Former Yes men reunite to carry prog-rock torch
Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman are touring as ARW
Here’s something that local Yes fans will have a hard time saying no to.
Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman, three powerful players from Yes’ past, have reunited as ARW and hit the road for a major North American tour that touches down Nov. 25 at the Masonic in San Francisco and Nov. 27 at the City National Civic in San Jose.
Both shows start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $39.50$149.50 for San Francisco (www.livenation.com) and $65-$125 for San Jose (www.ticketmaster.com).
ARW is promising “an evening of Yes music and more” for fans. Thus far on tour, that’s reportedly translated to set lists featuring such longtime favorites as “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” “Awaken,” “I’ve Seen All Good People,” “And You and I,” “Heart of the Sunrise” and “Roundabout.”
Recently we had the opportunity to interview Anderson, who co-founded the famed British progrock act in 1968. The vocalist — like guitarist Rabin and keyboardist Wakeman — left Yes many years ago. Q How does it feel to be back playing with Trevor and Rick? A It truly is a lot of fun being together. The music is driving us forward. Better than expected. Q Why do you think it’s taken this long for ARW to happen? A Everyone has their own world of music these days. It just takes time and commitment. And we found that this year was the best time to try ARW out. Q Does ARW sound just like Yes did back in the day? Or is there a difference? A I feel it is just as solid as the old days. But we have such a great edge to what we do onstage — much like a 21st-century version of Yes. We have a great rhythm section, with Lee Pomeroy on bass and Louie Molino on drums. Both of them (are) very committed to getting it right — and they do with so much fun. Q You all came into Yes at different eras. How does that impact the overall sound? A Rick has a very unique sound, and adding that to the ’80s Yes (songs) is such a musical trip onstage. (It’s) the same with Trevor on the ’70s Yes music. It’s as though this was meant to happen — sort of upgrading the songs. Q What is it about Trevor as a guitarist that appeals to you? A Very ambitious sounding. Very ethereal. And he has so much scope in his style. Very inventive. And he rocks like crazy! Q Same question, only in regard to Rick as a keyboardist. A I’ve worked with Ricky many times. He just gets better and better — so unique, very magical, a oneof-a-kind musician. Q Yes has such a massive songbook. What’s been the strategy for putting together set lists for this tour? A We rehearsed a lot of songs and just kept the ones that played well. Very simple idea — yet challenging. Q You’ve been on the road for a few weeks now. How has the reaction been from longtime Yes fans? A Quite fantastic. Every night, we have this incredible energy from them all. We are very happy with the response. Q What do you think it is about Yes that continues to hold the interest of fans? A My thinking is, we always made music for (the) stage. That’s the basis of performing: Not to try and make a “hit,” but to try and make something as different and magical as possible. Q And why does the music continue to hold your interest? A If you think about it too much, you lose the reason for doing it. It’s always a challenge to get onstage and make it all work. It’s a crazy amount of music that the guys play. And to make sure we are on every night is part of a musical ritual. Q Do you have a favorite Yes tune to play in concert? How about a least favorite? A “Awaken” is always my favorite. As for least favorite, hmmm — not sure. Q So, Yes has been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame again. How are you feeling about your chances? A It will happen eventually. I’m not holding my breath. Q The band has been eligible for quite some time. Does it anger you that you haven’t already been inducted? A No! It will happen when it happens. Q I hear that ARW has been working on new material. Does it sound like Yes? A Anything we do will sound like Yes. It’s who we are. The stuff is powerful, very different and most of all, challenging.