Ehwmatt wrote:
Yeah, but the problem with your theory is that Luke has explicitly said they chose certain songs because they were playing with Yes and to the "Yes crowd," not to generally "dispel misconceptions" that the band is "yacht rock." Maybe that's two sides of the same coin. As I said before, I think it really cuts both ways with the bands if you apply this theory. There could just as easily be a bunch of people who were 20-25 in the early 80s and who thus are primarily going to see Toto and expecting Yes to do cuts like "Love Will Find a Way" and the ones you mentioned. In fact, I'm guessing a lot of diehard Yes fans are skipping this tour. Losing Anderson undoubtedly cost them some diehards, and I'm sure Squire dying led to a bunch more giving up on Yes like I've given up on Journey. So, all in all, again, I don't know why Toto felt the need to cater to "Yes fans."
I think Yes has seen diminishing returns for several years now. I mean, I had only seen the 'real' Yes once, in 2004, so I went to see them last year, because it was a great venue (The Ryman in Nashville), and they were doing
Close To The Edge, and, well, I figured it was probably the last chance to at least see 3/5ths of a band I really, really loved. It was enjoyable, but once I saw it, I didn't really need to see it again, and I'm sure a lot of other Yes fans feel the same way. I saw this tour at Freedom Hill in Detroit, which has a pavilion capacity of 4,400, and even that wasn't sold out (not embarrassingly empty, but plenty of empty seats towards the back).
Ehwmatt wrote:I basically have no problems with the setlist (other than wanting a lot more), so I'm really just lamenting that Toto felt pressured to cater to anybody in their setlist this year. If they really did, it's more evidence that Toto should pair up with a more logical touring partner - Night Ranger, Journey, Foreigner, Survivor, REO, whomever else of that ilk.
Hey, it's better than when they toured with McDonald.
I'm sure the band would love to tour with more of a hard rock band, but it's really not up to them. It's all managers, promoters, etc. Journey would make sense, but Luke can't just call his buddy Neal and make that happen. Toto also doesn't have a whole lot of clout in the US touring market at the moment, so while they have veto power, they also aren't going to turn down a pairing that would get them out in front of bigger crowds in more cities than they could play on their own. It's just all about money, sadly.
I'd much rather see (and be willing to travel to see) Toto just play on their own, these package tours just end up cutting everyone's set short and leaving you kind of unfulfilled if you're a serious fan of either band.
-Steve C.