Is the Current Yes Really Yes? A Yes-East and Yes-West Fan's Perspective

As many Yes fans know, the last tour date featuring Jon Anderson was September 22, 2004. It was the close of the 35th Anniversary tour. They were supposed to tour again in 2008, but Jon took ill and the tour was cancelled. After giving Jon more than the doctor recommended 6 months to recover, the gang decided to tour without him in November 2008. At some point, Chris Squire had gone to Canada to see the Yes cover band named Close To The Edge. Apparently, Chris was impressed with their vocalist, Benoit David as he asked Benoit to fill in for Jon during this late 2008/2009 tour. This "new" band called themselves "In The Present", but they were often billed simply as Yes. This line-up also includes Oliver Wakeman filling in for his father who was advised by his doctors not to tour.

As the title describes, I am a fan of both Yes-East (Wakeman/Howe) and Yes-West (Kaye/Rabin). I also very much like the Drama album which features Trevor Horn (vocals) and Geoff Downes (keyboards). Both of the people only appeared in the band for this one album and tour. Horn's vocals were great on the album, but he less than sparkled when attempting to sing classic Yes tunes live. Hence, the quickly issued pink slip as vocalist of Yes. Horn's a great producer though. After an unofficial breakup, Chris formed the short-lived band Cinema featuring Tony Kaye, Alan White, and Trevor Rabin. Mr. Rabin was to fill in for Jon this time and, as fans know, play guitar. Later, Jon joined the project and they recorded and toured as Yes. Yes-West was born.

Since Yes has a long "revolving door" history that started long before the formation of Yes-West, why do I have a problem considering "In The Present" Yes? Well, my issue is not with Oliver. He's a great keyboard player like his father. Benoit David is another story. I've listened to several live performances "In The Present" has done from 2008 to present. While Benoit sounds a lot like Jon, his stage presence and overall vocal performance leave much to be desired. Sure, he can hit most of the notes, but the feeling isn't there. He's just going through the motions. He tries to make it real by immitating Jon-isms, but that serves more as a negative than a positive. He's good, but not great. Yes needs great.

"Yes" had the right idea when they recently toured with Asia. I think it would have been much better had both Steve Howe and John Wetton performed during both sets. Yes, Mr. Wetton's vocals have a timbre much different than Jon's, but he always sings with such sincerity. Plus, I can actually imagine hearing Wetton sing some of the classic Yes tunes. It would give him a chance to rest his fingers and focus on vocals. John Wetton was outstanding when he sang lead for classic Genesis tunes when touring with Steve Hackett. Sure, hearing Yes songs sung in a lower register would be strange, but I'd bet Wetton would give a much more powerful and soulful performance than Benoit David. Sorry Benoit. You and Oliver might be official members of Yes now, but I'm hoping that Chris, Steve and Alan either find someone better or coax Jon to come back before Yes records another album; assuming that's going to happen.

On a slightly different note, I'll be attending the Asia performance in Raleigh, NC next month. They too have a "revolving door" history. In fact, I saw them in 2001 when the lineup was Geoff Downes, John Payne, Chris Slade, and Guthrie Govan. I like some of the songs that this version of Asia wrote together. Also, I can say John Payne was quite friendly when I spoke to him back stage after the show. While Payne is quite good, the band really should have used a different name. Also, I do much prefer the original line-up when it comes to live performances of classic Asia tunes. Even now, the original Asia sounds awesome live! The John Payne era had its moments. I think Arena was the best album from that era.

I don't always have an issue when a band uses a new vocalist. I liked Rabin's lead vocals during his tenure with Yes. I like most vocalists that King Crimson has ever had. Of those, Greg Lake, John Wetton, and Adrian Belew are my favorites. Journey was still great when Steve Augeri replaced Steve Perry. I saw Journey with Augeri in 1998. Great concert. Saga also found a great vocalist to replace Michael Sadler. It was a shame to see Michael go after 30+ years, but he made a decision to spend time with his family and I respect that. I could go on, but you get the picture. So, for me, the current Yes is not Yes. I can see the guys wanting to keep playing live to both keep fans from losing interest altogether and keep their playing in top form. However, I am hoping beyond hope that they either find someone better than Benoit or coax Jon back before they start composing/recording new material.