Contents

List of Yes concert tours (1960s–70s)

The English progressive rock band Yes has toured for five decades.

The band played live from its creation in summer 1968. Their first overseas shows were in Belgium and the Netherlands in June 1969. They played regularly through December 1980, with the band splitting up early the next year. The band reformed in 1983, and regular tours resumed in 1984 and continued over the next few decades. The longest break in touring came from late 2004 through late 2008. Touring has tended to focus on the UK and the rest of Europe, North America and Japan, but the band have also played other parts of the world, notably Australia.

Early shows[edit]

Band:

• Jon Anderson
• Peter Banks
• Bill Bruford, or Tony O'Reilly (September–November 1968)
• Tony Kaye
• Chris Squire

Songs played in this period:^[1]

• "Astral Traveller" (Jon Anderson)
• "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" (Richie Havens) (originally by Havens in 1968)
• "Carpet Man" (Jim Webb) (originally by The 5th Dimension in 1967)
• "Dear Father" (Anderson, Chris Squire)
• "The Prophet" (Anderson, Squire)
• "Sweet Dreams" (Anderson, David Foster)
• "Clear Days" (Anderson)
• "Then" (Anderson)
• "Beyond and Before" (Squire, Clive Bailey)
• "Everydays" (Stephen Stills) (originally by Buffalo Springfield in 1967)
• "Sweetness" (Anderson, Bailey, Squire)
• "I See You" (Roger McGuinn, David Crosby) (originally by The Byrds in 1966)
• "Time and a Word" (Anderson, Foster)
• "Every Little Thing" (Lennon–McCartney) (originally by The Beatles in 1964)
• "Looking Around" (Anderson, Squire)
• "For Everyone" (Anderson, Squire)
• "It's Love" (Felix Cavaliere, Eddie Brigati) (originally by The Young Rascals in 1966)
• "In the Midnight Hour" (Wilson Pickett, Steve Cropper) (originally by Pickett in 1965)
• "Eleanor Rigby" (Lennon–McCartney) (originally by the Beatles in 1966)
• "Something's Coming" (Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim) (from the Broadway musical West Side Story in 1957)

Guitarist Peter Banks was fired from the band after the gig at Luton College on 18 April 1970.^[3] The last shows were cancelled due to lack of a guitarist.

The Yes Album Tour[edit]

Band:

• Jon Anderson
• Bill Bruford
• Steve Howe
• Tony Kaye
• Chris Squire

On various dates of the tour, Yes were supported by Black Sabbath,^[4] Uriah Heep,^[4] Supertramp,^[4] Deep Purple,^[4] Wishbone Ash,^[4] The Strawbs,^[5] Iron Butterfly,^[5] Queen,^[6] and Jethro Tull.^[6] At other performances, such as festivals, the band shared the bill with Pink Floyd^[4] and Elton John.^[7]

Beginning with the 1971 dates (when Yes began to be supported by Iron Butterfly), ticket prices were set at 10s^[5]—approximately £10 ($16 USD) in 2012.

Cancelled shows[edit]

The February 1971 shows in Paris were cancelled due to rioting.^[8] After leaving France, the band had to cancel some UK shows after their van was involved in a road collision.^[8][9]

Fragile Tour[edit]

Band:

• Jon Anderson
• Bill Bruford
• Steve Howe
• Chris Squire
• Rick Wakeman

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.^[10][11]

Support came from Jonathan Swift, Ten Years After, Mary Wells,^[7] 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.^[7] 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.^[7] Similarly, two replacement vans also broke down.^[7] 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.^[7]

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.^[7] The concert was cancelled as the band's PA system was stolen.^[7]

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.^[13] 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.^[13]

Close to the Edge Tour[edit]

Band:

• Jon Anderson
• Steve Howe
• Chris Squire
• Rick Wakeman
• Alan White

The tour saw the band play a total of 97 concerts in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia over seven legs—three North American legs, two European legs, an Asian leg and an Australasian leg.^[14]

Support came from Eagles, Gentle Giant, Edgar Winter, Lindisfarne, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Gary Wright, The J Geils Band, Wild Turkey, Badger,^[15] and Focus.^[16]

Setlist[edit]

Setlist:^[17]

