Yes men Rick Wakeman, Jon Anderson continue band's Long Island legacy

The progressive rock band Yes has been a friend to Long Island for more than 50 years. While many bands would play big metropolitan area venues like Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre, Yes always made sure to include Long Island in its touring schedule.

Back in 1971 on the band’s "Fragile Tour," Yes played Stony Brook University and two weeks later Nassau Community College. When Nassau Coliseum opened in 1972, the band returned with the "Close to the Edge Tour." Yes continued to headline the Old Barn through 1991 before heading outdoors to Jones Beach Theater in 1991 through 2011. They even hit Westbury Music Fair several times from 2008 to 2018.

In 2025, the tradition continues as two former Yes members, Rick Wakeman and Jon Anderson, return to Long Island for concerts.

First up: Keyboardist Wakeman, who brings his "Final Solo Tour" to The Paramount in Huntington on April 16.

"People will hear stuff they want to hear, some pieces they won’t expect and hopefully nothing they don’t want to hear," says Wakeman, 75, who grapples with arthritis in his hands. "I’ll be doing songs I recorded with David Bowie, Cat Stevens as well as a 22-minute piece called ‘Yessonata,’ which is made up of 30 snippets of Yes music that I’ve been involved with over the years."

Wakeman was in and out of Yes five different times (1971-74, 1976-80, 1990-92, 1995-97, 2002-04).

"A journalist once compared my relationship with Yes to the pairing of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, who couldn’t live with or without each other," says Wakeman. "He asked me, ‘Is that really true?’ and I said, ‘Yeah as long as I get to be Richard Burton.’ ”

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Meanwhile on May 16, former Yes lead singer Anderson comes to Flagstar at Westbury Music Fair with The Band Geeks.

"These guys copy Yes’ music from the ’70s note-for-note. It’s magical for me to hear them play these songs that I know inside out," says Anderson, 80. "A friend of mine who works at SiriusXM sent me a video of The Band Geeks playing ‘Heart of the Sunrise.’ It kind of freaked me out because it was so good and they looked happy doing it."

The band is promoting its latest studio album, "True," featuring the single, "Shine On."

"The new material sounds the same and feels the same," says Anderson. "It’s like classic Yes."

One Yes song that has made it into the current set is "Awaken" from the band’s 1977 album, "Going for the One."

"This is a special song. Yes was nearly falling apart and that song brought us back," recalls Anderson. "Rick Wakeman had returned to the band. It was magic!"

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By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.