Yes Postpones Early 2003 Dates Due To Singer's Back Injury

01/30/2003 12:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Bruce Simon

(1/30/03, 12 p.m. ET) -- Yes has been forced to postpone the opening dates of its 2003 Full Circle world tour. Singer Jon Anderson has been ordered by his doctor not to travel or perform while he recovers from three fractured vertebrae, which he suffered in an accident over the Christmas holidays. Final details are still being worked out, but the Pacific Rim shows--which were to run from February 16 in Singapore to March 1 in Melbourne, Australia--will be rescheduled for later this year, possibly in September.

In a statement, Anderson said, "The entire band and I are very disappointed about having to postpone this tour, which we were really looking forward to doing. I personally appreciate the understanding of our fans, as it is certainly not in our history to cancel or postpone tours. We are eager to reschedule the dates in these territories as soon as possible."

Anderson's injury might also have a longer-reaching effect on Yes. The rescheduling of these dates might mean the band will not be able to play its annual North American run this year, although that's not set in stone yet.

Unaffected at press time were Yes's tour plans for Europe. The group will kick things off June 7 in Sweden and currently has stops planned through July 15 in Germany. Yes will likely add more European shows that will keep the band there through the end of August.

The postponed Yes shows:

February 16 - Singapore, SIN - Singapore Convention Center

February 19 - Yokohama, JAP - Kanagawa Hall

February 21 - Osaka, JAP - Koseinenkin Hall

February 22,23 - Tokyo, JAP - Kokusai Forum

February 28 - Melbourne, AUS - Vodafone Arena

March 1 - Sydney, AUS - Sydney Entertainment Centre

-- Bruce Simon, New York

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