Yes/NY,USA 2017

YES has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and ARW (now YES Featuring ARW) has begun their Japan tour. For this week’s gift, we have prepared the best video to convey the Hall of Fame induction. This work contains the Hall of Fame induction ceremony held in New York on April 7, 2017. This is a hilarious audience shot that also shows the current “original YES + ARW” combined performance. Although it is an audience, the quality is far from the common sense of audience seating. It is a shot looking down from the second floor seats on the left side of the stage (Steve Howe side), but since it is not a concert with a swirling enthusiasm, there is not even a shadow of the front row. It looks straight at the stage “only” and has a great sense of stability. It is beautiful and super vivid, as if it was one angle of a professional shot. Of course, the sound is also special grade, not inferior to the view. The special performance has a super clear sound with zero obstructions, and you can hear every word of the speech clearly. This work starts with a presenter speech by RUSH’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. They humorously praise YES’s achievements and invite the members who were inducted into the Hall of Fame to the stage. This time, eight people from the “UNION” era were inducted into the Hall of Fame, but five people spoke on the stage that day. They spoke in the order of Jon Anderson → Trevor Rabin → Alan White → Steve Howe → Rick Wakeman. This speech is a masterpiece. The five people all speak of their gratitude to their fans and families, but each person’s character is revealed. Old fans can’t help but grin. John, Howe, and Rick are especially interesting. John, the top batter, is already full of excitement and exclaims “Wow!”, “I can’t believe it!”, and “Everyone is beautiful!”. When talking about his memories of visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his wife, he said, “This is Bill Haley, and this is Stevie Wonder!” in a live broadcast (?), and when talking about forming a band, he said, “Chris Squire was a big idiot. I can’t believe it!”. The closing words, “Chris and Peter Banks are in heaven and spirit,” are very John-like. Trevor and Alan greeted with big smiles on their faces, which was also typical of them. And the fourth speaker, Howe, holding a manuscript in his hand, was the best in his roundabout way of speaking. Even when talking about his gratitude to his fans, he said, “Fortunately, the reaction of our fans, who have ears that are clearly different from those of the average music lover, cannot be erased,” and “They can hear the texture and harmony, the dramatic and humble, or the soft harmony and dynamics of the love of the chorus”… It’s unclear whether he was thanking them or not, but of course, the fans who were there at the scene were well aware of Howe’s character. The way he spoke was a big hit, and the closing joke, “Bill described YES’s music simply: ‘It’s fast and it’s slow,'” drew thunderous applause. Rick was the one who put the final blow to this speech. When it was decided that he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he made a statement saying, “I won’t attend!”, but then he decided to attend, so his statement attracted attention… it was terrible (laughs). “Right now, I’m happy for two reasons. One is that I was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the other is that I had sex near this building.” The audience burst into laughter, but he followed up by saying, “No, no, it wasn’t that good.” Even when he spoke of his gratitude to his family, he said, “My father was an unsuccessful Elvis knockoff. He taught me a lot as a child. ‘Don’t go to strip clubs. They’re cheap and dirty, and there are things you shouldn’t see.'” He added the punchline, “Indeed, when I went there, I saw my father.” Besides this, there was a series of dirty jokes that were a bit embarrassing to write down. After this, it seems that speeches by Bill Bruford and Chris’s wife were also scheduled, but it ended with Rick. Well, you can’t give a speech after getting excited by a comical story… Even so, I’m really glad that this work is an audience shot. Rick’s speech made the venue burst into laughter, and it was a huge hit with a standing ovation. You can really understand the mood. If this was a professional shot where you couldn’t see the audience’s reaction, the air wouldn’t be conveyed, and it would be scary to watch… After that, there was a special performance of the highlight. Unfortunately, Bill, who has already retired, did not participate, but the luxurious lineup of Geddy Lee replaced Chris and performed “Roundabout”, “Make It Easy”, and “Owner Of A Lonely Heart”. Since 2004, you can witness the monumental performance in which John performed with Howe and Alan for the first time in 13 years. In addition to its luxury and preciousness, Rick did it here too. In the second half of “Owner Of A Lonely Heart”, they take out a shoulder key and lead Trevor to the audience with the bottom of his cape. It’s not a cute thing like “touch the fans in the front row!”, but they march right through the middle of the audience and stay in their seats. Of course, the performance is messy, but that’s beside the point. It’s a scene where the audience laughs and laughs, and the “festival” feeling of the day explodes. Following last year’s original YES, ARW visits Japan and performs a dazzling “Evening of YES Music”. They announce “YESTIVAL” to commemorate their 50th anniversary, but also declare that “YES and ARW will never perform together”. Are they on good terms or not? What will happen from now on…? But everything is like YES. The YES family is a mysterious family where extremely unique people come and go, but the whole community is still wrapped in a positive mood. This is a record where you can witness the awards ceremony where such a sense of breathing shines with the highest quality. Here you go! Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY. USA 7th April 2017 1. Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson Introduction 2. Yes on Stage Speeches 3. Jon Anderson 4. Travor Rabin 5. Alan White 6. Steve Howe 7. Rick Wakeman 8. Roundabout with Geddy Lee 9. Make It Easy 10. Owner Of A Lonely Heart COLOUR NTSC Approx. 35min.