| Concert Tour Name: | The Yes Album Tour |
| Artist: | Yes |
| Type: | World |
| Album: | The Yes Album |
| Start Date: | 17 July 1970 |
| End Date: | 31 July 1971 |
| Number Of Legs: | 3 |
| Number Of Shows: | 169 (183 scheduled) |
| This Tour: | The Yes Album Tour (1970–71) |
| Next Tour: | Fragile Tour (1971–72) |
The Yes Album Tour was a concert tour by progressive rock band Yes. Though it began more than six months before its release, the tour was named after the band's third studio album. Lasting from 17 July 1970 until 31 July 1971, and including 170 performances,[1] the tour began at the Lyceum in London—Steve Howe's first performance with the band—and ended at the Crystal Palace Bowl, also in London—Tony Kaye's last performance with the band before his 13-year absence.[2] [3]
The tour saw the band play concerts in the United Kingdom, Belgium, West Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, France, Italy, Canada, and the United States over three legs—a European leg, a North American leg and a single-show return to the United Kingdom. Many of the American shows were shared with Iron Butterfly. Phil Carson, then-European General Manager of Atlantic Records,[4] decided that as Iron Butterfly could attract enough of an audience to fill the venues on their tour, it would be good exposure for Yes as he was trying to break them into the American market at the time.[5]
Live material from this tour has appeared on the following releases:
The line-up for the tour unchanged throughout its duration, and was the fifth incarnation of Yes.[7] Steve Howe joined the band two months previously: all concerts during May and June were cancelled while the band found a replacement for original guitarist Peter Banks, and Tony Kaye was replaced by Rick Wakeman shortly after the tour ended in time for rehearsal sessions for Fragile.[8]
On the 1970 shows, the set list consisted of:
The 1971 shows had a typical setlist of:
Other songs played:
Beginning with the 1971 dates (when Yes began to be supported by Iron Butterfly), ticket prices were set at 10s—approximately £10 ($16 USD) in 2012.
| Date | City | Country | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | ||||
| 17 July 1970 | London | United Kingdom | Lyceum Ballroom | |
| 18 July 1970 | Birmingham | Mothers Club | ||
| 19 July 1970 | Redcar | Redcar Jazz Club | ||
| 24 July 1970 | London | Brompton Hall | ||
| 26 July 1970 | Croydon | The Greyhound | ||
| 31 July 1970 | Plymouth | Van Dike Club | ||
| 2 August 1970 | Croydon | The Greyhound | ||
| 9 August 1970 | Plumpton | Plumpton Racetrack | ||
| 14 August 1970 | Leytonstone | The Red Lion | ||
| 16 August 1970 | Barkisland | Krumlin | ||
| 18 August 1970 | London | Marquee Club | ||
| 21 August 1970 | Devon | The Underground | ||
| 22 August 1970 | Dagenham | Village Underground | ||
| 29 August 1970 | Lincoln | Knickerbockers | ||
| 31 August 1970 | Redcar | Redcar Jazz Club | ||
| 5 September 1970 | Huy | Belgium | Atelier Rock | |
| 6 September 1970 | Dortmund | West Germany | Fantasio | |
| 10 September 1970 | Swansea | United Kingdom | Brangwyn Hall | |
| 11 September 1970 | ||||
| 12 September 1970 | Colchester | Corn Exchange | ||
| 18 September 1970 | Eltham | Avery Hill College | ||
