the sublime Turn Of The Century, which brings an emotional closeness to the first set. It’s a sublime version full of finesse, each member adding a delicate touch and a highlight of the first half. He has the Manchester crowd on their feet for a well-deserved standing ovation.

After lighting up Howe, on the other side of the stage, the presence of Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen could define the current form as the Sherwood/Schellen era. Replacing two iconic but sadly departed members, they keep the Yes machine rolling. Sherwood, as previously mentioned, has worked his socks off to channel the power and grace of Chris Squire, almost constantly on the tip of his right toe as he moves to the famous bass lines.

Bringing the Yesstory up to date, Cut From The Stars is a reminder that Yes are still a creative beast, but most of their second set is taken up with a lengthy but manageable medley from the four-parter – yes , the LP still dominates – or four movements given its classic structure, from Tales From Topographic Oceans. Both the finale and the centerpiece allow Howe another ‘solo’ spot on the acoustic as he works his Leaves Of Green duet with Jon Davison amid what he calls “a review” at Topographic, ”all the pieces on one side” – and they do a good job, too, to be fair, of dropping the needle at the start of Side One and going for some of the familiar without the pointless scribble that the album is criticized for. Some parts are played for the first time in a long time and it’s great to hear sections of The Remembering.

Recordings of Roundbaout and Starship Trooper between the standing ovations, you see Sherwood take center stage once Howe took a break after introducing Wurm, and not for the first time, some bass pedals from Geoff Downes fill out the bottom end of the sound . The crowd may have been the most respectful, but there’s no doubt that opening the UK trip in Manchester – which has Howe acknowledging the ‘hometown’ feeling, with Accrington’s Jon Anderson – is a smart move .

They say you can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends and your bands, and Yes it seems will always be one of those old, sometimes iffy, but constant companions who have been there. You can find a Reddit where someone asks “is it worth seeing yes live now?” Evidence suggests there are still many, a fact acknowledged by Steve Howe – not the masses who saw them at QPR and Stoke City FC in 1975 – who still religiously support a band that has been through hard times and whose music was the soundtrack. many lives.

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