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Fragile Tour

The Fragile Tour was a concert tourbyprogressive rock band Yes in promotion of their 1971 album, Fragile. Lasting from 24 September 1971 until 27 March 1972, and including 115 performances,^[1] the tour began at the Queen's HallinBarnstaple, Devon, and ended at the Aquarius TheatreinBoston, Massachusetts—Bill Bruford's last performance with the band before returning for 1991's Union.^[2][3] The tour was Rick Wakeman's first with the band; sources differ as to whether his first live appearance with the band was on 24 September at the Queen's Hall in Barnstaple,^[4] or on 30 September—the third tour date—at Leicester's De Montfort Hall.^[5]

Recordings[edit]

Three songs from the tour (from unknown dates)—"Perpetual Change", "Long Distance Runaround", and "The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)"—were included on the band's 1973 live album, Yessongs.^[6]

The band's 3 October 1971 performance at the Hemel Hempstead Pavilion was recorded for television broadcast on BBC's Sounding Out.^[4] The recording was broadcast on 10 January 1972, shortly before the commencement of the second European leg of the tour.^[4]

Members[edit]

The line-up for the tour unchanged throughout its duration, though sources are contradictory as to whether Wakeman was present for the first two concerts.^[4][5] The line-up was the sixth incarnation of Yes.^[7] Rick Wakeman had joined the band the previous month, spending August and early September in recording sessions for Fragile at London's Advision Studios.^[8][9][10]

• Jon Anderson—lead vocal
• Steve Howe—guitars
• Chris Squire—bass guitar and vocals
• Rick Wakeman—keyboards
• Bill Bruford—drums

Tour[edit]

The tour saw the band play a total of 111 concerts in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States, and Belgium over four legs—two European legs and two North American legs.^[2][11]

Support came from Jonathan Swift, Ten Years After, Mary Wells,^[8] Emerson, Lake and Palmer, The J. Geils Band, King Crimson, The Blues Project, and Shawn Phillips. At a 16 March 1972 concert in Tucson, Arizona, the band supported Black Sabbath.

Setlist[edit]

Setlist:^[12]

• "Roundabout" (Anderson, Howe)
• "I've Seen All Good People" (Anderson, Squire)
• "Mood for a Day" (Howe)
• "Clap" (Howe)
• "Heart of the Sunrise" (Anderson, Squire, Bruford)
• Wakeman solo (Rick Wakeman)
• "Long Distance Runaround" (Anderson)
• "The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)" (Squire)
• "Perpetual Change" (Anderson, Squire)
• "Yours Is No Disgrace" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, Kaye, Bruford)
• "South Side of the Sky" (only occasionally after 2 October 1971) (Anderson, Squire)

Tour dates[edit]

Cancelled shows[edit]

Wilkinson (2003) lists only three shows from the tour as being cancelled. The first, on 9 October 1971 at the Edinburgh Empire Theatre, was cancelled after the PA system failed to arrive at the venue.^[8] A newspaper story at the time reported that the equipment van, travelling to Scotland from the Royal Festival Hall from the previous evening's concert, broke down in Birmingham.^[8] Similarly, two replacement vans also broke down.^[8] The band rescheduled the date for 23 October, with original tickets still valid. The band offered free posters to fans attending the 23 October show.^[8]

The second appearance to be cancelled was on 2 November at the Oakland ColiseuminOakland, California—the first show of the tour's North American leg.^[8] The concert was cancelled as the band's PA system was stolen.^[8]

Other sources state that it was the 8 November show at the San Francisco Winterland Ballroom that was cancelled due to the stolen PA system, implying that the band appeared that night at the Oakland Coliseum (with a rented sound system) instead.^[4] The concert in Richmond VA on 3 March 1972, was also cancelled, and supposedly the band played at the TownshipAuditorium in Columbia S Carolina instead. Additionally, reports exist of a show on 29 October in Rotterdam, Netherlands, that was also cancelled.^[4]

References[edit]