High fiving people in the front row and calling out an enormous dancing sasquatch in the VIP section, he brought a lot of energy to the performance. He seems to be more at home with the band and it showed in his interaction with the audience. Easily hitting the highest of notes, he made the lyrics his. Given his recent personal tragedy, it's amazing he is even touring and Jon Davison was incredible. Geoff Downes did an admirable job on the keys. Chris Squire's thundering bass and Alan White's steady drumming kept the rhythm's moving at a nice pace. Steve Howe was the undisputed star of the evening. The set list for tonight's Three Album Tour show was Close to the Edge, Going for the One, a twenty minute intermission, followed by The Yes Album and Roundabout for the encore. The band walked on stage to the opening strains of Firebird Suite giving me goosebumps! The sound at the beginning of the opening song was a little 'mushy' but was quickly rectified. I could not find a bad seat in the house and the two giant big screens on either side of the stage were sure to enhance the experience. I was one of the first people let in, so killed some time wandering around checking out the sight lines from all locations. Clean, fresh smelling, luxuriously appointed and intimate. Hell, I've been known to partake of the occasional Marlborough Light and it even disgusted me! In stark contrast, the concert venue was everything the casino was not. Making my way through the endless rows of slot machines, the patrons reminded me of the bar scene from Star Wars and the smell of cigarette smoke permeated everything. Walking through the casino to get to 'The Venue' I was alternately fascinated and disgusted. My spot on the seventh floor of the casino's parking structure offered a dramatic view of the downtown skyline. The Venue is located in the Horseshoe Casino on the Lake Michigan shore, just south of the city of Chicago.

Checked into the hotel, triple checked my gear and headed out. The interactive seating chart offered my choice of seats the day tickets went on sale months earlier, so I was able to locate myself in the sweet spot.Īs I was attending this show solo, the four hour drive was boring but thankfully uneventfull. I had been looking forward to the Hammond Indiana show for what seemed like ages.

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