News

Yes Relaunch Tour With Tribute Band Singer

With vocalist Jon Anderson still recovering from acute respiratory failure, Yes has decided to spark its 40th anniversary tour with Benoit David—a Yes tribute band singer from Montreal—in tow.

"I think it's all going to work out fine," bassist Chris Squire told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "Of course, realistically, there's an element of risk, but there always is."

Yes was originally supposed to start their tour in June, but had to cancel when Anderson was ordered to rest for six months. He's expected to return to the band sometime next year. As for how Yes found David, the band received a YouTube clip of his group, Close to the Edge, from a friend, much like how Journey discovered a replacement for Steve Perry recently.

The last time Anderson took a break from Yes was on the 1980 album Drama. While Squire admits he's excited to play some songs Anderson always scraps from Yes sets, he was quick to say, "You can't ever really replace Jon Anderson, because he's been such a force in the music business. We look upon his replacement as more of an understudy."

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
09.12.08