| 19 September 1970 | Bishop's Stortford | Rhodes Center | ||
| 20 September 1970 | Nottingham | Nottingham Boat Club | ||
| 22 September 1970 | Birmingham | Mayfair Club | ||
| 23 September 1970 | Barry | Barry Memorial Hall | ||
| 26 September 1970 | Margate | Margate Hall | ||
| 27 September 1970 | Croydon | The Greyhound | ||
| 28 September 1970 | Aberystwyth | Aberystwyth University | ||
| 1 October 1970 | Scarborough | Open Air Theater | ||
| 2 October 1970 | Leicester | Loughborough University | ||
| 3 October 1970 | Watford | Watford Technical College | ||
| 8 October 1970 | Manchester | UMIST | ||
| 9 October 1970 | Stratford | Cox's Yard | ||
| 10 October 1970 | London | Queen Mary College | ||
| 15 October 1970 | Dundee | Dundee University | ||
| 16 October 1970 | Newcastle | Newcastle City Hall | ||
| 17 October 1970 | Malvern | Malvern Winter Gardens | ||
| 23 October 1970 | Leeds | Leeds University | ||
| 24 October 1970 | Plymouth | Royal Theater | ||
| 26 October 1970 | Romford | King's Head | ||
| 30 October 1970 | Guildford | University of Surrey | ||
| 31 October 1970 | London | Queen Elizabeth Hall | ||
| Dunstable | Dunstable Civic Hall | |||
| 5 November 1970 | Bern | Switzerland | National Theater | |
| 6 November 1970 | ||||
| 7 November 1970 | Zurich | Rote Fabrik | ||
| 10 November 1970 | Munich | West Germany | Blow Up Club | |
| 13 November 1970 | London | United Kingdom | Citypolyents | |
| 14 November 1970 | Bradford | University Of Bradford | ||
| 20 November 1970 | Lancaster | Lancaster University | ||
| 21 November 1970 | Oxford | Oxford Polytechnic | ||
| 22 November 1970 | Plymouth | Van Dike Club | ||
| Bradford | University of Bradford | |||
| 25 November 1970 | Cambridge | Cambridge Theater | ||
| 27 November 1970 | Southend-on-Sea | Technical College | ||
| 28 November 1970 | Boston | Boston Music Room | ||
| London | Marquee Club | |||
| Manchester | Manchester College of Art | |||
| Lancaster | Lancaster University | |||
| Liverpool | Liverpool Stadium | |||
| 8 December 1970 | Newcastle | Newcastle City Hall | ||
| 9 December 1970 | Hull | Hull University | ||
| 10 December 1970 | Middlesbrough | The Pavilion | ||
| 11 December 1970 | Warrington | Thunderdome | ||
| 13 December 1970 | Bromley | Highams Hill Farm | ||
| 14 December 1970 | Dunstable | Queensway Hall | ||
| 18 December 1970 | London | Lyceum Theater | ||
| 19 December 1970 | Folkestone | Leas Cliff Hall | ||
| 20 December 1970 | Cleethorpes | Cleethorpes Winter Gardens | ||
| 22 December 1970 | Shrewsbury | Shrewsbury Music Hall | ||
| Brighton | The Big Apple | |||
| 3 January 1971 | Croydon | The Greyhound | ||
| 8 January 1971 | Eindhoven | Netherlands | Parktheater | |
| 9 January 1971 | Amsterdam | Het Concertgebouw | ||
| 10 January 1971 | Rotterdam | De Doelen | ||
| 13 January 1971 | Glasgow | United Kingdom | Green's Playhouse | |
| 14 January 1971 | Newcastle | Newcastle City Hall | ||
| 15 January 1971 | Lancaster | Freedom Hall | ||
| 16 January 1971 | Southsea | Portsmouth Polytechnic | ||
| 17 January 1971 | Bristol | Colston Hall | ||
| 18 January 1971 | London | Royal Albert Hall | ||
| 19 January 1971 | Birmingham | Birmingham Town Hall | ||
| 21 January 1971 | Southampton | Southampton Guildhall | ||
