# The Yes Album Tour

The Yes Album Tour was a concert tour by progressive rock band Yes. Though it began more than six months before its release, the tour was named after the band's third studio album. Lasting from 17 July 1970 until 31 July 1971, and including 170 performances, the tour began at the Lyceum in London—Steve Howe's first performance with the band—and ended at the Crystal Palace Bowl, also in London—Tony Kaye's last performance with the band before his 13-year absence.

## History

The tour saw the band play concerts in the United Kingdom, Belgium, West Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, France, Italy, Canada, and the United States over three legs—a European leg, a North American leg and a single-show return to the United Kingdom. Many of the American shows were shared with Iron Butterfly. Phil Carson, then-European General Manager of Atlantic Records, decided that as Iron Butterfly could attract enough of an audience to fill the venues on their tour, it would be good exposure for Yes as he was trying to break them into the American market at the time.

## Live releases

Live material from this tour has appeared on the following releases:
* Steve Howe's performance of "Clap" at the London Lyceum on 17 July 1970 was recorded and included on The Yes Album as the second track.

## Tour band

The line-up for the tour unchanged throughout its duration, and was the fifth incarnation of Yes. Steve Howe joined the band two months previously: all concerts during May and June were cancelled while the band found a replacement for original guitarist Peter Banks, and Tony Kaye was replaced by Rick Wakeman shortly after the tour ended in time for rehearsal sessions for Fragile.
* Jon Anderson — vocals, harmonium, Dewtron Mister Bassman Bass Pedals
* Steve Howe — Gibson ES-175, Martin 00-18 acoustic guitar, vachalia, vocals
* Chris Squire — Rickenbacker 4001S, Fender Telecaster bass, vocals
* Tony Kaye — Hammond organ
* Bill Bruford — Ludwig drums, Paiste and Zildjian cymbals

### Typical setlist

On the 1970 shows, the set list consisted of:
* "Astral Traveller" (Anderson)
* "I've Seen All Good People" (Anderson, Squire)
* "Clap" (Including an excerpt of "Classical Gas") (Howe)
* "Yours Is No Disgrace" (Anderson, Squire, Steve Howe, Tony Kaye, Bill Bruford)
* "A Bass Odyssey" (Howe, Squire)
* "America" (Paul Simon) (originally by Simon & Garfunkel)
The 1971 shows had a typical setlist of:
* "Yours Is No Disgrace" (Anderson, Squire, Steve Howe, Tony Kaye, Bill Bruford)
* "I've Seen All Good People" (Anderson, Squire)
* "Clap" (Including an excerpt of "Classical Gas") (Howe)
* "Perpetual Change" (Anderson, Squire)
* "Everydays" (Stephen Stills)
* "America" (Paul Simon) (originally by Simon & Garfunkel) (Replaced by "It's Love" from 24 June 1971 on)
Other songs played:
* "Then" (Anderson) (23, 29, 30 January 1971)
* "Mood For A Day" (Howe) (5, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 July 1971)

