Axe-Fx II in Action: Yes - Live at the Apollo

yek said:
They look and sound much more coherent now with Rabin as the single guitar player, than they did with both Steve Howe and Rabin on guitar. Mind you, Steve Howe was my guitar hero in the 70s...
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Same here.
I much more prefer the Steve Howe era than the Rabin era of Yes. To me the real Yes is the old line up with Steve Howe not the things they did with Rabin. But I have to say I like this performance much better than any of the Yes line ups without Jon Anderson of the last decade or so. That sounded lame to me and I wander why they choose to continue without Jon Anderson instead of just stopping. Jon's voice is still good.

By the way, is that Tony levin behind the drums? :)
 
Long time Trevor fan. I saw him on the 90125 tour and I've been a fan of his solo music since Can't Look Away (which is fantastic). Jacaranda is great and of course he's been very successful as a composer. I even like some of the Rabbit stuff, his "Live in LA" album features a great cross section of his career. I saw ARW (now renamed Yes featuring ARW) on their initial run in Austin. He sounded fantastic (not sure if he was full AxeFx then, but I didn't see any amps/cabs, so maybe). Yeah, I also noticed Lee Pomeroy's dual Kemper rig. He had a major failure early in the gig and the tech had to switch Kempers mid song. Not sure what happened, but the FAS fanboy in me couldn't help smirking. Lee's fantastic, no dig on him. Saw him with ELO earlier this year, he's so good. I love that ARW video and I'm really hoping we hear about a new album and tour soon.
 
It's irritating though that they have mixed in applause and cheering samples underneath all the time.
It's fake and often even the same sample. You notice it's fake because on some shots they show the seated audience which is just listening intensely.
 
But back to the music...

What Yes sets apart from so many other symphonic bands, and certainly from many "prog rock" bands these days, is that the song itself, the melodies and the way the songs naturally evolve, come first.

Musicianship and skills serve the song, instead of the other way around.

I'm stepping on toes here, but I'll take Yes any time above Dream Theater. :cool: *runs and hide*
 
yek said:
But back to the music...

What Yes sets apart from so many other symphonic bands, and certainly from many "prog rock" bands these days, is that the song itself, the melodies and the way the songs naturally evolve, come first.

Musicianship and skills serve the song, instead of the other way around.

I'm stepping on toes here, but I'll take Yes any time above Dream Theater. :cool: *runs and hide*
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I'd certainly agree with you for any recent DT releases. Particularly the stuff with Mangini - I don't dig it at all. But the first few DT albums had lots of great melodies and hooks IMO.

Rush will always be my favorite prog rock band though.
 
yek said:
But back to the music...

What Yes sets apart from so many other symphonic bands, and certainly from many "prog rock" bands these days, is that the song itself, the melodies and the way the songs naturally evolve, come first.

Musicianship and skills serve the song, instead of the other way around.

I'm stepping on toes here, but I'll take Yes any time above Dream Theater. :cool: *runs and hide*
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Yek, I'll hide in that bunker with you. I much prefer Yes (& Genesis, Transatlantic, Flower Kings, Marillion, Spock's Beard, etc) over DT.

I find the fake audience samples on the video SO annoying I can't even watch it. Who thought that was a good idea?
 
jefferski said:
Yek, I'll hide in that bunker with you. I much prefer Yes (& Genesis, Transatlantic, Flower Kings, Marillion, Spock's Beard, etc) over DT.

I find the fake audience samples on the video SO annoying I can't even watch it. Who thought that was a good idea?
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Some damned producer ...
 
yek said:
But back to the music...

What Yes sets apart from so many other symphonic bands, and certainly from many "prog rock" bands these days, is that the song itself, the melodies and the way the songs naturally evolve, come first.

Musicianship and skills serve the song, instead of the other way around.

I'm stepping on toes here, but I'll take Yes any time above Dream Theater. :cool: *runs and hide*
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@yek you are so right! Couldn’t agree with you more. I saw a Yes show about 4-5 years ago while Chris Squire was still alive and Dream Theatre opened the show. DT was good but their songs were entirely unmemorable, and each player strove to push his “notes per second” to the max as if that were the definition of better music. Couldn’t wait for them to get off the stage. Yes was sublime.
 
This is a cool video. That bass player is good but I miss Squire. He really drove those songs and had better taste in capes than Wakeman. There was a time in the 70s when I listened to at least 1 Yes LP a day for like 3 or 4 years. Them and Rush.

getting old.
 
Way back in the mists of time(1978) I saw Trevor supporting Steve Hillage, he had moved to London and just released his second solo album Face to Face. If my memory serves me right right he was playing a Les Paul into a Marshall with added silver spandex strides. It was a strange combination of acts with Hillage being at the time into the hippy trance thing and Trevor being more melodic rock, but he went down an absolute storm and got an encore and standing ovation which was not so common back in those days.
 
Awesome video. They have been my musical heroes from my earliest memories. I rocked a Close to the Edge t-shirt in kindergarten that my sister made me.

If I could get away with it on the street and I didn't think Mrs B would have me committed, I would wear Rick Wakeman capes every day when I am out and about, just not when setting up mics, because that would get in the way.
 
dr bonkers said:
Awesome video. They have been my musical heroes from my earliest memories. I rocked a Close to the Edge t-shirt in kindergarten that my sister made me.

If I could get away with it on the street and I didn't think Mrs B would have me committed, I would wear Rick Wakeman capes every day when I am out and about, just not when setting up mics, because that would get in the way.
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A Close to the Edge shirt in kindergarten? Wow!

Yes in their prime produced some of the most sublime and epic music ever.
 
Just saw this again last night on AXS-TV; great tones;....anyone know what Trevor used as his pedal board? pretty elaborate whatever it was
 
That may be one of the better Yes productions I have ever heard... thanks for sharing that!
Pauly

FractalAudio said:


Trevor Rabin's incredible musicality in action using an Axe-Fx II live at the Apollo. Bass player using a Kemper. Modelers are making serious inroads.
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