Ithaca, Barton Hall, 24 Feb 1974

28 Feb 1974
The Ithacan
Bill Henk
Review
Review
ithaca: what's on
YES Offers Total Music Experience

By Bill Henk

Alright, no foolin' around on this one. I'd like to write a dynamic vibrant review of the Yes concert of Sunday, February 24th. I'd like to, but I ain't got the time. Deadline comes a'creepin' up mighty fast after a Sunday concert, and besides, it's midterm time. I've got a test on Thursday and there's still four long chapters to be read. So let's get into it.

The whole affair actually began, to my sudden surprise, at 7:30 pm Sunday when John Martyn stepped on stage. John Martyn, to those foreign to the man and his music, is an accomplished if fairly obscure folksinger with some seven full length lps to his credit to date. What the hell he thought he was doing Sunday night, I just don't know. Relying basically on the electronic effects of echo and reverb and an amplified acoustic guitar, Martyn managed to alienate an entire audience who likely would have enjoyed his dominantly acoustic repertoire. Instead, his concert appearance bore little relation to his recorded works, and will serve to point damn few people in that general direction. His music this night served as little more than background to the ongoing chatter between friends. He played three songs and got off. Try being yourself next time, John. It was 8 o'clock.

The stage was obviously preset for Yes, yet the delay between sets ran on for some thirty-five minutes. Apparently the stage crew was checking and rechecking the complex lighting arrangements for the intricate show that was to follow. […]

sitenotes:
Funny how a prog listener can fail to recognize truly progressive music in the making. I fail to see why a Yes audience would stop talking at the sound of traditional acoustic folk music.
This was published in The Ithacan of 28 February 1974 on page 6. The Ithacan is the official weekly newspaper of Ithaca College. It's was founded 1931 and is written, edited and published by students.