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Circa
BB Kings New York City
May 5, 2008
By Jeb Wright
Cut the Ties | Don't Let Go | Together We Are| Information
Overload| Trust in Something| Keeper of the Flame| Life Going
By| Look Inside| Brotherhood of Man| Chronological Journey (YES
Medley) Encore: The
More We Live
Circa is the new
supergroup formed by Billy Sherwood that features two of his
former Yes band mates Tony Kaye and Alan White. Joining the Yes
alums on guitar is Jimmy Haun. The star of the show, however,
is Billy Sherwood. Dressed in black, the tall bass player
absolutely takes the breath away from the crowd with his licks
on the Circa songs "Cut the Ties" and "Information Overload."
His vocals are reminiscent of early Genesis with a tinge of ELP
thrown in for good measure. Sherwood's talents take Circa from
being a supergroup to being a SUPER group. During the entire
two and a half hour concert it was impossible to take your eyes
from his side of the stage.
Alan White was also
inspiring. They grey haired drummer played with the enthusiasm
of a man half his age. Tony Kaye was in fine musical form as
well. "Keeper of the Flame" was a strong musical statement that
featured impressive playing by the entire band. The left-handed
Haun can play when pressed but appeared to be more of a
minimalist for much of the show. His riffs were tasteful and
executed well. His lead style sees him playing up and down the
neck more than from standard position scales. He was most
impressive when playing chromatic runs that took him from the
first fret all the way up to his pickups.
The band performed all
nine songs from their debut album, which was a gutsy move to say
the least. The self-titled CD is musical enough to keep patrons
who were there with hopes of hearing Yes classics from squirming
in their seats. "Cut the Ties" was the perfect song for which
to start the show. The best track on the album and the best
live performance goes to "Information Overload." This tune
rocks solid and has a rhythm that is hard to keep up with.
Despite technical difficulty that prompted Sherwood to say to
the crowd, "That's what you get when you play with rented
instruments" Circa did well. This is a real band playing real
music in a day and age where computer generated crap is the
flavor of the day. Circa is a prog rock band that can stand
proud knowing they are flying the flag for music high.
The final song of the main
set was titled "Chronological Journey" and was an impressive
medley of 27 Yes songs performed in the order they were
released. The "Journey" contained one song from every Yes
album. The medley lasted for what seemed like an hour. Funnily
enough, as the band when through a technically challenged run of
notes, the entire stage lost power at the exact time they hit
the last note of the run. It seemed planned but was actually a
perfect accident that left all on stage laughing and waiting for
the power to return. The final tune of the night, "The More We
Live" came from Sherwood's time in Yes. The crowd was very
impressed with what they had witnessed on stage. After the show
the band signed autographs and spoke with the fans.
Everyone, including the band, left with smiles on their faces.
Circa's album and a
DVD, that features the same set list as this show, can be
purchased at
www.circahq.com
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