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Tour & Site
News
LATEST TOUR NEWS
- NO NEW AUSTRALIAN
TOUR TILL MID-2005:
A tentative November/December tour
hit the skids in July/August, amidst health concerns and personal falling-outs.
Plans are now for the band to rest
and recuperate, maybe (just maybe) with a view to making a new album.
In the meantime, a live DVD - "Songs From Tsongas" - is being released
world-wide.
- THE CURRENT SCOPE OF ANY
NEW
TOUR: What was planned - 3
Sydney shows, 2 Melbourne shows, plus a few tentative shows elsewhere
(Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, New Zealand?).
For Sydney, a smaller venue than the Entertainment Centre will be considered -
possibly the State Theatre (though a "one-off" concert at the Opera House is
also on the wish-list).
- THE CONTENT OF THE NEXT TOUR: Following on from the 2004 European and American tours, the show will be substantially different from the "Fragile Revisited" theme of 2003. There are songs from the band's whole career, with an acoustic mini-set midway plus a spectacular Roger Dean-designed stage (check here for photos and details).
- ALAN WHITE MAY STILL TURN UP
HERE SOON FOR A DRUM CLINIC:
This would be in Sydney and/or Melbourne, maybe with one or two other places.
Keep a look out for further details.
LATEST YESFANZ
NEWS
- THE YESFANZ 2004 CHRISTMAS PARTY IS COMING UP:
Check the www.yesfanz.com site for details.
I'll see "you" there.
- YESFANZ is practically "chomping at the
bit" to start organising festivals and other activities in support any
future
tour. Check the www.yesfanz.com site - and my YESFANZ page on this site - for more
information.
In the meantime, readers are welcome to (or show their support) for the cause.
- What was originally planned for 2004: At first, there was talk of a "triple-bill": Yes, Jethro Tull and The Moody Blues. I have yet to meet anyone who likes/liked this idea - maybe Focus and King Crimson, then...
- A 'presentation'/gift
to the band was made on 19 September 2004, on the evening of an American
concert. This was to mark the
first anniversary of the Melbourne concert, and help garnish
enthusiasm for the "next" Australian tour.
TIt went well - but whether it will
pay off...
- YESFANZ started meeting again in March 2004, in anticipation of a new tour.
There have been some breaks
in that time, while Robert Forbes and other members travelled overseas to
see/meet the band and Roger Dean in England/Europe.
With thetour now "off", plans are...
plans.
- YESFANZ became incorporated
in early 2004. This was done
to assist with running the financial side of its operations.
Membership confirmation and other
activities are currently being organised.
- A "progressive rock
festival" is/was tentatively planned for March 2005, with (YESFANZ head) Robert
Forbes and (Sebastian Hardie frontman) Mario Millo on the steering committee.
Unfortunately delays with
announcing the 2004 Yes tour have thrown doubts on the viability of this.
This is a shame - as some big names
were on the cards: Sebastian Hardie, King Crimson, Focus, one or more Yes
members in solo-performance, plus lesser-known acts.
Check the F.A.Q. page for more background information about about YESFANZ - and the Sydney Concert page for photos and a report from the Sydney festival.
LATEST WEBSITE & A.V.S. NEWS
- I've more or less
"moved into" this web-site - since I stopped updating my other ones (check
my personal page
for details of these). There was no point trying to
maintain multiple presences on the net. But
I've still got a host of side-projects going (I'll provide more details as they
are finalised).
- 50megs.com blocked access to
all the RealAudio and RealVideo files that were on here previously.
This is a shame - since they added
much to appreciation of Yes, Sebastian Hardie and myself (though I still have
the files, and can email them). I may take the site "elsewhere", if this
sort of interference continues (any free-hosting offers out there?).
- A total revision of this
site has been on the cards for some time.
Unfortunately the lack of
details about the 2004 tour has delayed this process - and "interference" with
the site contents (see above) made it difficult for me to continue.
Hopefully, the August/September 2004 update should
take care of this, until further developments arise.
- I've now started working with
"proper" video - look forward to some home-produced DVDs in the near future.
Basically I just got tired of making CDs - and the adoption of new
learning-curves (for making videos - and DVD-production) is essential for my
interest in guitar-playing to continue.
Whether I'll play any more concerts
- as part of my YESFANZ activities or otherwise - remains to be seen.
2003 TOUR FOLLOW-UPS
With the postponement from March until September 2003, tour changed from the being the "Full Circle" to the "35th Anniversary".
- Yes, their management and Roger Dean are ecstatic about the support YESFANZ gave them for the 2003 tour. More than anything else - particularly the lukewarm press coverage - we helped "make" the tour and re-establish Yes as a musical force in Australia. But I wonder how much we can achieve this time around, given the short notice before any confirmed concerts.
- PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS: Concert photos from the 2003 Melbourne and Sydney Yes concerts are available for sale from "Imagewide" - check http://www.imagewide.com.au/yes/ or ring (tel. (02) 9369-2031). These are probably the best-quality pictures available. CD-ROMs of pictures taken by various people are floating around - while videos of various events (not the concerts) were also taken, for future release.
