Yes in Belfast

I'm still scratching my head a bit and wondering why I went along to this show - at £33 a ticket, it's hardly the kind of gig you go to on a whim.

I remember buying a live Yes double album once, from Smith's Records in Coleraine. I think I bought it because they were recommended to me by someone at school who I was trying to impress. I listened to it once and traded it for a second hand copy of 10cc's Deceptive Bends, I think... The end result is that I sat in the Waterfront last night without a CLUE as to whether they were playing any of the material well or not. It brought back the same feeling of confusion I had when I listened to the live album... Er, is it supposed to sound like this? Are they doing it well?

I sat all night waiting for Wondrous Stories, which was the standout track from the old live double. And they didn't play it. I recognised Owner of a Lonely Heart, but then even my mum would probably have recognised Owner of a Lonely Heart.

The sound was very muddy - but that might have been thanks to the occasional vagaries of the Waterfront Hall acoustics. There were times when Alan White rattled off a long fill across his toms and the two in the middle seemed to be inaudible. The bass drum was nowhere to be found. It hadn't shown up by the end of the gig, either.

There were wonderful moments, mainly centred on the startling harmony vocals, with Benoit David sounding UNCANNILY like Jon Anderson. But it ranged from being incredibly tight to alarmingly loose, sometimes within the same song. One for the faithful, I think. Let's just say I haven't gone rushing to Amazon today to pick up the back catalogue.