SONGS FROM TSONGAS: 35TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT (DVD)

I have seen Yes two times live. The first time was during the "Going for the one" tour in 1977, a very fresh and inspired Yes played their new album and all their 'classics'. The second time was in 2003, again with Rick Wakeman (he has a kind of Richard Burton-Liz Taylor-like relationship with Yes), this gig was good but I missed a spark and the magic. After seeing this stunning 2-DVD I have to conclude that one year after I had witnessed them in 2003, Yes sound much better and more enthousiastic! The first song "Going for the one" reveals that Anderson can reach no more that high voice from the past but in general he sounds more powerful and stable. Most compositions are slightly re-arranged and especially Steve Howe delivers many new versions of his known soli, awesome! One of the most exciting moments is during the unplugged version of "Roundabout" when Rick Wakeman starts to play jazzy piano, so relaxed and all members seem to enjoy this gig (remember the awful "Tales .." tour!). Another surprising 'unplugged' version is from "Owner of a lonely heart", nice to see Steve Howe during this song. On this 2-DVD Rick Wakeman is a bit on the background (he delivers some splendid work on the Minimoog, Hammond organ and acoustic piano), Chris Squire showscases his skills and a lot of pleasure, Alan White still does his job very decent, Anderson ('the hippie with the iron fist') is smiling as never before but this evening the focus is on Steve Howe: watch his play on the Portuguese 12-string guitar in "I've seen all good people" and "Wonderous stories" and the varied soli in "Sweet dreams" (fresh rendition from the band), "Yours is no disgrace" and "Starship trooper", absolutely BRILLIANT! Despite the flood of live Yes DVD releases, this DVD is a MUST!