On Friday evening I shook off my introverted-ness enough to head out to Westbury, NY to see Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks perform a selection of (mostly) Yes classics, with a few choice cuts from their stellar 2024 album True sprinkled throughout the band’s two sets. Armed with nothing but a crappy camera phone I got to see a legend sing and wave his tambourine around like it was still the md-70s, despite the man himself being in his 80s. It was wonderful, and to memorialize it I wanted to throw a few words up here.

I have no idea who Whitechapel Ghost Video is, but apparently they had better seats than me so I can (for now) include video from the actual show. No opening band – and for some crazy reason no merch or I would have definitely grabbed a shirt -but that left nothing but the band to come lay it down with no fuss, which they absolutely did. The Westbury Music Fair is a fine venue, kind of a “circle in the round” setup with a small section closed off to allow ticket holders a better view of the band. In keeping with the fact at at 51 I was one of the youngest people there the show started promptly with the band jumping right into the tick of it with “Close To The Edge”. I’m one of those nerds who don’t think Close The The Edge is Yes’s best album, preferring both The Yes Album and Fragile to it, but it was still pretty incredible to hear the band pull it off perfectly, and Anderson’s voice was fantastic throughout.

The new stuff went over just as well, with the band pulling out “True Messenger”, “Counties and Countries” and a killer version of “Once Upon a Dream”. I might have been one of the few folks really stoked to hear those cuts; most everyone else was really just stoked to hear the 7os classics they grew up with. The whole place was bowled over by “Awaken” from Going For The One, probably the most obscure track from the Yes songs played.

And I get it, now having seen the show. I didn’t grow up as a massive Yes fan, but I knew the songs from radio, and from the old copy of Classic Yes my dad kept in his car. They weren’t a beloved band; until the last decade they were a band I was fine to sing along to on the hits without digging any deeper. But I had a visceral reaction to the band performing “Perpetual Change” and “I’ve Seen All Good People”, feeling those melodies punch right through me and bring me back to being a kid.

Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks made everyone feel like a kid that night. Even the band: led by bassist/backup vocalist Richie Castellano they looked like they had a blast on stage, giving the songs just enough bounce and rhythm to not feel like static cover songs and really bringing some life to them. I felt at home with everyone there, free to shuffle and sing in my seat like a fellow geek and leave satisfied.

Setlist

• Chose To The Edge
• Perpetual Change
• Counties and Countries
• And You And I
• True Messenger
• Owner Of A Lonely Heart
• Awaken
• I’ve Seen All Good People
• Once Upon A Daydream
• Startship Trooper
• Roundabout