Yes’ Steve Howe Explains Why He’s ‘Absolutely Resistant’ to Jon Anderson Reunion: ‘I Remember the Fiasco of the ‘Union’ Tour’
“I love Jon [Anderson]. I’m a lot older now, and so is he, and the only terms I work on is that I’m happy working on this.”
Guitarist Steve Howe mused on the possibility of a reunion with some of classic Yes members, explaining how both he and frontman Jon Anderson grew out of the people they once were, but how he’d still prefer not to “take a sudden load on my back that I either don’t need or want.”
In fact, Howe tells Classic Rock in a new interview that he’s “absolutely resistant” to the idea of a reunion at the moment, citing the hellishly difficult tour launched in support of Yes’ 1991 LP “Union” in which eight different former and current members took part as the reason. He said:
“It’s something I’m absolutely resistant to, because I remember the fiasco of the Union tour.
“It was very, very difficult and out of control. Sometimes I might have thought, ‘Well, one day maybe, and one never wants to say never, but basically I can’t see it.”
As for Anderson, who was replaced in 2008 by Benoit David after suffering from respiratory problems and later critiqued his ex-bandmates for it, Howe said:
“I love Jon [Anderson]. I’m a lot older now, and so is he, and the only terms I work on is that I’m happy working on this. I’m not going to take a sudden load on my back that I either don’t need or want. My music’s always guided me, and it’s not telling me to do those things. It’s telling me to go forwards. If it keeps steering me where it is now, then it’s great to have this live and vibrant Yes.”
The current Yes vocalist Jon Davidson, who replaced David in 2012, now says he has no beef with his predecessor Jon Anderson whatsoever:
“I didn’t assume any responsibility for that. I mean, why would I? I’m just the guy they hired and I would be crazy not to take the gig. I know Jon realises that, so there’s no blame on me for any reason.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Howe reflected on the band’s 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which made it evident that all still wasn’t well between some of the Yes members. He said:
“The further I go from it, the more speechless I get about those couple of days. There’s much I could tell you, but I’m not going to. Basically, there was a hellish side to it. It was like skating on ice but you’ve never skated before.
“I don’t want to decry it, but there were problems. There was a bit of pushing and shoving going on. It was very unusual – the ‘Union’ lineup had been selected, and it was fortunate that [original keyboard player] Tony Kaye was on that tour. Some people got their due respect and others didn’t.”
