Take a bow

How many musicians does it take to recreate a timeless classic? Just five will do!

YES

VENUE THE KESWICK THEATRE, GLENSIDE, PA, USA

DATE 09/10/2025

Jay Schellen keeps the beat.

Yes have been a progressive rock institution for nearly 60 years, so the only thing they need to prove at this point is whether their current line-up – vocalist Jon Davison, guitarist Steve Howe, bassist/ backing vocalist Billy Sherwood, keyboardist Geoff Downes, and drummer Jay Schellen – are capable of doing justice live to their incredible catalogue.

For the most part, the answer is a resounding “Yes!” as the quintet’s current tour finds them masterfully replicating all of their landmark fourth studio LP – 1971’s Fragile – alongside a selection of other classic material. There are a few shaky moments along the way, but overall, Yes are more than up to the task of recreating their timeless and influential works for their enthusiastic multigenerational audience.

Jon Davison hits all the right notes.

Rather than opening with Fragile, Yes save it for the second half of the show and spend the first 50 minutes running through a handful of older tracks (and one newer one).

Billy Sherwood channels Chris Squire perfectly.

FRANK WHITE

“The crowd have been passionate throughout the night yet the deafening cheers that erupt for Roundabout is on a whole other level.”

They begin with a marginally slower take on fan favourite Siberian Khatru (from 1972’s Close To The Edge). Howe struggles a little at the start to nail his iconic beginning, and unfortunately, the opening of set closer Tempus Fugit (from 1980’s Drama) is similarly unstable due to Howe and Downes being slightly out of sync. Nevertheless, the band eventually pull off both tracks well.

In between, they admirably reproduce the final segment of signature epic The Gates Of Delirium – Soon – plus three cuts from 1978’s Tormato (classical ballad Madrigal, dreamy meditation Onward, and spiritual rocker On The Silent Wings Of Freedom). Why they focus so much on Tormato is anyone’s guess, and while it’s not inherently bad, the fact that they only play one post-Drama song – acoustic ode Circles Of Time from 2023’s Mirror To The Sky – is odd.

Steve Howe recreates the highlights.

Here’s to many more years of the magnificent Yes.

Regardless, it’s a mostly stellar first set, and after a brief intermission, the group launch into the highlight of the evening: Fragile in its entirety.

The crowd have been passionate throughout the night – singing and clapping along during multiple selections – yet the deafening cheers that erupt when Howe’s harmonics initiate Roundabout is on a whole other level. Yes perform the album with improved proficiency and authenticity, too, as if the first set was meant as a warm-up to ensure that they replicate Fragile flawlessly.

In particular, We Have Heaven sounds exactly like the studio version, to the point that one might assume the quintet are using instrumental backing tracks to recreate its complex interlocking chants.

Geoff Downes is faithful to the back catalogue.

Just as he did during the initial batch of tunes, Sherwood channels both the bass-playing and backing vocals of Chris Squire throughout Fragile, and his quirky improvised solo within The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) is downright mind-blowing. The finale Heart Of The Sunrise gets most of the audience on their feet in collective celebration as well.

Yes return for a gratifying two-song encore. Surprisingly, this begins with a faithful cover of The Beatles’ The Word (which Howe introduces by mentioning that it would have been John Lennon’s 85th birthday today). It’s an endearing way to show that even a band as significant and influential as Yes are happy to pay homage to their idols. They close the concert with the always delightful powerhouse Starship Trooper before bidding the crowd farewell.

Considering that Roger Dean’s artwork has been synonymous with Yes since Fragile, it’s no shock that they complement every song with the artist’s illustrations (both static and animated) in conjunction with a modest but effective array of coloured lights. There’s the rotating globe from the cover of Fragile, as well as gorgeous projections of dragons, galaxies, floating islands, otherworldly ecosystems and the like. None of it is particularly elaborate, but it does an excellent job of further immersing the crowd in the musical and visual world of Yes.

There’s very little in the way of onstage banter, which allows Yes to jump from one song to the next without any interruption.

Thus, they put on an efficient and exciting show that’s barely diminished by minor performance issues and a limited setlist. A more well-rounded representation of their career would help (specifically to make Circles Of Time seem like less of a chronological outlier), but it’s hard to complain given how well they recreate all of Fragile and several other 70s highlights. Judging by tonight’s performance, there’s no reason to doubt that Yes will continue to satisfy onstage for many more years.

JORDAN BLUM

ROY HARPER

VENUE PALLADIUM, LONDON

DATE 29/09/2025

The atmosphere at the Palladium is highly charged tonight as Roy Harper returns to the London stage. Strapping on an acoustic guitar, he begins with a powerful version of the rarely played How Does It Feel from Flat Baroque And Berserk. It immediately sets out his stall: the perennial countercultural dissenter, forever flying his freak flag high and lambasting the flaws and hypocrisy of ‘straight’ society with lines such as, ‘And how does it feel with a white flag in your fist?’ But Harper is also adept at writing love songs, as he demonstrates on the achingly poignant Another Day – where he’s joined by son Nick Harper, who accompanies him thereafter on incisive and fluid guitar.

Harper’s between-song patter is wry and witty and he and Nick enjoy a double act’s comic timing. Back when such things were possible, someone from the audience would inevitably hand Harper a spliff onstage, which contributed to some particularly lengthy, rambling tales, but he’s more succinct in these very different times.

“I’m singing this particular song because otherwise my grandchildren, some of whom are here, might never hear anyone sing anything like this,” he says, introducing I Hate The White Man. Surely neither has Donald Trump, tonight’s dedicatee. It remains a thrilling mix of articulacy and fiery vituperation directed at our overlords, and is still as relevant as ever.

Harper’s never been the slickest of performers and there are a few technical and tuning problems, and the odd mistake. But at 84, he’s still in fantastic vocal form and projects magnificently. He occasionally adds echo to his voice and on Twelve Hours Of Sunset, a sublime memory of a transatlantic flight, it soars to the top of the venue. On a tender version of the traditional North Country, his finger-picking outro is accompanied by serpentine wordless vocal improvisation.