### Tour dates

On various dates of the tour, Yes were supported by Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, Supertramp, Deep Purple, Wishbone Ash, The Strawbs, Iron Butterfly, Queen, and Jethro Tull. At other performances, such as festivals, the band shared the bill with Pink Floyd and Elton John.
Beginning with the 1971 dates (when Yes began to be supported by Iron Butterfly), ticket prices were set at 10s—approximately £10 ($16 USD) in 2012.
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| Europe ||||
| 17 July 1970 | London | United Kingdom | Lyceum Ballroom |
| 18 July 1970 | Birmingham | United Kingdom | Mothers Club |
| 19 July 1970 | Redcar | United Kingdom | Redcar Jazz Club |
| 24 July 1970 | London | United Kingdom | Brompton Hall |
| 26 July 1970 | Croydon | United Kingdom | The Greyhound |
| 31 July 1970 | Plymouth | United Kingdom | Van Dike Club |
| 2 August 1970 | Croydon | United Kingdom | The Greyhound |
| 9 August 1970 | Plumpton | United Kingdom | Plumpton Racetrack |
| 14 August 1970 | Leytonstone | United Kingdom | The Red Lion |
| 16 August 1970 | Barkisland | United Kingdom | Krumlin |
| 18 August 1970 | London | United Kingdom | Marquee Club |
| 21 August 1970 | Devon | United Kingdom | The Underground |
| 22 August 1970 | Dagenham | United Kingdom | Village Underground |
| 29 August 1970 | Lincoln | United Kingdom | Knickerbockers |
| 31 August 1970 | Redcar | United Kingdom | Redcar Jazz Club |
| 5 September 1970 | Huy | Belgium | Atelier Rock |
| 6 September 1970 | Dortmund | West Germany | Fantasio |
| 10 September 1970 | Swansea | United Kingdom | Brangwyn Hall |
| 11 September 1970 | Swansea | United Kingdom | Brangwyn Hall |
| 12 September 1970 | Colchester | United Kingdom | Corn Exchange |
| 18 September 1970 | Eltham | United Kingdom | Avery Hill College |
| 19 September 1970 | Bishop's Stortford | United Kingdom | Rhodes Center |
| 20 September 1970 | Nottingham | United Kingdom | Nottingham Boat Club |
| 22 September 1970 | Birmingham | United Kingdom | Mayfair Club |
| 23 September 1970 | Barry | United Kingdom | Barry Memorial Hall |
| 26 September 1970 | Margate | United Kingdom | Margate Hall |
| 27 September 1970 | Croydon | United Kingdom | The Greyhound |
| 28 September 1970 | Aberystwyth | United Kingdom | Aberystwyth University |
| 1 October 1970 | Scarborough | United Kingdom | Open Air Theater |
| 2 October 1970 | Leicester | United Kingdom | Loughborough University |
| 3 October 1970 | Watford | United Kingdom | Watford Technical College |
| 8 October 1970 | Manchester | United Kingdom | UMIST |
| 9 October 1970 | Stratford | United Kingdom | Cox's Yard |
| 10 October 1970 | London | United Kingdom | Queen Mary College |
| 15 October 1970 | Dundee | United Kingdom | Dundee University |
| 16 October 1970 | Newcastle | United Kingdom | Newcastle City Hall |
| 17 October 1970 | Malvern | United Kingdom | Malvern Winter Gardens |
| 23 October 1970 | Leeds | United Kingdom | Leeds University |
| 24 October 1970 | Plymouth | United Kingdom | Royal Theater |
| 26 October 1970 | Romford | United Kingdom | King's Head |
| 30 October 1970 | Guildford | United Kingdom | University of Surrey |
| 31 October 1970 | London | United Kingdom | Queen Elizabeth Hall |
| 2 November 1970 | Dunstable | United Kingdom | Dunstable Civic Hall |
| 3 November 1970 | Dunstable | United Kingdom | Dunstable Civic Hall |
| 5 November 1970 | Bern | Switzerland | National Theater |
| 6 November 1970 | Bern | Switzerland | National Theater |
| 7 November 1970 | Zurich | Switzerland | Rote Fabrik |
| 10 November 1970 | Munich | West Germany | Blow Up Club |
| 13 November 1970 | London | United Kingdom | Citypolyents |
| 14 November 1970 | Bradford | United Kingdom | University Of Bradford |
| 20 November 1970 | Lancaster | United Kingdom | Lancaster University |
| 21 November 1970 | Oxford | United Kingdom | Oxford Polytechnic |
| 22 November 1970 | Plymouth | United Kingdom | Van Dike Club |
| 24 November 1970 | Bradford | United Kingdom | University of Bradford |
| 25 November 1970 | Cambridge | United Kingdom | Cambridge Theater |
| 27 November 1970 | Southend-on-Sea | United Kingdom | Technical College |
| 28 November 1970 | Boston | United Kingdom | Boston Music Room |
| 1 December 1970 | London | United Kingdom | Marquee Club |
| 2 December 1970 | Manchester | United Kingdom | Manchester College of Art |
| 4 December 1970 | Lancaster | United Kingdom | Lancaster University |
| 5 December 1970 | Liverpool | United Kingdom | Liverpool Stadium |
| 8 December 1970 | Newcastle | United Kingdom | Newcastle City Hall |
| 9 December 1970 | Hull | United Kingdom | Hull University |
| 10 December 1970 | Middlesbrough | United Kingdom | The Pavilion |
| 11 December 1970 | Warrington | United Kingdom | Thunderdome |
| 13 December 1970 | Bromley | United Kingdom | Highams Hill Farm |
| 14 December 1970 | Dunstable | United Kingdom | Queensway Hall |
| 18 December 1970 | London | United Kingdom | Lyceum Theater |
| 19 December 1970 | Folkestone | United Kingdom | Leas Cliff Hall |
| 20 December 1970 | Cleethorpes | United Kingdom | Cleethorpes Winter Gardens |
| 22 December 1970 | Shrewsbury | United Kingdom | Shrewsbury Music Hall |
| 26 December 1970 | Brighton | United Kingdom | The Big Apple |
| 3 January 1971 | Croydon | United Kingdom | The Greyhound |
| 8 January 1971 | Eindhoven | Netherlands | Parktheater |
| 9 January 1971 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Het Concertgebouw |
| 10 January 1971 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | De Doelen |
| 13 January 1971 | Glasgow | United Kingdom | Green's Playhouse |
| 14 January 1971 | Newcastle | United Kingdom | Newcastle City Hall |
| 15 January 1971 | Lancaster | United Kingdom | Freedom Hall |
| 16 January 1971 | Southsea | United Kingdom | Portsmouth Polytechnic |
| 17 January 1971 | Bristol | United Kingdom | Colston Hall |
| 18 January 1971 | London | United Kingdom | Royal Albert Hall |
| 19 January 1971 | Birmingham | United Kingdom | Birmingham Town Hall |
| 21 January 1971 | Southampton | United Kingdom | Southampton Guildhall |
