JON ANDERSON & THE BAND GEEKS: LIVE - PERPETUAL CHANGE

Which should we prefer? The 2020s tribute band which happens to call itself 'Yes' (starring Steve Howe), or Jon Anderson's version of the same, which claims to be 'keeping the "true Yes" flag flying'? Based on this double album, and on what I've heard and seen of (fairly) recent Yes (i.e. mainly live clips on YouTube, and the LIVE FROM LYON album), I wouldn't hesitate to award the palm to J.A. and the Band Geeks. It's true that a title like LIVE - PERPETUAL CHANGE smacks of hubris; it reminds me of Tomasi Di Lampedusa's famous statement (in his novel THE LEOPARD) 'If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.' But for an old Yes fan like me it's wonderful to witness Jon's resurrection - and his current band isn't half bad either.

It's true that there are a few misses. The first ten minutes or so of 'Close to the Edge' sag surprisingly, with Jon sounding tired and hoarse in the 'I get up, I get down' section. But this comes after two truly sprightly performances (of 'Yours is no Disgrace' and 'Perpetual Change'), and during the remainder of the set Jon never lets us down - quite the contrary. Moreover, the 'Close to the Edge' climax is nicely done; having two expert keyboardists clearly helps! The opening of 'Starship Trooper' is another slight disappointment. Throughout the set, the Band Geeks generally replicate the original studio versions of the tunes (not failing to add pretty little touches of their own) - but where's that prominent Hammond organ we so sorely needed?

Still, there's so much to rejoice over... I don't want to sound like a sourpuss... 'Awaken' and 'The Gates of Delirium', two of the highlights in the Yes canon, are carried off with great aplomb. In my view, lead guitarist Andy Graziano actually outshines Steve Howe here, clearly benefitting from a (relatively) youthful attack, which Howe has lacked for many a year. My 'deluxe edition' of the album came with a DVD of the gig, and it's heartening to see with how much respect and pure joy those Band Geeks tackle all the Yes material.

So do you NEED this album? Hmmm, while I cannot call it 'essential', I believe admirers of classic Yes will derive a great deal of pleasure from it. In European classical music, it's common for symphony orchestras to churn out recordings of Beethoven symphonies - and the like - long after the original composer has died, and every year, specialist periodicals will be analysing the latest recordings, pointing out where - for example - the Gothenburg Symphony anno 2025 have the edge over the Berlin Philharmonic anno 1962. Similarly, it's a great deal of fun to check out how the Band Geeks have mastered all those classic Yes compositions. And at the same time I find it uplifting to hear a 79-year old Jon Anderson (mercifully still alive!) pour his heart and soul into his lead vocals. So unless you're a J.A. hater, I definitely suggest you give PERPETUAL CHANGE a try.

Recorded during the 'YES Epics and Classics' tour in May 2023 (Illinois, USA) as a result of the collaboration between Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks led by Richie Castellano, "Live - Perpetual Change" (2025) is a tribute to the most representative symphonic period of the legendary Yes.

Very respectful of the forms and avoiding 'creative' experiments, the band focuses on the setlist of 1973's "Yessongs", except for "Siberian Khatru" and "Long Distance Runaround / The Fish", replaced instead by the masterful "Awaken" and "Gates of Delirium", with a very solid group performance and with Jon Anderson's voice still in great form more than five decades later.

Without taking sharp turns and following a safe path, the band recreates as faithfully as possible songs like "Yours is No Disgrace", "Perpetual Change", "Close to the Edge", "Starship Trooper" (Chris Clark's keyboards and Andy Graziano's guitars in the final section are superb), or "Heart of the Sunrise" (very good bass by Castellano), which seem to be taken from some seventies concert, and even the acoustic parts of "And You and I" and "Roundabout" with their clean and immaculate guitars, seem to surpass several live versions of those songs performed by Yes in the 2000's...

Something that could have been better? While it was a tour focused on the music of Yes, perhaps including some previews of the excellent album "True" to be released by Jon Anderson in 2024, such as the very progressive "Counties and Countries" or "Once upon a Dream", would have given it an extra touch of freshness and novelty.

But without a doubt "Live - Perpetual Change" is a very good live album, which reaffirms in Jon Anderson's voice the greatness of Yes, and a new and very appreciable opportunity to reconnect with progressive rock itself.

4 stars

It is not the first time there have been two versions of Yes doing the rounds: the last time was when we had both ABWH and Yes, which eventually saw the bands come together for 'Union'. For some reason, Yes were unable to find New Zealand on a map until fairly recently, and I count myself lucky to have seen the Davidson, Howe, Squire, Downes, White line-up twice. However, I do also think there has only been one truly enjoyable album since 'Drama' (which is one of my favourites ? I don't care what anyone else says), which is 2011's 'Fly From Here'. There is something about the Seventies and Anderson, Wakeman, Howe, Squire, Bruford/White which was truly remarkable, and they have never been able to truly recapture that, which means in all honesty we now have two cover bands on the circuit, and which is the better?

True, I would go and see either if they discovered where Aoteaora is on a map (something which map makers themselves seem to often fail at), but if I had to see just one it would be this one. Jon Anderson will always be the voice of Yes, and it is remarkable to hear him singing like this at the age of 79 ? true, he is not always perfect, but there is no autotune and while one would never think this was him in his prime it is still a wonderful performance. The Band Geeks were put together by long-time Blue Öyster Cult member Richie Castellano (bass, guitar) and he has been joined by Rob Kipp (guitar, keyboards), Chris Clark (keyboards), Andy Graziano (guitar, bass) and Andy Ascolese (drums). This was all about classic Yes, with all the songs available on the 1973 'Yessongs' release (surely one of the greatest live albums of all time), apart from "Awaken" and "Gates of Delirium", both of which were originally recorded on later albums. "Awaken" is the newest number, from 1977, and this performance really is like being in a time machine as each member of the band has done everything they can to replicate the originals. The keyboard patches are impressive, as it sounds as if we are listening to someone play Wakeman's notes on his keyboards, while the Squire bass sound is also great.

The question is, do we need this album? And do we need it from Anderson and some hired musicians? Guess what? I am not sure if we need it or not, but I know I have thoroughly enjoyed every second of it as it took me back to my youth and playing 'Yessongs' repeatedly. If I go back 50 years, I would guess it was my most played album, something I still return to today, and the only thing I would change on this would be if it could be a triple CD and not double so we could have "Going For The One", "Wondrous Stories" and some others. Will Yes and Jon Anderson ever reconcile? I doubt it, which is a real shame as life is too short, but if someone gave me a live album from the current line-up or this one, I know which one I would turn to as this is simply wonderful from first note to the last.