The 2019 summer concert calendar has just been lit up with the announcement of YES‘ North American concert tour, “The Royal Affair Tour.” Headlined by prog rock pioneers and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees YES, who triumphed last year with their acclaimed and hugely successful #YES50: Celebrating 50 Years of YES tour, this must-see best-of-British-rock show will also feature Asia with the return of founding member Steve Howe in a special performance, John Lodge of The Moody Blues, and Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy with guest vocals by Arthur Brown.
The first set of dates for “The Royal Affair Tour” has been announced. The trek will launch Wednesday, June 12 in Bethlehem, PA and visit cities including Holmdel, NJ; Toronto; Nashville; Hollywood, FL; Phoenix; Las Vegas; and Irvine, CA before wrapping Sunday, July 28 in Saratoga, CA. Most shows go on sale Friday, April 5. More dates will be revealed in the coming weeks. See below for full list of tour dates and go to www.yesworld.com/live for ticketing information.
YES is Steve Howe (guitar — joined 1970), Alan White (drums since 1972), Geoff Downes (keyboards; first joined in 1980), Jon Davison (vocals since 2011) and Billy Sherwood (guitar/keyboards in the 1990s and the late Chris Squire’s choice to take over bass/vocals in 2015), with Jay Schellen on additional drums. See quotes below from YES.
Look for YES to perform songs from throughout their storied career, one of rock music’s most prized bodies of work, and their set will honor the memory of YES members Chris Squire and Peter Banks.
Asia will play their signature songs and pay tribute to their late founding member John Wetton. A portion of their set will feature original guitarist Steve Howe in a special performance. Asia will also introduce its new line-up featuring guitarist/lead vocalist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and bassist Billy Sherwood.
John Lodge’s set will encompass his classic hits by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Moody Blues and pay tribute to the band’s recently departed member Ray Thomas.
Carl Palmer will honor the memory of his fellow Emerson, Lake and Palmer members Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, with vocals by British vocalist Arthur Brown.
As part of the evening’s British theme, there will be Alan White of YES’ tribute to John Lennon; White was the drummer on Lennon’s solo material including the recording of “Imagine.”
Steve Howe: “Yes is delighted to headline this celebration of British music which has been so warmly received in America over the past five decades.”
Alan White: “I’m looking forward to joining a number of classic British talents that have delighted so many fans over the past half century.”
Geoff Downes: “This is a unique celebration of the British contribution to classic rock over many decades. It will be inspirational to be a part of. And I know it is what John Wetton would have wanted.”
TOUR DATES
The initial dates for “THE ROYAL AFFAIR TOUR” are as follows, with more to be announced soon:
WED 6/12 Bethlehem, PA – Bethlehem Event Center
FRI 6/14 Farmingdale, NY – Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater
SAT 6/15 Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
SUN 6/16 Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
THU 6/20 Westchester, NY – Westchester County Center
FRI 6/21 Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
*SAT 6/22 Baltimore, MD – MECU Pavillion
MON 6/24 Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
TUE 6/25 Lewiston, NY – Artpark Amphitheater
THU 6/27 Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
SAT 6/29 Gilford, NH – Bank of NH Pavilion
SUN 6/30 Providence, RI – Bold Point Park
^WED 7/3 Rochester Hills, MI – Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
FRI 7/5 Columbus, OH – Express Live
SAT 7/6 Aurora, IL – RiverEdge Park
MON 7/8 Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry House
WED 7/10 Cary, NC – Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park
^FRI 7/12 Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall
SAT 7/13 Hollywood, FL – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
^THU 7/18 St Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre
SAT 7/20 Irving, TX – Toyota Music Factory
SUN 7/21 Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
^WED 7/24 Phoenix, AZ – Comerica Theatre
FRI 7/26 Las Vegas, NV – The Joint (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino)
SAT 7/27 Irvine, CA – FivePoints Amphitheatre
+SUN 7/28 Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery
*On sale April 12
^On sale TBD
+On sale April 8
