To say it right off the bat, I'm not a very big Yes fan. It probably wouldn't compel me greatly to see them live, but I do think they have some incredible musicianship at times and some of their songs from their prime in the late 60s/70s and from the album 9012 are impressive as a pop-rock group. If you are die-hards, however, this concert shouldn't disappoint in the slightest. Performing from Edmonton in Canada (not the first place I'd usually think of for a live recording of a rock concert), Yes goes through some of its then-recent hits, with 'Changes' and 'Owner of a Lonely Heart' showing them at their best in crafting seemingly long but elaborate melodies. It would be one thing if they were simply good at performing the hits, but even with the lulls such as 'Leave it' and 'Hold On' (and they are lulls, with Cinema coming close to being one), they do pull through a nice cut of 'Starship Trooper', and it's goofy fun to see them get the crowd excited for 'Seen All Good People'. By the end a band that is well revered for many years and has sold a boat-load of records delivers a good, if not great, concert for the time.
But the other cool thing about the concert is the director. Most who seek this video out now will watch cause they're fans of the band, though looking at it as the first signs of Steven Soderbergh as director is something else much more surprising and delirious (in that 80's way). He's like a kid in a fun-factory getting together the images in a style that could only be done through the kind of graphics and cinematography available. The live concert itself is filmed with utmost professionalism and, not too unusual with some of Soderbergh's work, sleek in how it glides around its subjects on the stage and in the crowd without missing beats or feeling jagged. But fans of the director, should they come across this if only as a curio, may find some crazy, repetitive images of old 50s film footage- before the concert there's a hilarious intro where a girl and boy are wanting to hear some music and once the needle hits its not quite as 'groovy' as she expected- to be of more worth and technical value. It's one of a kind even when it's derivative of any given number of music videos of the period (mix archival footage with the band can be seen in the likes of an Iron Maiden video). Somehow, Soderbergh has a way with getting around making it rote, and keeps the energy going, at best during 'City of Love'.
For fans of band &/or director, it's worth seeing once at least, and at best it could be something more than the run-of-the-mill hip 80's music video product.
