At the very high risk of sounding like some 'girly' Bee Gees fan, I always love telling this wondrous story of how I met Jon Anderson. It's almost still unbelievable to me how it unfolded. It was early spring of '79, I was sixteen at the time and had been a ardent Yes fan ever since I first experienced 'Close to the Edge' through a record club at the ripe old age of eight. A girlfriend and I had decided that in order to get the best tickets for the April 26, Milwaukee Arena show, we were going to have to camp out the night inside the car at the record store parking lot and be first to start a line at the door. We abandoned the car at the first hint of daybreak and were indeed first to start the line at a frosty 6 in the morning. When the store opened at 10, tickets started to flow and we were completely blown away with the acquisition of two second row seats for YES "In the Round". Score!!! By concert time, the trees were filling in and warm weather had become a welcomed mainstay.
It was a glorious night for a concert and my
Girlfriend Marianne and I got to the arena about an hour before
the show, I loved to check out all the
equipment and staging, it was an outrageous looking set up.
When we found our seats and realized how close to the edge we
actually were, we smiled the widest smiles, it was going to be
a night we'd never forget. The intro music that opened the show
was intense! We were all on our feet in sheer delight as the band
piloted the stage to Siberian Khatru. Jon was in glorious form,
singing pure and strong. 'Awaken' was out and out incredible,
pure magic! Throughout the show as the
band made many dramatic revolutions in front our eyes. Marianne
waved a small sign we had drawn up that said "Throw me a
pick!" Our hopes were high of gaining that priceless memento.
The entire show was astounding, A true Yes happening!
After the show we drove the couple of blocks from the arena to
the regal Pfister Hotel. I had phoned earlier that day in my thickest
mock English accent to inquire of the bands arrival, "They
were not in yet". AH HA!!! We laid plans to storm the Hotel
after the concert. We pulled up and fed the hungry parking meter
for an hours worth of time. We strolled into the ornate Pfister
through the large wooden lobby doors inciting peculiar looks from
the doorman.
As soon as we passed into the lobby we found Rick Wakeman smiling away and talking to what appeared to be a hotel employee who was also a fan. We scurried over and joined in as casually as we could with our tour program and pen in hand we made the same conversation that every major band must get constantly on a tour "Great show! Could I please have your autograph?" He exchanged pleasantries as he signed away and bolted off to places unknown. Other excited yes fans were starting to file into the lobby, all with the same joyous anticipation shining from their faces as we had.
Moments later, down the main staircase came Chris. His appearance caused a small swarm of about six or seven of us. He immediately recognized a bright blonde Marianne from the second row furiously waving the 'Throw me a pick!' Sign. He duly reached into his jeans pocket, held out his hand and uncovered a pick, stray among some change. He presented it to her as the other fans looked on in envy. It's amazing what a little guitar pick can do. She was elated! Soon there after, Chris went on his way quickly replaced by the appearance of Steve and Alan to the beaming new Yes community now assembled. More autographs ensued.
I had brought with me a hand written letter that I had received from Steve Howe a couple years before. I had been writing the band since Topographic and they often would write me short letters or send some new album and tour information. There wasn't an official fan club so they would take the time to correspond personally. That really made me feel close to the music and the thrill of getting a letter from Yes was overwhelming for a eleven year old kid. What a truly great band! I asked Steve if he remembered writing the letter. "Yes", he said, "so that's you, Thanks for your words" It was a great moment I'll never forget! Alan gave quick autographs as he was going out on the town to meet some friends. as he headed for the lobby doors, I rushed to ask him if he really did play the drums on 'Instant Karma' as I had heard, he said yes but didn't elaborate and was gone in a flash. That left only Jon that we hadn't met.
Marianne realized that our hour on the parking meter would soon expire and we should probably begin the trek back home, anyway, it was almost one in the morning. As we made it back to the car, I quickly threw some more change in the ticking parking meter and convinced Marianne to hang out in the lobby for another half an hour. I really had a need to meet Jon and had a strong vibe that we would if we hung out a little longer. We snatched from the back seat of the car our forgotten camera with one last picture left and an open can of Pringles potato chips we had been munching on prior to the show and fled back in the hotel.
I noticed that the other Yes fans had left or dispersed as we sat and sank down in two swollen, low rise red velvet Victorian chairs, so conspicuously placed in the middle of the plush lobby. We sat there disagreeing on the order of songs played that night while chomping on our Pringles. I had such a good vibe going as we sat there waiting, but Marianne was growing too aware of the time and tomorrows school day. We were so into our chips and conversation about leaving that we hadn't even noticed that Jon was already letting go of the banister at the bottom of the stairs and heading straight for us in his blue jeans and light colored T-shirt. He strolled right up to us grinning, said Hi! casually crouched down above the carpet in front of where we sat and asked if he could have some of our potato chips. What a total trip! Here was the singer of Yes coming up to us and mooching our chips! He crouched in front our two chairs crunching away and asked if we enjoyed the show. "It was incredible!" we blurted out. He then stood up and asked if we would like to join him in the lounge to carry on our conversation. We were floored by his invitation as we followed his lead to the lounge. What really and totally blew our minds was that on our way into the lounge, a couple other older fans we thought had left caught sight of us and hurried over to our position. He signed a couple of autographs and said that he couldn't talk right now because he was going into the lounge with his friends, motioning to Marianne and I. Absolutely unbelievable! This all seemed so unreal! It was as if Jon knew how much of a devoted fan I was and made the effort to make me feel especially important. He wanted to give us something to remember.
