"I never left YES" - YES feat. Anderson, Rabin & Wakeman are the headliners of the Night Of The Prog 2017

So far the British Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman and Lee Pomeroy with the South African Trevor Rabin and the US-American star drummer Lou Molino III have sailed close to Germany since their new formation about two years ago. After a US tour last fall, an extensive UK tour and one gig each in Holland and Belgium in spring, we caught the band shortly after the end of a successful Japan off-shoot, their first tour under the name Yes feat. Anderson, Rabin & Wakeman.

eclipsed: Why did you change the band name to Yes feat. ARW now?

Rick Wakeman: We could and should have called ourselves Yes from the beginning, because Jon has the rights to it. But in the run-up to our activities, we talked to Steve [Howe]'s manager and agreed, so as not to confuse people, to use our own names first. Although we never wanted to do anything other than play yes music. But the reactions of the fans quickly made us realize that they see the band as what it is: Yes.

Trevor Rabin: If you play in a band with Jon and Rick, it's inevitably Yes.

Jon Anderson: I never left Yes, that's how I see it.

Wakeman: I don't think there's any irritation with the addition of ARW either.

eclipsed: How do you feel about the other version of Yes?

Anderson: I know a lot of bands that only play Yes music. I have no problem with that, because I feel flattered that they carry on our music.

eclipsed: I meant, of course, the yeses led by Steve Howe.

Wakeman: In my opinion only a band in which Jon sings can trade as Yes. Regardless of whether others also have the rights to it or certain musicians like Trevor, Steve or I were at a certain stage with Chris [Squire] and Jon at Yes.

Rabin: When I formed the band Cinema together with Chris before "90125", it was clear to us from the moment Jon joined us as a singer that this band could only be called Yes.

Lest mehr im eclipsed Nr. 191 (06-2017).