| Orchestra or Band | Yes (Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes, Billy Sherwood, Jon Davison)
Moon Safari [support] |
| Set List | Moon Safari:
'A Kid Called Panic',
'Emma (Come On)',
'Mega Moon',
'Constant Bloom'
INTERVAL
Yes:
'Machine Messiah',
'White Care',
'Does It Happen',
'Into the Lens',
'Run Into the Light',
'Tempus Fugit' (with Trevor Horn)
'Time and a Word',
'Siberian Khatru',
'Soon',
'Owner of a Lonely Heart'
INTERVAL
'Roundabout',
'Cans and Brahms',
'We Have Heaven',
'Southside',
'5% For Nothing',
'Long Distance',
'The Fish',
'Mood',
'Heart of the Sunrise'
ENCORE
'Going for the One',
'Starship Trooper' |
| Performance Notes | Grammy Award-winning prog-rockers, YES, return to the Hall to conclude the UK leg of their 2016 Spring Tour. Fans can look forward to a truly unique experience as the band will perform two of its iconic albums, Fragile and Drama, in their entirety, in addition to classic tracks.
Fans will hear long-time favorites, including Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround, Heart of the Sunrise, Machine Messiah, Owner of a Lonely Heart, Into the Lens, and more. In addition, YES will perform all tracks in the order they appear on their corresponding studio album.
Trevor Horn will make a rare guest appearance with during the show the first opportunity to see the Grammy Award winning producer, who is credited with inventing the sound of the 80s, live with YES since the original Drama tour 36 years ago.
The 2016 tour marks a return for YES after the phenomenal success of their sell-out triple-album UK tour last year.
VIP Experience tickets were available for £222 per person which included pre-show and interval hospitality, a premium Stalls seat, VIP ticket wallet and hospitality pass.
"For this tour, Yes have resurrected two albums to play in full: Fragile from 1971, when they were on the cutting edge of cool; and Drama, from 1980, when the tides of fashion had turned cruelly against them. Sportingly, Trevor Horn, who subsequently found fame producing everyone who mattered in the 1980s, was on stage at the Albert Hall, along with the keyboardist Geoff Downes, now a Yes regular.
But first came a tribute to Chris Squire, the founder bass player who died last year. A lone spotlight shone on a white bass guitar as the ghostly voice of Jon Anderson sang Onward. Of course, Anderson is not dead, just Awol, and it was Jon Davison, all hippy hair and flares, who had to negotiate the keening vocals of Drama.
Fragile was performed with all the authenticity of a tribute band only the vinyl crackle was missing. Downes played Rick Wakemans electronic arrangement of Brahms; Billy Sherwood, the new bassist, slithered through Squires showpiece The Fish before a fail-safe encore of Starship Trooper."
(John Bungey, The Times, 13 May 2016)
Jon Anderson's last Royal Albert Hall performance. |
| Related Archival Material | Programme (RAHE/1/2016/30),
Poster (RAHE/2/2016/15),
Handbill (RAHE/6/2016/22),
Digital Setlist |