Yes and Dream Theater rock Universal with their intense grooves

By Austin Lewis
Daily Forty-Niner
Staff writer

Progressive rock fans young and old gathered at the Universal Amphitheatre on Sunday for a night of music from Yes and Dream Theater. The two bands play a similar style of music even though they gained popularity in different eras.

Yes formed in the late 1960s and is most famous for their albums "Fragile" and "Close To The Edge," both released in 1972. Dream Theater, who lists Yes among their many musical influences, came onto the scene some 20 years later and became popular after releasing "Images And Words" in 1992. While the music of both bands is alike in many respects — their songs have complicated time signatures, extended solo sections, and complex layers of instrumentation — each band still has a distinct sound.

Dream Theater took the stage a few minutes before the concert's official start time. While it was nice to attend a concert that was actually running ahead of schedule, it was also somewhat disappointing to see the band start playing before many audience members were even in their seats. Most people didn't make it inside the venue until about the time the band finished its second song. Nevertheless, the band played an energetic set from start to finish.

One of the early crowd favorites was the song "Learning To Live." Lead vocalist James LaBrie was in fine form, hitting all of the song's high notes with ease. The solos by guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess were outstanding.

The high point of Dream Theater's set was "Stream Of Consciousness," an instrumental from the band's 2003 album, "Train Of Thought." Drummer Mike Portnoy and bassist John Myung provided a solid backing for more heavy guitar riffs and solos from Petrucci.

LaBrie and Petrucci worked up the crowd throughout the remainder of the show. The band fed off of the crowd's energy and finished their heavy, 65-minute set with a high level of intensity.

During the 45-minute intermission before Yes took the stage, large inflatable props were set up, transforming the stage into a landscape designed by Roger Dean, an artist who has illustrated many of the band's album covers in the past.

It was obvious from the beginning that Yes lacked the stage presence of Dream Theater. However, Yes' music was much more dynamic. "Your Move / I've Seen All Good People," a song that starts off as a slow acoustic ballad and ends as an electric rocker, received some of the loudest cheers of the night.

A cover of Paul Simon's "America" was next. Guitarist Steve Howe played a solo that, while it wasn't on the same level as a guitar solo from Dream Theater's Petrucci, fit the song perfectly. Later, during "South Side Of The Sky," Howe traded solos with keyboardist Rick Wakeman. Drummer Alan White and bassist Chris Squire provided the backing necessary for Howe and Wakeman to take the song to the next level with each solo.

Towards the end of the show Yes performed acoustic versions of some of their most famous songs. The acoustic arrangements breathed new life into songs such as "Long Distance Runaround," "Roundabout," and "Owner Of A Lonely Heart." Lead vocalist Jon Anderson also took a few minutes to speak to the audience about writing and recording each of these songs.

Yes ended the night with "Awaken" and "Starship Trooper," two of the band's most popular epic songs. "Starship Trooper" gradually built momentum as each member of the band played a solo. As the song reached its climax, the solos came together to form different layers of a larger musical expression. It was the perfect ending to the evening, as the climax of the song combined different musical ideas, just as this concert as a whole combined two bands' unique approaches to progressive rock.