Goldendale, WA, 30th July, 2011
Well I thought I’d give you all a rest from my mad ramblings today. At least a little respite. As I’ve been promising, today’s entry has more of a photographical content.
Here are a few snaps I’ve taken recently during the tour. Enjoy…
The Board Lord’s rig!
Table 1 – Yestyx Party – Is Steve asleep?! Must be the company he keeps!
Table 2 – Yestyx Party
Table 3 – Yestyx Party
Just fulfilled a dream. I’ve joined Styx!!
God bless these guys – total respect to the servicemen!
And of course, not forgetting the ladies!!!!
Talking of which…I think Benoit’s after the Styx gig as well!
“Starship Trooper”. Me with Scott, the astronaut in Seattle, and certificate from NASA re: The NDO ‘Light Program’ in space
Up the creek in Washington…you’ll get the picture, read on…
OK, well it was business as usual on our drive this afternoon from Redmond to Goldendale – an easy couple of hundred miles, or so you’d have thought! No such luck. I didn’t take into account our tour manager’s reliance on the sat-nav system.
The journey was preceded by a superb lunch with me and my manager, Martin. Yes indeed, I trumped him once again by finding an Indian restaurant in close proximity to the hotel. How do I do it, you may ask? My answer: pure ingenuity and a lot of ‘goggling’!
So we all set off in the vehicle abut 3.00pm – me, Martin, Benoit and our tour manager, Paul Silveira. The Squires were pulling up the rear in another vehicle a bit like the Addams Family, but mobile in a vehicle, not in that spooky house, right. We were more like the Beverly Hillbillies (as it later transpired). It turns out to be a winding journey up to Goldendale, WA heading southwards near to the Northern border of Oregon.
It was all going according to plan, until Paul following his sat-nav, veered off along the gorge in the opposite direction from where we should’ve been going to the Maryhill Winery. (It was only 3 miles from that junction had we not turned off and carried straight on). Instead, we headed off on a wild goose chase, which cost us at least an hour and a half. Eventually, as time was ticking by, and it was fast approaching show-time, we turned around and headed back to that junction. Despite a sketchy phone signal I managed to Google the directions for the winery noting that it was in close proximity to that junction. Aha, the powers of modern technology!
Now I have a question here… If I were a tour manager, I would never rely exclusively on a sat-nav, particularly if heading to a more remote region. No, I’d Google it first, and find out exactly where it was, so I knew approximately where I was heading. It seems obvious to me, that would seem to be the safest option. Ya know, study the feckin map! Also, it is your duty as a tour manager to make sure your band get to a venue in plenty of time for the show. We nearly didn’t.
As it was, we cut it pretty fine and eventually turned up with just over an hour to spare before we went on. Put it this way, Styx were in full flight by the time we arrived. And it’s horrible that, because it gets you all stressed out because you don’t get the preparation for the gig time which is very important. It’s too late to eat anything, as nobody wants to go on stage on a full stomach. So we all got out of that car feeling very nerve-wracked I can tell you. Certainly not the best prep for a show, it has to be said.
However, you will see from the last picture above, there was a stunning view of the gorge to be savoured on our mistaken route. It was breathtaking. Trouble was, we were on the wrong end of it all! Aaahh, Spinal Tap indeed!
I thought the show was again a great one tonight. I was back on the in-ears, which made life a whole lot simpler. Thing is, once you get into the rhythm of a tour, it sort of becomes like auto-pilot. You know what you’ve got to do, and you know how to do it. It’s all about having a system. So, I think folks went home happy. There was a great turnout for this place that was kind of remote. Certainly, I had some nice comments at the meet ‘n greet so that’s all I really care about. If you’re happy, we’re happy!
So there was no hotel in the area for tonight. Paul had arranged for us to stay by Portland Airport for our flight out to LAX tomorrow afternoon. It was around a 2-hour drive across the border into Oregon after the show. Arrival at the hotel was about 2.00am.
Ah well, another day, another dollar…
Next stop LALA-land
Be seeing you…
GD
It was a great show Mr. Downes. The band was on fire last night. A perfect day for a perfect evening with Yes and Styx. – By the way, I am not sure if it is on my end or not, but the photos are not showing up in the blog…
Regards,
Erik L. Martin
Try again. The same happened to me..
