Peter Frampton & Yes at the Beau Rivage, Biloxi MS - A Review

I must say I’ve don’t think I’ve ever experienced both pleasure and disappointment at a concert to the extent I did last night attending the
Peter Frampton/Yes concert at the Beau Rivage, Biloxi MS.

It started when I arrived at the Beau Rivage to pick up my ticket and Meet and Greet pass and my name was not on the access list. I had
spent $350 on the Meet and Greet package and was very upset they did not have my name. I spent close to 2 hours straightening this out
and finally got satisfaction…or so I thought.

I had purchased the Meet and Greet package from the Beau Rivage/Ticketmaster website assuming the Meet and Greet would include
both acts. I was wrong. The Meet and Greet was for Yes only. That was a little disappointing but I could live with it since I’ve been a huge
Yes fan since I first heard “Your Move” on the radio in the year *mumbles unintelligibly*.

The show started with Peter Frampton playing an old Humble Pie tune and we were off. It was great. Peter rocked, got mellow, played his
classics and songs from his new album, “Thank You, Mr. Churchill.” The band was tight, Peter was obviously having fun and it infected the
whole crowd. He left the crowd with a good feeling. I was feeling so good about the whole thing that during intermission I purchased a
signed copy of Frampton’s new CD even though I already had it. I had brought it with me to get him to sign it at the Meet and Greet that
he wasn’t a part of but I didn’t know it when I bought the tickets. Are you starting to feel a little bit of my frustration?

Anyway, intermission was over and Yes started. Now, I’ve seen Yes 3 times before and it was always in impeccable show. Great sound
quality, the musicianship was beyond compare and the complete experience was a highlight in my life. Last night was not so much. The
first song sounded a little rough and not because of the fact that Benoit David, the new lead singer was there. He did an admirable job
stepping into Jon Anderson’s place. I was impressed. No, the band just didn’t sound that tight like I had heard before. In fact the beginning
of Yes’ set sounded a lot like a tribute band that had not had enough practice. I couldn’t believe it but they got totally lost in “Yours Is No
Mistake.” If it wasn’t for Steve Howe improvising while the rest of the band got their bearings it would have been a disaster. Several times
during the set Chris Squire had to cue the band back to where they should have been in a song. “Heart of the Sunrise” also suffered from
band members getting lost. Not good. They managed to pull it together by the end of the night and I have to admit the “Close to the Edge”
was as good as I had ever heard it.

On a side note, Oliver Wakeman did an admirable job as keyboard player. His father Rick Wakeman sets a high standard for Yes keyboards
that Oliver meets splendidly.

Ok, the show is over and it’s time for the Meet and Greet. We waited a long time after the show for access but it was all going to be worth
it, right? Finally Tiffany the…oh, tour guide if you will, showed up and gave us instructions for the Meet and Greet. Follow the “guide” make
sure you don’t shake hands with Steve Howe and Oliver Wakeman because these “artists” make a living with their hands and don’t want to
risk a fan breaking their hand by shaking it. (After actually talking a few moments with Oliver I didn’t get the impression that he would mind
shaking hands. I may be wrong though.) Instructions over, we’re going to MEET THE BAND! Right.

This Meet and Greet consisted of being ushered into the middle of the band to have your picture taken with them, then herded past them
sitting at a table while they signed their picture and anything else you brought to have them sign. After that you were herded back out again.
 

Ok, that’s the Meet, where’s the Greet? There was none! The last Meet and Greet I attended the artists mingled with their fans and actually
talked to them. None of this with Yes. Picture, signature and out. Fini. We had been assured by Tiffany that the band loved this part and
loved meeting the fans. I and others got the impression from some of the band (seasoned members) that they would rather be doing
anything else than be there with us.

Sorry, but I’m more than a little pissed. I paid $350 for this????

Yes is not getting any more of my money. No more CDs, no more DVDs, no more iTunes downloads and certainly not any more concerts.