PROG-ROCK RULES, OK?
Prog-rock supergroups Yesand Kansas will hit the road with their Masterworks Tour, a semi-psychedelic blitzkrieg throughout the summer that will be highlighted by three-hour versions of "Roundabout" and "Dust In The Wind" and a nightly reading of an excerpt from "Lord of the Rings" by Yes lead singer Jon Anderson.
"Our audience has been asking for it," said Anderson, "and now, they're gonna get it." The current Yes line-up includes Bill Bruford, Tony Kaye, Peter Banks, Patrick Moraz and Trevor Rabin. The set will include highlights from their rock opera in progress, "Festival of Dreams," written for Sherman Hemsley of "The Jeffersons." How's that for high concept?
Kansas will open, with ex-band members and born-again Muslims Dave Hope and Kevin Livgren backed up by 35 synth-playing lepers from the island of Molokai. The set will feature a special performance of "Carry On My Wayward Son" by the Boston Pops Orchestra with a kooky new arrangement by Frank Sinatra Jr. for guest vocalist "Pottsie" from "Happy Days," Anson Williams. Has the angel dust kicked in yet?
A star-studded version of "Long Distance Runaround" will be sung by the Second Banana Orchestra, led by John Oates, Andrew Ridgeley, Cindy Birdsong and Art Garfunkel. In the finale, Yes' Anderson will face off against fellow falsettos Robert Plant and Frankie Valli in a contest to be judged by Ella Fitzgerald with a glass of wine and a Memorex tape, with the winner getting an exclusive contract with MP3.com. There will be guaranteed guest holographic appearances by Supertramp, Fat Mattress, Grand Funk Railroad, Yanni and the bass player from Uriah Heep. Yes cover bands Affirmation and Possibility will also be on hand along with Yes punk tribute groups Not A Chance and Snowball in Hell.
The tour kicks off in Reno on June 6 with the Lord's Prayer recited live by honorary "Yesgirl" Monica Lewinsky, rips through 28 cities, and then ends August 1 in West Palm Beach with an all-instrumental show of Rod McKuen poetry performed for the deaf in sign language by Mary Wilson and Danny Bonaduce.
Yes and Kansas: not just remaking musical history, but discovering a cure for the common cold.