Thanks for the praise Erik. Photos… they’ll be there now – was just uploading them. G
See ‘em now.. Thanks for the photos. Nerd-nicks like me like that kind of stuff!
Hey GD, only two of the shots appeared. FYI
Nevermind; there they are. Awesome!! How cool would it be if Yesstyx walked into your restaurant and were like, “Yes, eighteen for lunch, please.”
I’m going to the show tomorrow in the fourth row. I’ll be the scrawny little kid NOT wearing a Yes shirt, as this is my first Yes show. Can’t wait!
I will concur that it was awesome show!
I’m a huge Yes/Asia fan since the 70′s. You guys really made it look easy and it looked like you were having a great time. That’s even more impressive after hearing about the stressful arrival to the venue. Too bad you didn’t get to savor the scenery a little more. The drive from Maryhill to Portland has great scenery driving through the Columbia River Gorge, which you had to do in the dark.
Anyway thanks again for the fantastic show. I don’t think I could have been any closer to pure ecstasy than I was during “And You and I” and “Starship Trooper!” The air guitar/keyboards/bass and drums were in full force that night. Sometimes all at the same time! Truly an experience I will never forget!
Thank you!
Pat
Great pics, Geoff!
Look on the bright side. You’re almost through the tour and you still have the same drummer you started with and no one’s been stuck in a bubble!
Drive carefully!
Great entry as always GD. What are we gonna do when the tour ends and no more blogs?? Will miss ‘em… sniff..
These are awesome pics. Nice to see the bands kicking back having a good time.
Pat is right. The drive through the Columbia River Gorge is beautiful, and I’m so sorry that you had to do it in the dark. The weather has been perfect for the past few days, and the trip from Tualatin, OR. to the Maryhill Amphitheater was perfect. The lush greens of the forests and the vivid blue of the sky and river were extremely well lit. Plus, you pass within a stones throw of Multnomah Falls, at 620 feet it is an impressive sight, the closest we come to a Yosemite type waterfall. (And if you’ve never been there, I suggest you and the others visit sometime. It could inspire some more great Yes music!!) Anyway, I’m a long time fan and truly enjoyed another wonderfull Yesshow in a beautiful location. Keep ‘em coming!!!
Alan Thomas
Neat pics! Always fun to see the bands and mates in the off hours. Can we get the link to DSC03325 fixed? That pic is one you can’t click on to see the full-size view. Thanks!
Great photos, Geoff, and greatly appreciate your salute to our troops. Have fun in Calif!
Oh, great shots, Geoff! Thank you again! When I first looked at that Columbia River Gorge one, it looked like Lake Mead (same colors, same landscape). Well, I guess you caught Steve on a downward blink. Not to be so nit-picky, but is that a leather belt he’s wearing? If not (and being vegetarian myself, I hope not), where does one purchase “leather-looking” stuff like that? Also if that is Ram’s, what would he eat? (I saw the menu, and it looked a little treacherous for the non-meat eater). In fact, how does Steve stick to “the diet” when he’s all over the place. I can tell you that when my wife and I travel, that can be a challenge.
Geoff,
Thanks for the great pics and insightful daily blogs. Good luck with the best of the tour.
Cheers,
Steve
Geoff,
Thanks for sharing the photos. Very nice seeing the reverence for the troops. The United Kingdom and the United States will forever share a deep, common bond.
Legend has it in my family lineage (Potter on my father’s side) that an ancestor left England for North America with only his musket and his wife. If not the same person, another was a guard in the King’s Court.
The ultimate patriotic song in my mind: ELP creating an truly amazing piece of music with this hymn:
And did those feet in ancient time.
Walk upon England’s mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!
And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands green & pleasant Land
Regards,
I am guessing that is Alan’s stout. He’s a man after my own heart!
Nice pix Geoff. You have the coolest job in the world.
Not mentioned as much as Spinal Tap is the Bill Nighy film called Still Crazy. Lots of CK-ups in that story. My favourite is when the dispirited lead singer falls through the ice of a canal in Belgium. It is a cross between the Commitments and Spinal Tap. Almost anything Bill Nighy does is superb.
