Original Yes vocalist Jon Anderson has announced select solo concert dates in the U.S. and Canada, beginning in February.
Anderson, one of the most recognizable voices in music, is best known for his work with Yes, Vangelis, Kitaro and as an innovative solo artist. He recently completed a successful tour of America’s East Coast with fellow Yes member Rick Wakeman, as well as a solo tour of South America.
These new solo dates are set to include a mixture of material from Anderson’s solo projects — including his well-received 2011 effort Survival & Other Stories — as well as classic Yes cuts. See list of complete tour stops below.
Here’s a look back at our recent thoughts on Jon Anderson. Click through the titles for complete reviews …
SOMETHING ELSE! INTERVIEW: FORMER YES FRONTMAN JON ANDERSON: Anderson spoke about a broad range of topics – from key musical memories with Yes to the recuperative qualities of painting, and the role the Internet might play in reviving rock music’s long-dormant progressive spirit.
JON ANDERSON AND RICK WAKEMAN: THE LIVING TREE IN CONCERT: PART ONE (2011): Anyone expecting the cosmic prog-rock journeys of this duo’s work as members of Yes must have been a little disappointed — and not just with the spare instrumentation. More striking than the lean, guitar-free musical structures was how intimate, even grounded this concert performance was. If anything, though, this album speaks to both the individual trials and the shared will to overcome for both singer Jon Anderson and keyboardist Rick Wakeman. Each has had to grapple against some terrifying health problems, even as Yes continued on without them.
ONE TRACK MIND: JON ANDERSON, “OPEN” (2011): When Jon Anderson told us earlier in the year that he was writing more “Yes-style music” these days, this — even more than his well-received subsequent solo release — was what most people had in mind: A conceptually epic piece, filled with wonderment, musical twists and a theme as broad as it is hopeful. Quite frankly, this is what Jon Anderson does. And it’s terrifically engaging, after too long spent fitting his muse into the ever-dilating strictures of Yes’ modern-day prog-pop, to hear Anderson doing it again.
JON ANDERSON – SURVIVAL AND OTHER STORIES (2011): Too often, it was like Anderson didn’t want to make a solo record that sounded too much like Yes. As interesting as these sideroads no doubt were, they gave few clues to how his own voice fit into the wider topography of the band. And they often were so idiosyncratic that only the deepest, more committed fans had the will to follow along. That is, until Survival and Other Stories, a rousing return to form that finds Anderson coming to terms with his own storied history, even as he transcends it.
ONE TRACK MIND: JON ANDERSON, “GIVE HOPE” (2007; 2011 reissue): With a pixie choir and this heavenly chant right out of “Meeting (Garden of Geda)” from 1976’s Olias of Sunhillow, “Give Hope” melds the hippified bliss of new age with the orchestral intricacies of classical and just the lightest dusting of twinkly Christmas-morning wonder. Maybe it’s the season (OK, yes, it’s definitely the season), but I fall for it every time.
ONE TRACK MIND: JON ANDERSON ON YES, VANGELIS AND SOLO SONGS: Anderson shares unique insights into some of his more memorable tracks, and a few deep cuts, as well. Go inside the creative process as Anderson and Co. complete the epic Side 1 opener to 1974’s Relayer. Get insights into working with Vangelis, and find out why Anderson made another pass at the closing track from 90125 for a solo project almost 10 years later. And, of course, there are the lasting mysteries of “Roundabout.”
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Jon Anderson’s just-released 2012 U.S. tour dates:
2/02/2012 – Mesa Arts Center – Piper Theater – Mesa, AZ – www.mesaartscenter.com
2/04/2012 – Wheeler Opera House – Aspen, CO – www.wheeleroperahouse.com
2/17/2012 – American Music Theater – Lancaster, PA – www.amtshows.com
2/19/2012 – Newton Theatre – Newton, NJ – www.thenewtontheatre.com
2/24/2012 – Ovation Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa – Henderson, NV – www.greenvalleyranchresort.com/entertainment/ovation.php
2/26/2012 – One World Theatre – Austin, TX – www.oneworldtheatre.org/home.html
2/28/2012 – Kessler Theater – Dallas, TX – www.thekessler.org
3/01/2012 – Carolina Theatre – Durham, NC – www.carolinatheatre.org
3/03/2012 – Parrish Auditorium Miami University Hamilton – Hamilton, OH
3/05/2012 – World Cafe Live – Wilmington – Wilmington, DE – www.worldcafelive.com
3/07/2012 – Theatre of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA – www.philadelphia-theater.com/theaters/theater-of-living-arts/theater.php
3/08/2012 – Baltimore Sound Stage – Baltimore, MD – www.baltimoresoundstage.com
3/10/2012 – B.B. King Blues Club & Grill – New York, NY – www.bbkingblues.com
3/14/2012 – Infinity Hall – Norfolk, CT – www.infinityhall.com
3/15/2012 – Wilbur Theatre – Boston, MA – www.thewilburtheatre.com
3/17/2012 – Narrows Center For The Arts – Fall River, MA – www.ncfta.org
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