jon anderson tour review

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Concert Review / Interview with JON ANDERSON: “Doing YES Songs a Little Bit Differently Than The Norm Is Part of My Adventure of Life!”

Before his show in Boulder, Colorado, Jon Anderson spoke to Sonic Perspectives correspondent Scott Medina about the tour and his new album 1,000 Hands . Below is a recounting of several of the highlights of the interview, interspersed with an overview of the show itself. The complete audio of the interview is also available underneath. The tour continues its run through August, still visiting the cities below. Jon is singing brilliantly while his band delivers a joyful and fully engaging show that will satisfy Yes & Anderson fans of every stripe. This is a tour not to be missed! 

Remaining tour dates:

• Aug 23 Iliani Resort – Ridgefield, WA
• Aug 24 Uptown Theater – Napa, CA
• Aug 26 Harris Center – Folsom,CA
• Aug 29 The Rose – Pasadena, CA
• Aug 30 Libbey Bowl – Ojai, CA
• Sept 01 The Cayon – Monclair CA

Scott Medina and Jon Anderson

Podcast: Download (Duration: 27:13 — 62.6MB)

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Fantastic review! You described exactly what we experienced in Alexandria VA a few weeks ago! You really captured the essence of JA and his band, and the amazing spirit Jon brings to his shows – thanks!

Excellent interview! Thank you!!

Excellent as usual, Scott. Just 1 thing to edit: Yes’ debut album was in ’69, not ’68.

Great, great interview, Scott! I’m excited for the future great music! I heard Jon and 1000 hands Las Vegas concert has been canceled. Too bad, I’d have made effort to be there. Oh, and has anyone ever told you you look like a big Jon Anderson?!

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If you're a YES fan, you would have loved Jon Anderson at the Ocean City Music Pier. He performed with the Paul Green Academy which was made up of musicians ranging from 10-18 and those kids can rock. Scott Bluebond was at the show and offers this review..

"Jon Anderson continued his tour with the Paul Green Rock Academy at the Ocean City Music Pier Monday night. Mixing popular classic rock snippets (Kashmir, Let’s Dance, Need You Tonight/Another One Bites the Dust), with mostly music from Yes but other Jon Anderson material like his most recent album 1,000 Hands, Jon let the young musicians shine throughout the night. There were usually 12 or so musicians backing Jon at any point, and while that number was sometimes smaller, 20 or more crowded the stage for the encores of Owner of a Lonely Heart and Roundabout.

Dueling young men played "The Clap". Another used Jon’s guitar to play "Mood for a Day". A beautiful version of the Jon/Vangelis classic State of Independence was an early set treat.

But it was the Yes warhorses that brought the crowd to its feet. Heart of the Sunrise, South Side of the Sky and especially Starship Trooper were powerful highlights. The youngsters showed their prowess by playing multiple instruments and with their voices. One young man played a tremendous bass on Heart of the Sunrise (the bass was almost as big as he was) and an exquisite piano on South Side. The multi-part harmonies were rich on Leave it and throughout the night.

The show still had some rough spots and none worse than when the sound completely died during the early moments of Roundabout. No matter. Jon led the audience through an a Capella version of the song until the sound was restored.

The energy was high, Jon seemed to be enjoying himself as much as the youngsters, and Paul Green was on the front row leading the group at parts and even played bass for a song as did Jon for several. A fun energetic night the youngsters nor the capacity audience will soon forget. Beginning at the Ardmore Music Hall on the Main Line on August 17, an entirely new group of young musicians will be carrying on the tour with Jon.

Check out these photos!....(All Photos credit Scott Bluebond)

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On new tour, Jon Anderson celebrates Yes music, with a teenage vibe in tow

At 77, the singer and songwriter maintains a youthful spirit and continues to keep the flame for yes music alive while creating new work of his own..

Jon Anderson

Deborah Anderson Photo

The heady progressive rock sound of Yes has challenged the status quo of popular music and fascinated generations of fans since the arrival of debut album “Yes” in 1969.

The English band’s fifth album, 1972’s “Close to the Edge,” is a particular highlight featuring classically inspired, virtuosic playing coupled with irresistible melodies and Jon Anderson’s mystical lyricism.

Yes has seen a shifting lineup over its 54 years, but its best known material including “Roundabout” and “Owner of a Lonely Heart” has been sung by Anderson. At 77, the singer and songwriter maintains a youthful spirit and continues to keep the flame for Yes music alive while creating new work of his own.

This summer, Anderson underscores the multigenerational appeal of Yes by touring with a 25-piece band of gifted players aged 14 to 18 from School of Rock developer Paul Green’s Rock Academy. Anderson first encountered School of Rock participants in 2005, after meeting Green at a Yes concert in Philadelphia. Anderson declined Green’s initial invitation to work with the students.

