IN THE PRESENT - LIVE FROM LYON

Time inevitably passes.But some bands like Yes still need to work, not matter who is in the line-up anyway. Jon Anderson had to be replaced. He had health problems and they waited for four years for him to recover. So, finally, in 2008, they planned to do a tour to celebrate their 40th Anniversary as a band, with Oliver Wakeman replacing his father Rick who didn´t participate due to health reasons too. Unfortunately, Anderson became very sick, and had to leave the band. They saw Canadian singer Benoit David in youtube singing with a Yes´tribute band , and they hired him as a temporary replacement. But by 2009 he became officially Yes´ lead singer. I was curious to see how Yes sounded with David so I watched several videos from them on tour in youtube. Maybe I had bad luck because the videos from the concerts I watched there (taken by fans) were not very good, and I didn´t like the sound of the band, not because of David´s vocals only, but because all of the musicians´ playing. So, when I saw this album in the record shops I didn´t want to buy it. But, I bought it recently. What can I say? David is a very good singer, and he sounds very much like Anderson in several places, except in some high notes where his voice really sounds a bit forced. He did a good job, but being in Yes singing in high notes night after night on tours is very difficult (the same can be said about Trevor Horn, who replaced Anderson in 1980). Oliver Wakeman is a very good keyboard player, like his father, with very good musical background and technique, but obviously he doesn´t play exactly as his father, but in general he is the only musician in the band who plays in this album generally very well, albeit somewhat "restrained" in some places. The long time members of the band sound tired, and obviously they don´t play like in their twenties. The band in general sounds like only doing their job, somewhat tired. "Another town, one more show". The set list is very similar as in other tours. They play their most famous songs, like Pink Floyd, Genesis and other bands did, tour after tour. There are some surprises in the set list: "Tempus Fugit", "Astral Traveller" (very well played, and with a very good drums solo by Alan White), and "Machine Messiah", played well, but not so well because the rhythm and some other things are played in a different manner."South Side of the Sky" is very well played, with Oliver playing very good keyboard parts, and in "Starship Trooper" he plays some solos which are very similar as his father played them (one could think by only listening to them without knowing about the line-up changes that Rick played those solos!). Steve Howe fortunately played another acoustic guitar solo ("Corkscrew") instead of his "Clap" and / or "Mood for a Day" acoustic guitar compositions (thanks, Steve!). Alan White in general sounds tired. Chris Squire too. So, I understand they still need to work. Anderson maybe is not going to return to the band anymore despite what many fans think about Yes not being Yes without him. . The same could be said about Rick Wakeman. Both for health reasons can´t do long tours anymore as Yes wants and needs to do. So, the fans have the choice to "approve" Yes in any configuration, with any lead singer, any keyboard player or any other change in the line-up, or to simply look away. The band sounds very professional, but tired. The recording and mixing is very good, and the cover design by Roger Dean is similar to the cover design of "Keys to Ascension". This is a good album, but....not essential.