2001 - Symphonic Live

Amsterdam, 22-11-2001
Many thanks to the blog where it was originally posted and whose review was the base for mine.
http://newprogshine.blogspot.com

This is the audio of the magnific DVD Symphonic Live, released in 2002. Nothing more than 2 hours and 50 minutes in 14 songs. Relax and enjoy, this is for dreaming.
Close to the Edge starts mind-boggling, what is Steve Howe in his guitar? No answer, just open mouths. Tom Brislim does all the keyboard parts very similarly to Rick's style, and the orchestra makes this one the only really different arrangement for this song since 1972!
Long Distance Runaround is good but nothing very different. They give it a soft approach, very different than, for example, the faster and more rocking they gave in 1978/9.
In the Presence of is divine, with the orchestra, elegant timbres, vocal harmonies, overall, Yes. One of the few recent Yes songs that are really quintessentially Yes.
The Gates of Delirium is one of the favourites of Yesfans, with the orchestra giving a new colour to the epic, and Jon singing with such a dedication, which can be called love. I must say I don't appreciate this version so much, because Steve Howe seems a little dull to me here, it seems to me as if he's not comfortable playing. But here I'm on the minority, all my Yes-friends love it so much.
Steve Howe shows, in his solo, his versatile guitar style, with reanascentism, lirism, folk and rock'n'roll. Great!
Starship Trooper is good but not essential. Magnification is another of the good songs they released on the most recent album.
And You And I gets very beautiful with the orchestra, here it does most of Rick's parts in the grandious symphonic sections, while Howe is perfect in the steel guitar.
Ritual is impressive. They play it with a lot of excitment (the contrast with "The Gates" is obvious to me) and Chris' solo is the best ever in this song! Only if the percussion solo was shorter...
Owner of a Lonely Heart is the only Yes-West song here, with its well-known riff. I must say in my opinion this arrangement is way much better than the original one, with its weird robot-like voices.
Roundabout is the last one. Steve came up with a new and good introduction, but later on they cut some parts of the song, which I don't like.

Buy the DVD if you can, but this bootleg, FORGOD'SSAKE!

Disc 1
01. Overture (Give Love Each Day) - 2'52
02. Close To The Edge - 20'30
03. Long Distance Runaround - 5'45
04. Don't Go - 5'57
05. In The Presence Of - 11'09

Disc 2
01. Gates Of Delirium - 25'33
02. Steve Howe's Solo - 7'26
a)Concerto In D Minor
b)Mood For A Day
03. Starship Trooper - 13'26
a)Life Seeker
b)Disillusion
c)Würm
04. Magnification - 7'26

Disc 3
01. And You And I - 14'00
02. Ritual - 30'08
03. I've Seen All Good People - 9'19
a)Your Move
b)All Good People
04. Owner Of A Lonely Heart - 6'04
05. Roundabout - 8'01

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