- YESFANZ REUNION (SYDNEY): A reunion took place on Sunday 9 November 2003 at the Roxbury Hotel, Glebe. Check the YESFANZ page for details, photos and details of my guitar performance there. CDs of my performance are also available, recorded by myself - a mini-CD (of most of the first, Yes-only set) is in circulation within the band.
- ROGER DEAN EXHIBITION: The exhibition was extended to Sunday 16 November 2003. Overall, the exhibition was an outstanding success. Some of my photos from the official opening (attended by Roger, most of Yes and members of Sebastian Hardie) are located here;
- AUDIENCE RECORDINGS: CDs from the tour have surfaced. I don't encourage this sort of thing - especially with the possibility of an official release of the Sydney concert through www.yesworld.com. But if someone is desperate for a recording, they can email me - or try hunting through internet, personally.
- SEBASTIAN HARDIE CONCERTS: Further concerts by Sebastian Hardie are planned. Venues and dates are, as yet, unknown. A live DVD featuring both the Mario Millo Band and Sebastian Hardie (most of which was recorded in Sydney in March, 2003) is due to be released some time in the future - as is a new Sebastian Hardie album.
ROGER DEAN EXHIBITION
Roger travelled to Australia for exhibition of his work in Sydney at the GIG gallery - www.giggallery.com - and for both the Sydney and Melbourne concerts/festivals. The Sydney exhibition of his work ran from 16 September - 12 October 2003 at the GIG Gallery in Glebe. Check The Sunday events page for a report and photos from the exhibition launch - and the Roger Dean Lecture page for a wealth of background material about Roger and his work.
2003 TOUR POSTPONEMENT (from March to September)
On January 27, 2003 www.yesworld.com announced the postponement of the Australian tour from 28 February (Melbourne) and 1 March 2003 (Sydney) to:
- Friday September
19, Vodafone
Arena, Melbourne; and
- Saturday September 20, Sydney Entertainment Centre.
This was due to a back injury sustained by singer Jon Anderson over the Christmas 2002 period. The festivals were likewise postponed - as was the exhibition of artworks by Roger Dean. It then became clear that a number of fans had purchased non-refundable airfares, made accommodation plans, etc. - and this was equally true for those planning to attend the festivals run by www.yesfanz.com.
YESFANZ held "compensatory" functions for these people - and, as a gesture of solidarity, for anyone wishing to attend. The Sydney meeting was at the Toxteth Hotel, Glebe on 1 March 2003 - with drinks, food and a showing of some Yes DVDs. It was a good night, with fans from around the country turning up.
THE PERTH CONCERT:
This was announced following the cancellation of the Djakarta
concert in Indonesia. "Terrorists" had bombed the hotel that
Yes had been planning to stay at (though this was obviously not
their intention). Even so, fans around the world were relieved about
the cancellation - as the potential for problems in this
politically-sensitive area would always be present.
SEBASTIAN HARDIE - THE
2003 SUPPORT ACT
As of August 2003, the support act for the Yes tour officially became "Sebastian Hardie" - check The Sebastian Hardie page for background information - plus an interview, pictures and links.
I narrowly avoided becoming the site-master for the official Sebastian Hardie web-site - but check it out, as it currently is, through www.mariomillo.com (click the Sebastian Hardie logo). The support bill wasn't without incident - check the Sebastian Hardie page for more information.
2003 TICKETS
Clicking on the Ticketek logo allowed people to buy tickets for the Sydney show
Ticket prices (for
Sydney) were:
(*** plus minimum $ 7.50
booking fee):
| AU $ 144.60* Category 1: | Premium - Floor Seating |
| AU $ 144.60* Category 2: | Premium - First Elevation Seating |
| AU $ . .n/a^ ..Category 3: | Premium - Obstructed View Seating (^not available via web) |
| AU $ 89.40*. Category 4: | A Reserve - Second Elevation Seating |
The $ 144.60 equals roughly US $ 80.00 - which is equivalent to many current US prices.
PERSONAL APPEARANCES
Officially, Yes made one "public appearance" - at a record and book-signing session at Borders Bookstore in Sydney (in the Pitt Street Mall) from 1:00 pm to about 4:00 pm on Sunday 21 September. Unofficially, the band also made an appearance at:
- the Melbourne
YESFANZ festival;
- a "YESFANZ-only" meeting after the Sydney show (see The Sydney
Concert
page for a report and pictures); and
- the official
opening of the Roger Dean exhibition (check The Sunday Events page for a report and photos of this).
T-SHIRTS,
POSTERS AND STICKERS
- YESFANZ ran-up up two batches of T-shirts for the tour. At right is the earlier (black) design. A newly designed T-shirt (in white) is still available (at right is an earlier design, in black) - check www.yesfanz.com for more details.
- I have a limited supply of both the March and September tour posters (see the pictures above), plus some stickers promoting the "In a Word" box-set, and printed flyers for the YESFANZ festivals and Roger Dean Exhibition. People can email me if they want some.
