Steve Howe recently revealed the factor that kept Yes together through its 55-year career.
The guitarist joined a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock to talk about the band’s ongoing ‘Classic Tales Of Yes’ tour. He touched upon the trek’s setlist, which included pieces from the oldest albums to the newest ones.
As the interviewer referred to the band’s list as something ‘a lot to bring on the stage and pull off,’ Howe explained:
“Yeah, and it’s not been easy. You know, we’ve had our moments. In retrospect, we would have liked a few more days [of rehearsal time]. But everything is what it is, isn’t it? You find yourself there. You think you’re ready, but you never know until you actually get up there.”
Naming ‘challenges’ as the one thing that kept Yes going, he added:
“So yeah, it’s exciting, to say the least. Challenging. I mean, I think if Yes doesn’t have challenges, then it might as well stop — so we like the challenge. Certainly, the ‘Tales’ edit has been a real challenge, but a really delightful one.”
More To Say About The Yes Setlist
Yes has been performing songs like ‘Machine Messiah’ from 1980’s ‘Drama’ and ‘It Will Be A Good Day (The River)’ from 1999’s ‘The Ladder’ during the US leg of the ‘Classic Tales’ tour while also introducing its latest record, ‘Mirror To The Sky,’ along with an edited version of ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans.’
This will be the first tour since 1974 to include side 2 of the double-sided album released in 1973 outside of the country, as Howe created a 20-minute edit of its tracks in honor of the record’s 30th anniversary:
“It was my idea of actually giving it a new perspective and a new opportunity, if you like, to see it as it’s never been seen. In less than 20 minutes, you see four 20-minute tracks go rushing by you. It was great fun, and I happen to like editing. I like working out how things can kind of fit together. It’s been really delightful and lovely to play some of Side 2 again.”
Delays In The Shows
On the other hand, it will take some time before this version of ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’ reaches the fans living abroad. The band had to delay European dates of ‘Classic Tales Of Yes’ a few times earlier this year due to the Covid restrictions.
Currently, the European performances are set to kick off in Manchester, UK, on May 23, 2024. A few Japanese dates will follow these shows later in the year.
