Sunday 26 April 2015

Notes: Steve Howe, 19 April 2015

As part of a UK tour to support the release of Anthology, Steve Howe played a solo show on 19 April 2015 at the Jazz Cafe, Camden Town, London. The highlight for me was the medley of the 4 Yes songs using Portuguese guitar.

Set:
"In the Course of the Day"
"Trambone"
"Sweet Thunder"/"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" (to represent the Steve Howe Trio)
"Diary of a Man Who Vanished"
"To be Over" (Howe introduced the piece explaining he wanted Yes to play it and "Sound Chaser" but the rest of the band won't)
"Pleasure Stole the Night", with vocals
"Corkscrew"
unidentified
"The Little Galliard"
"Classical Gas"
Half of "5% for Nothing" (Howe talked of the difficult the band had rehearsing Fragile for their recent US tour, saying it took longer than they thought to get all the "moods and the swings")
"Mood for a Day"

intermission

"Hint Hint" (for daughter Steph, who was in the audience)
"Ram"
"Look Over Your Shoulder", with vocals
"Provence"
"Valley of the Rocks"
"Solitaire" (Howe described how Yes doing new albums has been "quite controversial." He talked of a "bit of a mad rush" doing Heaven & Earth, but that Fly from Here was "more appropriate". He also expressed some surprise that Horn had wanted to expand "Fly from Here" into a suite.)
"Second Initial"
"Sketches in the Sun"
"Cactus Boogie" (switching to electric guitar, Howe talked of his first gig at age 14 in 1962 at a venue on Holloway Road, London with a makeshift band)
"Georgia's Theme Pt 2"
"Dorothy"
"Intersection Blues"
Yes medley: "Hour of Need/9 Voices/Wonderous Stories/Your Move", with vocals (on Portuguese guitar)

encore:
"Clap" (Howe explained how the piece didn't have a title, so Bruford asked him what he was hoping for when people heard the tune)