This reviewer got it right

[JT]

"Then came the monumental momentum-buster that was "Fly From Here," a
ponderous, half-hour collection of fits and starts the band cobbled
around a song they played in the early '80s in their "Drama"
incarnation. "Fly From Here," the 6-minute song, is a worthy entry
from the "Drama"-era Yes songbook. "Fly From Here," the 30-minute
suite, is a crashing, interminable, bore, although it did seem to
provide a useful bathroom break for many a concert-goer.

Given its length, it's odd to see Yes apparently showing such
confidence in "Fly From Here" that it's being presented as the
centerpiece of their nine-piece set (including the obligatory
"Roundabout" encore). It's meant to show, I think, that the band still
are capable of producing their trademark, sprawling prog-rock epics;
but it's much more illustrative, considering that they had to go back
30 years to retrieve its one memorable segment, of how far their
compositional and organizational skills have atrophied.

Davison — who, impossibly, sings in an even higher register than
banished Yes co-founder Jon Anderson — made some nice contributions at
times, especially providing the high-end vocals in harmony with Howe
and Chris Squire. His voice is high, sweet and eerily feminine at
times, which works with a lot of Yes' music. But he's got a long way
to go with his timing and phrasing, obliging Alan White to adjust the
tempo to him (something Howe sometimes is guilty of, as well). It was
more than a little bit of a turnoff to see Squire coaching him on
vocal cues so far into a tour that was supposedly rehearsed into
fighting trim before they hit the road in the first place.

They closed with two of their most enduring and endearing pieces —
"Heart of the Sunrise" and "Awaken," and gave game readings to both.
Try as he might, though, Downes couldn't match the template provided
by the great Rick Wakeman, and struggled to keep up as he spun from
keyboard to keyboard.

It's hard to bring down such sturdy music, though, and "Awaken" in
particular ended the pre-"Roundabout" proceedings on a redemptive
note.

It was sort of a dream come true to see both these bands — whose music
has entertained, challenged and stimulated me for decades, their
records and concerts restoring my spirit on countless occasions — on
the same stage, on the same night.

But while Procol Harum seems to be a band that's come very much back
into its own in recent years, Yes' evolution seems stalled to the
point where, should this unlikely twin bill occur again, it might be
better served by having Procol at the top."

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