Yes will continue with the 50th anniversary Close To The Edge tour in honor of drummer Alan White.
Alan died on 22 May 2022 at age 72. As well as being the drummer for Yes from the Close to the Edge album and on, he was also the drummer on John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ and George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord.
Jay Schellen of Hurricane and formerly Asia will play drums in Alan’s place.
In a statement yes have announced:
Following the sad news of the passing of drummer Alan White, YES will go ahead with their forthcoming The Album Series Tour 2022 in June celebrating the 50th anniversary of their iconic album Close to the Edge, dedicating the tour to Alan.
Alan White joined YES in June 1972, just days before their Close To The Edge Tour began. Over the following 50 years Alan would appear on every YES album including 2021’s The Quest. Following the global pandemic, Alan had been looking forward to this tour and re-joining his bandmates on stage, something he lived for, in the run up to his 50th anniversary of joining YES.
Sadly that was not be, but Alan’s towering presence will be omnipresent on the tour. Alan’s good friend, Jay Schellen, will join YES for the forthcoming tour, alongside Steve Howe (guitars), Geoff Downes (keyboards), Jon Davison (vocals) and Billy Sherwood (bass guitar and backing vocals).
The Close to the Edge tour will comprise full production and a high-definition video wall featuring the work of Roger Dean who will also be joining the tour with an exhibition of YES related art.
Yes will begin their 50th Anniversary Close To The Edge tour in Glasgow on 15 June 2022 with a pre-tour 400 capacity warm-up the night before in Tavistock, UK.
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