“He sent me a cassette two weeks later of the kids playing ‘Heart of the Sunrise,’ which is not an easy piece of music,” says Anderson. “I called Paul and said, ‘I didn’t realize how amazing these kids are.’ We got together and started rehearsing with them, talking about stage presence and things like that. Then we did some shows that year.”

The group will visit the Des Plaines Theatre and the Arcada Theatre this month to perform “Close to the Edge” in celebration of the album’s 50th anniversary. Although perpetually focused on future projects, Anderson relishes the chance to honor such a milestone.

“It’s just something you can’t believe when you look back and think it’s 50 years ago that we actually did ‘Close to the Edge,’” says Anderson. “It still sounds great to me. The audiences love it, and the kids love it, which is fantastic.”

Anderson is energized by his touring ensemble.

“People are really going to be blown away,” says the singer. “When I’m with them, I feel like I’m a young kid as well — until we take a selfie and I say, ‘Who’s that old guy?’ And it’s me!” [Laughs]

The upcoming performances include material from the Yes catalog, Anderson’s solo work, and clever mashups.

“I said to the kids, let’s do Led Zeppelin’s ‘Kashmir,’ and then we can go into something like ‘Long Distance Runaround,’” he says. “We’ll do a Lenny Kravitz song that I love, ‘Fly Away,’ then go into another Yes song. We have a guy who does a great version of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” I feel like I’m in the band for that one; I play guitar and just watch this guy sing it. That goes straight into [the 1981 Jon and Vangelis song] ‘State of Independence.’”

Themes on “Close to the Edge” continue to resonate, five decades later.

“The lyrics sort of ring out better for now, 50 years later,” says Anderson.

The title track, with its repeated lyric “I get up, I get down” and fan favorite “And You and I,” were influenced by Herman Hesse’s Hindu/Buddhist novel “Siddhartha.”

“It’s definitely about finding harmony within yourself,” says Anderson of the track. “It was always about being close to the edge of realization, but I never wanted to use that word. In my mind, it was the realization of why you’re here, why you live. Sometimes I’m very up and sometimes I’m very down about life. ‘And You and I’ is more to do with that fact that you and I are all the same.”

Yes’ 2015 “Progeny” collection captured concert audio from the original “Close to the Edge” tour. During one performance, Anderson reveals that Yes originally referred to the title track as “The Protest Song.” He talks about the difficulty in reaching those in charge with messages from everyday people. Anderson suggests dreaming a better future into existence for the children of 1972, who turn 50 this year.

“The more I let go of the frustration of the world that we see on CNN every five minutes, the better,” says Anderson. “The nature of the world is more important to me. Our collective mission in life is to be the gardeners of the earth, to be the true coordination of life and love and peace — everything the Beatles said. I was just listening to John Lennon’s ‘Imagine.’ What an incredible lyric. It works now more than ever.”

Yes Frontman Jon Anderson Announces Tour With Paul Green Rock Academy

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

Original Yes frontman Jon Anderson is hitting the road with the Paul Green Rock Academy for an 11-city tour of U.S. theaters that kicks off July 30th in Patchogue, New York, and wraps up August 20th in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

According to a press release, the show will feature “a set of Yes classics, deep cuts, mashups, and solo works, all with lush arrangements featuring choral singing, horns, and all the other benefits of having a backing band of 25 young musicians.”

The Paul Green Rock Academy is an outgrowth of the Paul Green School of Rock Music, which was the inspiration for the 2003 Jack Black film School of Rock . Jon Anderson has been playing with alumni from the school since 2005.

“The one thing about creating music with young musicians and singers is the adventure of it all,” Anderson says in a statement. “I sang and toured with the Paul Green School of Rock many years ago. It was a miracle for me to join with their young energy…and learn from them.”

“Now here we are with the Paul Green Rock Academy,” he continues. “And again, their excitement and joy for making music really make it all worthwhile. Plus, they are a really talented bunch. There is a future in music, and these young souls prove it every time I hear them sing and play.”

With the lone exception of the 2017 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Anderson hasn’t performed with Yes since 2004. They now tour with replacement vocalist Jon Davison. For a period from 2016 to 2018, Anderson teamed up with former Yes members Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin to form Anderson, Rabin, and Wakeman, which they later named Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, and Rick Wakeman.

This lead to a confusing situation where two incarnations of Yes were on the road at the same time, but ARW split following a 2018 tour. Anderson has expressed a desire several times over the years to reunite with Yes, but guitarist Steve Howe has essentially ruled that out.

“I don’t think [the fans] should stay up late nights worrying about [a possible reunion],” Howe told Rolling Stone in 2020. “There’s just too much space out there between people. To be in a band together or even to do another tour like [the 1991 reunion tour] Union is completely unthinkable. There’s just too much space out there between people.”

