Jon Anderson to Appear (Without Yes) At Seneca Casino's Bear's Den
By Frank Parlato
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Singer/songwriter Jon Anderson, former lead singer of the rock band, Yes, will be performing solo at The Bear's Den in the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls on Friday, April 11, at 8 p.m.
"The show promises to deliver an exciting mixture of material from Jon Anderson's prolific solo career, collaborations with Vangelis and classic Yes songs, along with new compositions. [It will be] highlighted by humorous and enlightening stories told by Jon," said his publicist, Billy James of Asheville, N. C.
"Performing the classic Yes songs I wrote for the band and Vangelis work is always fun and rewarding," Anderson told the Niagara Falls Reporter. "I'll be doing some new song ideas, plus a classic Beatles song, plus a couple of surprises."
The Bear's Den is a 440-seat theater which boasts an intimate setting where no seat is more than 40 feet from the stage.
In March 1968, Anderson, Squire, Bruford and guitarist Peter Banks formed Yes. Their debut album was released in 1969. Anderson stayed with the group until a dispute in 1979. He rejoined a reformed Yes in 1983 and was with the group on and off until 2008. He last performed with Yes in 2004, as a tour planned for summer 2008 with Anderson was canceled when he suffered acute respiratory failure. The tour was subsequently held without Anderson who was replaced by Anderson impersonator and lookalike Benoit David.
While Anderson sought to reunite with the old members who apparently control the rights to the Yes name, according to a music industry insider familiar with the internal dispute between the original Yes members, they have not invited him back, preferring instead to 'fool audiences' with Anderson lookalikes.
At "Yes" concerts, bassist Chris Squire and guitarist Steve Howe, appear alongside motley, youthful Jon Anderson impersonators, who mimic Anderson's voice while singing his compositions.
The latest faux Anderson is a young man who not only looks and sounds like Anderson but even has a name that sounds similar:
He is Jon Davison.
Look at the picture of the present Yes band and see if you can spot which one is Davison.
At a recent co-called "Yes" concert at Lewiston's Art Park, thousands showed up to see what they thought was the real Yes (i.e Jon Anderson). Instead they found a band without Anderson a disappointment. One after one, fans expressed disappointment that the original lead singer and creative genius behind the band was absent and in his place was a young man who mimicked the sound and appearance of Yes.
While one after another complained, one person shut them up with this remark, "What do you expect at a free concert anyway? If Jon Anderson was performing with Yes, you would have to pay for tickets instead of being here with you six pack."
It is a matter of fact that a group calling itself Yes without Jon Anderson relegates this rogue Yes to third rate venues, free outdoor events, and side shows instead of paying audiences in sold out halls if Anderson was headlining the act.
"If they don't want (and need) Jon Anderson, why do they keep hiring Jon Anderson impersonators?" One music insider asked. "If they don't need Anderson, why don't they get a lead singer who sings in his own right and his own style?"
Jon Anderson not only sang the distinctive lead vocals on Yes' most famous songs, he also wrote or co wrote "Yesterday and Today," "Yours Is No Disgrace," "I've Seen All Good People," "Your Move," "Perpetual Change," "Time and a Word," "Roundabout," "Long Distance Runaround," "And You and I," "Siberian Khatru," "Don't Kill the Whale," "Madrigal," and many others.
Tickets for the Anderson concert at the Bear's Den are $45 and $55.