Double the Yes? Jon Anderson Says No Problem!
Former and sort-of-current Yes singer Jon Anderson said there is peace between his version of the band (featuring himself, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman) and the version currently run by longtime guitarist Steve Howe and drummer Alan White, featuring singer Jon Davison.
Both Yeses have toured since the collective Yes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, and both are celebrating Yes’ 50th anniversary this year.
“They've been really cool about it,” Anderson said of the Howe/White version in an interview with Metal Express Radio. “It's never been a problem.”
The Yes that Anderson fronts was originally billed as ARW (Anderson/Rabin/Wakeman) until just after the group’s Rock Hall induction, when they began to tour as “Yes, featuring” the three musicians. The situation came about because of the split ownership of the Yes name.
“I owned the name and Chris Squire and Alan White owned the name,” Anderson explained. "[Squire's] wife said that when Chris leaves us, maybe [ARW] could use the name.”
The only issue between the camps, according to Anderson, is that each Yes explicitly differentiate who’s in which lineup, to avoid confusion among fans.
“I had a conversation with the other guys and just said to them to let people know who`s in [Howe and White’s Yes],” he said. “I keep getting phone calls about me playing somewhere, but I`m not in your band, so please tell people who`s in the band, so they don't expect to see me.”
And so both camps will head out on separate tours to celebrate five decades of shared successes. Howe and White’s Yes are touring the U.S. extensively throughout the summer, while the Anderson/Rabin/Wakeman Yes are completing a European jaunt next week and will start a two-week U.S. tour in August. At roughly the same time, Eagle Rock will put out a live CD/DVD of their March 2017 show from Manchester.