HOUSE OF YES: LIVE FROM THE HOUSE OF BLUES (DVD)

Decent DVD.. Yes' DVD and CD's from their performance at the HOB on the Ladder tour is a must for those who have even selectively enjoyed their more recent releases. It shows the band from the Ladder, playing many songs from that album live.

Igor is a treat to watch, here is the only official release with him playing live on video, it's interesting to watch his take on some of the classics, and I'll say other than a few odd moments he does a good job giving his perspective on the Wakeman solos without straying too far from the originals. He really is a great live performer. Jon is doing great with his ponytail, and the rest of the band is about average, but Howe definitely slowed down over the years. (He can still play everything perfectly, but that added grit he had in the 70's is gone)

The material is split about half new material and half classics, which is nice since Yes didn't really play much new stuff on their more recent tours. In total there are five tracks from The Ladder, and they really shine live, the sterile sound of the studio album is one thing that turns me off from it. The classics like Awaken are decent, but they are playing it safe and the sense of energy you get when watching Yessongs or the QPR DVD's isn't there.

Nice DVD, you can get it for about $10, worth it for the Ladder live.