Concert review - Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman

Witty repartee, reworkings of some prog rock classics and the sound of laughter rang around the Civic Hall as former Yes legends Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman brought their two-man show to the city.

Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman

Wolverhampton Civic Hall

Concert review and photos by Ian Harvey

Witty repartee, reworkings of some prog rock classics and the sound of laughter rang around the Civic Hall as former Yes legends Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman brought their two-man show to the city.

Following on from his gig at the Robin 2 last year, Anderson showed yet again that he is the true voice of Yes, despite the current version of that band touring with a tribute singer in his place.

Click on the image to the right to start the concert photo gallery

It felt throughout more like a recital than a concert as the pair spent two hours playing stripped down versions of Yes songs including Turn Of The Century, Starship Trooper, Wondrous Stories and Owner of A Lonely Heart, as well as a generous selection of songs from the pair's forthcoming album The Living Tree.

Anderson, as ever, proved himself to be the complete idealist hippy - "I used to love hugging trees," he admitted.

Wakeman provided the keyboard wizardry and a stream of stories which can't be printed in a family newspaper (especially the one about Donald Duck).

It was clearly obvious that, with more than 40 years of history behind them, the pair are hugely fond of each other.

Anderson recalled a time when they checked into a hotel and he went to lie by the pool, Yes bassist Chris Squire went to lie on his bed . . . and their manager announced he was going to lie on the phone.

The evening ended with a real surprise, a lullaby of sorts as they performed the beautiful and long-lost The Meeting from 1989's Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe album.