But even without his former bandmates, Anderson is still headed out onto the road to sing the classics. See tour dates below and find select seats still available here .

Jon Anderson Tour Dates

July 30th – Patchogue Theater @ Patchogue, NY Aug 1st – Blue Ocean Music Hall @ Salisbury, MA Aug 3rd – Rams Head on Stage @ Annapolis, MD Aug 5th – Ridgefield Playhouse @ Ridgefield, CT Aug 7th – Colonial Theatre @ Phoenixville, PA Aug 9th – Ocean City Music Pier @ Ocean City, NJ Aug 19th – Des Plaines Theatre @ Des Plaines, IL Aug 21st – Arcada Theatre @ St. Charles, IL Aug 24th – Palace Theatre @ Canton, OH Aug 27th – Paramount Theatre @ Huntington, NY Aug 28th – Stadium Theater @ Woonsocket, RI

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A Bunch of Philly Teens Are Touring the Country With Jon Anderson, Founder of the Rock Band Yes

Here’s how 25 young musicians connected with a 76-year-old singer whose biggest works date back to before some of their parents were born.

Get a compelling long read and must-have lifestyle tips in your inbox every Sunday morning — great with coffee!

Jon Anderson of Yes fame performs with Lansdale’s Gabby Gonzalez (left) and other students from the Paul Green Rock Academy at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, New York, on Friday, July 30th (Photo credit: John W. Barry/ Barryonthebeat.com )

At the beginning of September, when teens and teachers ask that ubiquitous start-of-the-school-year question “So, what did you do this summer,” the responses tend to include things like: “Oh, we went to the beach” or “I got a job at Taco Bell” or “I watched literally everything on HBO Max.” But if you’re Lansdale’s Gabby Gonzalez or one of 24 other teens from the Philadelphia area, you can say you went on tour and performed with preternaturally high-pitched singer Jon Anderson, founder of the legendary prog-rock group Yes.

Granted, most of your fellow students would probably look at you in puzzlement, their playlists more likely to be packed with options like “Thot Shit” by Megan Thee Stallion and “Levitating” by Dua Lipa than, say, “Siberian Khatru” or “Starship Trooper” or “Heart of the Sunrise” — all songs written and sung by Anderson, who’s now 76, back in the early 1970s. Hell, your fellow students’ parents might not have even been born when those Yes songs came out.

The Jon Anderson tour kicked off in Woodstock, New York, on Friday ( read a review here ) and continues through August 28th, with local stops at Phoenixville’s Colonial Theatre this Saturday ( it’s sold out ) and Ardmore Music Hall on the Main Line, tickets for which just went on sale .

Paul Green Rock Academy founder Paul Green addressing the crowd in Woodstock before the first show on the Jon Anderson tour (Photo: John W. Barry/Barryonthebeat.com)

The shows are the result of a creative partnership between Anderson and the Paul Green Rock Academy, a music school from the founder of the original School of Rock (yes, the same School of Rock that Green claimed inspired the producers of the Jack Black movie and that, after Green’s departure, became a huge franchise operation).

Green, a Germantown resident, has known Anderson for about 20 years, ever since an encounter in Los Angeles in the early 2000s following the release of the documentary Rock School , which delved into Green’s early operations and over-the-top antics.

Jon Anderson with Paul Green in 2005 at an event in Los Angeles (Getty Images)

With School of Rock, Green educated the masses, accepting anybody who wanted to rock out and pay tuition. But the Roxborough-based Paul Green Rock Academy is a much more elite operation, stacked with students who have to audition and be accepted into the program — students who can, with Green’s help, handle the challenging music of Yes.

“We were supposed to do this tour last summer,” Green told us from the tour bus on Saturday, as students yapped loudly in the background, as it should be. “And now, with the Delta variant, we were just hoping the tour didn’t get canceled. At the venue in Woodstock, they were real tough, screening everyone and with the vax cards and all. It took two hours to get everyone inside the club. But it wound up being such a great show.”

Havertown’s Finn Suárez Vora, a 16-year-old Haverford High student who plays guitar, bass and keyboards on some songs on the Anderson tour (Green rotates students in and out during the show), has only been with the Paul Green Rock Academy for about eight months, joining during the pandemic.

Paul Green Rock Academy student Finn Suárez Vora performing with Jon Anderson (photo courtesy of Finn Suárez Vora)

“I had to audition on Zoom, and the classes were on Zoom for a long time,” says Vora. “But it’s been awesome. And now this tour. You can’t really replicate it anywhere else. I’m playing ‘Heart of the Sunrise’ with the person who originally made that music.”

Vora tells Philly Mag he plans to pursue music professionally. Not so much Gonzalez, 17, who’s heading off soon to the Rochester Institute of Technology to study chemistry, with the goal of working in biotech.

