Rating: Summary: Yeah the music is great but . . . . wow what a bonus!!!! Review: I have to say I enjoyed the heck out of this DVD and I agree with most of the reviews. I hate that I missed this tour. Actually, I don't believe they brought it down to Houston, or if they did I must have been dead at the time, but I got better. The main thing I've got to say about this DVD is . . . Wow! There are some really cute women in the orchestra!!!! I mean about the only time we see Steve Howe really smile is when they come out and dance during "Roundabout." Must admit, that put a smile on my face as well!!!! YES is so awesome, I hope like heck that they take care of themselves so that they will be with us for a long, long, long time. Enjoy.
Rating: Summary: Chris Squire on Overdrive!!! Review: This is a review of the concert portion of the DVD. I haven't watched the second disc and probably wont, BUT it is truly a BONUS dic, i.e., we're not really charged for it so...Why would YES even tour with orchestra? I don't think they need it because of the talent of the band. Also I didn't think YES could pull off a world tour with different orchestras at each stop - their music being some long and complicated. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant got it right when they teamed up with folks to take with them. Might have been a little expensive, but the performances were much tighter. I was mainly looking forward to "Gates of Delerium" And "Ritual" because they're great songs and "Gates" is one of my favorites, only being on a few "live" recordings as well as the Japenese release of the bootleg vid from Queens Park Ranger. Anything else would be "gravy" so to speak. So, a bit apprehensive, we play the DVD... Wow, gravy galore! Band and orchestra are in sync. Some of the songs are re "arranged" and the show is a success! Chris Squires bass playing in the highlight of the show! (I won't comment on his clothes!) Granted, Chris is a lead bass player like Geddy Lee and Jack Bruce, but he's on FIRE here! A few bass solos were greatly appreciated by me. "Gates" is superb! Unreal! Awesome! Ritual was extended by a percussion interlude and sounded great! Both songs were given new live and added enthusiasm, much obliged! (and there was this really cute bird playing cymbols and tympani). The lowlight was the PPP that went into placing the dual layer stop frame right in the crescendo of "Starship Trooper". After Steve's solo stuff would have been fine. Was Jon acting like he was on ecstacy (love, love, love? Of course, but we all have our quirks!) Did Steve want ot play on a Trevor Rabin tune, "Changes"? Nosireebob! (but Chris and Tom Brislin sort of kick him in the... , musically speaking!) Tom Brislin, who played keys for the band, played marvelous for his first tour with the band. Kudos Tom! Overall great disc, great performance, great experience! The is a close as you can get to a "Holy Grail", i.e., great show, great sound, great mix, great picture! In fact for YES fans, it IS!
Rating: Summary: YES, This DVD is Absolutely Superb! Review: I'll keep this brief - Great sound quality, great multi-camera shots, incredible musicianship, wonderful orchestration! I loved it! I would challange anyone not familiar with YES or only vaguely so to sit and watch this without becoming a fan. That would be impossible unless you were deaf. For a fan, this is far superior to any other filmed recording YES has made and is a must have. I really enjoyed the longer pieces (Close to the Edge, The Gates of Delerium, Ritual) and I thought the new songs (Magnification, Don't Go, In the Presence Of) were well done. The drum section in Ritual was FANTASTIC! I suppose if I could change anything about it, with this line-up I would have left Owner of a Lonely Heart off the song list, but you must figure that it was such a successful and recognizable piece in the 80's they have to play it now. And besides, Howe's solo at the end of it was well done. I would have also liked to see Awaken in this symphonic format, but it was well done on the House of YES video. Buy this DVD! You won't regret it!
Rating: Summary: The best Yes dvd since yessongs Review: -The mix is incredibly clear and balanced. -The song selection is 90% ok. -Squire's bass sounds perfectly, unlike the 'cold' sound in house of blues dvd. - Tom brislin, tje keyboard player is an excelent musician. - Jon anderson interferes the music with his unfortunate keyboard, percussive and guitar interventions. This is the dvd only flaw. - Stve howe need some vitamins or a few beers before the concert to loosen a bit. Remember yessongs steve? - The orchestra melts in powerful and cear. - congratulations for this gift to us YES fans. - We want a dvd from the 2002 tour with wakeman and a different, creative songlist.
Rating: Summary: YES! This DVD in Top 10! Prog rock is dead? Review: I've seen Symphonic Tour in Boston, MA. It was awesome! They are still in a great shape and still play even such a complicated peaces like "Gates Of Delirium" and "Close To The Edge" with a real fire! Must for every good music funs, not only prog heads! Look, this DVD in Top 10 musical DVD in Amazon; in DVD's Top 10 (all DVDs! including Harry Potter, etc.) in Newberry Comics ( New England CD/DVD stores chain). Great success! Who said progressive rock is dead?...
Rating: Summary: Just like the concert! Review: I have only seen Yes once, in the summer of 2001. This DVD is an excellant representation of what I saw-almost the exact setlist and of course the orchestra brings out all the 'magic' of this music. The only problem is the 'glitch' where it changes layers-this has been written of all over the internet by now. Other than that...Perfect introduction to the band for first timers, or great for longtime fans too!
