Concert Review: Classic Tales of YES October 8, 2023, Pompano Beach, FL)

It was a muggy Sunday evening in South Florida, and even in October the mosquitos were out in force, but still, the crowd was eager. We were there at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater, of course, to see Yes, that venerable institution of prog rock, in Florida on their Classic Tales of Yes tour. But as the sun sank low, and the house lights dimmed, it was not the band who took the stage—at least, not the officially. 

When Roger Dean opened the show it was a better treat for Yes fans than any other opening act could have been. Dean has been an integral part of Yes since the beginning, having designed the famous bubble logo. A consummate draftsman, Dean’s artwork has graced about half the group’s albums, providing a surrealist landscape as a backdrop for some of the greatest prog albums of all time. You might even say that Yes’s honorary sixth member really stole the show, taking the audience through a slide presentation of drawings and paintings, with fascinating revelations of his artistic process and humorous anecdotes about his time with the band. 

Roger Dean's opening talk and art exhibition were an unexpected highlight of the night.

When Dean concluded his remarks and retired to the back of the amphitheater to sign autographs, the current incarnation of Yes took the stage, opening with a rousing rendition of “Going for the One.” The production was tasteful though rather spare, consisting of some psychedelic lighting which, while not displeasing, was relatively minor and left it to the band to carry the performances. Thankfully Yes was more than capable of standing on their own musicianship without needing to resort to pyrotechnics or fancy visuals to entertain.

Yes has always had something of a rotating lineup. Being at this point well into their fifth decade, Yes has become a true ship of Theseus, with guitarist Steve Howe being the only core member of the band remaining since their Seventies heyday. But Howe (now himself well into his Seventies) can still shred with the best of them. Now, I don’t know why Jon Anderson isn’t with the band anymore, but any doubts I had about Jon Davison were laid to rest when they played “Machine Messiah.” Davison, of Glass Hammer fame, gets a lot of flak for being the wrong Jon. But he has the range, he has the energy, he has the hair. Vocally, he’s a dead ringer for Anderson, but he has more than enough talent for his renditions of classic Yes songs to rise above mere imitation. He’s clearly got the passion, as do the other newcomers in the rhythm section, Jay Schellen and Billy Sherwood. This might be a ship of Theseus, but it is not just a cover band. And to prove it they even stuck a few songs from their new album into the show, and they were pretty good, too! Better than “Don’t Kill the Whale.” 

Billy Sherwood knocking it out of the park on "Starship Trooper." 

But the real highlight was yet to come. Last year the group toured in support of the fiftieth anniversary of Close to the Edge, so there were no selections from that classic album in this setlist. As the discerning Yes fan might have surmised from the title of this tour, Tales from Topographic Oceans marks its own semicentennial this year, and features prominently on this tour, and the band wrapped things up with an abridged version of that fascinating, frustrating album, before closing with a double-feature encore, coming back out to play their hit song "Roundabout" before barnstorming their way through "Starship Trooper," where Schellen and Sherwood really got a chance to shine.

Yes in their current incarnation.

This was simply an amazing show. Featuring excellent lineup of talented musicians and a fantastic setlist with some of their greatest tunes, played with all the verve and complexity that made Yes the prog rock institution that it is.