Arroyo Grande’s Jon Anderson is hitting the road with his old band again — but don’t expect them to do another gig at the Fremont.
In a testament to the band’s continued popularity, prog rockers Yes will be performing in amphitheaters and arenas this summer. The 26-date tour, titled the “Close to the Edge and Back Tour,” begins in Quebec City July 12 and ends in Los Angeles Aug. 22.
When we interviewed Anderson a year ago this month, he said there were plans to get together with Yes for another tour. In between, he’s been busy with multiple projects, including several performances with kids from the Paul Green School of Rock in Pennsylvania. Here’s a good story about that project, which had kids performing Yes songs in several cities.
Locals will remember that Yes actually played three sold-out shows at the Fremont in San Luis Obispo back in 1995. (Anderson has lived in the county for more than a decade.) The performances were recorded, leading to the live album “Keys to Ascension.”
Since the band formed in 1968, Yes has sold over 30 million albums. Some of their more well-known songs include “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” “Roundabout,” and “I’ve Seen All Good People.”
The closest dates on this tour — the band’s first North American tour in five years — will be in Mountain View (Aug. 19), Anaheim (Aug. 20) and Universal City (Aug. 22).
Meanwhile, VH1 Classic and Yes are looking for aspiring rockers to join the band on stage. Candidates will upload videos of themselves performing an original rock song or piece of music on Vh1classic.com. A panel of judges – including Anderson – will select three finalists. Then VH1 Classic readers will select the winner, who will perform “Give Love Each Day” on stage with Yes. More details on that contest are forthcoming.
–Pat P.
Tribune photo: Jayson Mellom
Posted on April 1st, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: Music
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