I'm so glad you got to this version of South Side of the Sky. This recording was from their 35th anniversary tour. This song was the highlight of the first half of the show. The stage decorations were inflatables designed by Roger Dean. The "gourds" surrounding Alan White's drum kit were actually giant tympanies that flashed different colors during the show. They did not actually get used until they played Ritual toward the end. At that point, they played mechanically or by foot pedal during the break in the middle of the song. It was a great show, too bad you missed it. I saw them in Miami, and then the day after I sent tickets to my uncle who turned me on to Yes 30 years earlier so he could see them in Detroit. Good times for everyone.

Ladies and gentlemen Chris Squire and Yes the greatest show on earth. Yes with breakfast what a divine beginning to the day. Squire's bass is in the shape of C S

Howe and Wakeman trading licks is EPIC !!!

The last time I saw Yes as a band. We thought it would never end but at the very least we have these incredible videos to remember how great they were live.

That Howe/Wakeman duel is so awesome to watch

12:45 Watch their performance of Ritual. You'll see : )

I accidentally landed a first row seat and had never heard SSOTS Live. WE HAD HEAVEN!!!!! The vocals gave you wings! The groove thrust! The love Power!. This was the LAST YEAR this YES perfect LINEUP ever performed. RIP! High the memory carries on!

The duel at the end is a legendary Yes moment 🔥

Stunning version of a stunning song!

What can you say? Yes live more than pull it off. Live they are always note perfect and in just the right places know how to extend and enhance already great songs. Live, Yes give their audiences 150% and have done so for more than 50 years now. They are one of the best bands live ever. Yes fans will recommend so many live audio and video recording just because of that extra they put into their live shows. South Side of the Sky a already great song from Fragile made even better. More Yes live. Many thanks for reacting to this song and putting on your channel.

I have the DVD of this Show. Brilliant. Loving how you’re loving, ‘Yes’. Don’t forget the Live Links I sent you, in your ‘Awaken’ Video too. Oh yes, you mentioned Chris Squire’s Bass. You’ll love his ‘Triple Bass’, on the Montreux 2003 Video. Enjoy. 🎶❤️🎶

Yes also performed a great rendition of Ritual on Songs for Tsongas…

I saw this tour in Hartford. One of many great YES Shows.

I was so happy when they played this on the tour: first time I’d seen them do it live. This has long been my favourite from Fragile, but we normally get Roundabout and Heart of the Sunrise

I'm glad you are watching Yes again. That back and forth between Howe and Wakeman is my favorite part. I saw the show in CT the night before this one and the crowd was wild. So much fun. I was sitting in front of Wakeman watching his hands speed across the keys and blur out. Something to see. This is their last tour with Anderson I believe.

If you venture into "later" Yes, I would recommend the tracks "I'm Running", "I Would Have Waited Forever". and "Shock To The System" which come closest to their classic period.

Lol, Thank you Justin I'm so happy you played this for all to enjoy this great song "Live" I'm glad so many liked it !! Keep it the "Live" Prog going Justin you know where find them on the list !! Lol Still one of my very favorite concerts I saw perfect Roger Dean stage, lighting & sound and Performance !! And to this day I can still remember how damn Hot it was when the A/C failed after the first song !!!! Lol : D

Yes is on tour.......you should see them in concert.😁

I saw them on this tour and they were absolutely brilliant and Jon Anderson touched my hand.

I had the good fortune to see 3-dates on this tour and loved every minute!

At last! I must have waited all my life for this. I was there! Such a great performance and set list. Missed being in the video by ‘that much’. The friends I went with got in it! Floor seats in front of Steve Howe; who clearly was loving showing off for the cameras and was in rare form as were they all! I had forgotten how epic this performance was! Can’t thank you enough for this Justin. 👏❤️

I've seen every tour since 1976. The extra huge drums surrounding Alan White's kit on this tour were used in the song "Ritual" from the Tales of Topographic Oceans album.

The last time I saw Yes perform live, they did 10 songs - one song from each of their first 10 albums. "South Side of the Sky" was the song they played from Fragile.

We be waving our hands all over the place...every concert I have seen Yes jams OUT and extends songs!!! I don't know what Alan Alien drums were all about. Yes always show up to concerts with strange instruments. Some they have had made for them, others from their travels to different countries. Lol hahaha

Once again, you are the highlight of my day! TY! ;)

This was a great tour. I saw the first show of it in Seattle. Met Roger Dean that night. He told me he was just there making sure his stage was working correctly. Not sure how many shows he stayed with them on. Super nice and approachable guy. "South Side Of The Sky" was actually part of a sort of medley on this tour where they did that and "Turn Of The Century" in between parts one and two of "Mind Drive". The "gourds" surrounding Alan were actually drums and they were set to be used during "Ritual" they were designed by a friend of his named Reek Havoc and were to be triggered via computer to play simultaneously during the drum break. They didn't work at all at the beginning of the tour and actually never worked like they were supposed to even at this show, which I believe was the 2nd to last show of the 2004 tour. So they ended up just being a visual for the most part.

