Yes - Live At Montreux 2003
Performance
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Yes - Live At Montreux 2003 Performance
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After recording one of their classic albums, 1977's Going For The One, in Montreux, Switzerland, Yes finally graced the stage of that city's famous Jazz Festival in the summer of 2003. Back in 2002, legendary keyboardist Rick Wakeman had returned to the band to join them on a well received world tour. Along with this Montreux gig, Yes also celebrated their 35th anniversary in grand fashion with a magnificent world tour of 2004 that featured the classic lineup of Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman, and Alan White, which was also captured on the excellent Songs From Tsongas DVD. Yes is, by far, the most reviewed band on my website. It seems like every year they force me to spend my hard earned money on at least one or two new concert DVDs, whether it be something new like Tsongas, or something older like 9012Live. So we may ask ourselves, do we really need this Live At Montreux 2003 concert DVD, when we already have the Symphonic Live DVD from the previous tour, and the Tsongas DVD from the following tour? Well of course we do. For one it's Yes, one of my all time favorite bands in the world, and two, because each of these performances provide a very different look at the band and their amazing music. Symphonic Live featured the European Festival Orchestra, instead of Rick Wakeman, and focused on the new Magnification material along with such monstrous epics as "Close To The Edge", "Gates of Delirium", and "Ritual". Tsongas featured the same classic lineup as you see on this Montreux video, performing under an overwhelming Roger Dean-designed stage show, which featured giant inflatable alien beings and choral reefs - or whatever the hell it was supposed to be. You also got to hear such rarely played gems as "Sweet Dreams", "Mind Drive", and "Rhythm Of Love". The Montreux performance offers a more stripped down, intimate performance by the band, and sticks mainly to the essential Yes classics. Live at Montreux 2003 was recorded on July 14th, 2003 at the Montreux Jazz Festival during Yes' Full Circle tour, which was billed as "Together Again...Classic Yes". Classic Yes is certainly what you get here too - there would be no 90125 crap this night. Just kidding, I love that one as much as the classic stuff. If you worship the Fragile album as much as I do, then you are going to be in hog heaven watching this baby, because every song except Bill Bruford's "Five Per Cent For Nothing" is showcased here. I'm not sure if Wakeman's "Cans and Brahms" was covered during his extended keyboard solo, but damn near everything else was. Two of the best songs from Yes' excellent 2001 Magnification album, the title track, and the epic "In The Presence Of", are also performed and offer a more stripped-down, soulful account of the songs than what you got on the Symphonic Live performances. After a brief band member introduction from festival founder Claude Nobs, the performance kicks off with a dazzling rendition of "Siberian Khatru". The band is performing without any of the enormous stage props that would accompany them on the following year's tour, and the light show is very minimal. Steve Howe immediately steals the show with his amazing fretwork, reminding the crowd that he is easily one of the worlds greatest guitarists. "Don't Kill the Whale", from the much maligned 1978 Yes album Tormato, is also dusted off this night and, although it certainly proves that that album wasn't a complete throwaway, it pales in comparison to the songs that will soon follow. Right after the song you get one of many priceless Jon Anderson-isms when he enlightens us with "Don't kill the bees, don't kill the butterflies, because without them, we are nothing." God I love that guy. After a soaring performance of their most recent epic "In The Presence Of", in which Howe gives a virtual pedal steel clinic, the evening's first highlight gets underway as Anderson takes on his Fragile vocal piece "We Have Heaven", with the aid of some recorded vocal accompanyment. Just like on the album it segues directly into a prolific performance of "South Side Of The Sky", which was intensified by an extended jam ending with Howe and Wakeman trading monster riffs in an effort to one up each other. This was nearly outdone by the epic "And You And I", where the underrated Alan White really shines on the incredible drum work that was originally laid down by Bill Bruford. For some reason, Howe decided to forgo his Fragile solo masterpiece "Mood For A Day" in favor of his Yes Album solo number "Clap", or as Jon Anderson likes to call it "The Clap". Although "Clap" is certainly a stunner, with Howe's dazzling bluegrass fingerwork paving the way, I would have much preferred that he honored the evening's Fragile theme with "Mood". Other highlights of the show were the majestic "Heart Of The Sunrise", where Chris Squire finally takes center stage with his virtuoso bass riffs that propel the song, which only warmed him up for his incredible bass tour de force "The Fish". Anderson adds some nice percussion to the mix, and White again shines on the drums. As with most of the recent Yes concert DVDs, the overall production quality is again magnificent. The DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio tracks were nearly flawless, and both provided a crystal clear mix that let you hear every note from every instrument, yet provided an authentic live atmosphere. The high-definition video recording looked sharp and colorful and the camera work captured the show brilliantly. There were no extra features included, but, hell, you can get them from the many other recent Yes DVDs. Yes has added yet another superb concert DVD to their catalog that should not be overlooked by any Yes fan. The Magnification album gave me hope that these guys were still capable of putting out some great new material, but it has now been six long years since that fine release. Let's hope that there is still more where that one came from, but in the mean time, I'll settle for a new tour. The clock is ticking. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - May 2007 |
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Running Time: 137 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - March 2007 |