Anderson Ponty Band: tour notes

Sherman Theater
Stroudsburg, PA
October 23, 2015

APB rehearsed for two weeks at the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg, PA in anticipation of the 10/27/15 show in Glenside, PA (the originally planned start of the tour). The Sherman Theater asked the band to play this show in Stroudsburg before the true beginning of the tour. Show was announced only just one week ahead of time.

Anderson Ponty Band:
Ponty
Anderson
Jamie Glaser - guitars, vocals
Wally Minko - keys
Keith Jones - bass, vocals (replaced Baron Browne)
Rayford Griffin - drums

Setlist included the entire new album.

Intro
One In the Rhythm of Hope (aka Rhythms of Hope)
A For Aria
Owner of a Lonely Heart
Listening With Me (aka Stay With Me)
Time and A Word
Infinity Mirage (aka Mirage)
Soul Eternal
Jig
I See You Messenger (titled I See You on album)
New New World
New Country
Under Heaven’s Door
Wondrous Stories
Long Distance Runaround
Enigmatic Ocean (parts 1 & 2) with drum solo
State of Independence
Renaissance of the Sun (aka Renaissance)
And You and I
keyboard / violin duet (similar to "In The Kingdom of Peace")
bass solo >
Roundabout
-----------
Egocentric Molecules (with a few lyrics)
Soon

red = Ponty songs not on cd/dvd
blue = Anderson / Yes songs not on cd/dvd

A few notes:

Band sounded a bit beefier than it did on the album/cd. First half of the album was played in sequence.

Long Distance Runaround was totally rearranged. Much slower. Bass part was minimal. As odd as that sounds, it went over well.

Enigmatic Ocean was the highlight for me: JLP, Minko and Glaser traded solos just like the original version. Renaissance was another highlight.

New Country - the first time that I have heard this song played on acoustic guitar (as it was on the Imaginary Voyage album).

Bass solo intro to Roundabout was beter than dvd. Keith Jones channeled Jaco's "Okonkole y Trompa" with true and false harmonics.

This was the first time that I have seen Anderson live. He seems like a nice guy..... who is rather loopy. At one point during an instrumental interlude (I think during Renaissance) he cocked his head up and added some idiosyncratic hand clapping (perhaps McCartney could learn a thing or two about 'Innovative Hand Clapping' from Jon Anderson).

 

"And You And I" was dedicated to Chris Squire.