| 23 January 1971 | Aarhus | Denmark | Vejlby-Risskov Hall |
| 24 January 1971 | Gothenburg | Sweden | Gothenburg Concert Hall |
| 25 January 1971 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Falkoner Theater |
| 29 January 1971 | Lille | France | Église Saint-André |
| 30 January 1971 | Lyon | France | Lyon Amphitheater |
| 31 January 1971 | Paris | France | Palais des Sports |
| 2 February 1971 | Brussels | Belgium | Palais des Beaux-Arts |
| 5 February 1971 | Barnstaple | United Kingdom | Queens Hall |
| 6 February 1971 | Cardiff | United Kingdom | Llandaff Technical College |
| 7 February 1971 | Redcar | United Kingdom | Redcar Jazz Club |
| 8 February 1971 | Liège | Belgium | Conservatoire de Liège |
| 12 February 1971 | New Cross | United Kingdom | Goldsmiths College |
| 13 February 1971 | London | United Kingdom | London School of Economics |
| 19 February 1971 | Leeds | United Kingdom | Leeds University |
| 20 February 1971 | Kingston upon Thames | United Kingdom | Kingston Polytechnic |
| 27 February 1971 | Dagenham | United Kingdom | Dagenham Roundhouse |
| 4 March 1971 | Liverpool | United Kingdom | Liverpool Stadium |
| 5 March 1971 | Doncaster | United Kingdom | Top Rank Suite |
| 6 March 1971 | Brighton | United Kingdom | The Big Apple |
| 7 March 1971 | Redcar | United Kingdom | Redcar Jazz Club |
| 9 March 1971 | Birmingham | United Kingdom | Birmingham Town Hall |
| 10 March 1971 | Bournemouth | United Kingdom | Bournemouth Winter Gardens |
| 12 March 1971 | Cardiff | United Kingdom | Cardiff University |
| 14 March 1971 | Blackburn | United Kingdom | King George's Hall |
| 15 March 1971 | Guildford | United Kingdom | Guildford Civic Hall |
| 16 March 1971 | Nottingham | United Kingdom | Albert Hall |
| 17 March 1971 | Guildford | United Kingdom | Guildford Civic Hall |
| 19 March 1971 | Stirling | United Kingdom | Stirling University |
| 20 March 1971 | Aviemore | United Kingdom | Aviemore Sports Center |
| 21 March 1971 | Dunfermline | United Kingdom | Dumfermline Cinema |
| 22 March 1971 | Glasgow | United Kingdom | Glasgow City Center |
| 23 March 1971 | Norwich | United Kingdom | Norwich Lads Club |
| 25 March 1971 | Harrogate | United Kingdom | Royal Hall |
| 27 March 1971 | West Berlin | West Germany | Deutschlandhalle |
| 28 March 1971 | West Berlin | West Germany | Deutschlandhalle |
| 30 March 1971 | Wolverhampton | United Kingdom | Wolverhampton Civic Hall |
| 4 April 1971 | Hemel Hempstead | United Kingdom | Hempstead Pavilion |
| 6 April 1971 | Manchester | United Kingdom | Free Trade Hall |
| 8 April 1971 | Leeds | United Kingdom | Leeds Town Hall |
| 10 April 1971 | Surbiton | United Kingdom | Shoreditch Town Hall |
| 12 April 1971 | London | United Kingdom | BBC Television Centre |
| 15 April 1971 | Frankfurt | West Germany | Volksbildungsheim |
| 16 April 1971 | Böblingen | West Germany | Sporthalle |
| 17 April 1971 | Saarbrücken | West Germany | Saarland Hall |
| 18 April 1971 | Hamburg | West Germany | Hamburg Music Hall |
| 24 April 1971 | Nelson | United Kingdom | Imperial |
| 25 April 1971 | London | United Kingdom | The Roundhouse |
| 30 April 1971 | Luton | United Kingdom | Luton Recreation Center |
| 1 May 1971 | Barking | United Kingdom | Barking Polytechnic |
| 2 May 1971 | Stoke-on-Trent | United Kingdom | Trentham Gardens |
| 6 May 1971 | Chatham | United Kingdom | Central Hall |
| 7 May 1971 | Oxford | United Kingdom | Oxford Town Hall |
| 9 May 1971 | Rome | Italy | Teatro Brancaccio |
| 10 May 1971 | Milan | Italy | Teatro Lirico |
| 11 May 1971 | Arezzo | Italy | Teatro Tenda |
| 14 May 1971 | Birmingham | United Kingdom | Birmingham University |
| 15 May 1971 | Norwich | United Kingdom | Norwich Lads Club |
| 16 May 1971 | Leicester | United Kingdom | De Montfort Hall |
| 21 May 1971 | Liverpool | United Kingdom | Liverpool University |
| 22 May 1971 | Manchester | United Kingdom | Manchester University |
| 23 May 1971 | Harrogate | United Kingdom | Royal Hall |
| 29 May 1971 | Exeter | United Kingdom | Exeter University |
| 4 June 1971 | Clacton | United Kingdom | Princess Theater |
| 5 June 1971 | West Berlin | West Germany | Sportpalast |
| 18 June 1971 | Southport | United Kingdom | Floral Hall |
| North America ||||
| 24 June 1971 | Edmonton | Canada | Edmonton Gardens |
| 25 June 1971 | Vancouver | Canada | PNE Coliseum |
| 26 June 1971 | Seattle | United States | Seattle Center Coliseum |
| 27 June 1971 | Sacramento | United States | Sacramento Memorial Auditorium |
| 28 June 1971 | Los Angeles | United States | Whisky A Go Go |
| 29 June 1971 | Los Angeles | United States | Whisky A Go Go |
| 30 June 1971 | Oklahoma City | United States | Oklahoma City Music Hall |
| 1 July 1971 | San Antonio | United States | San Antonio Municipal Auditorium |
| 2 July 1971 | Dallas | United States | Dallas Memorial Auditorium |
| 3 July 1971 | Houston | United States | Hofheinz Pavilion |
| 4 July 1971 | New Orleans | United States | The Warehouse |
| 5 July 1971 | Indianapolis | United States | National Guard Armory |
| 6 July 1971 | DeLand | United States | Stetson University |
| 7 July 1971 | Orlando | United States | Orlando Sports Center |
| 8 July 1971 | Hampton | United States | Hampton Beach Ballroom |
| 9 July 1971 | Wildwood | United States | Wildwood Convention Center |
| 10 July 1971 | Asbury Park | United States | Asbury Park Convention Hall |
| 11 July 1971 | Alexandria | United States | Alexandria Roller Rink |
| 14 July 1971 | Port Chester | United States | Capitol Theater |
| 15 July 1971 | Port Chester | United States | Capitol Theater |
| 16 July 1971 | Detroit | United States | Eastown Theater |
| 17 July 1971 | Detroit | United States | Eastown Theater |
| 18 July 1971 | Toronto | Canada | York Stadium |
| 19 July 1971 | Ottawa | Canada | Ottawa Civic Center |
| 20 July 1971 | Cleveland | United States | Allen Theater |
| 23 July 1971 | New York City | United States | Gaelic Park |
| 24 July 1971 | New Haven | United States | Yale Bowl |
| Final show ||||
| 31 July 1971 | London | United Kingdom | Crystal Palace Bowl |