“But I’ve been around music ever since I was very little,” says Gonzalez, a bassist and singer. “So I’m sure I’ll still do some gigs here and there.”

Both Vora and Gonzalez appear in a promo video, seen below, performing “Heart of the Sunrise” — virtually — with Anderson and other Paul Green Rock Academy students. Vora is seen playing bass and keyboards, and Gonzalez sings and plays bass as well.

Unlike most touring musicians, the students aren’t paid for their work. On top of that, their families have to cover all travel expenses. But according to Vora’s dad, Joe Schwartz, it’s all worth it.

“It’s a unique music summer camp where they get to learn from and play in front of the audience with a legend,” says Schwartz. “This is an amazing learning experience.”

Reached earlier this week, Anderson told Philly Mag he’s impressed that the kids are able to keep up with the music of Yes and described them as “loving and friendly and adorable.”

“Honestly, they make me fell like a teenager when I’m playing with them,” Anderson said. “But then one of them asks if they can take a selfie, and I say sure. And then I look at the selfie and say, ‘Who is that old man?!'”

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Jon Anderson @ Variety Playhouse

The tickets read “Jon Anderson with Paul Green Rock Academy.”  The tour T-shirt reads “Paul Green Rock Academy with Jon Anderson.”  I bought for the first and thoroughly enjoyed for the latter.  As chronicled elsewhere, Anderson has toured a small number of times with groups of gifted teen learning the music performance business.  Atlanta was the first stop of a five stop tour with the latest student grouping.   

I hadn’t seen Jon Anderson before mostly due to timing issues, but I was happy to see him regardless of who surrounded him.  For those unfamiliar, Anderson has been the lead singer of the iconic prog rock group Yes throughout the years that matter to fans, his highly distinctive voice recognizable to anyone who remembers rock oriented radio or who has found their way to 70’s “music that mattered” by whatever means.  

I arrived early, I thought, only to find the “kids” were already on stage, running through a blazing version of Heart’s “Barracuda” and King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man” among others.  Well, alright!    

As foreshadowed by “21st Century,” the setlist wasn’t to be a 4/4 common level of difficulty.  This is Jon Anderson, and its his songs that people want to hear.  “Yours is No Disgrace,” “Heart of the Sunrise,” “And You and I,”… “Close to the Edge.”  That’s not simple stuff or, for that matter, songs that don’t require some measure of endurance.  And the quite pleasing set-list isn’t a short one.

Rock Academy teens…  Sure, I was there to see Anderson, but it was fun to see kids living the dream, and maybe some will fully realize it.  They’re all gifted in their way, quite a number capable of playing multiple instruments.  But there was also a sweetness to it, like the lead guitarists playing to the crowd with a foot placed on a stage monitor or a young saxophonist searching for a Clarence Clemons solo moment that was unfortunately un-mic’d (she’d have her moment later).  But overall, there was a fondness and mutual support for each other triumphing in their moments in the spotlight, or for some (because there were so many… 14? 18?) caught in the shadows and less frequently observed.  And, too, each was an expression of themselves, weather wearing the spandex pants, pop or alternative clothing and haircuts, desiring to be out front or content with the musical challenge itself… unique in their individual ways but part of the sum.  Maybe that’s a lesson?

Sure., there were snafus, such as untangling guitar cables following some enthusiastic stage migrations, a guitar that didn’t want to be tuned and a pesky B string (prompting a convincing faux-sales pitch for time-shares by Paul Green), or the daunting challenge of managing the theater audio balance for so many instruments and amplifiers, but… 

There was Mr. Green, coaching from the side or from the floor, and particularly Jon Anderson, who seemed fulfilled, encouraged, and enthusiastic about giving back to the craft that has given him so much.  Also, I’m not a fan of Eminem, but whatever song they played included a lady (at left, below) who did a death metal take on the vocals.  Chutzpah!  

A great moment was at the end of the first set when you could see their joy as they embraced each other at the side of the stage.  And they just got better as the show went along.  It would be interesting to see how they’ve sharpened at the end of the tour.

Regarding Anderson’s performance, wow!  My first thought, seeing four additional mics to Anderson’s in the middle, was… “Oh, well, sure.  The female singers can help with the high notes, like the Moodies did for years.”  What a tremendous voice Anderson carries to this day.  I was blown away and am encouraged that he’s got years to go.

