In 2014, I got an email from a website called goldstar.com, which sells discounted tickets for various events around town, advertising tickets for the band Yes at The Greek Theatre. I knew they were coming to town, but I was hesitant to buy tickets early on because they were not touring with their original singer, Jon Anderson. The Goldstar advertisement mentioned that the band would be playing two of their albums, Close To The Edge and Fragile, in their entirety, both of which I really enjoy. I mentioned the show to a coworker of mine who’s a huge Yes fan and he said the singer they were touring with, Jon Davidson, sounded very good and similar to Jon Anderson. Between this endorsement, the albums they would be playing, and another buddy of mine expressing interest in going to the show, I ended up buying tickets. Everyone in the band sounded great, and the outdoor setting of the venue was a perfect environment for the performance. Though I was appreciative of seeing the show for the experience itself, my gratitude grew bittersweetly the following year with the unfortunate passing of Chris Squire, the bassist, backing vocalist, and founding member of the band, who was the only one to appear on every Yes album to that point.
Song: “Long Distance Runaround”
Artist: Yes
Songwriter(s): Jon Anderson
Album(s): Fragile
Release Year(s): 1971
Song: “Cherry Bomb”
Artist: John Cougar Mellencamp
Songwriter(s): John Mellencamp
Album(s): The Lonesome Jubilee
Release Year(s): 1987
I Wish You Would Hear Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6jFrq03xPtVVOexYHZF1OW?si=bc9df95d2d854d