Mood For A Day

Steve Howe & Fragile At The Robin 9th June 2005

The lines between reality and fantasy are normally very clearly drawn. We go about our daily lives with a sense of resignation and purpose, and we dream of the seemingly unattainable.  However, once in a while these separate states collide, and on the 9th June 2005 Fragile stepped into the realms of the surreal.

As Europe’s premiere Yes tribute band, Fragile have made many friends and acquaintances over the last seven years. Amongst these is the delightful Pam Bay. Pam runs the Steve Howe Appreciation Society (SHAS) and is a major league Yes fan. In May, Pam contacted Steve Carney of Fragile with a remarkable proposal, namely the possibility of Steve Howe appearing with Fragile.

Pam passed on Steve Howe’s number and over the next few weeks a plan for Steve to guest with Fragile took shape. Phone discussions between Steve Howe, Steve, Max and Rob firmed up the arrangements and approach. It was agreed that Fragile would perform a curtailed main set as an opener to the evening, to be followed by Steve Howe performing a solo set. The evening would then be completed by Fragile joining Steve for a handful of classic Yes songs.

The 9th June arrived and with it an atmosphere and vibe unique in the band’s history. The recently refurbished Robin was the ideal venue for this special occasion and anticipation was high. The band made it to the venue early to routine a revised Fragile set aimed at a broader audience than normal. Then at around 5pm Steve and Geoff, his technician, arrived.  Greetings were exchanged and Steve immediately got on with the business of setting his gear up. No rock prima donna here, just a regular guy and his beloved guitars. Steve spent a while getting his sounds right and then suggested the band join him for a rehearsal of the agreed triumvirate of ‘Siberian Khatru’, ‘Starship Trooper’ and ‘Roundabout’.

Each of the numbers received careful attention, and Steve’s grin showed that he was enjoying the experience as much as the band. A brief master class from the Yesman addressed issues of tempo and colour in the songs, and by the end Fragile and their special guest were grooving beautifully. Steve and the guys then made their own preparations for the night ahead.

The doors of the Robin were opened early as the size of the crowd became apparent. With over 500 advance ticket sales and another 350 turning up on the night, the 700 capacity was quickly reached. The atmosphere was electric and as Fragile hit the stage a roar filled the venue.  The band delivered an eclectic set of Yes in all its shape and forms, and numbers performed included ‘South Side Of The Sky’, ‘Machine Messiah’, ‘Astral Traveller’, ‘Time And A Word’, ‘Wondrous Stories’, ‘Owner Of A Lonely Heart’, ‘And You And I’ and the Fragile speciality, the Yes medley (showcasing ‘Yours Is No Disgrace’). The one and a half hour set put the crowd in fine mood for what was to follow.

The stage was duly rearranged for the maestro, and Mitch left his percussion duties for one moment to become the evening’s MC and proudly announce the arrival of “Steve Howe!”. To thunderous applause Steve bowed and made himself comfortable amongst an array of gear.  What followed was a simply wonderful set with a strong Yes flavour, interspersed with humour and showmanship. Steve performed crowd favourites ‘Clap’ and ‘Mood For A Day’, and a medley of themes from ‘Close To The Edge’. Other delights included the Grammy nominated ‘Masquerade’ from ‘Union’ and ‘Ram’ from the first Steve Howe album. The set also showcased a variety of pieces selected from his subsequent solo career. It was a tour-de-force of how one man and a guitar can hold a large crowd, and at the end, the pleasure of such a warm reaction was clear on Steve’s face.

Then to the finale, Steve announced the arrival of Fragile back on stage as his solo equipment was cleared. The appearance of his trusty Gibson was enough to prompt apoplexy amongst the crowd, and suddenly without fanfare the intro’ to ‘Siberian Khatru’ wafted over the PA. Cue madness as Steve and Fragile launched into the 1972 classic. Rob handled bottleneck slide and fills as Steve ripped up the end solo to great effect. As the song reached its crescendo the crowd went ape and the faces on this very special version of Fragile beamed satisfaction.

The next song was dedicated to the crowd and Mitch counted in the unmistakable intro’ to ‘Starship Trooper’. Steve and the band very quickly began testing the rehearsed version and improvisation started to kick in. Supported by Max on superb keys, Rob and Tom providing crucial guitar fills, and powered by the rhythm machine that is Mitch on drums and Jon on bass, this rendition of ‘Starship’ was soaring and swooping like the Moorglade Flyer itself. As the song reached its conclusion with ‘Wurm’ Steve’s playing went astral and some of the licks were simply incredible. If they had any doubt before, the crowd now new they were witnessing something special!

Steve and the guys left the stage to tumultuous applause and Tom returned to test the water “Do you want one more!”, as if there was ever any doubt!

Steve Carney, whose lead vocals had been in fine Anderson like form all night made clear what a privilege the evening had been and thanked both Steve and Pam for making it all possible. Then with a cascade of notes, the professor ripped into ‘Roundabout’ and the night set off towards its inevitable conclusion. Steve coloured the song beautifully using the full armoury of his sounds and effects to recreate the original spirit of the 1971 classic. With the choral harmonies of the outro’ the end of the evening was signalled, and in a power chord flourish it was all over.

Fragile deferred to their special guest and stood towards the back of the stage, but Steve was having none of this. Fragile ‘deluxe’ lined up as one and took their bows, and the sensational Robin audience duly responded. Then with a wave the moment was gone, passing into the collective memory, forever treasured.

Backstage Steve and the guys buzzed with delight and talked their way through the highlights of the thirty-minute set. Steve said that it had been like Yes, but a very different Yes, and in many ways a very English and very earthy Yes. Then with the night winding down appreciation and thanks were exchanged and in a wonderful touch Steve gave each of the band a firm handshake and a hug on his departure.

As the Robin emptied and the crowds who had caused gridlock in Wolverhampton gently slipped away, the balmy early hours of the 10th June arrived. In the days after the gig all the band acknowledged a condition now commonly recognised as post traumatic Yes disorder, its going to be a very hard affliction to shake off!

Steve Carney writes:

The account of our night with Steve Howe by definition can only capture one view of the experience, that of Fragile. At the time of writing, reviews and photographs of the evening are already arriving. The personal experience of each author is reflected in the words and images, and this was a moment when performers and fans merged. Without doubt, the unifying power of Yes music was truly celebrated.

We will in due course be devoting space at www.yestribute.com to our night with Steve, and we very much encourage our friends throughout the Yesworld to contribute. Send us your messages, reviews and pictures, and indeed even if you weren’t at the Robin, feel free to participate to what we hope will become a very special and important part of our website.

I want conclude by thanking the following people for making the 9th June 2005 possible:

Steve Howe, Pam Bay, Jon Bastable, Mitch Harwood, Rob Illes, Max Hunt, Tom Dawe, Chris and Wendy Jones, Gerlinde, the mighty Simon Arnold, Steve (you can have my bed) Lacey, Chris Walkden, Paul Aylott, Martin Kessel, Mike Hamblett, the Robin regulars and converted new recruits, and of course Yes for the original inspiration.

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