A Review of Yes at Musikfest 2009 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

I cocked my head to the side and listened. We were standing in the grass and I could feel my head throbbing with sound. We were far from the stage and the band looked like ants, their features magnetized by the large screens on either side of the strobe lights. The sound was reverberating and echoing off eighteen-wheelers that were parked at the back of the lawn. To the left was a canal and to the right was the river.

I tried to pretend that I was in a different time, because I was seeing a band play that was from a different time. The British progressive rock group Yes emerged in 1968.

The lead singer has a charismatic pull, an emotional control over the audience. I have heard of entire crowds of people weeping uncontrollably at Yes concerts, suddenly overwhelmed with emotions they couldn't explain. Most impressive of all is Steve Howe, a guitarist who doesn't seem comfortable on stage unless he's trying to play several instruments at once. His acoustic guitar solo created melodic sounds that enthralled the audience, including me. It is absolutely amazing to see Steve Howe on stage. He was born in 1947 and can rock and roll better than anyone my own age. He switched between at least four instruments that night and jumped around as though he were twenty-some years old.

Although the venue was not exactly optimal and we were far from the stage, simply being able to listen to the music was well worth the drive. I have never felt like I belonged in this time. With political, social and eccentric views and ways of behavior, I often feel as though I'm a part of a far-gone counterculture. Under the orange moon, being a part of a beautiful form of self-expression, I felt at peace.

Their albums include The Yes Album, Time and a Word, Fragile, Close to the Edge and The Ladder. Some of the songs they played at the Musikfest 2009 show (the last of the current tour) included "Siberian Khatru," "And You and I," "Heart of the Sunrise," "I've Seen All Good People" and "Long Distance Runaround."