A legendary night from 1976 is finally getting its official due. Yes will mark the 50th anniversary of one of their most storied performances with ‘Yes: Live At Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, 17 June 1976’. The show captured the formidable Relayer lineup of Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White, and Patrick Moraz playing to a capacity crowd at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey.
The recording catches the band at a creative high point on the “Solo Albums Tour.” After the success of ‘Relayer’ in 1974, the members spent 1975 cutting five individual solo projects, and this 1976 run marked the first time those new arrangements folded into the live set. The result is a snapshot of five players stretching out in every direction at once.
The set balances full-band epics like “The Gates Of Delirium” and “Ritual” with staples including “Siberian Khatru” and “Heart Of The Sunrise.” It also makes room for rare individual spotlights, Anderson’s ethereal selections from ‘Olias of Sunhillow’ and Moraz’s rhythmic explorations from ‘The Story of I’, alongside Howe’s acoustic signature “Clap.” The night closes with a rare run through “I’m Down,” the high-energy classic originally by The Beatles, a fitting jolt to send everyone home.
The quintet was captured mid-tour during a live broadcast on New York’s WNEW-FM. The performance has circulated as one of the band’s most beloved bootlegs for decades, and this release brings it into the catalog officially for the first time.