Vol. 3 - Issue 2 - March 1996
Yes fans from all over descended en masse on the little town of San Luis Obispo in California to witness an event that many thought would never happen: the reunion of Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Alan White. The combination that created Tales From Topographic Oceans and Going for the One were going to perform three shows at the Fremont Theatre in SLO which will result in both a live video and audio release, the latter to include some new tracks recorded in SLO over the last few months.
[This review is continued on the Notes From the Edge archive website.]
Glen Gottlieb, Luke Rauch & Mike Tiano
Yes has signed a record deal with Alliance/Castle Entertainment to record a live album, which will include a combination of old songs and new tracks. The entire band (including Rick) will resume rehearsals and all members will be together by January 28. (Alliance/Castle Entertainment will also release the 1979 Philadelphia video domestically though no date is set at this time).
In the Xmas edition of his newsletter (the Rick Wakeman Communication Centre) it was reported that he did not attend the first round of rehearsals due to the fact that at the time no contracts were signed, and he could not foot his own bill to attend the rehearsals. Though not mentioned in the newsletter apparently his mother’s health was also a major factor.
No tour dates are confirmed at this time.
“ALL, YES ALL of Close to the Edge will be played (including Siberian Khatru! Nic specifically asked about that), Awaken, Onward, America, Survival, Time and a Word, Starship Trooper, Roundabout, and.The Revealing Science of God, and the Leaves of Green, Nous Sommes du Soleil, parts from The Ancient and Ritual, respectively. AAAAHHH!! Anyway, where was I??? :) This ONE show will be in San Luis Obispo, sometime within the next couple of months, maybe around Easter time. This show will be recorded and will be part of the two CD set to be released by Castle. The CD set will be 1 1/2 live, 1/2 (approx 30 minutes) new material. A video of the concert IN FULL, will be out as well! Nic will be speaking and/or meeting with Rick towards the end of the week, so if there’s anything else to report, I’ll be back! :)”
NFTE #148
Mike Tiano, Editor
From Tami Freed (2/3): “Rick called fellow YISer Nic C. this morning with a very promising update! All is going well in San Luis Obispo, with all members (finally) together and working very diligently. Rick gave Nic a very tentative set list for the ONE show. Is everyone sitting down? Okay, here goes: 
From Sarah Dowless (2/14) : Notes From the Edge has pictures of Steve, Rick and Alan from rehearsals! They’re not actually rehearsing, they were taken outside the studio I think. No Jon or Chris pix though..:( Anyhow, they’re pretty cool!
“Both Alan and Rick are leaning on a cherry red convertible Mustang (one of the old ones).”
Ticket purchasing information and venue will be coming to you soon. A limited number of tickets will be available to YesWorld subscribers via mail-order: watch your inbox for details. E-mail address to join the official Yes Internet mailing list:
YesWorld@yesworld.wilmington.net
Web page: http://yesworld.wilmington.net/yesworld.html
February 16, 1996
YES in Concert
Jon Anderson * Steve Howe * Chris Squire * Rick Wakeman * Alan White
Two special performances to be recorded and filmed March 5 & 6, 1996 - 8 PM
San Luis Obispo, CA
Reserved seating: $50 (limit 2 per person)
Jon Anderson, the lead singer of Yes, decided to make this city his home after he saw a cop car giving a stalled Volkswagen bus a push-start downtown.
“That was it, really,” Anderson said. “Everybody just seems naturally friendly.”
The 51-year old rock music veteran and his wife, Jane, moved to San Luis Obispo last August. His daughter from a previous marriage attends a local high school.
The band’s other members are scattered around the globe, as far away as the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea and as close as Los Angeles.
“I’ve traveled all the world, and you come here for a while and you say, ‘This is a great town,’” he said.
The couple was checking out the Fremont Theatre Thursday, trying to figure out how many rows of seats to take out to make way for the stage at the band’s upcoming concerts.
The amiable pair agreed to an unplanned interview, talking openly about their love for each other, San Luis Obispo, and their plans to put the city on the map musically.
In the hushed light of the Fremont, the casual but well-dressed couple looked more like the owners of the art-deco theater than a rock star and his wife.
Well, except for his long blond bi-level tresses and high-top tennis shoes.
Jon Anderson wore a long black trench coat and black pants with his tennies. He held a wood-handled umbrella in a manner that gave him an elegant air.
