Yes - Symphonic Live | Yes, Jon Anderson | YES - SYMPHONIC LIVE.....A YESSENTIAL VISUAL EXPERIENCE !

Yes - Symphonic Live | Yes, Jon Anderson | Revised Versions of Classic Yes

DVDs:

Yes - Symphonic Live

	Yes - Symphonic Live Yes, Jon Anderson Eagle Rock Ent, 2002 average customer review:based on 139 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

With a Symphony Orchestra: Universally admired for their considerable studio prowess, British Supergroup, Yes have also been most famous for their unparalleled live s hows. Yes pioneered the use of lasers, elaborate fantasy art inspired sets, "In-the-Round " revolving stages, the best sound engineering in the business and of course, their extrao rdinary musicianship. They've been blowing audiences away for over three decades.

YES - SYMPHONIC LIVE.....A YESSENTIAL VISUAL EXPERIENCE !

Yes - Symphonic Live is a videotaped presentation of a wonderful 2001 Yes concert in it's entirety at the intimate Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam. The European Festival Orchestra provides the symphonics, and their stimulating sound complements Yes' music in no less than perfect form. What a night this was for the Yes fans who were there!

And what a concert DVD this is!

The picture and sound quality on this is as good as I've ever seen, and everything else about this concert DVD is just as good. No, wait...Perfect! This is perfect! The members of the band all look healthy and inspired, and they're playing their music as well as they ever have. The lineup for the this show includes:

Jon Anderson
Chris Squire
Steve Howe
Alan White
Tom Brislin

The lightly bearded Anderson's vocal performance is excellent, and his between-song stage banter is interesting and gracious. Guitarists will enjoy watching Steve Howe expertly play a wide range of stringed instruments including a flat steel and classical guitars. Chris Squire energetically moves all over the stage while playing his mighty bass, and a fit looking Alan White works his drum kit with a friendly smile on his face for most of the night. And Tom Brislin? He's the young and very capable keyboardist who's jumps and animated arm motions add even more enthusiasm and showmanship to the production.

The professional multi-colored lightshow includes fog and animation, and the effect is captivating at times. There are many different camera angles used, and sometimes it even feels as if you're right on the stage.

The European Festival Orchestra musicians are young, mostly female, and very attractive. They get plenty of camera time, and it's fun to watch them lip-synch the lyrics and bob their heads in time with the music. They even worked out some choreography to go along with a few of the songs. Their sound adds plenty to the concert and everybody seems to be having a great time, especially the appreciative audience.

The music is mostly from the classic Yes years, but they also perform songs from their symphonic studio album, Magnification, which was new at the time. They open the show with Close To The Edge, and it sounds just as great as it always has. It's hard to single out just one highlight from this show of many highlights. For me, it's And You And I, but Starship Trooper, The Gates Of Delirium, and Ritual are all fantastic, too. Steve Howe does a classical guitar solo that includes Mood For A Day, and that's also enjoyable. The show closes with Roundabout, and the girls in the orchestra set down their instruments and dance in a chorus line on the stage behind the band. It's a lot of fun, and the apparently surprised Yesmen love it.

Yes - Symphonic Live is a remarkable Yes visual experience. The song selection includes the classics and fan favorites that you would expect, and the performance is masterful and very professional. The feeling you get from watching this is the same feeling you get when listening to Yes' music or seeing one of their concerts. Perfectly Yes.

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Revised Versions of Classic Yes

This is not one of those orchestrated monstrosities where an orchestra gets paid to riff along with a band (i.e Symphonic Metallica). The music of Yes works well with an orchestra and the band itself is always in charge but never overshadowing the orchestra. A big plus is that the members of Yes seem to understand something about songwriting and arranging moreso than most and the result is surprising entertaining and enjoyable, especially the version of Close To The Edge here.
The camera angles are nicely highlighting the different sections of the orchestra at key times during the performance as well as the band and the conductor. Yes share the stage surprisingly well with an orchestra. It at first sounds like the band have turned their instruments down a little more than usual in an effort not to overplay. There is a definite chemistry between band and orchestra here.
This is probably more for diehards than casual fans but well worth it. My only complaint is minor one. I thought some of the fans on the second "making of" disc were a little unecessary and I would've preferred to see more of the band and less about their fan clubs and t-shirt sales, but I can alway skip that disc.

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Yes for Yes!

With the unsettling news that the Yes tour for Summer 2008 has been cancelled due to Jon's declining health, recorded Yes concerts will be all that we have for now, and fearfully, forever.

Fortunately, this and other Yes concerts have been preserved in an extraordinary fashion. This concert captures Yes, late in their touring career and shows what geniuses they are. The music is superb, the set list is a cross section of their music from the early 70s until now and it is all enhanced by having the orchestra back them up. Chris and Steve play incredibly and provide the backdrop for Jon to display his unbelievable creativity and vocal talent.

Take care of yourself and get well soon Jon and bestow upon your fans the biggest gift you can...your good health.

Todd Edlin
Atlanta, GA

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Passing the Torch to the Future Generations.

Buy this and pass it on to your childen.

Yes has provided the soundtrack for the past 35 years of my life. These men, who were at the top of their game in 1977, have lost nothing!

The beauty of their voices, musical chops and energy levels is at as high a level as ever. The new material (MAGNIFICATION) is the best new YES in two decades.

I didn't expect to get emotional, but I did. Young, world-class musicians (the EUROPEAN FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA) taking the charts of the masters to a new level, for future safekeeping.

The sound and visual quality are impeccable. All the voices in the orchestra can be heard clearly, expertly interwoven with the group.

During the encore, the orcestra empties onto the stage behind the band and joins them in a RITUAL of sorts. The bemused expressions of Steve, Tom Brislin, Jon, Alan, and Chris are worth the price of admission. And make no mistake, the girls in the orchestra are cute!

MVP goes to Alan for holding together the two groups of musicians. The Jewel of the collection is "In the Presence Of." I can go on with superlatves, but that's enough....

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The Majestic Splendor of Yes

It seemed like a natural for Yes to expand its live performance through the use of an orchestra, but it did not reach real professional fruition until later in the band's career.

It was well worth the wait.

In 2001, Yes teamed up with the European Festival Orchestra for two performances at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam. With Tom Brislin on keyboards, Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Alan White and Steve Howe delivered an awesome retrospective on the band's discography and solo projects.

The 194 minutes is a stunning display of sound, with a majestic artistry that compliments the critically-acclaimed release the band was promoting for this tour, Magnification. The tour was a high point in the band's illustrious career. The performance in Amsterdam was something very special and is captured in all of its splendor.

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