Yes are hitting the road this summer with a prog rock superstar-bill featuring John Lodge of the Moody Blues, Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy with guest vocalist Arthur Brown and Asia. They’re calling it the Royal Affair Tour. “Yes is delighted to headline this celebration of British music,” Yes guitarist Steve Howe said in a statement, “which has been so warmly received in America over the past five decades.”
The Yes saga has gotten a bit complicated since former members Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman put their own Yes on the road in 2016. That project, however, is on indefinite hiatus and this is the Steve Howe incarnation of Yes with Geoff Downes on keyboards, Billy Sherwood on bass, Jon Davison on lead vocals and Alan White and Jay Schellen on drums. According to the press release, their set will “honor the memory of Yes members Chris Squire and Tony Banks.”
Asia has been fronted by Billy Sherwood since the death of singer John Wetton in 2017. On this tour former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal will take the place of guitarist Sam Coulson. Founding member Steve Howe left the group in 2013, but he will be playing with them for at least some of their set on this tour. And since Asia keyboardist Geoff Downes is also in Yes, that means that half the current Yes lineup will be pulling double duty in Asia.
Asia drummer Carl Palmer is the sole surviving member of the Seventies prog supergroup Emerson, Lake and Palmer. His group Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy plays the band’s music. They will be joined on this tour by Arthur Brown, best remembered as the frontman of the Sixties psychedelic rock band The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.
John Lodge has been a key member of the Moody Blues since 1966, but the group has been on a break this year and he’s been touring solo. His set is heavy on Moody Blues classics like “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)” and “Ride My See-Saw,” but he doesn’t play their classic “Nights In White Satin” since that features his bandmate Justin Hayward on lead vocals.
Yes drummer Alan White has only been able to play during a small portion of the band’s set in recent years due to back problems. But he’s missed very few shows, and on this tour he’ll also be paying tribute to John Lennon. He played drums for Lennon on Imagine and the Live Peace in Toronto 1969 concert.
Former Yes lead singer Jon Anderson is on a solo tour in support of his new LP 1,000 Hands, but he recently told Rolling Stone that he hopes the band will reunite at some point soon. “I’m very open to it,” he said. “It’s been 50 years now. You think something has got to happen. To me, a great album has to be made. That’s what I think. I don’t know how it’s going to be made, but the final Yes event should happen. I’ve talked to a couple of people about it and they get it. I really want to do this.”
Yes Tour Dates
June 12th – Bethlehem, PA @ Bethlehem Event Center
June 14th – Farmingdale, NY Long Island @ Community Hospital Amphitheater
June 15th – Atlantic City, NJ @ Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
June 16th – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
June 20th – Westchester, NY @ Westchester County Center
June 21st – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
June 22nd – Baltimore, MD @ MECU Pavillion
June 24th – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
June 25th – Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Amphitheater
June 27th – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
June 29th – Gilford, NH @ Bank of NH Pavilion
June 30th – Providence, RI @ Bold Point Park
July 3rd – Rochester Hills, MI @ Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
July 5th – Columbus, OH @ Express Live
July 6th – Aurora, IL @ RiverEdge Park
July 8th – Nashville, TN @ Grand Ole Opry House
July 10th – Cary, NC @ Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park
July 12th – Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
July 13th – Hollywood, FL @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
July 18th – St Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre
July 20th – Irving, TX @ Toyota Music Factory
July 21st – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
July 24th – Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre
July 26th – Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino)
July 27th – Irvine, CA @ FivePoints Amphitheatre
July 28th – Saratoga, CA @ The Mountain Winery