Jane Anderson wore her hair swept up in a twist with ringlets framing her face. Her jeans, blazer, peach V-neck sweater and filmy leopard-print scarf came together tastefully.
Jane Anderson said she started coming to San Luis Obisipo 12 years ago to visit her sister, whose husband is a Cal Poly professor. “We love it. It’s so great here,” she said.
Jon Anderson said the area offers a wealth of good music, from Irish pub bands and African music to the San Luis Obispo Symphony. He said he is very excited about the opening of the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly.
“We’ve been living here, knowing there’s more to this place than meets the eye,” he added.
San Luis Obispo also reminds Jon of Northern England, where he grew up. Especially when it rains like it has for the past few days.
Jane Anderson said they considered moving to England, to the South of France and to Kauai. But they picked San Luis Obispo because it offers a little bit of all of those places.
“The power of the mountains—that generates a lot of energy,” he added.
The term “New Age” appears to fit the couple.
When asked how they met, Jon Anderson said, “We used to know each other in Atlantis, so we decided to come together in this lifetime.”
Jane Anderson said that in this lifetime, they met through a mutual friend while she was in charge of selecting music for Hollywood director Ron Howard’s films.
Jon Anderson wanted to do musical scores for movies, and she was the person who hired the musicians.
“I fell in love right away,” Jon said. “I said, ‘I will marry that woman.’”
Asking her out didn’t advance his film-score career, however.”I never got a gig. I just got the girl,” Jon said.
[First part of this article is reporter interviewing people waiting in line at Boo Boo’s for tickets. Here’s the last part of the article:]
The band is actually in San Luis Obispo recording a new album, called Keys to Ascension, and the concerts at the Fremont will be used for live cuts.
Jon Anderson, the lead singer and a San Luis Obispo resident since August, said he is confident that the new album will be Yes at its best.
“I can honestly say these are master works that we are going to perform.”
The band is looking forward to holding a concert at a small venue such as the Fremont, he added.
“It’s a new adventure to play in a smaller venue,” Anderson said.
The album, and the concert, will feature songs from the ’70s and a number of new pieces, including an 18-minute song titled, That That Is.
Yes fans will be happy to know that another concert with the original members may be in the works. Anderson said the band is talking about doing an open-air concert maybe in the San Luis Bay Inn.
“We definitely want to do something in April,” he said.
The current band members are Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Steve Howe, keyboardist Rick Wakeman and drummer Alan White.
Yes formed in 1968 in the United Kingdom. Two of their best-known songs are Roundabout and Owner of a Lonely Heart. 
From Tami Freed (2/21): “Here’s some more bits for ya. The name of the YES album is Keys to Ascension (is that Jon, or what?) I’m not sure exactly when it’s coming out. Also, there will be a limited number of tickets available At Boo-Boo’s, a record shop in SLO. These tickets will go on sale on Friday morning, February 23, at 9:30 am PT. Tickets will be $50, with a $5.00 service charge per ticket. 
by Coleen Bondy
San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune
February 23, 1996
“I think the town’s virtually imploding,” Anderson said. “I think the Performing Arts Center is going to bring a lot of energy here.” 
by Coleen Bondy
SLO County Telegram-Tribune
February 23, 1996
“We mastered the craft of making Yes music,” he said Thursday during an interview at the Fremont Theatre.
From Tami Freed (2/27): “Here’s some very important information for all those going to the SLO shows. Yes Information Service, Yes Magazine and Notes From The Edge will be handing out the tickets to the shows on Tuesday, March 5th at The Coffee Merchant (1009 Monterey Street) between 2:00pm - 4:00pm only. Please make sure you are there during that time!! To try and keep things fair, the three fanclubs will be combining all the tickets and drawing them from a container. From my understanding, all the allotted tickets are very decent!"
The Opio Foundation sales table in the lobby of the Fremont Theatre
From Alison Karner (2/27): “Hey All! To everyone that’s going to the shows..I can’t wait to meet those of you that I haven’t met in person and see those of you again that I have seen in the past. This is going to be a fantastic weekend! My friend Sue Morris and I are in charge of the Opio booth; we’ll be set up somewhere near the foyer, I think. Please stop by our booth; we’ll be selling things and have lots of info on Opio. Those that aren’t subscribers yet can sign up there.”
