Steve Howe’s legacy in Yes and Asia endures

Steve Howe might look frail, and it's not unnatural to wonder how his stamina will hold up for a summer tour -- especially one in which the 62-year-old is playing in two bands.

But the legendary guitarist for prog-rock heroes Yes and poppier'80s supergroup Asia isn't too concerned.

"I'm prepared mentally, and physically, it's not going to be radically different than doing two sets with Yes," said the soft-spoken Howe a few weeks ago from his country home in England.

Indeed, a typical Yes concert would stretch past the 2½-hour mark. And with this dual tour, which comes to Innsbrook After Hours on Wednesday, clocking in at just under an hour for Asia's set and about 90 minutes for Yes' classics, Howe's time spent on stage is comparable.

As a member of Yes since 1970, when he replaced Peter Banks for "The Yes Album," Howe's melodic guitar with traces of jazz and classical lines -- along with Jon Anderson's choirboy vocals, Rick Wakeman's keyboards, Bill Bruford's drumming and Chris Squire's bass -- colored Yes' peak recordings ("Roundabout," "South Side of the Sky," "Close to the Edge").

Though Howe, Squire and Anderson remained rooted while a revolving door of other Yes members spun through the'70s, the band officially fizzled in 1981. It restarted two years later with Trevor Rabin replacing Howe (Rabin is responsible for Yes' only No. 1 hit, "Owner of a Lonely Heart").

In the meantime, Howe, Carl Palmer (drummer for the also-defunct Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Geoff Downes (of The Buggles) and John Wetton (of King Crimson)united to form Asia, which had a handful of hits in the early'80s ("Heat of the Moment," "Only Time Will Tell").

Yes and Asia have regrouped and reformed and reunited throughout the years, with Howe usually part of one or the other (he officially rejoined Yes in 1995).

So why now for a joint tour?

"I wanted to have a chance to play this year, so I said, maybe we can tour together and work out how to do it. It wasn't the first time the idea was put out there, but it never came together before," Howe said. "Yes had been a priority until 2004, when it stopped in its tracks. In the ensuing two years, Asia reformed [the band released 'Phoenix' last year], so this is an interim stopgap."

The most recent upheaval in the Yes camp came when a planned tour in 2008 was canceled after Anderson suffered from acute respiratory attacks.

Howe said the band waited for Anderson to decide whether he was fit to tour, but the distinctive-voiced singer wouldn't commit to Yes. Meanwhile, Anderson has several solo dates scheduled in Europe throughout July and August.

Howe readily allows that Anderson has had a pronounced effect on Yes since the band formed in 1968 and simply says with an air of sadness that Anderson's absence is "partly to do with his health."

Handling vocals on this current tour, which launched three weeks ago and continues through early August, is Benoit David, a Canadian singer found in the same place all classic rock bands (at least Boston and Journey) seeking a lead singer seem to look: a tribute band.

"Somebody sent us a link to a Canadian band that performed Yes covers, and we couldn't believe how good he sounded," Howe said. "We went in thinking, 'He can only be so good,' but he was so good that we found the person we could invite to join the band. He had that knowledge of all of Yes' music, and Canadian voices have a lot of similarities to British voices. Most things are a mixture of good and bad. It's hard to get something this good."

Joining Howe, Squire and David on stage are drummer Alan White (who joined Yes in 1972) and keyboardist Oliver Wakeman (son of Rick).

While on the road, Howe frequently works on his solo recordings; he has released 15. He said he just finished the fourth CD in his "Homebrew" series, a favorite among fans.

"When music is in its embryonic stage, there's something in it that's very quirky," he said. "There's something in the way you first write a piece of music that you can never capture again."

With almost 40 years of writing and recording to Howe's credit, apparently his endurance need not be questioned.

Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or .