OH YES!!! : )

I'm with you on this Justin. This tune doesn't get enough attention.

This LIVE version is my favorite!!（I mean, this song itself is not played live very often.） I also like the solo battle-like exchange between Howe & Rick at the end.

Squire's bass was custome designed. He had it made around the time of 90125. It is the bass on Owner of a Lonely Heart and a few others from that album.

We were so fortunate to see this tour at the Omni in Atlanta. Great show (as always). We had great seats and they just HAD to look in my wife's purse at the entrance and discovered my Nikon. :( We had a room at the Omni so I just had to run it upstairs but (expletive deleted)...foiled again. Anyway, for your own edification, check out their set at the 2004 Lugano Jazz Festival. Its on KZfaq. For this Yes fan and strictly IMHO, one of the best ever filmed.

I totally agree about touching heaven!! That is one of the most beautiful vocal harmony breaks in any song i have ever heard. Chris's voice really stands out to me. That harmony wouldn't have been half as good without his strong voice right in the middle. I have worn out the studio track of this, and this performance, though slower as you mentioned, really does a great job with such an epic tune. Cheers!!

One my Yes Favs too…fhanks JP…they did slow idown just a touch. Steve Howe’s guitar on South Sude of the Sky is amazing. Thanks for the cover.

Wow...love this video! I'm a huge YES fan but had never seen this before, so thank you for putting this up. What a great ending with Howe and Wakeman playing off each other. I saw them live several times and they never disappointed!

Love when you do YES reactions, still many, many more to go and looking forward to seeing those. (Killer shirt by the way. :-) )

Thanks Justin, great to see you digging this. A great start to my day! It was always amazing how Steve and Rick, at the opposite ends of the stage, were seemingly telepathic with their call and response and unison lines. Truly some of the greatest talent! I did play a small part in the stage design here. I saw Jon on solo tour, and after the show I mentioned that he could get all the amazing colors (16 million!) he wanted from Color Kinetics LED stage fixtures (now owned by Philips Lighting, which led to their consumer HUE bulbs). They were fairly new at the time. I had designed the lighting for a club and a recording studio with them, and he made a note of it. The stage design by Roger Dean relied on inflatable elements that could not withstand the heat of conventional stage lights within them, so Jon and Roger used them almost exclusively in this amazingly beautiful stage show. Best to you, Mon & keep 'em coming!

The bass here is a Mouradian. He played this on Owner of a Lonely Heart and another one or two, I think. He also plays a triple neck on live Awaken. Otherwise, he always had his Ric!

Love the call-and-answer jam at the end of this. I'd never seen this live - what a joy!

Wow. Just wow.

YES isn't known as a jam band but dear lord whenever they did it was fantastic!

Just class thanks.

Never saw that video! Thanks for being a huge Yes fan as am I so I could see something I haven't seen yet.

The Bass was Custom for Chris Squire if you look you'll notice its a CS for Chris Squire. I believe he used this on the Owner of a lonely heart video also. Thanks for the reaction I hadn't seen this version till now.

Yes never disappoint. There was a time in my (Friederike) life when they were my absolutely favourite band; I hardly listened to anything else (well, that's a bit exaggerating, but you know what I mean). There are other artists that I love more these days (like for example Magma, Van der Graaf Generator, Gong, Hawkwind, Embryo, Amon Düül II and of course Barbara Youknowwho), but Yes still rank very high with me.

Nice. I had not seen this version before. Loved the jamming at the end🤩🔥

Got to see them in 2003 and 2004 (and even happened to get seated next to Jane Anderson at first row 2004). They were really performing top notch with incredible set lists! And they did Ritual 2004 - thats what thise timpanies were for 😊

"Fragile", is a very nostalgic album for me. Listening to it for the first time, as a 9 year old, in my bedroom, in 1972, it really transported me into a magical realm [ not literally, ha ha]. That's how it felt though, with so much of the music of that time. "South side of the Sky" was also a favourite and I never tire of hearing it. Great to see this live version. Chris Squire's solo album, "Fish out of Water", is worth a listen. May I suggest for your listening pleasure, "Hold out your Hand"/"You by my Side". They are separate tracks but segue into each other.

I saw Yes in concert in 2004 at Cal Expo in Sacramento and they showed out...extending their songs with these solos on their instruments.....Really Excellent!!! this concert is what they are like in concert!!! Great reaction!!!!