For Anderson’s part, there was good humor too, not just in mood.  It’s a large cast of characters, and he pointed out, and possibly right, that Tessa, one of the female lead singers, had everything under control.  The second notable followed his comments about “Screwed,” a lyrical jab at politicians, that we should just worship the sun, as he lifted his hands in a suggestive reference to where the sun might be if it were daytime and he were outside.  “No, really.  Worship the sun.  Without the sun, we’re fucked.”  Insert audience laughter.  And then he followed in a deadpan voice, “I read about it.”  Hysterical.  And lastly, there were two stuffed animals on the mic stand with him, which I think represent Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, now married 25 years he remarked.  During the performance, there were several occasions where he looked fairly distraught when one or both fell from their perch, hurriedly positioning them back where they belonged.  I mean, c’mon.  Silly or sweet.  You choose.  But given his general demeanor and positivity, they seemed a spiritual guidepost for him.  Kind of cool. 

Overall, it was a really good show for fans of Anderson’s music and for witnessing the joy of teens living the dream… early in their lives.  Additional photos follow the setlist.

• Sun is Calling
• Yours is No Disgrace
• I’ve Seen All Good People
• Fly Away (Lenny Kravitz)
• Long Distance Runaround
• Makes Me Happy
• Mood for a Day
• And You and I
• Heart of the Sunrise

<break>

• Starship Trooper
• Kashmir intro (Led Zeppelin)/Don’t Kill the Whale
• Eminem song – title unknown
• State of Independence
• America (Simon and Garfunkel)
• Close to the Edge
• Owner of Lonely Heart

• April 7, 2022
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Jon Anderson announces US tour dates with The Band Geeks for Spring 2023

Former Yes singer Jon Anderson will tour with Band Geek podcast house band performing Yes music

Jon Anderson  has announced a new run of US tour dates for Spring 2023, on which he will be supported by The Band Geeks, from the Band Geek podcast. You can watch a video trailer of Anderson performing with the band below.

The band, who formed out of the podcast and play YouTube videos, were formed by Richie Castellano, who plays with Blue Oyster Cult and also features members who have performed with Brand X , John Entwistle , Kasim Sultan's Utopia and more. The ensuing live set promises to feature renditions of the Yes classics Close To The Edge , Awaken , Ritual , Gates Of Delirium , And You And I, Heart Of The Sunrise , Starship Trooper , Roundabout and more...

“It’s true, I never left Yes in my heart and soul… ever," exclaims Anderson. "Too many amazingly powerful memories… And of course the music never left me… "So here I am, 77 years old, still wanting to sing the songs again, and bring MY true feelings to the lyrics… Melody and lyrics has always been my passion…I sing them now with an older and I hope wiser state of mind... "I’ve been wanting to have that feeling again…of performing the songs I lived for, and the music I helped to create and design, with the sound of the band of old around me once more… The first time I heard the Band Geeks I truly freaked out - they sound just like the classic Yes of the seventies, the Yes that I know and love… And that's what I'm wanting to bring to you on this tour. Yes music is forever!"

The dates are currently being finalised, but he show will hit the following areas on these dates. Prog will be publishing the actual venues as soon as they're finalised.

Apr 14: NJ Westbury Apr 16: NJ Newark Apr 21: NYC Apr 23: PA Reading Apr 28: NJ Collingswood Apr 29: NJ Collingswood May 3: VA Tysons Corner May 6: MD Baltimore May 9: MO St. Charles May 12: IL St. Charles May 13: IL Des Plaines May 16: NY North Tonawanda

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Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.

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Jon Anderson gets 'Close to The Edge' in tour with young talent

Surrounded on stage by two dozen young musicians, Jon Anderson feels a special kind of energy.

Fans will reap the benefits when Anderson, singer/lyricist with art-rock legends Yes, performs locally with The Paul Green Rock Academy.

They'll perform Yes songs, including the entire "Close to The Edge" album, plus hits by a few other classic artists, resuming a tradition started in 2005, when Anderson toured with Paul Green's original School of Rock All Stars.

"It's been wonderful chaos, on and off for 20 years," Anderson said. "They're brilliant musicians and amazing kids. The hardest thing for me is getting to learn the names because there's 22 of them. I'm always like, 'Now what's your name again?'

Upcoming concerts: July 14, Wellmont Theater, Montclair, N.J.; July 16, Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, Conn.; July 17, Sugarloaf Performing Arts Center, Sugar Loaf, N.Y.; July 20, Keswick Theater, Glenside, Pa.; July 22, The Kent Stage, Kent, Ohio; July 27, The Palace Theatre, Greensburg, Pa.; Aug. 3, The State Theatre, State College, Pa.

In the press release touting the tour, Anderson said, "I sang and toured with the Paul Green School of Rock many years ago. It was a miracle for me to join in with their young energy. And learn from them."

In a follow-up phone interview July 12, Anderson elaborated on what lessons the youths from Green's Philadelphia- and Connecticut-based schools of rock have taught him.

"About the joy of life. And the joy of making music," Anderson said. "They've all got a hopefulness of the future. A lot go straight from touring to Berklee School of Music and places like that."

