Continued from page 10 IE : So , for the tour , along with stuff from the new album and stuff from your other solo albums , you ' re going to be performing some

Yes songs . What ' s it like revisiting those songs from Yes ? JA : Two days ago , I was singing “ Awaken ” and towards the end , I couldn ' t sing it . The last line of “ Awaken ” is , “ Like the time I ran away / And turned around / And you were standing close to me .” I ran away from everything , and God and I turned around and you were standing close to me . I started at how beautiful a piece of music it is . But when I ' m on stage , I can ' t do that , though it would be kind of cool . [ Pulls out tissues ] Oh , no , I ' ve got to sing this again . That ' s what I was doing

an hour ago . Oh , I can ' t sing the ending . It ' s so beautiful . [ Starts fake crying ] So that was me yesterday .

IE : It ’ s amazing how music can bring those emotions out of you . Going back to Yes , one of my favorite songs is “ Owner of a Lonely Heart .” And what amazes me about the song is even though you and Yes have done so much throughout your career , it ’ s this song that keeps striking a chord with people young and old making new fans . JA : Well , quick story , I was working in the south of France , writing some music about an artist , a Russian guy called Marc Chagall . I

just met him on his 90th birthday , and I was busy writing songs about his life . Then I went to London , and [ Yes bassist ] Chris [ Squire ] called me up and asked , “ Do you want to hear some music [ Squire ’ s band Cinema ] is doing ?” And I said , “ Okay .” So , he came around with his Rolls Royce , and I got in his car , and he played “ Owner of a Lonely Heart .” In the back of my mind , I ' m going , “ Wow , this is amazing !” I told Chris the chorus was a hit . I mean , it ' s so commercial . The last thing Yes was , was commercial . Yes , it wasn ' t built to be three-minute , 33-second

pop energy . It was to create long-form pieces of music . That ' s what I wanted to do . Then Chris played another song and asked if I liked them . I said , these are great songs , but your verses are not very strong . And he said , “ well , what would you do ?” “ Just be a bit more staccato with the verse .” “ Would you come in tomorrow to the studio and sing an idea ?” I said , “ Well , if I do , it won ’ t be a Cinema song ; it ’ ll be Yes , won ’ t it ?” He said , “ that ' s what we want !” So , the following day I went in and the first thing I did was the [ starts singing melody ] “ Move yourself / you always live your life / never thinking of the future .” Very staccato , you know , and they loved it . All of a sudden , I saw myself in a band that was going to be a big hit . It was a magical period . Within a month we ' d made a video of us on top of a skyscraper pretending to be different animals – eagles and snakes and things . Then we went on tour and played to thousands and thousands of people all because of one song . Blew my mind . It happens , you know . I had a great time on tour .

IE : It ’ s amazing how the song lives on and continues to resonate with new and old fans . So , you ' ve been making music for decades now and a lot has changed since then in terms of the music industry , where you are in your life , life after the pandemic , and you ' re still making music . You ' re still going on tour . So , what ' s the thing that keeps you motivated to get on the road to keep playing and keep creating new music ?

JA : Oh gosh . I just can ' t believe I ' m as excited as I am about everything in life and going on tour and getting ready to perform this new album . We ' re going to do a couple of songs on this tour , but next spring , we ’ ll go out all over the world and perform this album . That ' s what motivates me , you know . And I wake up and feel very blessed to have a beautiful wife who keeps me organized in so many ways . As you can imagine , I ' m not that organized as a person , but she does exactly the right thing .

We just had a couple of weeks in Kauai to have a break before the big tour and to watch her swimming in the ocean – it was amazing . It was just fantastic . So , I ' m very blessed . I feel very blessed to do what I do and if that can translate on tour and playing shows where people have a great time , they ’ ll always remember the show . They went to see Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks , of all things , you know . And it was just like watching and listening to Yes . Close your eyes - it ’ s Yes because I never let go of Yes in my life .

Jon Anderson ’ s new album True , comes out on August 23 . Anderson and The Band Geeks will perform at the Copernicus Center on June 13 .

Ashley Perez - Hollingsworth

34 illinoisentertainer . com june 2024