JON ANDERSON

By EJ Sentman

I arrived at the TLA on November 13th with mixed expectations about just what seeing Jon Anderson of Yes all by himself would be like. Before hand, I heard several different things about seeing him solo. According to some, his shows were sometimes boring and sleep inducing. From other sources I’d heard that he puts on a pretty good performance. I knew he played Yes songs at these shows, but I was worried that their music wouldn’t translate well to a solo song. The only thing left to do was wait till the night of the concert and form my own opinion.

When I walked into the venue, I noticed it looked much different than usual. Chairs were set up and their were assigned seats, unlike the usual general admission. Everything was just a little bit nicer than usual. The first thing that stuck out when Jon walked onto stage was just how casually he was dressed, in blue jeans and a t-shirt. His interaction with the crowd was fantastic. He’d answer fans as they yelled out, and came across as an extremely down to earth guy. The stories he told before songs were all interesting and there was really an intimacy created between the performer and the fans. Explaining how he wrote certain songs really added a new depth to my appreciation of the songs, and by doing these introductions, I enjoyed myself even more than I would’ve had he spoken little between songs.

Just being a great stage personality isn’t all that makes for a good concert, and Jon Anderson’s music was great. Solo works, that most people might’ve not known as well or liked as much as Yes’s music, were met with a great reaction. But Anderson knew what the majority of the fans wanted, great versions of Yes classics. Solo arrangements of songs like “Yours is No Disgrace” and “Long Distance Runaround” stood out as the highlights. These songs were done surprisingly well for not having a full band to back him up. The way the whole show was performed is worth noting. Midi guitars were used and Anderson used a number of pedals to add other instruments to the music, and he even explained to the crowd how the whole system worked. A screen behind Jon projected visuals during the whole show, which was a nice touch. But more than anything, the relationship that Jon Anderson created between himself and the audience is what made the night so worthwhile. Although I first arrived at the TLA with mixed expectations, I left that night with a great concert experience.