Senior rockers say Yes to tour stand-ins

One of the band’s replacements is the son of its celebrated keyboardist. The other is a singer recruited off YouTube.

On Sunday night, Yes comes to the Tabernacle with a touring lineup that’s been reshuffled at least 15 times in the progressive rock band’s 40-year history. This time, however, it is not an argument over musical direction, band members going solo or a legal dispute driving the personnel change. It’s age.

Rick Wakeman skipped this tour. After having suffering four heart attacks and other health problems over the years, the classically trained 59-year-old keyboardist is finished with long road trips. In his place: son Oliver Wakeman.

Also missing is lead singer Jon Anderson, who suffered a nearly fatal asthma attack last summer. Filling in for the 64-year-old Anderson is Benoit David, 42, a singer for a Yes tribute band in Montreal. David, who can match Anderson’s alto tenor voice note for note, was recruited by Chris Squire, the Yes bassist, after he saw a clip of David’s group on YouTube.

Returning for the current In the Present Tour are longtime Yes guitarist Steve Howe and drummer Alan White.

“The band’s ability to change has been one of its enduring qualities,” Squire said in a telephone interview Friday.

That could be an understatement. Since its founding in 1968, at least 17 musicians have toured with the band. In the late 1980s, a lawsuit over who controlled the Yes name resulted into two versions of the band.

On the other hand, like many classic rock bands that still tour, Yes sticks largely with what works. The band hasn’t released a new album in seven years and its set list features hits such as “Roundabout” and “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” as well as longer concept pieces like “Close to the Edge.” Concert-goers will also hear songs from the band’s brief “Drama” period in 1980, when Trevor Horn of the Buggles replaced Anderson as lead singer.

Both David and the younger Wakeman, 37, see themselves as temporary stand-ins. However, Squire said Friday that he’d like to record a new Yes album next year and go on a world tour with the two comparative youngsters.

David said his entrance into Yes was a complete surprise. He said he was repairing seats on a boat in Quebec when Squire called.

“I thought someone was pulling a prank by putting on an English accent and pretending to be Chris Squire,” said David. “I kept looking for a camera.”

David said he “nearly fell out of the boat” when he realized the call was for real. A fellow member of David’s Yes tribute band, Close to the Edge, had suggested to Squire that he watch a clip of the group on YouTube.

Oliver Wakeman said he wrestled with the decision to tour with his dad’s old band.

“I wrote to dad and asked him how he’d feel if I did, and he said, ‘Who do you think recommended you, ahem?’ “

Squire, 60, insisted age isn’t going to slow down Yes. Howe is 61, while White is 59.

“There are classical musicians who perform into their 90s,” Squire said. “I don’t see why that can’t be the same for people who play rock ‘n’ roll.”