The first annual Yestival was held yesterday, August 3 2013, in Camden, NJ - just 20 minutes from the Basement! Chard from Prognosis and I made the short drive and enjoyed nine hours of fantastic prog which culminated in a fantastic set from headliners and hosts, Yes.
Chard and I had purchased the tickets shortly after the addition of Sound of Contact to the bill. Their debut, Dimensionaut, has been one of the great surprises of 2013 and this was to be one of their first American appearances. Unfortunately, just two days before the show, word came down that SOC would not be able to perform due to visa issues. It was depressing trying to digest this but the lineup was still strong and, after a few one-liners aimed at the Prog gods, I snapped to my senses and got excited again for the show.
The weather could not be more perfect for an amphitheater show. It was breezy and comfortable for the entire day, making walking around the exhibits and vendors easy. The folks from Cruise to the Edge took some time to talk us out of the competition. Progressive Nation at Sea just announced a February cruise with an amazing lineup that is, no doubt, causing a lot of Proggers some painful decision making time.
After checking out the exhibits, it was time for the music...
Scale the Summit was up first. They've just released their fourth record, The Migration, and played to an unfortunately sparse crowd. I spent most of their set focused on the amazing guitar work of Chris Letchford who, along with Travis Levrier, form one of the most amazing prog metal guitar duos that I've ever seen. Letchford was especially amazing, putting on a guitar clinic on his 7-string (or was it an 8 string? ). The band was tight and fantastic. A fantastic start to the show' even though most of the concertgoers had not yet arrived to enjoy them.
California based prog fusion band Volto! followed with another instrumental set that features Tool drummer Danny Carey front and center. He blew me away and I give him the honor of "Drummer of the Festival". I am not all that familiar with his work in Tool. Their music never appealed to me. However, now that I've seen Carey play the drums and have done some reading up on him, I feel the need to give his main band another chance. Guitarist John Z was also impressive as the band played through a unique set of jazz/prog/blues fusion that sounded like nothing else on the bill. Technical and kinetic, they fit in very well. They've just released their debut album, Incitare. Good stuff!
Next up was the legendary Carl Palmer and his ELP Legacy. I am familiar with Palmer's work in ELP, but have never seen him live. Having been a fan of Asia since their debut in 1982, I've come to appreciate Palmer as a player but never, ever, EVER thought he could bring it like this. Wow. At age 63, he moves and grooves behind that kit like he's half his age. He brought two players with him and both guitar and bass were terrific - but it was clearly Carl's show and he brought the goods. Their rendition of Pictures at an Exhibition was brilliantly presented. Knife-Edge (from the ELP debut) and Fanfare For the Common Man were excellent as well. Palmer made himself available for autographs afterwards, which was a nice gesture.
Renaissance was next. Annie Haslam has been singing with them for over 40 years. That's almost as old as me! Singing is what we needed here as Annie's first words were the first words we've heard sung yet! I've been trying to find a word or two that I could use to describe Annie's voice in this review and the only word I can think of is majestic. Renaissance suffered an enormous loss just 10 months ago with the sudden death of their "guiding light", as Annie puts it, Michael Dunford. Dunford and Haslem had fronted Renaissance together since 1971. Annie decided to push the band forward and continue recording and touring and the proggers at Yestival are certainly happy for that. They had a rather short set but shined as Annie's voice mesmerized the crowd. Mother Russia was a highlight and the band played two new tracks from the recently released Grandine il Vento. Both new tracks were quite beautiful and I think this symphonic hour of the show was the most eye-opening for me. I've ordered the new record already and hope to see them again, as Annie has made Bucks County, PA her home.
I had a slight idea what to expect as The Musical Box took the stage next. This Genesis tribute band has been so closely resembling the real thing, that even Phil Collins himself has said that The Musical Box plays the music better than Genesis did. For this show, the band concentrated on material from the second Genesis album, Foxtrot. Songs like Watcher of the Skies and Get 'Em Out by Friday were presented with perfection. I was fortunate to be siting next to a man who has been a Genesis fan forever and I could hear him constantly comment on how perfect the recreation was - down to Peter Gabriel's costume changes. It felt like 1975 to him. It must've been good! The band closed with The Return of the Giant Hogweed and the venue, now clearly sold out and with night having flowed in, prepared for our headliiners, Yes.
