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Guitarist Trevor Rabin says spending most of the past 20 years in a studio composing more than 50 film scores has changed everything about the way he performs live.
"I'm fine with the pay cut," he says with a laugh, celebrating the chance to be back onstage performing on the Anderson, Rabin & Wakeman — or ARW — tour.
The composer is noted for scores from movies such as 2008's "Remember the Titans," whose triumphal theme became the soundtrack for Barack Obama's celebration after winning the presidential election.
But Rabin will return to his rock roots with Yes as he takes the stage at Salt Lake City's Capitol Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 17, along with lead singer Jon Anderson and keyboardist Rick Wakeman. (Supporting the trio are bassist Lee Pomeroy and drummer Lou Molino III.)
"I've been sitting in a studio for 17 years conducting, so it's good to have a guitar in my hands instead of a baton," Rabin says.
The musicians, who represent different eras of the rock band, aim to perform respectful classic Yes songs but inject them with new vigor.
What Rabin called the beautiful, important guitar parts will all be there for longtime fans, but other moments will sound different. One example he offered was "And You & I," from the band's 1972 album "Close to the Edge," which has completely different guitar lines. "Just doing it with Rick, and with our new kind of take on everything, it's really kind of exciting for us every night," Rabin says.
Yes fans will also note Rabin's orchestral arrangement of "Perpetual Change" that opens the show, and the orchestral interlude in the middle of the classic song "Awaken." Those two sound files are the only recordings in the show — otherwise, no click tracks or lip syncing. "None of that," Rabin says. "Every note is played."
What sets apart the tour is the musicians onstage, as ARW isn't a cover band or record label's "supergroup." Instead, the three musicians were brought together by their love of performing the rock songs that Yes made famous over the decades. "It really has come from very natural sources," Rabin says.
Along with bassist Chris Squire, who died last year, Anderson was a founding member of Yes, which became one of the world's most influential progressive rock bands. Anderson's vocals led the band in three eras, from 1968-1980, 1982-1988 and 1990-2008. Wakeman joined him for four stints with the band, beginning in 1971 and ending in 2004. Rabin played with Anderson's Yes for much of the 1980s, but teamed with Wakeman for just the band's "Union" 1991 tour.
Wakeman is noted for being part of the band's 1970s "prog era," while Rabin is credited with the band's turn to pop, partly due to the phenomenal success of 1983's "90125" and the single "Owner of a Lonely Heart," one of several songs on the album that Rabin penned.
That he's perceived among fans as leading Yes to a more commercial sound is a little bit ironic, says Rabin now, since the native South African was classically trained, beginning piano lessons at age 6 before teaching himself to play the guitar at 12.
He aimed to become a conductor, studying orchestration at the University of Johannesburg before he became a session musician. (His son, drummer and producer Ryan Rabin, is a co-founder for the indie rock band Grouplove.)
But back to Yes and that influential early '90s tour: Rabin says he and Wakeman had such "an absolute ball," musically and personally, that it was always on his bucket list to perform with Wakeman again.
Despite invitations over the years, Rabin says he wasn't interested in performing with Yes bands that didn't include Anderson. "It's like The Stones without Mick Jagger," Rabin says. "That's how significant Jon's voice is to the sound of Yes."
And at 72, Anderson's voice is sounding better than ever, says Rabin, who is 62. "He's running around the stage like a spring chicken," the guitarist says. "His voice is stronger than I've ever heard it. I don't know what he's doing, but he's in incredible shape."
Yes fans have been waiting for the trio to release new songs. Rabin says their manager suggested they heat up their musical chemistry on tour before heading to the studio. The musicians aren't testing new material on the tour because of how the internet has changed the industry. Their new songs aren't completely ready yet, "and in this day and age, the next day it would be on YouTube," Rabin says. "That's not what we wanted."
He sees multiple generations of Yes fans in concert crowds every night. "If they enjoy it as much as we do every night, they should have a good time," Rabin says.
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Say yes to Yes with ARW
Progressive rock legends Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman will perform an evening of Yes music and more.
When • Thursday, Nov. 17, 8 p.m.
Where • Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $45-$125 (plus fees ranging from $7-$9.50); artsaltlake.org or 801-355-2787