Yes Postpone European Tour for Steve Howe’s “Essential Operation”
“Steve Howe” by ocad123 from Toronto, Ontario, Canada is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Yes have postponed their spring European tour as guitarist Steve Howe receives an “essential operation.” The indefinite delay of the band’s imminent outing to prioritize Howe’s health was announced with a post to the storied band’s social channels.
“The upcoming YES ‘Fragile’ UK and EU Tour, due to commence on 22nd April, has had to be postponed as guitarist Steve Howe requires an essential operation that requires recovery time,” Yes detailed on Instagram. “This decision has been made to ensure that Steve can return to the stage in full health and deliver the performances that fans deserve.”
Yes’s European extension of the Fragile Tour was set to kick off from April 22 at Scotland’s Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. The tour would follow the London-based band’s North American outing of the same name from last year, which saw the progressive rock pioneer performing their essential 1971 album in its entirety as the latest in their Album Series annual tours. Howe is the lone continuous member of the band’s current lineup from that album, joined by Geoff Downes (keyboards), Jon Davison (vocals, acoustic guitar), Billy Sherwood (bass guitar, vocals) and Jay Schellen (drums).
“All the band’s albums had a unique feel and approach,” Howe said in a release announcing the Fragile Tour. “After The Yes Album, so many things came together, with [co-producer] Eddie Offord steering the proceedings. While the band focused on only four main songs with full arrangements, each of us wrote and designed a solo piece, which was Bill [Bruford]’s great idea. It’s fairly ‘odd-ball,’ but we were at the height of our creativity, determined for success.” Howe adds: “It gave us confidence, further than our own in-stock belief, we’d crafted this unusual but noticeable musical twist to rock and what later became prog.”
Yes’s European tour will be rescheduled at a later date, and tickets purchased for the original shows will be valid for the future performances. Read the band’s full announcement below, and find more information on their live itinerary at yesworld.com.
