Jon Anderson at Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul (20 April 2019) Jon Anderson Setlist
Band
Tour Dates
24 April 2019 Humphreys Concerts, San Diego, CA
26 April 2019 Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills, CA 27 April 2019 Cannery Casino , North Las Vegas, NV 30 April 2019 The Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ 06 May 2019 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN 08 May 2019 Capitol Theatre Clearwater, FL 10 May 2019 Dr Phillips Center, Orlando FL 11 May 2019 Beau Rivage Theatre, Biloxi, MS 12 May 2019 Kaboo Festival Arlington, TX 29 July 2019 Ocean City Music Pier, Ocean City, NJ 08 August 2019 Rocking the Riverfront Detroit, MI 29 August 2019 The Rose, Pasadena, CA 30 August 2019 Libbey Bowl, Ojai, CA 01 September 2019 The Canyon Montclair, Montclair, CA Read More
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Some albums takes days, weeks, or months to complete-- some take twenty-nine years…!
The latter was the case with former Yes vocalist Jon Anderson’s new solo record, 1000 Hands: Chapter One, begun as some between-album sessions in Big Bear, CA in 1990 with a former pre-Yes bandmate (and Yes’ Alan White and Chris Squire contributing), only to be shelved away in Anderson’s garage until a 2016 call from producer/keyboardist Michael Franklin re-awakened the project, who used those original tapes as the basis for a finished new album.
Anderson and band (including Franklin) brought some of the new songs to life, along with numerous classic songs, at a joyous and intimate show in St. Paul at the Fitzgerald Theater. The performance had no opener, and was split into two sets, with a brief intermission between, with the help of eight backing musicians in front of a video screen split into six long vertical sections that would show colors, patterns, and shapes as the songs progressed.
With a setlist that was one-third new album, one-third misc. solo, and one-third Yes songs, there was something for everyone, and the performance would also lean heavily on Anderson’s first solo album, with four tracks (including the intro music) from 1976’s Olias of Sunhillow played. The initial forty-five minute set immediately pricked up ears and eyes with 1983’s ‘Owner of a Lonely Heart’, the one and only song that would top the Billboard Hot 100 chart for Yes.
The classic ‘Yours is No Disgrace’ followed with the new ‘Ramalama’ sounding like late 80’s Yes with its ‘Leave It’ style acapella multi-layered harmonies beginning the song and continuing throughout. Similar to when we last saw Anderson with Jean-Luc Ponty, 1981’s ‘State of Independence’ had an elegant sheen about its revised arrangement, compliments of Franklin’s keys and violinist Jocelyn Hsu’s sweeping strings.
Spring was finally in the air outside, and reflected inside by Anderson’s sunny new ‘Makes Me Happy’ and a reggae-style version of ‘Your Move’ which led into a more familiar rock ‘All Good People’. ‘America’ has been a live Yes standard, with Anderson’s solo version having some swing and jazz elements injected, and he said announcing the intermission before the new ‘WDMCF ‘ that “We’ll have one more song, then we’ll lay down and have a cup of tea”.
The tea and twenty minutes away must have worked wonders because Anderson visibly seemed like he found a second wind and the vocals were even more emphatic and soaring, as the second set progressed. The band made their way to the front, surrounding Anderson initially as he re-visited Olias of Sunhillow, with ‘Flight of the Moorglade’ then went back to 1970 for Yes’ ‘Sweet Dreams’.
After a stirring ‘Long Distance Runaround’, Anderson confessed he never actually planned on singing the new ‘First Born Leaders’ live, but had a change of heart and asked the audience to forgive him as he needed a lyric sheet (and had keywords written on cue cards in front of him) in case he blanked on the song’s complex verse.
Before the new album’s title track, Anderson recalled the story of the lost tapes becoming the basis of the new record and the producer having to bake the thirty-year old reels, reactivating them to playback and be properly digitized. The Yes classic ‘Starship Trooper’ would end the main portion, with Anderson taking things full circle one final time, by adding part of Olias of Sunhillow’s ‘Solid Space’ onto the end, to finish the set.
Anderson’s wife Jane, who had been gleefully watching the show from up front disappeared before the encore, only to be seen (if you had the right vantage point) side stage as the musicians returned for the encore of Yes’ ‘Roundabout’. At the song’s instrumental break, Anderson dashed off stage to embrace his wife smiling, and swung her about in a brief lovely dance together behind the curtain, before he returned to the mic at just the precise second to finish the song.
The sound that would commence following would be more than1000 hands, all clapping and waving, with a standing ovation, as Anderson and band bowed, waved, and left the stage.
Anderson has hinted that he is open to a Yes reunion for their fiftieth anniversary, having already written eight prospective new songs for the occasion; but in the meantime, we have a fine new solo album, a lively tour, and Jon Anderson singing at his best level in years- bravo.
(click on any photo below to enlarge and see full image)
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Jon Anderson at Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul (20 April 2019) |