I first saw Yes at a show in Hartford in 1976. It was a misty night, and Anderson's voice was paired with newfangled lasers in the lighting system, which projected sharp beams of green light piercing through the mist. To many of us who loved progressive music in the 70s, Yes was the penultimate band, with its complex symphonic music and musical virtuosity capped off by Anderson's unique tenor voice. I was psyched to see Yes finally make it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They played two songs, one with the help of Geddy Lee, who stood in on bass for the recently deceased Chris Squire. The result was some great music, even 50 years later. Jon Anderson's ethereal tenor still sounded young and fresh, which you cannot always say with a 50-year-old band. One of my favorite Yes albums is Yessongs. The record was pulled from a run through the East they did in the Fall of 1972. Recently, the band released a series of recordings from that run that is well worth a listen. They are on Spotify, and I recommend both the Duke and the Nassau Coliseum shows.

Not all is happy in "Yesland"; the band has always been dynamic, changing personnel every year or so. The latest incarnations have lacked energy and have not included Jon Anderson, replacing him with a younger Jon Davison, who does a rather contrived, but adequate job of imitating Anderson. After the Hall of Fame show, Jon Anderson announced that they were creating a new band, Yes Featuring Anderson, Rabin, Wakeman, and that they would tour this summer. My recommendation is to see them; they sound like they did in the eighties, and that says a lot in the ever-aging classic rock world. Go to their website at www.yesfeaturingarw.com for tour info.

This month's playlist features some of the music discussed this month; you can listen to it on Spotify through this link: https://tinyurl.com/lh3yqyq