| 23 January 1971 | Aarhus | Denmark | Vejlby-Risskov Hall | |
| 24 January 1971 | Gothenburg | Sweden | Gothenburg Concert Hall | |
| 25 January 1971 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Falkoner Theater | |
| 29 January 1971 | Lille | France | Église Saint-André | |
| 30 January 1971 | Lyon | Lyon Amphitheater | ||
| 31 January 1971 | Paris | Palais des Sports | ||
| 2 February 1971 | Brussels | Belgium | Palais des Beaux-Arts | |
| Barnstaple | United Kingdom | Queens Hall | ||
| Cardiff | Llandaff Technical College | |||
| Redcar | Redcar Jazz Club | |||
| 8 February 1971 | Liège | Belgium | ||
| 12 February 1971 | New Cross | United Kingdom | Goldsmiths College | |
| 13 February 1971 | London | London School of Economics | ||
| 19 February 1971 | Leeds | Leeds University | ||
| 20 February 1971 | Kingston upon Thames | Kingston Polytechnic | ||
| 27 February 1971 | Dagenham | Dagenham Roundhouse | ||
| 4 March 1971 | Liverpool | Liverpool Stadium | ||
| 5 March 1971 | Doncaster | Top Rank Suite | ||
| 6 March 1971 | Brighton | The Big Apple | ||
| 7 March 1971 | Redcar | Redcar Jazz Club | ||
| 9 March 1971 | Birmingham | Birmingham Town Hall | ||
| 10 March 1971 | Bournemouth | Bournemouth Winter Gardens | ||
| 12 March 1971 | Cardiff | Cardiff University | ||
| 14 March 1971 | Blackburn | King George's Hall | ||
| 15 March 1971 | Guildford | Guildford Civic Hall | ||
| 16 March 1971 | Nottingham | Albert Hall | ||
| 17 March 1971 | Guildford | Guildford Civic Hall | ||
| 19 March 1971 | Stirling | Stirling University | ||
| 20 March 1971 | Aviemore | Aviemore Sports Center | ||
| 21 March 1971 | Dunfermline | Dumfermline Cinema | ||
| 22 March 1971 | Glasgow | Glasgow City Center | ||
| 23 March 1971 | Norwich | Norwich Lads Club | ||
| 25 March 1971 | Harrogate | Royal Hall | ||
| 27 March 1971 | West Berlin | West Germany | Deutschlandhalle | |
| 28 March 1971 | ||||
| 30 March 1971 | Wolverhampton | United Kingdom | Wolverhampton Civic Hall | |
| 4 April 1971 | Hemel Hempstead | Hempstead Pavilion | ||
| 6 April 1971 | Manchester | Free Trade Hall | ||
| 8 April 1971 | Leeds | Leeds Town Hall | ||
| 10 April 1971 | Surbiton | Shoreditch Town Hall | ||
| 12 April 1971 | London | BBC Television Centre | ||
| 15 April 1971 | Frankfurt | West Germany | Volksbildungsheim | |
| 16 April 1971 | Böblingen | Sporthalle | ||
| 17 April 1971 | Saarbrücken | Saarland Hall | ||
| 18 April 1971 | Hamburg | Hamburg Music Hall | ||
| 24 April 1971 | Nelson | United Kingdom | Imperial | |
| 25 April 1971 | London | The Roundhouse | ||
| 30 April 1971 | Luton | Luton Recreation Center | ||
| 1 May 1971 | Barking | Barking Polytechnic | ||
| 2 May 1971 | Stoke-on-Trent | Trentham Gardens | ||
| 6 May 1971 | Chatham | Central Hall | ||
| 7 May 1971 | Oxford | Oxford Town Hall | ||
| 9 May 1971 | Rome | Italy | Teatro Brancaccio | |
| 10 May 1971 | Milan | Teatro Lirico | ||
| 11 May 1971 | Arezzo | Teatro Tenda | ||
| 14 May 1971 | Birmingham | United Kingdom | Birmingham University | |
| 15 May 1971 | Norwich | Norwich Lads Club | ||
| 16 May 1971 | Leicester | De Montfort Hall | ||
| 21 May 1971 | Liverpool | Liverpool University | ||
| 22 May 1971 | Manchester | Manchester University | ||
