I also love heavy metal (most of it, anyway- some is incredibly embarrassing and some of it rocks). Once I heard that a band combined the two, I was already sold. And it turns out they’re really good at it, too. This concert far exceeded my expectations with their great song selections and impressive musicianship.

Having seen Flametal/ Heavy Mellow (an incredible flamenco group that plays metal songs) a few times this year, it was only fitting that I go and enjoy Metalachi- “The World’s First and ONLY Heavy Metal mariachi band”. I’m really digging these bands that combine different styles of music. It’s always nice to hear a new take on good songs that have stood the test of time.

This was also the first real opportunity I’ve had to check out the amazing new outdoor stage area at Citywalk called 5 Towers, so this made for a perfect afternoon. 5 Towers is a fairly new state-of-the-art outdoor concert experience and this concert was part of its Music Spotlight Series. The screen and the lights are beyond awesome. I could go on for a while about how neat it is, but I’ll just recommend going there and checking it out instead.

JON ANDERSON THE CANYON CLUB July 7, 2012

I’ve always been a fan of Yes. I’ve seen them numerous times through the years with various line-ups. The last time I saw them was with Asia and featured the new vocalist, Benoit David. He sounded good, but he obviously wasn’t Jon Anderson. Jon was unceremoniously booted from Yes a few years ago due to medical problems. Jon is on his solo tour and seeing him at an intimate local venue was too good to pass up!

Jon mostly plays along with guitar during the set, but he also played piano, ukulele and sitar. His distinctive voice still sounds incredible. He easily sounded good enough to still be in Yes, but apparently he doesn’t feel the need to tour as extensively as the schedule the band still maintains (probably among other reasons as well). It was nice seeing him in a relaxed atmosphere telling really cool, candid stories between songs. At 67 years old, he definitely still has it.

Jon had some really great stories- one about a young singer form the band The Undertakers with named Robert Plant and another story about playing at a gig with a young, unknown Joe Cocker. Needless to say, he’s been around forever. He also discussed obtaining his US citizenship a while back and played “America by Paul Simon:

I believe this was the last date of his US tour and it was a great way to spend a Saturday evening. Thumbs up to Jon for all the songs, stories and good music!!

While not completely accurate (and until published/ updated), here’s a pretty good representation of the set list (give or take a few songs with the set time limit imposed by the venue):

Yours Is No Disgrace
Sweet Dreams
America
Time and a Word
One Love
Under Heaven’s Door
Flight of the Moorglade
I’ll Find My Way Home
Open [excerpt]
Starship Trooper
Give Love Each Day
Unbroken Spirit
Owner of a Lonely Heart
Set Sail/ Close to the Edge/Heart of the Sunrise Marry Me Again (Played on Piano)
The Light of Love (Song Played on Ukulele)
And You and I
Tony and Me
To the Runner
Long Distance Runaround
Turn of the Century
Your Move/Give Peace a Chance
I’ve Seen All Good People
Roundabout

Encore:
Wondrous Stories
State of Independence
Soon

These people below must have forgotten where they were, since they were more interested in having a full-blown loud conversation during the show than they were in enjoying the music. They ruined around half the concert for everyone sitting around them. I took their picture over my shoulder (the flash may have caught their attention) and finally told them they were talking over the music. They toned it down, but never stopped yapping. So much for seeing “all good people” at this show. Inconsiderate concertgoers are never cool. Why attend a concert if you’re just going to drink and babble?

JON ANDERSON THE CANYON CLUB July 7, 2012

The opener was Teresa Russell. She’s been very popular in the area for quite some time and I have seen her play on several occasions over the years. Like every other time I’ve seen her play, she really rocked tonight. I was kicking myself for showing up a few minutes late and missing part of her set. She was doing a really cool song on my way in that sounded fantastic. If I could only have had her rewind it and start over. She’s a remarkable talent on both the guitar and vocals and, overall, is a very underrated musician.