SONGS FROM TSONGAS: 35TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT (DVD)

4 1/3 Stars ... An excellent concert DVD that unfortunately has its few flaws and does not reach the greatness of the symphonic one. All the musicians are playing well, but they do seem tired. The reason is that this recorded concert is their last one in their tour, so everyone (especially Anderson) sounds a little tired. Putting that little problem aside, the musicianship is still superb, the camera work professional, and the sound quality as good as Yes Symphonic Live. Another interesting thing is the acoustic section in the first half of the second disk.

The Concert :

Disc 1 (65:17) 1. "Intro/Firebird suite" shows the stage with the psycheledic looking things designed by Roger Dean. The musicians come when the famous classical work is playing and Alan backs it up with some percussion. 2. "Going for the one" starts the concert really badly and should be skipped in my opinion. Fortunately, Sweet Dreams is much better, Alan White plays a short solo in it and you see shining drum decorations flying, the song is performed very well and has some nice soloing. "Your Move" is not needed, I've seen it live many times. However, this version is good and Rick Wakeman rock&rolling is fun. "Mind Drive" is an ugly patch of the DVD. It starts excellently with a futuristic and heavy repetitive riff and explodes in a great chorus. Unfortunately, the rest is very incoherent and uncomfortable to listen to. "South Side of the Sky" redeems the first disc. While it lacks a bit of energy in the verses/choruses, it makes up for them in the piano solo and the outro solo duet between Steve Howe and Wakeman which is amusing. "Turn of the Century" is a bit too mellow for a concert, but after Anderson sings 'I'm sure we knoooooooooow", there is a classical instrumental section that is one of the big highlight moments of the concert: The piano and the electric guitar meld beautifully and Squire does a beautiful ascending bass riff. "My Eyes" is kinda forgettable, but fun to listen to with Wakeman's voice keyboards. "Mind Drive Part 3" finishes the mediocre epic well. Finally "Yours is no Disgrace" is well performed and Steve Howe plays a breathtaking extended guitar solo that would leave you in awe from the musical virtuosity of Howe.

Disc 2 (85:14) 1. "The meeting room/The meeting" is a nice melodic piano-led song with pretty singing. The piano playing is excellent here. " Long distance runaround" is the good pop song that we all know played acoustically. "Wonderous Stories" is another beautiful melodic song featuring a portuguese guitar. "Time is time" is not very exciting but has good slide-guitar playing from Howe. "Roundabout" is really interesting!!! This time, it is played as a groovy-blues piece, and it amazes me that Wakeman can play blues so well (hear the piano solo). "Show me" is a vocal-led melodic track that is not very interesting. "Owner of a lonely heart" is yet on another concert! This time, it sounds better acoustically (the orchestra sounds replaced by piano chords) and the piano solo is nice. "Second initial" is a good guitar solo piece in the vein of The Clap. "Rhythm of Love" is a forgettable pop song. However, it is fun to see Anderson meeting the crowd. "And You And I" is great as always (Althrough Chris has to stop playing that harmonica!). "Ritual" ... why again? I don't like this song very much ... fortunately, it has the 'we love when we play' section and the drumming section which I both love. "Every little thing" is a fun beatles song with good riffing. Lastly, Starship trooper closes the show and does not disappoint! The 'Wurm' buildup is as intense and enjoyable as the studio version and contains a wild synth solo.

In conclusion, this is an excellent DVD. Despite its flaws, I think any prog fan with a casual interest in Yes should consider getting it and any diehard can't go without this.

My Rating : B+