Five Questions with ... Yes drummer Alan White

The pairing of iconic prog rockers Yes with one-time mainstream radio giant Peter Frampton actually isn't that strange.

Yes and Frampton have toured together before, so the show Wednesday at Mohegan Sun Arena is nothing new.

Besides, at heart and in their respective fashions, both acts boast virtuosic musicianship and a keen instinct for adhesive-strength melody.

Yes is actually touring in a lineup that has splintered longtime followers because vocalist Jon Anderson, suffering respiratory problems, is not part of the festivities. Instead, Benoit David, discovered in a Yes tribute band, is handling the vocal chores.

For veteran Yes drummer Alan White, it's perfectly acceptable, and he is confident the audience will be pleased.

Last week, White took a few minutes to answer some questions. Wizened and cheery, White says the band is looking forward to the tour and will offer some surprises.

Q. Jon Anderson's not with you guys. I understand, then, the necessity of a replacement vocalist, and Benoit sounds damned good to me. What I want to know, though, is this. Given Anderson's long history of admittedly odd and mystical lyrics, does Benoit feel sufficiently comfortable at this point to indicate a verse or chorus and just say, "What the hell was Anderson saying, exactly?"

A. "(laughing) That's hysterical. Over the years, a lot of us - band members and reporters alike - have asked, 'What does that mean?' You should call Jon and ask him, because I've been in the band 40 years and I still don't know what the hell he's talking about."

Q: How much can your set list vary from night to night? Given the complexity of the material, I suspect it's not easy, on a whim, to nix "Gates of Delerium" and just casually kick into side three of "Tales From Topographic Oceans."

A. "Funny you should mention that because we're way late on figuring out what we're going to play this tour. We're spread out all over and we've been trading e-mails around, trying to get ready to do some homework. The set from the last tour (also with Benoit) was really well received. One great thing about that is we're playing songs from the 'Drama' album, including 'Machine Messiah,' which is cool because Jon never sang on that. It's a blast to play that stuff finally."

Q. There's been quite a resurgence of prog rock in the context of younger bands and listeners. Does this surprise you and do you take note of what's going on? Is it refreshing?

A. "It actually doesn't surprise me. At a certain point, a lot of young musicians want to be more adventurous and get beyond three chord songs or 4/4 time signatures. We grew up in an era where that was seemingly more accepted and it's good to see it come back. You know, we enjoy playing songs that our fans like, but at the same time Yes is not satisfied with the past or to look to the horizon. We're always looking over and beyond the horizon. We never tire of wanting to push and write something fresh and a bit different. Every night should be a challenge - and we still have moments onstage all the time where we look at each other and say, 'Wow, did we really just do that?'"

Q. You actually like playing Mohegan Sun quite a lot, don't you?

A. "It's absolutely one of my favorite venues. They're hospitable and take good care of us, and there's one particular roulette wheel that's very good to me. We've played a lot of halls over the years, but I remember exactly where that one roulette wheel is. I'll be there. Trust me."