Thanks, JP always good to watch them live.

Fantastic Tee - Fantastic album cover art - Fantastic band - YES !

Justin, one last comment. This is a MUST watch show in its entirety! Trust me you will love it. The acoustic portion shows a totally different side of the band. Musicianship at its finest! Justin you will LOVE this entire concert. Enjoy my friend!!😎

I was sitting in the front row at this concert!

Hey Justin! Thank you! YES!!! Been waiting for this one. This version is AWESOME!!!!😎

Chris was playing his Mouradian initials bass model CS-74 was designed by Chris with the builder Jim Mouradian. both RIP

And about White's stage "Timpani" drums. They were really just props, on on song the moved up and down but they did'n't plat it was just a Roger Dean visual !! This whole concert is on Y-tube Justin !! As with others posting on it, "Ritual" is just AMAZING !! : )

those big drums are probably props like with the washing machines and dryers like on stage at i forgot what tour rush year

A fantastic, and classic Yes tune played by a (arguably) classic Yes line up. That said, just me, or did this sound sluggish. Maybe they're just slowing down in their old age. That or their metronome was wonky 🙂

Legendary version

An amazing performance. Loved it!!! Thanks!

Jon sounds like has a cold on this.

Hey Justin! Loved this tour. Saw this show several times. Alan's extras were only used on a couple of songs. Excellent stage design by Roger Dean. The shows only got better as the tour progressed. Great memories! YES FOREVER!!!😎

They have a song called ritual,that Alan white uses the huge drums on the side.

I dig the vocal fry and the solos at the end. PS those mechanical drums were used during Ritual.

I'm just going to brag right now that I have seen Yes 6 times. One of them was in the round. Phenomenal!!! I saw Genesis 6 times also

The green Mouradian bass first appeared during the 90125 period. This one was designed by Chris and if you look, it has his CS initials. I would love to see a 9012live reaction. That was a great music video. It might be a divisive line-up but they were a bombastic live act at that point. Live from Tsongas is OK, but there were better performances from that time. South Side Of The Sky from the 2004 Lugano Jazz Festival is worth watching. It's up on KZfaq...

Excellent, more Yes and a great live version--wait, it's hard to think of a bad live version of any of their songs. 🙃

The big drums is for the song Ritual

The set was designed by Roger Dean, the artist who famously created most of their notable album covers. The tympanii you wondered about were slaved to his kick drum, and used for the climactic fourth side of Topographic Oceans. Unfortunately, early in the tour, they started to have synching problems with them, so stopped using them.

Great jammin at the end. Bits of Don’t kill the whale in there too somewhere. Hey jp, I can’t believe u ain’t heard Future Times/ Rejoice yet. u Lucky Dabber! Oh to be 12 again hearin those Tormato songs redefining wot it was to be Yes. Then in 2001, when i yearned for those same vibes, along came the Classic Magnification. I was so pleased they succeeded to win me back with that. U know what though? I tried a quick listen to Open your Eyes recently and it sounded way better than the travesty that i encountered back in 96. So enjoy the duture multiple Yes expeditions, as I’ll probably be pleasantly surprised by them too. SSOTS was always a rocky fave. The Montreux version is really cool too if i remember correctly. 3x3 by the Gen Boys awaits. U will never be the same once your heart tunes into “You Might Recall.” A corker of a song... But sadly under-appreciated. Diolch.

Yours is No Disgrace from this same show is amazing!

Love

I hadn't seen this, thanks to the. one who suggested it. I actually like the Wakeman, Howe jam at the end.

I was at this concert--the last time I ever saw the band live, all I remember was it was very very hot in there (I think the AC broke down or something). "South Side of the Sky" is of course a Yes classic! That middle section...breathtaking.

Side note . The bass is a custom of his initials. CS

The timpani drums do NOTHING. They are just cosmetic - there to look cool, or ridiculous, depending on which camp you were in. During certain sections of the set, notably the drum section of ritual, robot arms with mallets would come out and start “striking” the timpanis. They weren’t actually producing any sound. If you look closely in the dvd your see that some mallets don’t actually make contact, and they are not striking in the rhythm of the music. The drum sounds you hear are a mix of Alan’s live playing on his actual drum kit, and a pre-recorded tape. I remember this set design and particularly the Robo-Drums split the fan base in two during this tour.

That was really worth seeing and hearing. I didn't know this video at all. If you feel like Yes live I have a recommendation: "Yes live at the Apollo 2018". This is a whole concert video (but there are also the individual songs on KZfaq). It is not the "original Yes" but Yes-ARW (Anderson, Rabin, Wakeman). Added to the tour are Lee Pomeroy (bass) and Lou Molino III (drums). For his 74 years (at this point) Anderson's voice is amazing and the live performance is incredible.