• "Siberian Khatru" (Anderson, Howe, Wakeman)
• "I've Seen All Good People" (Anderson, Squire)
• "Heart of the Sunrise" (Anderson, Squire, Bruford)
• "Clap/Mood for a Day" (Howe)
• "America" (Paul Simon) (Dropped after 2 August 1972)
• "And You and I" (Anderson, Howe, Bruford, Squire)
• "Close to the Edge" (Anderson, Howe) (Added starting on 2 September 1972)
• Keyboards solo (Excerpts from The Six Wives of Henry VIII) (Wakeman)
• "Roundabout" (Anderson, Howe)

Encore:

• "Yours Is No Disgrace" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, Kaye, Bruford)
• "Starship Trooper" (Anderson, Squire, Howe) (Added starting on 15 December 1972)

Occasionally played:

• Keyboards solo (Excerpts from The Six Wives on Henry VIII) (Wakeman) (Played on 1 August 1972, 29 September 1972, 14, 15 November 1972, 16 December 1972)
• "South Side of the Sky" (Played on 8 April 1973)
• "Perpetual Change" (Played on 1 August 1972)
• "The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)" (Played on 1 August 1972, 22 September 1972)
• "Long Distance Runaround" (Played on 1 August 1972, 22 September 1972)
• "Can and Brahms" (Played on 19, 21, 23, 26, 27, March 1973)
• "Colors Of The Rainbow" (Jon Anderson a cappella song performed just before introducing the next song, "Close to the Edge")^[16]

Covers:

• "The Beautiful Land" (Played on 9 March 1973)
• "Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport" (Played on 19, 23, 26 March 1973) ^[16]
• "Sakura Sakura" (Played on 10, 11, 12, 14 March 1973)
• "America" (Played on 30, 31 July 1972, 2, 20 August 1972)
• "Waltzing Matilda" (Played on 19 March 1973) ^[16]

Tour dates[edit]

Cancelled shows[edit]

The tour's first four scheduled shows were cancelled in the wake of Bill Bruford's resignation from the band. When Alan White was confirmed as a member, the tour began at the fifth scheduled show on 30 July 1972.^[15] A whole leg, covering South America, was cancelled.^[16] Dates and venues were never released, except for the scheduled performance at the Salle University in Acapulco on 1 May 1973.^[16]

Tales from Topographic Oceans Tour[edit]

Band:

• Jon Anderson
• Steve Howe
• Chris Squire
• Rick Wakeman
• Alan White

Setlist:^[18]

• "Siberian Khatru" (Anderson, Howe, Wakeman)
• "And You and I" (Anderson, Howe, Bruford, Squire)
• "Close to the Edge" (Anderson, Howe)
• Wakeman solo (Wakeman)
  • sometimes omitted
• "The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, Alan White)
• "The Remembering (High the Memory)" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, White) (Dropped after 28 February 1974)
• "The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, White) ("People started falling asleep around side three", Squire recalled, "but you had to stick with it."^[19])
• "Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil)" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, White)
• "Heart of the Sunrise" (Anderson, Squire, Bruford) (Dropped after 29 November 1973)

  Encore

• "Roundabout" (Anderson, Howe)
• "Starship Trooper" (Anderson, Squire, Howe) (Added on 27 February 1974)

Also occasionally played was:

• "Yours Is No Disgrace" (Played on 21 November 1973, 1 and 3 December 1973, and 14, 16, and 25 February 1974)
• "Firebird Suite" (Played on 28 February 1974 and 21 April 1974)
• "Heart of the Sunrise" (Played on 16, 17, 18, 19, 27, 29 November 1973)

Relayer Tour[edit]

Band:

• Jon Anderson
• Steve Howe
• Chris Squire
• Patrick Moraz
• Alan White

Setlist:^[20]

• "Sound Chaser" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, White, Moraz)
• "Close to the Edge" (Anderson, Howe)
• "To Be Over" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, White, Moraz)
• "The Gates of Delirium" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, White, Moraz)
• "I've Seen All Good People" (Anderson) (Added starting on 15 April 1975, "Your Move" section only)
• "Mood for a Day" (Howe) (Added starting on 15 April 1975)
• "Long Distance Runaround" (Anderson) (Added starting on 15 April 1975)
• Patrick Moraz keyboard solo (Added starting on 15 April 1975)
• "Clap" (Howe) (Added starting on 15 April 1975)
• "And You and I" (Anderson, Squire, Bruford, Howe)
• "Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil)" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, White)
• "Siberian Khatru" (Anderson, Howe, Wakeman) (Dropped after 18 November 1974)
• "Roundabout" (Anderson, Howe)
• "Sweet Dreams" (Anderson, Foster) (Added starting on 15 April 1975)