Rating: Summary: ABURRIDO Review: Definitivamente yo esperaba con mucha ansiedad este nuevo DVD de Yes, pero resulto ser una decepción; no entiendo como un grupo de la calidad de Yes pueda lanzar videos donde siempre tocan las mismas y las mismas canciones, y cuando se deciden a tocar canciones pocas veces vistas o escuchadas incluyen piezas extremadamente aburridas. Considero que Magnification es un álbum excelente pero incluyeron en este DVD las canciones menos apropiadas, el sonido es bueno pero no de gran increíble calidad como otros dicen, la orquesta casi no se escucha, los arreglos orquestales son mínimos, el teclado y el bajo casi no se entienden; no comprendo tampoco como Chris Squire, un gran músico, pueda tocar con una gran virtuosidad y con muy buenos arreglos e ideas las canciones, pero al llegar el momento de el mismo para hacerse resaltar haciendo un solo de bajo pueda interpretar algo tan POBRE Y SIN ESTILO, que cualquiera con un mes de lecciones de bajo pueda tocar, no entiendo!!; (¿porque no incluye sus ideas del bajo en las canciones para hacer su solo?); también se ve la falta de seriedad en el concierto al incluir músicos jóvenes (esto no quiere decir que no sean buenos músicos). Steve Howe luce increíblemente aburrido, como que no quisiera haber estado allí. La parte de video si es muy buena y profesional. Sigo sin entender como Yes teniendo una gran cantidad de discos y canciones solo se decidan por tocar siempre las mismas, comprendo que son clásicos, pero Yes no necesita de tocar siempre lo mismo ya que no es un grupo comercial que solo es conocido por las mismas canciones. En definitiva, un DVD que no era lo que yo esperaba, es un concierto aburrido, con un sonido pobre para ser DTS, con las mismas canciones que otros DVD's....SIMPLEMENTE DECEPCIONANTE.
Rating: Summary: Superb production and performance Review: This is the Yes dvd to buy, with "Yessongs". The orchestra works really well with the group, the choice of songs is the best since the mid-70's and the sound/video quality is top notch. It's a shame Tom Brislin, who was hired to play keyboards for the tour, will not be part of the next Yes album and tour because he was the best keyboard player they've had since Geoff Downes in 1980 (Yep, he's better than Wakeman right now). I watched this dvd twice already and I'm really impressed. I saw the tour last summer and this set recreates the magic of that show. If you like Yes, don't miss out on that one.
Rating: Summary: TRULY "Classic" Yes Review: An absolutely gorgeous (sonically and visually) show by a band that can still blaze through the most powerful of epics, even thirty years after they wrote them! The mix between orchestra and band is crisp and balanced, Tom Brislin provides the PERFECT keyboard work for all of the songs (even some 'imitation' guitar work where Steve Howe probably wouldn't do too well with it), and, despite having played them more times than they could possibly count, Yes performs the best-ever versions of "Starship Trooper" and "And You And I" here, rising to the occasion for the camera (and trust me, I've HEARD these songs many times, in many different versions, and these two takes outdo them all)! 'House of Blues' was good, but this is better by a pretty long shot. Essential for the big Yes fans out there, and recommended even to those who are new to the band!
Rating: Summary: A Symphony of Sound Review: As a true Yes fan, this DVD is a musical experience that just cannot be missed. Are our maestros flawless? No. But then, we have come to understand that Yes pioneered the epic musical formula that married classical with rock music. It is their writing ability that sets them apart from any other rock group. To take a simple melody, such as the one that comes from their signature piece 'Close To The Edge' and develop several movements is nothing less than pure musical genius. The production, camera work and sound quality is superb indeed. And the orchestra enhanced the music to a new and refreshing level of listening pleasure. The songs that most benefited from the orchestral arrangements are 'Close To The Edge', 'Ritual', 'Gates of Delerium', and 'And You and I'. These works are treasures that have been preserved for us fans for all time. Yea!! The "Magnification' material is fine, but it's obvious to any Yes fan that this material falls short of the early Yes greats anyway. The orchestra was transparent in 'I've Seen All Good People' but added a nice touch in 'Starship Trooper' and 'Long Distance Runaround'. Alan's percussion performance is simply awesome as so is his exhuberant performance. Steve's performance was great. But we all, have seen him dumb down his guitar licks through the years. Chris's enthusiasm always adds to the frontmen the most aggresive playing while always giving us what we want, that stylish ricky sound. Their vocal performance was excellent and if we want to be totally honest, Tom on keys did a fantastic job. Sure we would of loved to have seen Rick there, but close your eyes and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. 'Ritual' is a songwriting accomplishment that worked best with the orchestra. The lyric and progressive melody are simply beautiful when backdroped against the warm colors of the symphony and then transitioning to an all out percussive fest. All in all, the entire concert is a splendid blending of orchestral rock themes that make this perhaps one of Yes' greatest concerts on video to date.
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