Prog-rock stalwarts Yes took the stage this past Sunday, Oct. 5 at The Capitol Theatre for their fourth stop in “The Fragile Tour 2025” – bringing new energy to their classic sound.
The tour celebrates 53 years of the U.S. release of the Fragile album. According to the tour press announcement, Yes views Fragile as their cultural breakthrough to headline here in the States.
Fragile is guitarist Steve Howe’s second album with the original group, permanently tying his masterful guitar sound to the legendary band. Notably, Fragile is also Yes’s first album to be designed by surrealist artist Roger Dean – solidifying Yes’s colorful iconography of fantastical landscapes and dreamlike creatures. This tour includes a travelling mini-exhibit of Dean’s work as well as a hypnotizing projection screen of moving art behind the band on stage.
Though Howe is the only original recording member from “Fragile” still touring, Geoff Downes (keyboards, joined 1980), Jon Davison (vocals, joined 2012), Billy Sherwood (bass guitar, joined 1989), and Jay Schellen (percussion, joined 2016) all come together to recreate the magic of Yes for crowds of today.
So far, each stop on the tour has had the same setlist, with a first set containing a variation of classic Yes cuts from a 12-minute rendition of well-loved “Siberian Khatru,” to lesser played songs from 1978 album “Tormato,” and one never-before-performed new release from 2023’s “Mirror to the Sky.”
After a short intermission, Yes performs Fragile front-to-back, leaving room for a special solo from each band member, from a wild Beethoven-esque performance from Downes to a gritty and powerful bass guitar segment from Sherwood.
Deep-cut off of the Beatles’s Rubber Soul, “The Word” was song one of the encore, surprising the audience with a traditionally pop-rock song in Yes’s unique style.
Ending out the night came “Starship Trooper,” a homage to Howe’s first studio recording with Yes. A bittersweet goodnight, with an extended Howe guitar solo in “Würm,” leaving the crowd on their feet with a wistful feeling in the air.
Yes continues their tour across the U.S. until Nov. 16. – view upcoming tour dates and ticket information at YesWorld.com.
Yes, Oct. 5, 2025 Setlist (The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, N.Y.):
Set 1: Siberian Khatru, On the Silent Wings of Freedom, Onward, Madrigal, Soon, Wondrous Stories, Circles of Time, Tempus Fugit
Set 2: (Fragile) Roundabout, Cans and Brahms, We Have Heaven, South Side of the Sky, Five Per Cent for Nothing, Long Distance Runaround, The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus), Mood for a Day, Heart of the Sunrise
Encore: The Word, Starship Trooper
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