The Gonzo Daily: Jon Anderson of Yes and the legacy of Woodstock

Jon Anderson of Yes, left, and Paul Green Rock Academy student Chogyi Lama on guitar.

Hudson Valley music fans Wednesday night were offered a new perspective on the enduring legacy of Woodstock when a titan of British progressive rock performed with the grandson of Richie Havens, the late folksinger.

Jon Anderson of the band Yes Wednesday night wrapped up a two-night stand at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, performing with students from the Paul Green Rock Academy in nearby Saugerties. Anderson over both nights performed Yes classics, including "I've Seen All Good People," "Long Distance Runaround," "Starship Trooper" and "Owner of a Lonely Heart."

Among the backing musicians was Chogyi Lama, a Rock Academy student and guitarist who is the grandson of Havens, who very famously opened the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in August 1969 and died on April 22, 2013. Havens remains an icon of the music festival that drew hundreds of thousands to Bethel, Sullivan County, and is considered a crowning achievement of the 1960s counter-culture.

While more than two dozen young musicians backed Anderson in various configurations over both nights, the rock star with the signature vocals performed a duet with Lama, a teenager. Adding poignancy to the moment was the song selection — "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" — a Havens composition that appeared on the 1970 Yes album, "Time and A Word

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