Shortly before Yes took the stage, I noticed on my Twitter feed that someone had mentioned a THREE album show, rather than the two albums (Close to the Edge and The Yes Album) that the band were supposed to be performing. I figured that was possible with the removal of Sound of Contact from the lineup. Sure enough, it was confirmed that the band would add Going For the One as a third album for the show! A nice gesture by the band to fill the time slot vacated by SOC.
Yes took the stage and, for nearly three hours, took us on a tour of progressive rock in the 1970's. They started with Close to the Edge. As soon as Jon Davison sang the first note, I knew it was going to be a special night. What a talent! I mentioned to Chard, close your eyes and it could be Jon Anderson you were hearing. He was spot on all night long. And You and I was the highlight of the first third of the show. Next was Going For the One in it's entirety. The title track was a vocal test for the young Davison and he pulled it off without a hitch. Wonderous Stories and the epic Awaken were terrific as the band brought us to the zenith of the night - The Yes Album.
Only two of this lineup of Yes played on the original recording of this classic album - Chris Squire and Steve Howe. I quickly realized that as long as Steve Howe is in Yes - there will ALWAYS be a Yes. Howe was undeniably the show stopper of the entire festival for me. Brilliant as he moved from guitar to guitar with ease. His playing was at times beautifully soothing and melodic and at times heavy and furious. Nearing 70, he's at the top of his game now, and there are no signs of that changing any time soon. Clap was amazing and his playing on Starship Trooper was captivating and divine. Quite simply, Howe is the godfather of prog guitar and I am happy and fulfilled that I now get to say I've seen him perform this material. The band left the stage briefly after the closing notes of Perpetual Change but came out for a rousing encore of Roundabout that closed with thousands of orange and green balloons dropping from the rafters. It was quite a sight that I captured on video and you can see at my Facebook page.
It was a little past midnight when the lights came up and I think I can speak for everyone when I say it was a most amazing day of prog. The only thing I would change for future Yestivals is the addition of another headline-level act on the bill. I feel the show could have used one more home run. Especially here in Philly, where great prog bands like echolyn, Shadow Circus and Pinnacle call their home. Just a small complaint, but not a big enough one to mention more than once.
Thank you Yes and thank you for hosting this Prog extravaganza here in our town!
PROG FOREVER!!!! \m/
Chard and I had purchased the tickets shortly after the addition of Sound of Contact to the bill. Their debut, Dimensionaut, has been one of the great surprises of 2013 and this was to be one of their first American appearances. Unfortunately, just two days before the show, word came down that SOC would not be able to perform due to visa issues. It was depressing trying to digest this but the lineup was still strong and, after a few one-liners aimed at the Prog gods, I snapped to my senses and got excited again for the show.
The weather could not be more perfect for an amphitheater show. It was breezy and comfortable for the entire day, making walking around the exhibits and vendors easy. The folks from Cruise to the Edge took some time to talk us out of the competition. Progressive Nation at Sea just announced a February cruise with an amazing lineup that is, no doubt, causing a lot of Proggers some painful decision making time.
After checking out the exhibits, it was time for the music...
Scale the Summit was up first. They've just released their fourth record, The Migration, and played to an unfortunately sparse crowd. I spent most of their set focused on the amazing guitar work of Chris Letchford who, along with Travis Levrier, form one of the most amazing prog metal guitar duos that I've ever seen. Letchford was especially amazing, putting on a guitar clinic on his 7-string (or was it an 8 string? ). The band was tight and fantastic. A fantastic start to the show' even though most of the concertgoers had not yet arrived to enjoy them.
California based prog fusion band Volto! followed with another instrumental set that features Tool drummer Danny Carey front and center. He blew me away and I give him the honor of "Drummer of the Festival". I am not all that familiar with his work in Tool. Their music never appealed to me. However, now that I've seen Carey play the drums and have done some reading up on him, I feel the need to give his main band another chance. Guitarist John Z was also impressive as the band played through a unique set of jazz/prog/blues fusion that sounded like nothing else on the bill. Technical and kinetic, they fit in very well. They've just released their debut album, Incitare. Good stuff!
