Alas Yes' 40th Anniversary Tour has been cancelled. A few weeks ago singer Jon Anderson suffered an asthma attack and was hospitalized. That news didn't seem that bad. Having a history of asthma myself, I know a "normal" attack isn't all that bad. I remember one case back in 2004. I was coughing before I attended the G3 concert with Satriani, Vai, and Yngwie. After a night of screaming and holding up the Devil's horns, I was cured.

 

When rumors of this tour cancellation began circulating the internet a couple days ago, I was thinking it's got to be more than "just an asthma attack." Well his condition is now described as an "acute respiratory failure." His doctors prescribed at least six months of rest. So the "Close To Edge And Back Tour" in July and August is now officially canceled.

 

When this tour was announced, I was so anxious to buy tickets that I didn't even look at how much I was paying until I was about to enter my new credit card info. $150! Holy crap!!! That's considerably more than any other concert I've attended before. In fact, this was the exact price point that made me decide against going to any of the recent Van Halen tours. Yes however is different, I was willing to pay that much for what may be the last opportunity to see them live. If memory serves me right the Yes / Dream Theater tour from 2004, and the Scorpions / Tesla / Keith Emerson tour from 2005 were less than $100. Maybe they were $90, but I have never before paid $100+ for a single ticket. I haven't looked at refunds yet, but that shouldn't be a problem.

 

Financially, this cancellation wouldn't be a problem for me. Other people, however, there's a different story. Like I said this was going to be the 40th Anniversary tour. The last tour was the 35th Anniversary tour. Some fans in Europe were so anxious they paid for airfare and hotels in the US for this tour. Refunds for those expenses are less probable.

 

So! Any suggestions for what I should buy with that $150 I'm getting back?

 

© 2008 Ronnie “The Cruiser” Cruz