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Yes have postponed their eleven-part “Fragile” European tour to allow guitarist Steve Howe can undergo “necessary surgery that requires recovery time” – according to a statement from the band.
“This decision was made to ensure Steve can return to the stage in full health and deliver the performances fans deserve,” the statement said. “We are working hard to reschedule the UK and European shows, full details will be announced after Easter. Please hold on to your tickets as they will be valid for the new dates. Tour dates already planned for later in 2026 will go ahead as planned.”
The tour, which was due to begin in Glasgow on April 22, was planned as a full performance of their 1971 masterpiece Fragile. A North American tour last year also included fan favorites like “Soon,” “Tempus Fugit,” “Wonderous Stories” and “Starship Troopers.”
Catch-up dates still open
It is not yet known when the replacement dates will be announced.
Howe is the only remaining member of the “Fragile” lineup who is still part of the band. Completing the current lineup are vocalist Jon Davison, bassist Billy Sherwood, drummer Jay Schellan and keyboardist Geoff Downes – a former member of the Buggles who briefly joined Yes during the ‘Drama’ phase in 1980 before returning to the band permanently in 2011.
With the exception of his 2017 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Howe has not appeared on stage with Yes original singer Jon Anderson since 2004. Despite Anderson’s wishes to the contrary, Howe categorically rules out a reunion. “Yes is about people who like to work together and can do it,” Howe told Rolling Stone in 2020. “That word ‘can’ carries the whole story. It means compatibility and having the same ideas about what we want to do. And I think Jon and I got past that point a long time ago.”
Anderson on his own
The standoff hasn’t stopped Anderson from flying the Yes flag on his own account. He fronted the spin-off Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, and Rick Wakeman (originally announced as Anderson, Rabin, and Wakeman) from 2010 to 2018. More recently, he has toured with a group of session musicians under the name Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks. Together they recorded the album “True” in 2024 and are currently in the middle of a US tour, where classics from the seventies form the core of the set.
Yes, on the other hand, already have a new album ready. “We just finished it,” Davison told Rolling Stone in March. “It’s fully mastered. We’re working on all the details of the album cover right now, and Roger Dean is submitting the final artwork. It’s due out in July, I believe.”