| 23 May 1971 | Harrogate | Royal Hall | ||
| Exeter | Exeter University | |||
| Clacton | Princess Theater | |||
| 5 June 1971 | West Berlin | West Germany | Sportpalast | |
| Southport | United Kingdom | Floral Hall | ||
| North America | ||||
| 24 June 1971 | Edmonton | Canada | Edmonton Gardens | |
| 25 June 1971 | Vancouver | PNE Coliseum | ||
| 26 June 1971 | Seattle | United States | Seattle Center Coliseum | |
| 27 June 1971 | Sacramento | Sacramento Memorial Auditorium | ||
| 28 June 1971 | Los Angeles | Whisky A Go Go | ||
| 29 June 1971 | ||||
| 30 June 1971 | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City Music Hall | ||
| 1 July 1971 | San Antonio | San Antonio Municipal Auditorium | ||
| 2 July 1971 | Dallas | Dallas Memorial Auditorium | ||
| 3 July 1971 | Houston | Hofheinz Pavilion | ||
| 4 July 1971 | New Orleans | The Warehouse | ||
| 5 July 1971 | Indianapolis | National Guard Armory | ||
| 6 July 1971 | DeLand | Stetson University | ||
| 7 July 1971 | Orlando | Orlando Sports Center | ||
| 8 July 1971 | Hampton | Hampton Beach Ballroom | ||
| 9 July 1971 | Wildwood | Wildwood Convention Center | ||
| 10 July 1971 | Asbury Park | Asbury Park Convention Hall | ||
| 11 July 1971 | Alexandria | Alexandria Roller Rink | ||
| 14 July 1971 | Port Chester | Capitol Theater | ||
| 15 July 1971 | ||||
| 16 July 1971 | Detroit | Eastown Theater | ||
| 17 July 1971 | ||||
| 18 July 1971 | Toronto | Canada | York Stadium | |
| 19 July 1971 | Ottawa | Ottawa Civic Center | ||
| 20 July 1971 | Cleveland | United States | Allen Theater | |
| 23 July 1971 | New York City | Gaelic Park | ||
| 24 July 1971 | New Haven | Yale Bowl | ||
| Final show | ||||
| 31 July 1971 | London | United Kingdom | Crystal Palace Bowl | |
| Date | City | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 May 1970 | Geleen | Netherlands (first Pinkpop Festival) | |
| 2 November 1970 | Dunstable | United Kingdom | |
| 3 November 1970 | |||
| 24 November 1970 | Bradford | ||
| 1 December 1970 | London | ||
| 2 December 1970 | Manchester | ||
| 4 December 1970 | Lancaster | ||
| 5 December 1970 | Liverpool | ||
| 26 December 1970 | Brighton | ||
| 28 January 1971 | Bremen | West Germany | |
| 29 January 1971 | Lille | France | |
| 30 January 1971 | Lyon | ||
| 31 January 1971 | Brussels | Belgium | |
| 1 February 1971 | Paris | France | |
| 2 February 1971 | |||
| 6 February 1971 | Cardiff | United Kingdom | |
| 7 February 1971 | Redcar | ||
| 8 February 1971 | Liėge | Belgium | |
| 9 February 1971 | Brussels | ||
| 29 May 1971 | Exeter | United Kingdom | |
| 4 June 1971 | Clacton | ||
| 5 June 1971 | West Berlin | West Germany | |
| 18 June 1971 | Southport | United Kingdom | |
| 26 June 1971 | Sheffield | ||
| 31 June 1971 | Boston | United States |
The February 1971 shows in Paris were cancelled due to rioting.[12] After leaving France, the band had to cancel some UK shows after their van was involved in a road collision.[13]
Writing in Melody Maker in review of the group's shows[14] on 31 October 1970 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Chris Welch described Howe as "stealing the show", Bruford as a "proverbial tower of strength", and Anderson as "simple but emotive".[15]