It is very nice when an artist, who has created so much beautiful music in his long career, developing as a musician, grows also as a human being. When he reaches a level of inner peace and harmony with the people around, with nature, with himself. When from the stage he gives peace, love and joy to his spectators. Unnoticeably, unostentatiously, with a smile and affection. His music tells us to love each other and demonstrates that he loves us too, and shows the harmonious thinking and feeling as the purest. Something that is primal and planted in all of us, but we reach this so simple gleam at a very advanced stage of our lives. In other words, at the concert at the Universiada Hall in Sofia, Bulgaria we saw and heard pure love.

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At 8:15 p.m. the lights went out and under the wave of applauses, dressed in a plain white shirt and light-blue jeans, Jon Anderson walked on stage, took the acoustic guitar and started singing fairytales. His one-man show was really fabulous, under the sound of the guitar and the piano, with the projected on the two screens beautiful visualizations painted in the most earthly colors - green and blue.

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And yet in fairy tales the most important is the storyteller. Only on him depends the richness and the vividness of the story. Jon Anderson enchanted us not with the guitar, the midi-guitar, nor with the synthesizer tuned as piano. He charmed us with his voice, with his humanity and his enormous talent. During almost an hour and a half the small man with huge gift and bright aura made about two thousand people smile, clap their hands and sing their favorite songs. And these songs...

In undressed to naked arrangements, the songs sung by Anderson, regardless whether being composed for Yes, his project with Vangelis or his solo stuff, sounded fascinating. Despite there weren’t the ornaments by the wonderful musicians who has played “Long Distance Runaround”, “Close to the Edge”, “Turn of the Century” or the synthesizer wealth in “Owner of a Lonely Heart”, the voice and smile of Jon and the strength of his lyrics made the compositions special for the audience. All the three instruments that the charismatic vocalist played on were only an accompaniment to his wonderful and unique voice, that is why when in every small mistake in chords he apologized with a smile or when the crowd prompted him the beginning of the second verse of “Roundabout”, he received hearty applauses.

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The compositions we heard praised the love of man to nature, the nature’s love to its creatures, the love to the world, the love and peace that all religions preach, the love to the beloved one and the added fragments of John Lennon’s works (“She Loves You”, “Give Peace a Chance”) were the next proof for the great heart of the man who stood under the spotlight. Smiling, happy, loving and loved, he gave his love and his message of peace and harmony, spoke from the stage with all of us, awarded us with a brand new song written for Yes, and after the end of the wonderful performance with a completely vocal passage of the beautiful “O’er” dedicated to green Ireland, Jon stayed for a meeting with his fans, signed autographs, shook hands and talked with everyone who wanted… Love.

Words: Ivaylo Alexandrov

Photos: Victor Alexandrov

More photos can be seen in the GALLERY.