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    Music

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    Yes, an English progressive rock band, performed a crowd pleasing performance of three of their albums at the Louisville Palace on St. Patrick's Day. Having been formed in 1968 by bassist Chris Squire, Yes has had no less than 18 people rotate thru the band's roster. The current line-up which performed last night includes singer Jon Davison, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Steve Howe, drummer Alan White, and keyboardist Geoff Downes. 

    They opened the concert with The Yes Album, which according to Squire, it's the first time ever performed in Louisville. This is personally my favorite album by Yes. After four decades, these fine musicians still sound great. My favorite moment was when they performed "Your Move/I've Seen All Good People." "Your Move" is epic and the lyrics dynamic. I love the chess metaphor for society being self centered, oblivious to the corruption of the world, and not worrying about what doesn't affect them. The lyrics are creative and the musical composition of the song is commanding as well. I particularly enjoyed the use of Howe's 12 string laud and Downes' organ. The build up of the organ at the end really tugs on your emotions. I really wish the organ was a bit louder in the performance last night for a more powerful effect. I envision this song taking place in a castle with a huge pipe organ, and I want to hear that grandioso in the music. I didn't quite get that in their performance of "Your Move" last night.

    Also on The Yes Album is "The Clap" which is a solo guitar tune performed by Howe. This is a quirky, happy song that I always enjoy hearing. Howe sounded as good as he did on the recording. I heard numerous people in the audience commenting that they enjoyed this moment.

    The concert continued on with complete performances of their album Close to the Edge followed by a 20 minute intermission which led to their other album Going for the One in its entirety. Yes was fabulous in every musical aspect. They may not be as energetic as they used to be in their younger days, but they don't let that affect the quality of their music. The vocals didn't sound like they have aged at all (Davison has only been in the band two years). His tone soars over the music effortlessly. The harmony vocals are still tight as well. Overall a very high quality music performance.

    Yes has an amazing fan base. The Louisville Palace was packed. If you attended the concert make sure to tag your instagrams and tweets with #yesshows. Despite being a particularly long concert, which is to be expected when three entire albums are to be performed, the time flew by thanks to the amazing music being performed. 

    Photos: courtesy of Charlie Blanton

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    About Anna Blanton

    Anna Blanton holds a Bachelors of Arts in Music (violin) and a Minor in Marketing from the University of Louisville. Anna currently plays with the Paducah Symphony, Southern Sirens, and The Porch Possums. She is also organizes the backup string section for the Beatles festival, Abbey Road on the River.

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