Yes hosts an abridged 50th birthday bolstered by the return of Tony Kaye after 24 years away

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The milestones keep stacking up for Yes, who shortly after being belatedly inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, are currently celebrating 50 years together. These days, the line-up consists of Steve Howe (guitarist since 1970), Alan White (drummer since 1972), Geoff Downers (keyboardist who initially joined in 1980), Jon Davison (singer since 2011), Billy Sherwood (bassist since 2015 following a guitar/keyboard stint in the ‘90s), plus supplemental drummer Jay Schellen (not to be confused with Yes featuring original singer Jon Anderson, “classic era” keyboardist Rick Wakeman and ‘80s/‘90s guitarist Trevor Rabin), though regardless of who’s on what side, the purpose of this season is to honor one of the most storied and consistently fascinating careers in all of progressive, classic and pop/rock.

Thankfully, some of those frustrations were forgiven with the introduction of original keyboardist Tony Kaye, who after 24 years since previously touring with Yes, looked thrilled to be back in the fold during the flavorful “Yours Is No Disgrace.”

At a sold out Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, Michigan (basically the same distance for those in downtown Chicago to the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, where the tour opened) Yes got right down to business with the beast “Close To The Edge” in all its extended glory, gaining some additional speed in the rhythm section courtesy of Schellen. Though far from essential, “Nine Voices (Longwalker)” ably represented the frequently overlooked late ‘90s period, while the more powerful “Parallels” was dedicated to the legacy of late, co-founding bassist Chris Squire.

“Sweet Dreams” was perhaps the strongest example of Davison’s sky-high singing, which helped usher in the softer spoken acoustics of “Soon” as White quietly took a seat behind his kit. Surprisingly, the always exceptional Howe not only introduced “Awaken” as coming from the days when Yes spent a million dollars on an album, but there was only time remaining for that sprawling selection.

At merely six tracks (granted, a few could take up the entire side of an album), it would’ve been safe to expect an intermission, but shockingly, it was treated as an encore in what added up to roughly 95 minutes and not nearly enough to properly recognize a fraction of five decades. While set lists are never set in stone and specific venues have different arrangements with an act, Yes could’ve surely found better ways to fill the relative brevity than a stray selection from “The Ladder” (such as anything from the ‘80s, which ARW thankfully have covered) or reserving so much space for that initial finale when at least three shorter tracks could’ve been substituted for a wider catalogue representation.

Thankfully, some of those frustrations were forgiven with the introduction of original keyboardist Tony Kaye, who after 24 years since previously touring with the group, looked thrilled to be back in the fold during the flavorful “Yours Is No Disgrace.” Though the special guest seemed a bit under-rehearsed for “Roundabout” (featuring Wakeman on record), just being on stage after not feeling well enough to attend the Rock Hall induction was enough of a treat, plus he with the rest of Yes fully locked into the zone for “Starship Trooper” to signal their extraordinary capabilities, even on a night with less than ideal length.