Other songs played a few times were:

• "Leaves of Green" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, White) (Played on 23 August 1975)
• "South Side of the Sky" (Anderson, Squire) (Played on 5 and 17 December 1974)
• "Yours Is No Disgrace" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, Kaye, Bruford) (Played on 10 May and 9 July 1975)
• "Starship Trooper" (Anderson, Squire, Howe) (Played on 22, 23, 24, and 25 July 1975)
• "High Vibration" (Anderson, Howe) (early version of "Awaken") (Played on 21 July and 23 August 1975)

Covers:

• "Heigh Ho" (Churchill, Morey) originally from the 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (Played on 25 June 1975)
• "I'm Down" (Beatles song) (Played on 19 July 1975)
• "Don't Be Cruel" (Elvis song) (Played on 6 July 1975)

1976 Solo Albums Tour[edit]

Band:

• Jon Anderson
• Steve Howe
• Chris Squire
• Patrick Moraz
• Alan White

Setlist:^[21]

• "Apocalypse" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, Bruford)
• "Siberian Khatru" (Anderson, Howe, Wakeman)
• "Sound Chaser" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, White, Moraz)
• "I've Seen All Good People" (Anderson, Squire)
• "Hold Out Your Hand/You by My Side" (Squire) from Chris Squire's 1975 solo album Fish Out of Water (Dropped after 6 June 1976)
• "Leaves of Green" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, White) (Between 1 June 1976 and 8 June 1976)
• "On Wings of Gold" based on "Winter" by Vivaldi (Added on 22 June 1976)
• "Break Away from It All" (Howe) from Steve Howe's 1975 solo album Beginnings (Replaced by "Clap" (Howe) after 31 May 1976)
• "Ram" (Howe) from Beginnings (Dropped after 31 May 1976)
• "Beginnings" (Howe) from Beginnings (Dropped after 31 May 1976)
• Alan White solo (White) including "One Way Rag" (Colin Gibson, Kenny Craddock) from his 1976 solo album Ramshackled (Dropped after 31 May 1976)
• "Song of Innocence" (William Blake, Pete Kirtley) from Ramshackled (Dropped after 6 June 1976)
• "Cachaça (Baião)" (Moraz) from Patrick Moraz's 1976 solo album The Story of I (Dropped after 31 May 1976)
• "Long Distance Runaround" (Anderson) (Added on 1 June 1976)
• "Grand Canyon Suite" (Moraz keyboard solo) (Added on 1 June 1976)
• Harp solo
• "Heart of the Sunrise" (Anderson, Squire, Bruford)
• "Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil)" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, White) (Added on 8 June 1976)
• "The Gates of Delirium" (Anderson, Howe, Moraz, Squire, White)
• "Roundabout" (Anderson, Howe)
• "Sweet Dreams" (Anderson, Foster) (Dropped after 8 June 1976)

Also played occasionally were:

• "Ocean Song" (Anderson) from Jon Anderson's 1976 solo album Olias of Sunhillow (Recording preceded "Apocalypse" on 26 June 1976)
• "Wonderous Stories" (Anderson) (Played on 6 June 1976)
• "Close to the Edge" (Anderson, Howe) (Replaced "Ritual" on 23 July and 28 July 1976)
• "In the Midnight Hour" (Wilson Pickett, Steve Cropper) (Played on 3 August 1976)
• "Starship Trooper" (Anderson, Squire, Howe) (Played on 8, 13, 16, 19, 20, and 21 June 1976, 17, 20, 28, 30, and 31 July 1976, and 7 August 1976)
• "The Remembering (High the Memory)" (Anderson, Howe, Squire, Wakeman, White) (Replaced "The Gates of Delirium" on 30 July and 31 July 1976)
• "I'm Down" (Lennon, McCartney) originally by the Beatles in 1965 (Played on 3, 6, 12, 17, 18, and 22 June 1976, 18, 20, 27, and 28 July 1976, and 1 August 1976)
• "Yours Is No Disgrace" (Anderson, Squire, Howe, Bruford, Kaye) (Played on 25 June 1976)
• "Every Little Thing" (Lennon, McCartney) (Played on 11 August 1976)

Box office score data[edit]