Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Yes
Label: Frontiers Records
Released: 2015
Runtime: 83:39
Rating: 4/5
»Like It Is: Yes at the Mesa Arts Center« is the last live document of the legendary Yes with the unforgettable bassist Chris Squire still in the lineup, before he died from complications of leukemia. It’s also a follow-up to the live album »Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol Hippodrome« (2014), which was likewise recorded on the »Heaven & Earth« (2014) tour, running from 2014 to 2015. That earlier release featured full performances of the classic Yes albums »Going For the One« (1977) and »The Yes Album« (1971), while »Like It Is: Yes at the Mesa Arts Center« gives us full performances of the masterpieces »Close to the Edge« (1972) and »Fragile« (1972). Unlike the usual live routine, Yes played the »Close to the Edge« tracks in their original order that night.
During the show at the Mesa Arts Center, in the city of Mesa (in the US state of Arizona), they also played two »Heaven & Earth« songs, but later decided to leave them off this live release. That was the right call, since next to the far more ambitious »Close to the Edge« and »Fragile« material, which is more than four decades old, they would have sounded almost exotic, if not downright out of place.
Jon Davison, against the expectations of the skeptics who never made peace with the departure (or firing) of original singer Jon Anderson, has slotted into the ‘old guard’ really superbly. The similarity of his voice to Jon’s is fascinating, and the high registers give him no trouble, so he can handle even some of the more demanding songs from the rich Yes catalog without breaking a sweat.
Special praise this time also goes to Geoff Downes, who has taken a whole heap of rather unrealistic criticism since rejoining the band because he simply couldn’t play certain keyboard arrangements in the style of his famous predecessor, keyboard legend Rick Wakeman. This time Downes, whom most people, thanks to his long tenure with Asia, associate with that signature eighties synth sound, was in top form even during the demanding super-epic »Close to the Edge«, where he confidently played the required keyboard textures and successfully covered their traditional sound. Sure, there’s only one Rick Wakeman, and the most fitting ‘replacement’ for the keyboard maestro is his son Oliver, who was briefly a member of Yes between 2008 and 2011, but Downes is no slouch either and is clearly getting better and better at adapting to the expected, if not demanded, sonic concept.
Steve Howe and Alan White, who took over the leadership of the band after Squire’s death, were their usual effective selves on guitar and drums, with Howe perhaps even a bit more inspired than during most of the »Heaven & Earth« tour when it came to strumming. It’s also nice to hear some of the more obscure »Fragile« tracks after such a long time, like the short instrumental »Five Per Cent For Nothing«, which original Yes drummer Bill Bruford wrote ‘ages ago’ as a satire on the music industry.
Chris Squire showed up in grand style on his last live document. His beloved instrumental »The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)« came off especially well. No successor on bass will ever be able to play it the way Chris did. His distinctive Rickenbacker bass tone simply remains inimitable, and the same goes for his backing vocals, which were no less important in building the classic Yes sound.
»Like It Is: Yes at the Mesa Arts Center« is the best the »Heaven & Earth« lineup of Yes ever managed to deliver on stage. After Squire’s death, Yes were left without their last original member, who was replaced, at the late bassist’s own wish, by an old collaborator, Billy Sherwood. Since then, unsurprisingly, debate hasn’t died down among fans about whether there’s any real point in the legendary prog giants carrying on at all. Some are convinced that after Chris’s departure they became little more than a tribute band of their own, one that should have hung up its instruments long ago. But Chris’s last wish had to be honored, and so it is what it is: Yes, despite all the controversy, are carrying their story forward, even as they increasingly turn into a timeless musical concept that will probably outlive its long-serving members too. Which is exactly what Rick Wakeman predicted in an interview once.
This review is dedicated to the memory of Chris Squire (1948-2015).
Lineup
Jon Davison – vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion, keyboards
Steve Howe – electric and acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Chris Squire – bass guitar, backing vocals, harmonica
Geoff Downes – keyboards
Alan White – drums
Production
Yes
Tracklist
CD1:
1. Close To The Edge
2. And You And I
3. Siberian Khatru
CD2:
1. Roundabout
2. Cans and Brahms
3. We Have Heaven
4. South Side Of The Sky
5. Five Per Cent For Nothing
6. Long Distance Runaround
7. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)
8. Mood For A Day
9. Heart Of The Sunrise
Disc: 3
1. Close to The Edge
2. And You and I
3. Siberian Khatru
4. Roundabout
5. Cans and Brahms
6. We Have Heaven
7. South Side Of The Sky
8. Five Per Cent For Nothing
9. Long Distance Runaround
10. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)
11. Mood For A Day
12. Heart Of The Sunrise