Learning the Yes catalog is a daunting challenge for high school students. We're talking about one of rock's most virtuosic bands, with some of the greatest musicians at their particular instrument, such as the late Chris Squire on bass, Rick Wakeman on keyboards, and Steve Howe, named Guitar Player Magazine's  "Best Overall Guitarist" from 1977–1981.

"Paul Green is the impresario and he does that so well," Anderson said of the students' musical training. "And there's such a love for the music."

Though Anderson admits he was skeptical about collaborating when Green first pitched the idea of his students performing concerts with the longtime Yes man.

"The first time I met him, and he invited me I thought, 'I don't think so.'" he said. "But then he sent me a recording of his students playing (Yes') 'Heart of The Sunrise.' It was on a cassette tape."

Anderson was blown away by what he heard, and agreed to join what would become a fruitful partnership.

It was Anderson who first suggested this current tour feature 1972's "Close to The Edge," an iconic masterstroke that's made many top albums lists, including Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums in 2020. The 37-minute album features just three songs, including the side one spanning title track, and mixes classical music-inspired passages with Anderson's prettily sung, often impressionistic lyrics.

"Sort of miraculously, it works," he said of his and the Rock Academy's treatment of the album. "The way they play it, with so much excitement."

Anderson recalls being on tour with Yes supporting 1971's "Fragile" album (with the band's classic-rock staple "Roundabout") when ideas for "Close to The Edge" began to hatch.

"Fragile" featured two eight-minute songs, and the 11-minute epic "Heart of The Sunrise," but Anderson suggested to Howe they kick things up a notch.

"I said I think we should go for a long-form piece. And you could only put 20 minutes on one side of a record at that time."

They would co-write the 18-minute "Close to The Edge" title track, inspired by Herman Hesse's "Siddhartha," a novel about self-discovery. Though ultimately, the song's length bothered radio stations.

"When it was time to go back out on tour, we would go to radio stations but they were still playing (earlier songs) 'Starship Trooper' and 'Heart of the Sunrise.' We couldn't get anyone to play our new record. And in The States, by then, FM radio was falling apart and AM was better known, and so we didn't get that album played on any station in any shape or form," Anderson said. "But from the first night we played that album live, audiences loved it, so there was that."

More: Revisit the classic Genesis with Steve Hackett

The side two track, And You And I," includes a lyric "there'll be no mutant enemy we shall certify/Political ends, as sad remains, will die" Anderson believes is timely enough to have been written last month.

"You're experiencing that in America now. The inconsistencies. I explain it better on stage when I perform a more recent song I wrote, 'Screw," where I say you can't trust politicians, they're only out to screw you," he said.

More: Adrian Belew tour is all about power trio

The tour also includes "Close to The Edge's" side two track "Siberian Khatru," a multi-layered romp Anderson acknowledges has a tricky ending to nail, but he and the Paul Green students always succeed.

The setlist will include songs from other Yes albums. Expect "Roundabout," the hypnotically escalating "Starship Trooper" and Yes' 1983 chart-topper, "Owner of a Lonely Heart."

"But I also wanted to do something different. It's all Yes, Yes, Yes, so I said why not add a Led Zeppelin song? I've always dug 'Kashmir,' so we do that. And we do Lenny Kravitz and Eminem."

Wait a minute ... Anderson rapping Eminem's "Lose Yourself"?

"We've got a guy who does it perfectly. I'm not rapping," Anderson said.

More: Review: John Mayer weaves magic once more in Pittsburgh

Any philosophical banter from Anderson could include his long-held pro-environmental stance.

"I think part of our purpose is being guardians of Mother Earth. And we're not looking after her very well right now, are we? What's wrong with us suckers?"

Swinging back through Pennsylvania makes Anderson recall memories like playing for 130,000 people in a Bicentennial concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia.

"When we first came to Pittsburgh, it felt like it was in the middle of nowhere as we landed at the airport there on top of a mountain, mind you, we were probably stoned then. But every show there was really special and always such a pleasure," Anderson said.

This tour's July 27 show in Westmoreland County is in a 96-year-old vaudeville theater.

"I love those kinds of buildings," Anderson said. "The ghosts. There's an energy from another time."

More: Phone-less audience sees Jack White shine

When the tour wraps, he plans to finish a solo album for release this year.

In the meantime, "Come see the show and enjoy these young and talented musicians," Anderson said. "I know you will have a wonderful evening spending time with the future of rock 'n' roll." Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Beaver County Times and easy to reach at [email protected] .

JON ANDERSON and THE BAND GEEKS announce first two legs of 2024 North American “YES EPICS, CLASSICS, AND MORE” Tour

Following the overwhelming success of their 2023 tour, Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks today announce the first 22 shows of the 2024 “YES Epics, Classics, and More” tour. The tour begins on May 30th at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ. Like the 2023 tour, the set list will contain numerous YES songs from all stages of the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career that feature Jon as their lead vocalist and songwriter. The tour also promises the introduction of new material created by Jon and The Band Geeks.

