May 2000 Press Release

Future Times

Steve Carney unveils plans for Fragile for 2001 and beyond . . .

On the eve of Fragile's first official gig of 2001, Steve Carney spoke of the band's plans for this year.

" The guys are really looking forward to playing live again. The last gig of the Roundabout 2000 tour was back in November last year, which now seems a long time ago. That was a great journey and by the end we were really cooking as a unit. You worry that you might lose the momentum after a break, but the reality is that we only took a break during December. January was spent individually preparing fresh material, and acoustic rehearsals took place in February. Full rehearsals have been going on throughout March, and we are now well up to speed and ready to hit the boards. This year's live schedule will be under the banner of "Going For 2001", and we have our web host Simon to thank for this piece of inspiration!. The tour will take in new venues as well as return appearances at established haunts. We will be performing Yessongs never previously covered by Fragile, including a well established Yes classic, a much neglected title from an early 70's album, and a dip into the charts from 1977!. The set will also see a number of new solo pieces and some surprise snippets and links".

Steve on stage

Fragile in Southampton during

Fragile will return to Verviers in April 2001!

Steve went on to explain the thinking behind this year's gig plans.

"Roundabout 2000 was a brilliant achievement, but so many gigs across four months was very demanding. Therefore, we have spread this year's schedule across a much longer period, and been more selective about the venues involved. We decided to pick the best of last year's batch, and also look for some new quality outlets for the band. We will only be playing one London date this year, and this is because we did plenty of dates in the Capital across 1999 and 2000. We are concentrating on the areas outside of London that have been good to us and where there is a clear demand for Yes music. 2001 will also see us develop our international profile with a return to Belgium and a unique appearance in Finland!. There is also the possibility of a date in Holland later this year, and gigs in Scotland and Wales. These are not currently listed but we are in advance negotiations with promoters and venues. We are also working closely with Phil Watts of Bullet Entertainment on plans for some theatre dates to be added to Going For 2001 in the autumn. The confirmed tour schedule can be found on the gigs page of our website, but new dates will be added as developments unfold".

Steve also hinted that plans for 2002 were already being hatched.

"We don't believe in standing still, and next year will see a special London show built around a Yes masterwork, unplugged dates, a new live recording of Yes material, festival appearances, a short Euro tour, and maybe a UK based Yestival!. The band will also be developing original material with a view to some limited live activity and an associated CD release. The future though is dependent on continued support for the band's activities, and we urge Yesfans to get to the shows this year. A thanks to all our friends out there around the UK, and we look forward to seeing you again at some point during "Going For 2001"!!

Steve Carney

Can Jon find a worse stage outfit this year?