An Evening with the Anderson Ponty Band

I've been at college for over two months now, making short trips to home here and there. Hard to believe we're already in Week 9 of the first of three 10-week quarters. Before I know it, it's going to be time to conclude this first quarter with finals. This first quarter of college has been an interesting one. It's been full of social and academic adjustments. I've met more people than I can count throughout the past two months, and I hope to develop some of those relationships in the future.

Without giving too much away, I go to university roughly 100 miles from my home, and about 47 miles from downtown Los Angeles. This makes it possible for me to still attend a concert here and there if time permits (meaning no tests or serious deadlines get in the way). However, despite having a car with me, I am reluctant to drive in the busy LA evening traffic in order to get to a concert venue. Luckily, there's another option: the train. About 3 miles from campus, there exists a Metrolink train station, with one route going to Los Angeles Union Station. I talked this over with my dad, and we decided that taking the train and getting accustomed to using public transportation would be a good experience for me, especially since I did not feel like dealing with city traffic.

Well, on November 20, I got the chance to try that out. On that evening, I traveled to Hollywood and Vine, where I met my dad. From there, we made a quick stop to Amoeba Music (many great memories at that record store) and had dinner at Stella Barra, another favorite place of ours. After that, we headed down to the Saban Theater to see Yes frontman Jon Anderson and French violinist Jean-Luc Ponty in their band, the Anderson-Ponty Band. I had not seen Jon since July 2012. However, at that show, it was just Jon alone on stage, with a guitar, and an endless supply of life experiences to share with the audience. Even though this show at the Saban was not going to be centered only on him, I anticipated an experience similar to what I had back in 2012. I have been to well over 30 concerts, all of different intimacy levels, but I find something particularly memorable about concerts set in small venues like the Saban or the Orpheum. You're one of a small, lucky number of people fortunate enough to be in an intimate setting with one of your favorite bands or musicians. I've had these kinds of experiences with people like Greg Lake, Steven Wilson, King Crimson, and Joe Satriani. There have been more, but it's more than I want to list right now. I'd rather just get to the show.

We arrived at the venue at around 19:30, so we would have plenty of time to kill before the show, which was set to start at 20:30. Dad wanted to stop at the Coffee Bean down the street, so he gave me my ticket so I could enter the venue myself. Once inside, I met and had a good conversation with my friend Brett. After that, as I was looking around the room at the abundance of longtime Yes and Jean-Luc Ponty fans, there was one face that I recognized instantly: Billy Sherwood! He had just finished up with Yes on the 2015 Cruise to the Edge, so he was just in time for the show, mingling with other concertgoers. This just goes to show you how music makes me an unusually outgoing person: I decided to go over to him and say hi really quick. Not too long, just a quick word. Personally, I have gained a great deal of respect for him within the last five months, especially since the tragic death of Chris Squire. Filling in for the one member of Yes to appear on every tour and studio album is most definitely not easy. While there are some Yes fans who believe the band must call it quits due to the absence of Chris, I think Billy has a strong amount of support from most Yes fans. At least, it seemed that way considering how many people were talking to him. Without saying too much, I reminded him that my friend Bill Snyder had interviewed him a few weeks before, which he recalled. After taking a selfie with me (using my phone), I made sure to give him a big hug and say thanks. He deserves it.

Jon, Jean-Luc, and their band went on a little after 20:30. Since it's been about five days, I can't quite recall the most specific of details, unfortunately. They played a surprisingly lengthy set consisting of songs from their recently released studio album, Better Late Than Never, and the discographies of Jon and Jean-Luc. The band put their own spin on certain classic Yes songs, such as "Time and a Word," "Wonderous Stories," and "Roundabout." That totaled to about 19 songs, if I'm not mistaken. Since I can't recall every detail as vividly as I could, I will just go over the highlights. Jon sounded just as wonderful as he did the first time I saw him back in 2012: beautiful, distinguishable, unforgettable. Even though I had picked up Jean-Luc's album A Taste for Passion at the record store near campus, I consider this to be my introduction to his talent, as I was able to observe it with my own eyes. After watching him, I definitely plan to explore more of his discography in the future. I have always enjoyed the sound of the violin, so to watch him display his skills was definitely enjoyable.

At one point in the show (again, I don't remember at exactly what point), Jon recited the following, which I recognized as being an excerpt from the Yes song, "The Revealing Science of God.":

"Dawn of light lying between

A silence and sold sources
Chased amid fusions of wonder
In moments hardly seen forgotten

Colored in pastures of chance
Dancing leaves cast spells of challenge
Amused but real in thought
We fled from the sea whole

Dawn of thought transfered through moments
Of days under searching earth
Revealing corridors of time provoking memories
Disjointed but with purpose

Craving penetrations offer links
With the self instructors sharp
And tender love as we took to the air
A picture of distance

Dawn of our power we amuse
Re descending as fast as misused
Expression, as only to teach love as
To reveal passion chasing"

I've always considered the lyrics of Yes to be its own language, that only certain people can understand. I, for one, still have difficulty digesting them. Here and there, I can understand bits and pieces, but the poetry overall is difficult for me. However, something about the way Jon recited these words really struck a chord with me. Hearing the words spoken rather than sung was quite different for me. I didn't have the music there to distract me, so I could really concentrate on them better. There's a certain beauty to Yes lyrics that you don't really find in a lot of other bands or artists. To me, they sound like they come from the deep, spiritual depths of Jon's heart. That is true poetry in my view. They are part of what make Yes, well, Yes.

At another point in the show, Jean-Luc expressed the strong emotions he had been feeling due to the recent terrorist attacks that took place in Paris. With him being French, I suspected that he would make such a statement about the matter. He pointed out that, while these kinds of incidents have happened, and will continue to happen, playing music is what gives him a sense of peace in an often distressed world. I'm not quoting him word-for-word, by the way. Just telling you my interpretation.

The last highlight I can really think of happened towards the end of the show. Jon, as expected, told the audience that not a day goes by in which he does not think of Chris. He told us he considered Chris to be the "Christopher Robin to his Winnie the Pooh." How cute. With that, he dedicated the next song in Chris' memory: "And You and I," from my favorite Yes album, Close to the Edge, a very nice tribute song in my opinion. Chris most definitely will not be forgotten. <3

This was a great, intimate concert to close out 2015, the year that now hold the record for the most concerts seen in a year: 9 total. The previous record holder was 2012, with 7 shows seen that year. I think this year has been a great one for music, in terms of albums released, and tours that have occurred.  Unless something special comes up, this will be my last concert until the big night of March 24: David Gilmour at the Hollywood Bowl.