LOCAL CD, DVD, DVD-A RELEASES
As Australian fans will know, it has been difficult to find Yes-based releases in the local music stores - other than on import (at considerably higher prices). Luckily that situation is changing - various DVDs and DVD-Audio discs have had local release and are available online through www.warnervision.com.au. Check the Links & Comments page for some local stores where these - and other Yes releases - can be bought.
Check the F.A.Q. page for details - and my opinions - of the various DVD and video releases. Also note that the "classic" albums are being remastered and released - with bonus tracks added - through Rhino Records (all albums up to "Going For The One" have been released this way overseas). "Fragile" and "Magnification" are also available in DVD-A versions (with surround sound).
Here is a good link - it's mostly in Japanese, but a quick way to find what's on the remasters: www.wmg.jp/yes/
EARLY 2003 TOUR LINKS
- www.yesfanz.com - the festival to accompany the Australian
tour;
- www.chuggentertainment.com - Michael Chugg Entertainment - the Australian promoter;
- www.ticketek.com.au - tickets are available from here;
- http://www.melbournepark.com.au/velo.html - a site about the Vodafone Arena,
Melbourne.
- http://www.sydentcent.com.au/about/finding_us/index.html - the Sydney Entertainment
Centre and how
to get there;
- http://www.yesworld.com/ywtour_ja.html - YesWorld's
official notice
about the tour;
- http://www.zenponies.com/yes/yestour/tour/2002/feb2003_2.html - another
official page
about the tour.
2003 TOUR PUBLICITY
The tour attracted at least some publicity. Here is what took place before the postponed March tour:
- Here
is a scan of
the a feature from the 3 December 2002 edition of "The Drum Media", instigated (in part) by
me;
- Jon
Anderson/Yes got 20 minutes on local Sydney radio station 702 on 4 December 2002, on
Angela Catterns' morning show - listen to the 8:30 of talk (through
RealAudio) at http://www.abc.net.au/sydney/stories/s742457.htm.
- Here is a black & white scan
of a feature about the tour from Sydney's "Daily Telegraph" on 12 December, 2002.
- Jon and Rick were interviewed by Richard Wilkins on the "Today"
program - 31
December 2002.
- Here's
part of an article on "aging rock stars visiting
Australia" in 2003 - "Weekend Telegraph" of 11-12 January, 2003.
- "Australian
Guitar" magazine mentioned the tour using (uncredited) wording from
this site.
- A 50 minute special - "Yes TV" - was aired on Melbourne/Sydney television
Channel 9, on 28 January 2003.
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Favourable mention of Yes and the tour had already been made by some press/media quarters - see the above for example - but the Sydney Morning Herald was holding out. So I (politely) badgered by email - to give some coverage to the tour.
In the end, what we got was a short, flippant and somewhat predictable mention of Yes' excesses at the height of the "Tales" period (and Rick's infamous 'curry' incident prior to departing in 1974) - mentioned in a "History of Pop Music"type article.
A review appeared in the paper after the concert (it starts off well, but ends up a little confused) - here is an on-site scan of the review, and here is a link the online version.
LATER & POST-TOUR LINKS
- Forgotten Yesterdays ("Full Circle
Tour" page) - the place to check
audience opinions about Yes tours/concerts.
- http://www.yestalk.org/forum/default.asp - another popular forum
for discussing Yes-related matters.
- Sydney Morning Herald article - a Sydney Morning Herald
article about the tour postponement.
- The Age article - The Age article about
the postponement (just included for historical context).
- http://yesinthepress.com/2002/dec/dec12_02.html - an article about Yes meeting their fans in
Australia
- http://www.undercover.com.au/idol/yes.html - a local (Australian) internet-magazine interview
with Jon
- http://www.undercover.com.au/news/2003/20030919_yes.html - article: 'Yes to attend Roger Dean exhibition in
Sydney'
- http://www.stateart.com.au/sota/visual/default.asp?fid=2192 - another mention of the
Roger Dean exhibition
- http://www.sinarharapan.co.id/berita/0309/06/hib04.html - article (in Indonesian) about the Djakarta
cancellation
- http://www.stateart.com.au/sota/visual/default.asp?fid=2192 - article announcing the Perth concert
- http://www.shoutmag.info/perthfocus/PerthFocustext.htm - another article announcing the Perth concert
- Yes In The Press -
a good site for finding (and contributing to) articles about Yes
in the popular press.
Readers can contact me if they hear of anything new promotional material worth reporting - or even duplicating here.
WHAT ARE YES DOING RIGHT NOW?
Catch the latest news at www.yesworld.com.
Introduction - Tour & Site News - Who's Who In Yes - The History Of Yes - YESFANZ Inc - Alex van Starrex -
Sebastian Hardie
F. A. Q. Section - 2003 Sydney Concert -
2003 Sunday Events -
A Roger Dean Lecture - Links & Comments
MY MAIN
WEB-SITE: http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~avanstar
EMAIL: avanstar@ihug.com.au
© Alex van Starrex