Jon and the Band Geeks are currently putting the finishing touches on a brand new nine track cd set for release in late summer with a first single and video targeted for release in late June.

Tour dates: 5/30/2024 – Thursday – New Brunswick, NJ – State Theatre 6/1/2024 – Saturday – Englewood, NJ – Bergen PAC 6/3/2024 – Monday – Rochester, NY – Kodak Center Theatre 6/6/2024 – Thursday – Albany, NY – Hart Theatre 6/8/2024 – Saturday – Hammondsport, NY – Point of The Bluff Concert Pavilion 6/13/2024 – Thursday – Chicago, IL – Copernicus 6/15/2024 – Saturday – St. Louis, MO 6/18/2024 – Tuesday – Greensburg, PA – Palace Theater 6/20/2024 – Thursday – Hershey, PA – Hershey Theatre 6/22/2024 – Saturday – Concord, NH – Capitol Center for the Arts 6/25/2024 – Tuesday – Boston, MA – Shubert Theatre 6/27/2024 – Thursday – Ridgefield, CT – Ridgefield Playhouse 7/21/2024 – Sunday – Patchogue, NY – Great South Bay Music Festival 7/24/2024 – Wednesday – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium* 7/27/2024 – Saturday – Peachtree City, GA – Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheatre 7/30/2024 – Tuesday – Camdenton, MO – Ozarks Amphitheater* 8/2/2024 – Friday – Bonner Springs, KS – Azura Amphitheater* 8/4/2024 – Sunday – La Vista, NE – The Astro Outdoors* 8/7/2024 – Wednesday – Waite Park, MN – The Ledge Amphitheater* 8/10/2024 – Saturday – Denver, CO – Paramount 8/14/2024 – Wednesday – Phoenix, AZ – Celebrity Theatre 8/16/2024 – Friday – Thousand Oaks, CA – Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center *w/Special Guests The Return of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

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Jon Anderson Announces 2024 Tour

Jon Anderson (Photo: M.Salamone Carrick Photography; used with permission)

Legendary YES lead vocalist and songwriter Jon Anderson has announced a 2024 tour where he’ll be performing “YES Epics, Classics and More.” He’ll be joined by the Band Geeks, an acclaimed group of musicians, with whom he has toured previously. They’re collaborating on a new album set for release later this year. The tour, announced on March 5, runs for two legs with the first beginning May 30 and continuing through June. After a break, the second leg begins July 21. Tickets are available here .

In an October 2022 statement, Anderson said, “I never left YES in my heart and soul…ever!! Too many amazingly powerful memories. And of course the music never left me. So here I am, still wanting to sing the songs again, and bring my true feelings to the lyrics.

“Melody and lyrics has always been my passion. I sing them now with an older and I hope wiser state of mind.

“I’ve been wanting to have that feeling again…of performing the songs I lived for, and the music I helped to create and design, with the sound of the band of old around me once more. The first time I heard the Band Geeks I truly freaked out; they sound just like the classic YES of the seventies, the YES that I know and love.”

Anderson is one of the most recognizable voices in music as the lead vocalist behind YES. Anderson was the author and a major creative influence behind the groundbreaking album, Fragile, as well as the group’s series of epic, complex pieces such as “Awaken,” “Gates of Delirium” and especially “Close to the Edge” which were central to the band’s popularity. Additionally, Anderson co-authored the group’s biggest hits, including “I’ve Seen All Good People,” “Roundabout” and #1 single, “Owner of a Lonely Heart.” He has worked with many variations of YES, as well as collaborations with Vangelis, Kitaro, Roine Stolt and Jean-Luc Ponty, and released many critically acclaimed solo albums spanning Olias of Sunhillow to most recently 1000 Hands .

Watch Anderson perform a Yes classic with the Band Geeks in 2023

Related: Our wide-ranging interview with Anderson

The Band Geeks began as the house band for the Band Geek podcast, an internet show created by Richie Castellano (Blue Öyster Cult). The band gained popularity on YouTube with their incredibly detailed recreations of music by artists like Queen, Toto, Black Sabbath and Yes, which have earned them over 30 million views.

*w/Special Guests The Return of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Related:   Listings for 100s of classic rock tours

Anderson’s solo catalog is available here . Yes recordings are available here .

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Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks Announce 2024 Tour Dates

Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks will hit the road this year for the Yes Epics, Classics and More tour.

The trek will begin May 30 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, followed by stops in cities like Chicago, Boston, Nashville, Denver and others.

A complete list of show dates is available below.