### Cancelled shows

| Date | City | Country |
| 18 May 1970 | Geleen | Netherlands (first Pinkpop Festival) |
| 2 November 1970 | Dunstable | United Kingdom |
| 3 November 1970 | Dunstable | United Kingdom |
| 24 November 1970 | Bradford | United Kingdom |
| 1 December 1970 | London | United Kingdom |
| 2 December 1970 | Manchester | United Kingdom |
| 4 December 1970 | Lancaster | United Kingdom |
| 5 December 1970 | Liverpool | United Kingdom |
| 26 December 1970 | Brighton | United Kingdom |
| 28 January 1971 | Bremen | West Germany |
| 29 January 1971 | Lille | France |
| 30 January 1971 | Lyon | France |
| 31 January 1971 | Brussels | Belgium |
| 1 February 1971 | Paris | France |
| 2 February 1971 | Paris | France |
| 6 February 1971 | Cardiff | United Kingdom |
| 7 February 1971 | Redcar | United Kingdom |
| 8 February 1971 | Liėge | Belgium |
| 9 February 1971 | Brussels | Belgium |
| 29 May 1971 | Exeter | United Kingdom |
| 4 June 1971 | Clacton | United Kingdom |
| 5 June 1971 | West Berlin | West Germany |
| 18 June 1971 | Southport | United Kingdom |
| 26 June 1971 | Sheffield | United Kingdom |
| 31 June 1971 | Boston | United States |
The February 1971 shows in Paris were cancelled due to rioting. After leaving France, the band had to cancel some UK shows after their van was involved in a road collision.

## Reception

Writing in Melody Maker in review of the group's shows on 31 October 1970 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Chris Welch described Howe as "stealing the show", Bruford as a "proverbial tower of strength", and Anderson as "simple but emotive".

## Footnotes

* ↑ On this date, Yes played two shows at the same venue—one in the afternoon, followed later by an evening performance