Yes 50 Live Explained

Yes 50 Live
Type:live
Artist:Yes
Cover:50_Live_cover.jpg
Recorded:20–21 July 2018
Venue:The Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Genre:Progressive rock
Length:112:24
Label:Rhino
Producer:Yes
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Prev Year:2018
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Next Year:2019

Yes 50 Live is a double live album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 2 August 2019 by Rhino Records.[1]

Background

Yes reached their fiftieth anniversary year in 2018. To commemorate the milestone, the band—consisting of guitarist Steve Howe, drummer Alan White, bassist Billy Sherwood, keyboardist Geoff Downes, and lead vocalist Jon Davison—completed the 50th Anniversary Tour across Europe and the United States between March and July 2018.[2] [3] [4] The five were joined by American drummer Jay Schellen, who performed the majority of Yes's live sets since 2016 while White recovered from surgery and a bacterial infection that affected his playing.[5] The tour's set list included songs that spanned most of the group's history, from Time and a Word (1970), their second album, to Fly from Here (2011), their twentieth album.

Recording

Yes 50 Live was recorded on 20 and 21 July 2018 at The Fillmore Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the North American leg of the tour. It features the majority of the set list performed on the two nights.[6] This particular leg featured guest performances from former keyboardists Tony Kaye and Patrick Moraz; Kaye joined the group for the encores ("Yours Is No Disgrace", "Roundabout", and "Starship Trooper") and Moraz plays on "Soon", the closing section to "The Gates of Delirium".

Sherwood, who has produced and mixed several Yes albums, reprises his role as the mixer on this album.

Release

The album was available as a 2-CD and 4-LP set, along with a colored vinyl pressing limited to 1,200 copies.

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album three out of five stars and noted that it "adheres most closely to the prog rock that made their name in the early '70s" and that the current incarnation of the band "does this sound justice, which makes the album precisely what it's intended to be: a celebration of a particular time and sound, delivered with affection and skill".

Personnel

Yes

with

Production

Charts

The album made #34 in the UK midweek album chart.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Yes 50 Live . June 2019 . yesworld.com . 9 June 2019.
  2. Web site: Yes announce 50th anniversary UK and European tour. Scott. Munro. 5 September 2017. Team Rock. 22 September 2017.
  3. Web site: Yes announce weekend of London events to celebrate 50th anniversary. 7 December 2017. Scott. Munro. Team Rock. 8 December 2017.
  4. Web site: YES: 50th-Anniversary Tour To Feature TONY KAYE As 'Special Guest'. Blabbermouth.net.
  5. Web site: MESSAGE FROM ALAN WHITE. Yes' official facebook. 2 January 2018. 2 January 2018.
  6. Web site: Yes celebrate their half century with new live release. Scott. Munro. 20 May 2019. Louder Sound. 21 May 2019.
  7. "Official Albums Chart Update Top 100, 05 August 2019 - 11 August 2019", Official Charts Company, 5 Aug 2019