READ MORE:  The 10 Most Underrated Yes Songs

According to a press release, the tour will feature a variety of Yes classics from all stages of their career, but also "promises the introduction of new material" written by Anderson and the Band Geeks. The release also notes that they're gearing up to release a new nine-track CD in late summer, with the first single and video arriving in June.

"When I'm out there singing on my own, I still think I'm part of Yes," Anderson said to Mojo  earlier this year, noting that he's open to the possibility of a Yes reunion one day. "They still feel like my songs."

Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks, 2024 Tour Dates: May 30 - New Brunswick, NJ @ State Theatre June 1 - Saturday - Englewood, NJ @ Bergen PAC June 3- Monday - Rochester, NY @ Kodak Center Theatre June 6 - Thursday - Albany, NY @ Hart Theatre June 8 - Saturday - Hammondsport, NY @ Point of The Bluff Concert Pavilion June 13 - Thursday - Chicago, IL @ Copernicus June 15 - Saturday - St. Louis, MO June 18 - Tuesday - Greensburg, PA @ Palace Theater June 20 - Thursday - Hershey, PA @ Hershey Theatre June 22 - Saturday - Concord, NH @ Capitol Center for the Arts June 25 - Tuesday - Boston, MA @ Shubert Theatre June 27 - Thursday - Ridgefield, CT @ Ridgefield Playhouse July 21 - Sunday - Patchogue, NY @ Great South Bay Music Festival July 24 - Wednesday - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium* July 27 - Saturday - Peachtree City, GA @ Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheatre July 30 - Tuesday - Camdenton, MO @ Ozarks Amphitheater* Aug. 2 - Friday - Bonner Springs, KS @ Azura Amphitheater* Aug. 4 - Sunday - La Vista, NE @ The Astro Outdoors* Aug. 7 - Wednesday - Waite Park, MN @ The Ledge Amphitheater* Aug. 10 - Saturday - Denver, CO @ Paramount Aug. 14 - Wednesday - Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre Aug. 16 - Friday - Thousand Oaks, CA @ Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center *w/Special Guests The Return of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

2024 Rock Tour Preview

Gallery Credit: Corey Irwin

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‘Cash Out’ Review: John Travolta Goes Through the Motions in Uninspired Crypto Caper

The heist thriller has all the genre's shopworn tropes but none of its urgency.

By Michael Nordine

Michael Nordine

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If you’ve been wondering when a heist movie would wed traditional bank-robbing sequences with the current fixation on cryptocurrency, “ Cash Out ” is here to answer that question. And yet little about this John Travolta vehicle feels new or even timely, as the would-be thriller directed by Ives trades exclusively in shopworn tropes that by now are de rigueur for the genre. It is, as you might imagine, the story of one last job before our protagonist can finally hang it up for good — which is also how one imagines the role itself might have been pitched to Travolta.

Popular on Variety

For as clear as it is that this would-be heist is massively ill-advised, it’s even clearer that Mason still carries a torch for his ex despite her betrayal — making it inevitable when she ends up being the negotiator sent in to bring about a peaceful resolution to what quickly becomes a hostage situation. Our hero naturally takes this as an opportunity to ask her whether she’s been working out rather than, oh, make demands for the nonviolent release of his captives. It’s contrived, yes, but it also leads to the only exchanges that distinguish the film from its countless genre forebears.

Mason brings an I’m-not-even-supposed-to-be-here energy to the heist, treating his hostages as reluctant guests rather than pistol-whipping them into fearful compliance. It’s a refreshing change of pace from what we usually see in such scenes, even if it does underscore one of the film’s key weaknesses: its lack of urgency. Just as Mason goes through the motions on a job he doesn’t want to be pulling, using it as a chance to get his estranged lover back rather than a means of getting rich, the film itself can’t seem to muster the energy to make us care about much of this.

Fitting, then, that the safe-deposit box in question isn’t a jackpot so much as a can of worms — its exact contents, to say nothing of its owner, instantly sound like more trouble than they’re worth. The same can be said of “Cash Out” itself, whose risk-reward ratio doesn’t justify getting pulled back in.

Reviewed online, April 24, 2024. MPA Rating: R. Running time: 92 MIN.

• Production: A Saban Films release and presentation of a Convergence Entertainment Group, Highland Film Group, Transparency Media production, in association with Bondit Media Capital, Streamline Global. Producers: Cecil Chambers, Joel Cohe. Executive producers: Noel Ashman, Matthew Helderman, Joe McCrea, Tyler Jon Olson, Steven Small, Sean Stone, Luke Taylor.
• Crew: Director: Ives. Screenplay: Dipo Oseni, Doug Richardson. Camera: Alejandro Lalinde. Editor: Marc Fusco. Music: Yagmur Kaplan.
• With: John Travolta, Kristin Davis, Lukas Haas, Victorya Brandart, Quavo, Noel Gugliemi.

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