Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks – Live: Perpetual Change

Anyone who regularly watches YouTube and is interested in Yes will no doubt have noticed the various videos of Jon Anderson in collaboration with the Band Geeks. Crystal clear versions of the beloved epic/iconic songs by the legendary singer and a band of dedicated, extremely talented American musicians. I certainly could not hide my enthusiasm. Even after the excellent performance by the old master with the youngsters of the Paul Green Rock Academy, I had the feeling that the Band Geeks would be a much better and suitable backing band for Anderson. And so it happened. It eventually even led to one of the best 2024 studio albums in the form of True, unanimously praised by both press and public.

But Jon would not be Jon if he, supported by label Frontiers Records, did not promote one of the performances from the series of concerts in the United States to CD/DVD status under the apt title Live – Perpetual Change. They chose in favour of the show at the Arcada Theater in St. Charles, Illinois on 12 May 2023, an hour’s drive from Chicago, during the ‘Yes Epics and Classics’ summer tour that year. And this said theatre is a little gem. The venue, dating from 1926, was completely restored in 2022 and returned to its former glory, including a pipe organ and with 1,000 seats it’s a good setting for the performance. Hallucinating computer graphics serve as a visual framework.

Most striking is the voice of the maestro. It is still as crystal clear as in his best period. It’s almost unbelievable to hear that ‘Golden Voice’ at work – passionate, with depth and emotion and a fabulous range, even at the respectable age of 78 at the time. Just listen to his top renditions of Awaken, And You And I and my personal favourite The Gates of Delirium. But he’s not the only one who delivers an unparalleled performance. All Geeks play at the top of their game, easily standing comparisons with the original. Even for Yes fanatics, among whom I also count myself.

A great track-list with ten songs, eight of which appeared on the live album Yessongs from 1973, plus The Gates Of Delirium (Relayer, 1974) and Awaken (Going For The One, 1977). Perpetual Change will be released in various formats: Double CD, Triple Vinyl and DVD, and is in my humble opinion a must for every true Yes fan.

We see and hear a band in full flow: a fanatically and focussed bassist Richie Castellano, the smooth and seemingly effortless guitarist Andy Graziano, two keyboardists, Christopher Clark and Robert Kipp, an indication of how difficult it is to replace Rick Wakeman (and Patrick Moraz) live, and a drummer who looks like Geoffrey Downes in the form of Andy Ascolese. And the big little man as an eye-catcher, with his positive and especially sympathetic appearance he has always had. He is clearly enjoying himself, his voice is absolutely top-notch, both in terms of pitch and power, the harmony singing with bassist Castellano is near perfect. The harmony vocals are excellent anyway, often four-part. Anderson wears a Yes t-shirt (Tales!), a trendy hoodie and a single glove, shows off his trademark hand movements while a bunch of cuddly toys decorates his microphone stand.

The video then. Many camera shots from fixed positions, relatively little variation, it seems a bit low-budget. No real close-ups, some of the dynamics are missing, I would have liked to see Jon’s expressive face up close. Only very occasionally there are some impressions of the audience, it gets a bit boring after a while. General impression: it could/should have been better for an artist of Anderson’s stature. The sound, on the other hand, is fine, with perfect renditions of Yours Is No Disgrace and Perpetual Change (full band on vocals!). Here and there some own interpretations, but usually the band is true to the original, The Geeks are a top band, no discussion, this must have taken many hours of practice. Clearly noticeable to the enthusiastic audience at the Aracade Theater in St. Charles.

The enchanting sounds of Awaken with the famous piano introduction producing goose bumps. One of the best songs of all time by Yes gets a fantastic performance, especially the guitars and keyboards (Kipp) excel. But Mr. Anderson’s vocal performance is otherworldly, his age doesn’t show at all and certainly cannot be heard either. It is as if it were 1977 again and Yes were on tour promoting Going For The One. There was also a guest musician this evening: just like during the shows with the Paul Green Rock Academy, guitarist Rob Schmoll appeared on stage to play the (acoustic) intro to And You And I and Your Move, the latter on Portuguese guitar, just like Steve Howe did in the early years.

And then The Gates of Delirium has yet to come. A flawless version of this complex number from Relayer follows with leading roles for (slide) guitar, keys and Anderson’s vocals. After fifteen minutes of intense prog/jazz. A fantastic performance by the entire band, Jon is in ecstasy, and a standing ovation follows.

The obligatory encore Roundabout is somewhat superfluous in my opinion, but necessary within the framework. The track from Fragile (1971) is a cracking conclusion to a fine show by Anderson and Geeks. Let’s hope that these musicians also visit Europe during their tour in 2025, because this is possibly the best reincarnation of Yes since the band played their last performance with the classic line-up in 2004.

TRACK LISTING
CD 1
01. Yours Is No Disgrace (9:56)
02. Perpetual Change (9:31)
03. Close To The Edge (18:23)
04. Heart Of The Sunrise (11:43)
05. Starship Trooper (10:43)
06. Awaken (15:59)

Time – 78:15

CD 2
01. And You And I (10:11)
02. Your Move / I’ve Seen All Good People (6:48)
03. Gates Of Delirium (22:37)
04. Roundabout (8:42)

Time – 48:18

Total Time – 126:33

*DVD: Same running order

MUSICIANS
Jon Anderson – Lead Vocals, Harp, Acoustic Guitar
Andy Ascolese – Drums, Percussion, Keyboards, Background Vocals
Richie Castellano – Bass, Background Vocals
Christopher Clark – Keyboards, Background Vocals
Andy Graziano – Guitars, Background Vocals
Robert Kipp – Keyboards, Background Vocals

ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Frontiers Music Srl
Country of Origin: UK/USA
Date of Release: 14^th March 2025

DISCOGRAPHY
Live – Perpetual Change (2025)
True (2024)