Starship Troopers
Part II

The Flyer for Chesterfield

January 2002 saw the band complete rehearsals for the introduction of 'Close To The Edge' into the Fragile live set. This represented a landmark in the band's history, and 'Edge' was debuted at the Victoria Halls, Stoke, on 15th February 2002 as part of the opening leg of the 9012002 tour. The tour continued through March and April with the band winning plaudits for their performance of this Yes classic. On the business front, Fragile ended their representation arrangement with Bullet Management and resumed direct control of their affairs.

In a parallel development between March and June, Fragile finally commenced work on their long awaited songwriting project 'Aquaplanage'. Quick progress was made with some twelve titles being written and refined across the four month period. Any doubt that Fragile could prove their worth as a song writing force was soon dispelled, and the markers were now down that this was far more than a pure 'tribute' band. With a batch of diverse and challenging material written and ready to go, the prospects seemed set fair for an autumn release of 'Aquaplange'. June also saw the band return to the live stage for two special performances at the much loved Limelight, and the Robin R&B Club. Once again 'Edge' wowed the regulars at these favourite haunts, and as Fragile left the stage of the Robin on 21st June 2002, no-one could foresee that the band was about to experience its first personnel change in over two and a half years.

Upheaval
During the summer the band gathered on an ad-hoc basis to discuss progress on the 'Aquaplanage' project, and plan for the remainder of the year. However, Gonzalo was largely absent during this period to personal commitments in Spain, and had in fact played little part in the development of 'Aquaplanage' during the spring. Matters reached a head as Fragile met for rehearsals in late September for the autumn leg of the 9012002 Tour. Only days before the Fragile were due to play the Brook at Southampton, Gonzalo withdrew from rehearsals without explanation and the remaining band members decided they had no choice but to cancel the autumn schedule. It was decided that the band should continue without Gonzalo, and the disappointing news was posted up on the website.

Progress across October and November was slow, but in a surprise development Steve was contacted by Max Hunt of Tantalus offering his services. Fragile and Max were familiar with each other having crossed paths on a number of occasions in the past, most notably when Fragile and Tantalus appeared on the same bill for the Classic Rock Society at Rotherham in September 2000.

On the 8th December 2002, Max and the band had a lengthy blow and there was no doubt that this was a line-up with huge potential. After securing a business deal which left Max free to continue to work with Tantalus and develop his other many and varied musical projects, Steve set about plans for Fragile's relaunch. 2002 had been an extremely difficult year for the band, but as ever it had surmounted the challenges and emerged stronger and more focused.

Max Hunt Joins!

Moondogs, March Hares, & Beyond!
Fragile return to live action in March 2003 with a mini-tour of selected favourite venues starting in Verviers, Belgium, on the 7th of the month. Going under the banner of 'Moondogs and March Hares', Fragile will introduce Max Hunt as their new keyboardist and perform a set of classic Yessongs. Material will be drawn from the many titles covered by Fragile over the last four years, and will provide a showcase for Max and his many talents!

Looking beyond into 2003, the plan is to deliver the eagerly anticipated

'Aquaplanage' project, introduce new Yes numbers into the live set, and extend the band's gigging activities to new venues and locations. In May 2003, it will be five years since Steve and Jon set out the blueprint for Fragile, and during that time much has been achieved. However, you can be sure that this is not a band to rest on its laurels, and that this wonderous story will continue to unfold!

So, the dream continues, but the aims and objectives remain the same. Fragile perform Yes music not for commercial gain, but because they simply love this wonderful music. They may not be Yes, they don't claim to be Yes, but they are like you.. Yes fans. We hope you enjoy your visit, and please come again!.

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Starship Troopers Part II

Starship Troopers
Part II