Now as some of you may have figured out by now, I'm a self-confessed 'Uber-Progger', and proud of it. But I do have a confession to make. Despite Yes being indisputably one of the classic Prog 'big four', I've never seen them live. Sure, the classic early albums 'Fragile', 'The Yes Album' and 'Close To The Edge' have nestled in my record collection since my school days, and classic albums each of them are, but there's always been something about Yes that's prevented them from reaching the top of my prog tree. The reason for that is that by the mid-seventies, Yes, along with ELP, were largely responsible for the overindulgent, overblown pomposity that gave prog a bad name, and from which it has never quite fully recovered. Yes are responsible, after all, for the sprawling and difficult concept album 'Tales From Topographic Oceans' and have also famously released a live album of just the solos contained within their live set ('90125 - the solos'). And let's not forget Rick Wakeman's cape! If punk was taking a swipe at certain bands, it was these guys more than most.

Tonight, however, is Yes 2011 style, and a whole different ball game. Jon Anderson is of course no longer there, replaced by relative newcomer Benoit David (more of whom later), and Geoff Downes returns on keyboards to join Yes stalwarts Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White. This year's 'Fly From Here' album, their first in ten years, has been very well received and has been rightly acclaimed as a real return to form. There's no messing with the set tonight, with a healthy slice of the new 'Fly From Here' material augmented by a whole heap of the old Yes classics. There's no long drawn out solos and no capes either!

'Yours Is No Disgrace' is first up and a powerful way to start the set, complete with some pretty tasty guitar work from Steve Howe, before 'Tempus Fugit' is the first of two from the 'Drama' album, the only other one to feature Geoff Downes in his first brief stint in the band back in 1980. 'I've Seen All Good People' is the second of three stonkers from 'The Yes Album' in tonight's set and features some electric lute - well this is a prog gig after all! 'Life On A Film Set' is a pretty solid offering from 'Fly From Here' and 'And You And I' is the next classic to feature, the only pick from 'Close To The Edge' in the set and a real slice of old school style prog . Steve Howe then takes to his stool for a solo acoustic spot which isn't a self-indulgent marathon that may have featured in a Yes show of yesteryear, but concise and to the point. A majestic 'Heart Of The Sunrise', a 'Fragile' classic, wraps up the first portion of the show in dramatic fashion. The band then head off for an interval. Well the audience aren't getting any younger and those bladders don't hold out like they used to!

The second half of the set kicks off with the whole of the 'Fly From Here' piece from the latest album, which if it were in the old vinyl format would have taken up a whole side. It is instantly recognisable and goes down an absolute storm, proving that this incarnation of Yes are still able to come up with something new to rival the old classics. 'Wonderous Stories' was one of the band's biggest hits, dating back to 1977, and gets the audience singing along, although the vocals from the band seem slightly strained on this one. 'Into The Storm' is the last to feature from the new album, and is once again pretty impressive, and the epic 'Machine Messiah', from 'Drama' is, well, dramatic. 'Starship Trooper' ensures that the band finish with an old classic that finally gets the audience out of their seats and on to their feet, although it's taken the whole show for them to get there! The band return for a triumphant run through 'Roundabout' for the encore, arguably still Yes's most loved track.

Singer Benoit David does a fine job throughout. There are a lot of Yes die-hards who aren't too happy about Jon Anderson no longer featuring in the band, with some insisting it's not Yes without him. Would I have liked to have seen Anderson up there instead? Well yes I would as he has been the frontman for nearly all of the band's career and it's always nice to see the original members. The fact is, though, he isn't there and Benoit David does a fine job in his place. It isn't his fault. He does sound remarkably like Jon Anderson anyway, with the band picking him from a Yes tribute act, the same route that Judas Priest and Journey took when looking for replacements for their more famous frontmen. David also gets it just right in terms of his profile, not hogging the limelight from the original members, but still asserting himself as the singer. Geoff Downes also does a fine job on keyboards here, and doesn't sport Wakeman's cape, although he is wearing a flamboyant red coat that he may just get back to the costume hire shop in time for Captain Hook to pick it up for panto season. Chris Squire looks a very happy and proud man indeed, prowling the stage like he owns the band - which he probably does. Meanwhile Steve Howe shows that he's lost none of his virtuoso guitar skills.

This was a great show, better than I was expecting in fact and proof that Yes in 2011 are in very good shape indeed - a lean, mean prog machine. With no long meandering solo pieces, difficult to digest complex concept pieces, or forays into AOR territory, this was a concise run though the best of Yes the progressive rock band, old and new.