Courtesy of Chipster PREx-Yes singer Jon Anderson, guitarist Trevor Rabin and keyboardist Rick Wakeman are teaming up in a new group called, appropriately enough, Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman…or ARW. The band will hit the road this fall on a U.S. tour that’s being billed as “An Evening of Yes Music & More.”
Wakeman says the idea for the collaboration first emerged four or five years ago when he was touring as a duo with Anderson.
“We had lots of time…to talk about times with Yes and Yes music,” Rick tells ABC Radio. “And we both said that one of the things we really, really wanted to do was to work with Trevor as part of a band and play Yes music.”
While the three musicians all agreed that they wanted to play together, their other musical endeavors initially delayed the planned project. Wakeman says that “the thing that really kicked things forward” was the death of Yes bassist Chris Squire in June 2015.
“I think that brought home to all of us that we unfortunately are not immortal, and that anything can happen that we’re least expecting,” says Rick. “So, if you’ve got things that you really want to do, do them.”
Wakeman tells ABC Radio that besides being thrilled to play with Rabin, he also is excited to “be hearing Yes music with Jon singing again.” Rick adds that rather than recreating the songs as they appear on the original records, ARW plans to “take all the elements of the pieces that we’re gonna play…and try and take them to another level.”
ARW’s U.S. tour kicks off October 4 in Orlando, Florida, and runs through a November 29 show in Portland, Oregon. The band also has a March 2017 U.K. leg scheduled and plans to visit other parts of the world next year too.
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