Yes, which was forced to cancel a 40th anniversary tour this year due to the illness of lead singer Jon Anderson, has decided to relaunch the tour with an "understudy" — a Yes tribute band singer.
Benoit David, who sings in several Yes tribute bands in Montreal, will replace Anderson on the "In the Present" tour, which kicks of Nov. 4 in Ontario, Canada, according to bassist Chris Squire.
"I think it’s all going to work out fine," Squire told the Associated Press. "Of course, realistically, there’s an element of risk, but there always is."
Yes, which consists of Squire, Anderson, guitarist Steve Howe and drummer Alan White, scrapped its anniversary tour in June after Anderson suffered acute respiratory failure and was ordered by doctors to rest for six months.
Squire found David on the Internet after a friend sent him a YouTube clip of David’s tribute band, Close To The Edge. Squire liked what he saw and called David to offer an audition. "The first thing he said to me was, ‘Well, I’m looking around to see where the cameras are in case I’m being punked,’" Squire said.
Source Billboard
