Chris Squire's name may not have been of the household persuasion, but to those who knew his work as a master and vanguard on the bass guitar, it was legendary. 

Best known as a founding member of the progressive rock band, Yes, (as well as the only player to grace every single album and tour since 1968), Squire challenged the role of the bass in rock music, treating it not only as a foundational member of the rhythm section, but as a lead instrument. His sound was instantly unmistakable, his trademark Rickenbacker's trebly rotosound strings riding squarely in the forefront, weaving complex and mathematical lead and counterpoint lines in and out of the mix. 

His vocals were every bit as crucial to the Yes sound, playing the Yin to fellow founder Jon Anderson's yang, their tight harmonies combining to form a sound uniquely Yes'.

I caught U2's "iNNOCENCE eXPERIENCE" tour at Madison Square Garden this past Sunday night, July 26.

It rocked.

This was my third time seeing them live, and while the first two shows (the "POPMART" tour at the Alamodome in San Antonio in 1997 and the "360" tour at Giants Stadium in NJ) were incredible, they seemed to be playing with even more energy and urgency this time around. 

Some of the reviews I've read of the tour described them as playing the role of "underdog" this time around, with something to prove, and perhaps that's right. They've certainly had a challenging year, between the criticism they received for "forcing" their Songs of Innocence album into iTunes libraries (a move I had no complaints with personally, but it was certainly bold) and Bono's biking accident that left him in recovery for the next several months and by all accounts still unable to play the guitar at this point. So perhaps they do feel they have something to prove--and really, haven't they always fought to prove their relevance? Whatever the motivation, it works, and they dug into their early work with a confident, "we've earned this" swagger and played lesser-known tracks from the new album with urgency and polish.