I find this version too slow for my taste and overall the interpretation lacks energy. Sorry, I'm sticking with the original studio version !

I can recommend the Live at Montreux concert (also).

Never heard Jon's voice sound gritty. YES used to have some pretty elaborate stage props. I think Alan White even had a big plastic colorful lotus thing that open above his head. I hadn't seen Chris play that bass before. Not his number one but it does look cool.

Hi JP. Dave on another spring-like London day, watching the sun and wispy clouds Grace The Skies. A classic track from Fragile (and my 2nd fave after Roundabout) that may have been underrated by the band themselves, as they haven't played it live as often as all the other group songs on Fragile (and it didn't appear on Yessongs). Love the Steve & Rick call & response at the end. I definitely share your enthusiasm for this blistering performance. Alan's drum appendages - very alien? Very Spinal Tap! US prog band Glass Hammer do a very passable cover of South Side. It pre-dates current Yes vocalist Jon Davison's time in the band (when they recorded my song ref Grace The Skies) but does features some interesting backing vocals by no less than Jon Anderson.

Usually, extra vid day so, I’m good with some live Yes. Must be hard, being pulled by strong currents internally and us asking for this and that… some out there never being happy. Finish David Sancious’s Tranformation (Speed of Love) and I’ll be super happy. Please. Peace and SEY Music

I would have to rehear the album version but I think I like this better than the original.

JP you have to react to Ritual from this tour. You'll understand the stage design and get to see Squire play timpani

Knowing your admiration for Jon Anderson, you ought to listen to his solo song Animation from the album of the same name released in 1982, there are a number of other good tracks on the album, saw him perform the album in 1983 at a Crown lounge in Pinellas County Florida.

Yay Ronnie.

I have that shirt! :)

Hey Justin! Watched your vid several times now. I have to reply to your comment about Southside being the best song on Fragile. I also love it, BUT, once you see the boys play Heart of the Sunrise dozens and dozens of times live it just might change your mind as to what is best on the album. I feel Fragile is a masterpiece and that is one reason why I don't rank anything of YES' library. That's Lightmane's job! Lol!!🤣😎

After the "classic" version of Yes finally reformed in 1996 (with White rather than Bruford), we fans were ecstatic and expecting another round of tremendous new music from the band like what had transpired first when Wakeman had joined for Fragile, then again when Wakeman returned for Going for the One. The studio cuts on Keys to Ascension I and II are pretty good, but not tremendous when compared to songs like Awaken or Siberian Khatru. The sales for the Keys releases must not have been very good, and the band must have gotten some pressure from the label to produce material more akin to 90125, and a couple of albums followed (The Ladder and Magnification) which were not very proggy, yet not very poppish, either, and Yes got no radio play, and prog fans sort of drifted away. It didn't help those fans that Wakeman also once more drifted away to be replaced by unknowns who must have worked cheap. But the live shows, like this one, remained tremendous as they mixed in the classics along with cuts from the more recent albums. One very welcome addition to the live shows was the inclusion of SSotS in the set. It is a tribute to the musical and vocal skills of this lineup that they managed to pull off this live performance of a song they thought was too hard to perform live back in their younger days. Slowing down the tempo a tad might have been part of what made this possible. The Ladder/Magnification era is pretty much ignored now by both fans and reactors, but it might be fun for you to delve into it. I'd suggest "Homeworld" from The Ladder: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/e7qdhbCBrdrHoZ8.html, or "Give Love Each Day" from Magnification: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fbRhhqx0x7S3XY0.html

Since you like this song so much I'd like to recommend you searching 2003 live version of this song. The Mix is better especially with the vocals in the middle it is near perfection!

I told you so.

The drums were for ritual

When you going to react to Fish Out Of Water?

Im suing you. You left out "We Have Heaven" as the prelude.. - cool reacting to the Yes stuff JP ! Keep it up !

Oatmeal, coffee and Yes. The breakfast of champions but I still prefer the original, a little more energy for me. Thank you Justin.

Hi Justin ! Now you have to go on Ritual !

Cool shirt bruh

This is the grungiest I've ever heard Jon Anderson. It sounded great though!

Just a tad slower than the original and possibly better for it to hear the subtleties of the track. Nice choice Justin.

The proper response to a perfect prog concert is slack-faced awe--extended across several minutes after the last note crosses your ears. None of this dancing around, clapping and lighter lighting.

All that musicianship on display, live or on album, and I still find it hollow. As a lover of some of their earlier work, I promise to keep trying.