Geoff, First of all, thanks for the photos. It’s was good to see your face. You seem very well and you look great! Also, thanks for the salute to the troops. I’m sure they enjoyed seeing you guys. I understand perfectly about the getting lost. I trusted my GPS to go to Chicago, with my sister, to see you and ASIA. You gave me words of wisdom (never trust a GPS). I will always keep that in mind! GOGGLE FIRST. Love reading your blogs!
Peace
Brenda
Thanks for the great show!! The set (particularly STARSHIP TROOPER and OWNER OF A LONELY HEART) was fantastic! Hope to see you with YES and/or ASIA again soon!
Best
Jim
Great photos and love the blog. What will I read when the tour ends?
Hi Geoff,
Thanks for keeping up the blog and sharing some of your thoughts and adventures (and misadventures) of the tour. Just can’t make some of it up, can you?…that whole “truth is stranger than fiction” theory. Reading it is a highlight of my day. (I know, says a lot about my life, huh?) Love the addition of the pics, too!
When I first got Fly From Here, my husband was demo-ing our home system at an audio show in San Francisco, and I could only listen to it in my car or on my computer. I really liked it. When he returned and I listened to the FFH CD for the first time on the Audio Note system, I was blown away! It was like I was hearing it for the first time….all the subtleties that I hadn’t heard before. It’s like it has several layers. The CD is AMAZING! I close my eyes, and I’d swear you were in my living room playing! (I’m always disappointed when I open them, and you’re not! haha) Audio Note UK (I think they’re based in Hove)…worth checking out when you get home!
My daughter and I saw you at Foxwoods, CT on July 8th. Great concert! Being a YES fan since Close to the Edge, it was such a thrill to meet you!!! Wish I wasn’t so tongue-tied in your presence….. Anyway, I could use your help here. At the Meet & Greet, we didn’t receive the “8×10 glossy” photo of the band. We were told they would be mailed to us, but we haven’t seen them yet. Also, the $50 coupon to the on-line store wasn’t in the bag. Any idea who I should contact?
I truly hope that you will pick up blogging again when you begin the European tour this fall!!! By the way, you ARE going to be the Board Lord for that tour, aren’t you? I linked from the YES site to check out tickets to one of the UK concerts. (I can dream, can’t I? sigh…) The Ticket Factory site has an old write-up of the band. There is no mention of Fly From Here. AND it lists “Oliver Wakeman (son of Rick Wakeman) on keyboards.” Hmmmmmm…….
Anyway, enjoy your last few days on the west coast and your “time off” after that. Best wishes as you pick up the tour in Europe. (blog….blog….blog………please?)
Look forward to seeing you again when you return to the states.
Safe travels,
Jo-Ann
Dear Geoff,
Yet another great entry to read and VIEW this time around! Thanks for the effort you put into it…….
….before you head back over “the pond”??? 
)
…..and are you sure you don’t want to do a “victory” lap…back here in the North East (and have a decent breakfast too…
Christine
Listened to ‘Fly From Here’ a few times when it came out, felt a little lukewarm. Listened to it more now, and it is really clicking! It does indeed feel like a follow up to Drama, and you can hear 70s, 80s, and 90s Yes in there too. A lot of spirit in this album. Hope to hear some of the album on tour sometime!
Well, Geoff, getting lost and arriving at the last minute explains a lot about the performance! (just kidding; couldn’t resist!)
It was a great performance. Fly from here was great. Owner was great, as was Tempus Fugit. Yes Album, Fragile stuff…all of it sounded great. I especially dug Your is No Disgrace. I like never knowing what Steve Howe is going to play on the older songs. I was in the fourth row, and heard everything, right next to that wall of JBLs. It was a fine performance, really. Hey, maybe you guys should arrive late more often.
I posted the M&G pics on Facebook, one of me, the other of my wife. Lots of great comments on my wife’s photo. Not much action on mine!
All the best for the last few nights in America. Break a leg in Europe. If you guys come back around this way in less than ten true summers, I’ll be there with you.
-Dan
Geoff,
)
Love that we get a bit of an insight into the “inner workings” of a Yes tour!
Thank you so much for doing this.
Saw you with the band twice on the Drama tour at the old Rainbow Theatre and at Hammersmith Odeon in London.
Just one question regarding the photos though……Who’s the dude who ate Chris Squire? (Kidding, Chris, kidding
Thanks again
Dan