Jon Anderson/VA,USA 2019

Jon Anderson’s movements are attracting attention after Rick Wakeman revealed his “YES Featuring ARW Farewell Tour Plan.” His latest and best live album is now available. This work includes “Alexandria performance on August 5, 2019”. It is a transcendental audience recording. According to Rick, YES Featuring ARW’s final tour will take place in 2020, with dates not yet announced. Currently, the three of them are working hard on their respective projects, and John has only announced a tour in 2019 in conjunction with his solo album “1000 HANDS: CHAPTER ONE.” This work is the latest live album from such a solo tour. First, let’s check the show’s position from the schedule.・March 11th + 12th: Orlando (6 performances) [“1000 HANDS: CHAPTER ONE” released on March 31st] ・March 29th – May 12th: North America #1 (24 performances) ・July 21st Sunday – September 1st: North America #2 (25 performances) ←★Here★ This is the schedule announced so far. His solo tour “1000 HANDS TOUR” was held only in North America, and the last day of it just ended the other day. The Alexandria performance of this work was the 10th concert of such “North America #2”. I occasionally report on John’s tours. We have introduced the warm-up performance “GARDEN ROCKS SERIES 2019” and the “North America #1” masterpiece “LYNN 2019”. This work is a masterpiece that is the third major work and a representative work of “North America #2”. I’m also curious about the content of the final leg, but the biggest appeal of this work is the quality of how it is conveyed. This is the best sound that will make you want to line up the “super” in rows and rows. Although it is an audience recording that inhales passionate applause, the important performance sound is different from the audience record. The most wonderful thing is the strong and thick core. “THE BIRCHMERE”, where the event took place, is a concert hall with a dinner table and a seating capacity of approximately 500 people. Although it’s not a club, the distance from the nearest table to the stage is about 60 centimeters, making it a close-knit space. The sound of this work clearly shows that sense of closeness, and even though it’s indoors, you can hardly feel the sound of the hall, and the zero-distance performance is thrust right in front of you. If it is that close, you may be concerned about chattering in the highlights, but this work is a great recording precisely because there is no such thing. Even if the symphonic scale explodes up close, it won’t distort, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the glossy and expansive sound world. It is truly a rare recording. What is depicted with such a close sound is the evolved “1000 HANDS TOUR”. Until now, the repertoire has increased from the warm-up gig to North America #1, but the number has increased even more in North America #2. Let’s organize its contents here. ●YES repertoire・Owner of a Lonely Heart, Yours is No Disgrace, I’ve Seen All Good People, America, Sweet Dreams, Starship Trooper, Roundabout・Additional songs: Long Distance Runaround, Wonderous Stories, Soon ●Other classics・Ocean Song , Flight of the Moorglade, To the Runner, State of Independence (JON & VANGELIS)・Additional song: The Chicken (Pee Wee Ellis cover) ●New solo songs and more・Ramalama, Makes Me Happy, WDMCF, First Born Leaders, 1000 Hands (Come Up) …and it looks like this. Compared to North America’s #1 previous album “LYNN 2019,” it also includes YES songs such as “Long Distance Runaround,” “Wonderous Stories,” and “Soon,” as well as a cover version of “The Chicken.” As a matter of fact, “Long Distance Runaround” was also played at the end of North America #1, but the others are the repertoire that entered the set from North America #2. And the must-listen is YES. This tour takes advantage of the solo arrangement and features bolder arrangements than YES Featuring ARW, including percussion, violin, flute, and saxophone. You can enjoy YES songs that are not only thicker, but also reborn in a truly colorful way. I’m glad that the number of YES numbers like this is increasing, but the ensemble has also evolved. In fact, the previous two albums had a solid feel to them, as if they were testing new arrangements, and at the same time, there was a danger that they would fall apart at any moment. However, this work is a show that is in the middle of the second round in North America. The arrangement is familiar, and the feeling of breathing between the members is well thought out. The improved sense of stability is directly linked to the vividness of complex arrangements, allowing you to enjoy more stunning YES songs than ever before. John Anderson will finish his solo tour on September 1st and head to next year’s “YES Featuring ARW Farewell Tour.” It is said that he has already written some new songs for ARW, and there are rumors that he will record them. The situation is still unpredictable, but even if ARW really ends, John will continue to sing YES songs and change them with new arrangements. This work is the latest live album that proves that such predictions do not end with hope. Among the active YES men, John Anderson is still progressive. A masterpiece that conveys his “now” with the best sound. The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA, USA 5th August 2019 TRULY PERFECT SOUND Disc 1(54:11) 1. Intro (Ocean Song) 2. Owner Of A Lonely Heart 3. Yours Is No Disgrace 4. Ramalama 5. State Of Independence 6 Makes Me Happy 7. I’ve Seen All Good People 8. America 9. WDMCF 10. The Chicken Disc 2(63:05) 1. Band Introductions 2. Flight Of The Moorglade 3. Sweet Dreams 4. To The Runner 5 Long Distance Runaround 6. Wonderous Stories 7. First Born Leaders 8. 1000 Hands (Come Up) 9. Starship Trooper 10. Roundabout 11. Soon Jon Anderson – vocals, guitar, percussion, strumstick Tommy Calton – guitars, vocals Jocelyn Hsu – violin, ukulele, vocals Joe Cosas – keyboards, vocals, trombone, banjo, guitar, mandolin, harp Rayford Griffin – drums Steady Joseph – percussion, vocals Tim Franklin – bass, vocals Zach Tenorio-Miller – keyboards, vocals Billy Meether – sax, flute, guitar, vocals