We sat down to a small round table off to the side of the lounge. The tables were small and scattered. Dimly lit with crystal chandeliers hovering over a large grand piano as a centerpiece. There wasn't a lot of room around the table so Marianne sat on my lap. Some of the road crew showed up along with a guy in a wheelchair that Jon seemed to know well enough to joke with. "Come on down! Jon said like the announcer on the 'Price is Right' game show which was a running joke on stage with the band that night and now for us here this magical evening. Jon asked if we wanted a beer, it being Milwaukee and all. Of course we said yes even though we were both under age (I still have the bottle cap to that Michalob) Even though there were other people from their entourage at the table, he paid most of his attention to us. During his friendly joking with the wheelchair guy, Marianne quickly whispered in my ear "Give me a cool question to ask". So I said to ask him why they didn't perform 'South Side of the Sky' live. I wish I had a tape recorder so I could remember the answers. My mind was reeling! I had so many great questions that I asked and when he spoke, he looked right to me, almost like he wanted to be sure I was really hearing what he was relaying. I'd give anything to remember all the wondrous details of things he was sharing so intimately with us. but the moment was just too intense. He went on about this new song he was writing about a light "mass' and a possible other solo album. He encouraged me to follow my heart and spirit with my own music that I was now nurturing as a guitarist. We sat, talked and joked for about a hour and then he revealed that he had to get some rest before they were scheduled to head out next morning.
With our up close second row seats, we were lucky to have one exposure left in the instamatic camera but panic set in as we realized the flashes had all been spent. Never the less we asked Jon if he would pose for a shot with Marianne, he obliged. I tried to direct us to a place where the light was brightest, it was in the doorway leading out. We snapped the shot with fingers crossed and thanked Jon for his beautiful music and grace. He humorously thanked us for the chips, said good night and climbed up the Victorian stair case.
We knew the chances of the picture turning
out were grim, it was still too dark even in the lit up doorway.
We were convinced no one would ever believe what had just happened
to us because we couldn't even grasp the reality of it ourselves.
Marianne smiled and said it didn't matter, we knew that it happened
and we'd always hold close Jon's kindness and grace. What an experience!
We drove away in total elation and for months, even years to come,
we told of this fantastic and unbelievable wondrous story.
Ever since that incredible April 26th event. This day of the year
has always been remarkable for me musically, I usually compose
some of my best music and was signed to my first record label
deal on this day. Also exactly 5 years to the day after the meeting,
I was hanging out with some new friends outside when I heard live
Yes jamming from a car that I knew wasn't off the Yessongs album.
I went up and asked the guy standing next to the car where he
he got that version of Siberian Khatru. Turns out it was a bootleg
of that very concert in Milwaukee. And wouldn't you know it, when
I was awaiting the release on CD of Relayer and Going for the
One, the day it hit the record store was April 26, later my Union
CD was also delivered from my record club on this very date. And
also recently, I discovered YES MAGAZINE just a couple of days
past the last April 26. This is undoubtedly my Yes day ...if not
week!
As it happens, Jon had nurtured the seeds in my mind that were already planted from years of absorbing his universal ideals through the music: Topographic Oceans and Olias Of Sunhillow still to this day inspire my spirit and I guess that vibe finds its way into my own original material. When I was signed to Passport Records by Larry Fast of Peter Gabriels band, They flew me to New York to Master my album and I kind of had to agree with the president of the label when he said that my music reminded him of the cosmic side of Yes ...without the vocals. I would enjoy meeting Jon again and exploring some enchanted music together as what I do is very cosmic indeed! Who knows? I also have a new instrument that I put together called the StringStation that's going to ride a renewed universal vibe. It Can Happen!
Seeing as it's very difficult to secure a second
record deal when you've been inspired by such strange and left
of center albums like Topo and Olias, I've recently started my
own music and media label called IMAGINEER Audio/Visual. I've
released my updated debut CD P.O.E.A.S. which was just named in
the Top 25 Essential CDs of 1995 from Echoes Syndicated Radio,
heard in over 150 cities Worldwide. I believe in the Universal
truths that positive progressive music sends to the spirit and
am committed to turning the world on to it in new and innovative
ways!
'Till then,
bartz
March 20, 1996
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