Next up was the legendary Carl Palmer and his ELP Legacy. I am familiar with Palmer's work in ELP, but have never seen him live. Having been a fan of Asia since their debut in 1982, I've come to appreciate Palmer as a player but never, ever, EVER thought he could bring it like this. Wow. At age 63, he moves and grooves behind that kit like he's half his age. He brought two players with him and both guitar and bass were terrific - but it was clearly Carl's show and he brought the goods. Their rendition of Pictures at an Exhibition was brilliantly presented. Knife-Edge (from the ELP debut) and Fanfare For the Common Man were excellent as well. Palmer made himself available for autographs afterwards, which was a nice gesture.
Renaissance was next. Annie Haslam has been singing with them for over 40 years. That's almost as old as me! Singing is what we needed here as Annie's first words were the first words we've heard sung yet! I've been trying to find a word or two that I could use to describe Annie's voice in this review and the only word I can think of is majestic. Renaissance suffered an enormous loss just 10 months ago with the sudden death of their "guiding light", as Annie puts it, Michael Dunford. Dunford and Haslem had fronted Renaissance together since 1971. Annie decided to push the band forward and continue recording and touring and the proggers at Yestival are certainly happy for that. They had a rather short set but shined as Annie's voice mesmerized the crowd. Mother Russia was a highlight and the band played two new tracks from the recently released Grandine il Vento. Both new tracks were quite beautiful and I think this symphonic hour of the show was the most eye-opening for me. I've ordered the new record already and hope to see them again, as Annie has made Bucks County, PA her home.
I had a slight idea what to expect as The Musical Box took the stage next. This Genesis tribute band has been so closely resembling the real thing, that even Phil Collins himself has said that The Musical Box plays the music better than Genesis did. For this show, the band concentrated on material from the second Genesis album, Foxtrot. Songs like Watcher of the Skies and Get 'Em Out by Friday were presented with perfection. I was fortunate to be siting next to a man who has been a Genesis fan forever and I could hear him constantly comment on how perfect the recreation was - down to Peter Gabriel's costume changes. It felt like 1975 to him. It must've been good! The band closed with The Return of the Giant Hogweed and the venue, now clearly sold out and with night having flowed in, prepared for our headliiners, Yes.
Shortly before Yes took the stage, I noticed on my Twitter feed that someone had mentioned a THREE album show, rather than the two albums (Close to the Edge and The Yes Album) that the band were supposed to be performing. I figured that was possible with the removal of Sound of Contact from the lineup. Sure enough, it was confirmed that the band would add Going For the One as a third album for the show! A nice gesture by the band to fill the time slot vacated by SOC.
Yes took the stage and, for nearly three hours, took us on a tour of progressive rock in the 1970's. They started with Close to the Edge. As soon as Jon Davison sang the first note, I knew it was going to be a special night. What a talent! I mentioned to Chard, close your eyes and it could be Jon Anderson you were hearing. He was spot on all night long. And You and I was the highlight of the first third of the show. Next was Going For the One in it's entirety. The title track was a vocal test for the young Davison and he pulled it off without a hitch. Wonderous Stories and the epic Awaken were terrific as the band brought us to the zenith of the night - The Yes Album.
Only two of this lineup of Yes played on the original recording of this classic album - Chris Squire and Steve Howe. I quickly realized that as long as Steve Howe is in Yes - there will ALWAYS be a Yes. Howe was undeniably the show stopper of the entire festival for me. Brilliant as he moved from guitar to guitar with ease. His playing was at times beautifully soothing and melodic and at times heavy and furious. Nearing 70, he's at the top of his game now, and there are no signs of that changing any time soon. Clap was amazing and his playing on Starship Trooper was captivating and divine. Quite simply, Howe is the godfather of prog guitar and I am happy and fulfilled that I now get to say I've seen him perform this material. The band left the stage briefly after the closing notes of Perpetual Change but came out for a rousing encore of Roundabout that closed with thousands of orange and green balloons dropping from the rafters. It was quite a sight that I captured on video and you can see at my Facebook page.
It was a little past midnight when the lights came up and I think I can speak for everyone when I say it was a most amazing day of prog. The only thing I would change for future Yestivals is the addition of another headline-level act on the bill. I feel the show could have used one more home run. Especially here in Philly, where great prog bands like echolyn, Shadow Circus and Pinnacle call their home. Just a small complaint, but not a big enough one to mention more than once.
Thank you Yes and thank you for hosting this Prog extravaganza here in our town!
PROG FOREVER!!!! \m/
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