It's been a long time since anyone had reason to sit around and compare Steve Howe's two bands. And before this current tour, there's never been a chance for a side-by-side comparison.

Based on their sets last night at the Amphitheatre at Station Square, we can conclude -- and this is no shocker -- that Yes is better than Asia. Like, not a little better. Way better.

Some of the talk going in was how the 62-year-old guitar hero would hold up over two sets and nearly three hours. Last night he seemed to do it by barely exerting himself during the Asia set.

Despite the muscle in this so-called "supergroup," Asia was always the whipping boys of the corporate rock world -- for pretty good reason. The songs are painfully formulaic and the lyrics dreadfully trite. Just try listening to "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" and "Don't Cry" back to back for proof.

That said, Howe does add some flourishes to Asia to elevate it above the Survivors of the world, Carl Palmer is still a beast, John Wetton has manly pipes and "Wildest Dreams" and "Only Time Will Tell" are better than the two songs previously mentioned.

As a bonus, Asia drew on its prog-rock lineage, offering up a faithful version of "The Court of the Crimson King" (Wetton joined King Crimson three years after Greg Lake originally sang that song), and a bombastic "Fanfare for the Common Man" from ELP. From keyboardist Geoffrey Downes (also an alum of Yes) we got "Video Killed the Radio Star," an odd diversion in an Asia set.

Downes then pulled out the keytar for the closing "Heat of the Moment," ending one of the truly dorkiest displays of music we may see all summer.

Now, the problem with Yes -- the absence of Jon Anderson -- turns out to be not much of a problem, at least musically. Anderson's choirboy voice is in no shape right now for the rigors of these songs, so the vocals are thrown to Benoit David, a Canadian discovered fronting a Yes tribute band.

David bounded out in a vest, puffy shirt and tight jeans, slapping a tambourine and looking like Davy Jones or Frankie Avalon. Then he opened his mouth on "Siberian Khatru" and sounded like a dead ringer for a young Jon Anderson -- positively angelic, and more soulful than a tribute singer has any right to sound.

Still, that was only the second striking thing about Yes. The first was how sublime it is when Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White and Son of Wakeman (first name Oliver) play together. The layers of sound and the seamless jazz interplay between them is astonishing -- 40 years of experience together doesn't hurt, and neither does a young cool keyboard player with a touch well beyond his years (and great long blonde hair, by the way).

Speaking as a non-Yes fanatic, I would venture to say the set list had to be satisfying even to diehards. Anderson's absence opened the door for rarely heard "Drama" songs -- that he didn't participate in -- like the dizzying prog-rocker "Tempus Fugit" and the metallic epic "Machine Messiah."

The group vocals on the note-perfect "I've Seen All Good People" revealed that the older voices in Yes, particularly Squire's, have held up beautifully. "And You and I" was a stunning showcase for David, made even more breathtaking by the PPG cathedral and city skyline behind him.

After that, Howe was left alone with an acoustic guitar for a Chet Atkins instrumental that showed his proficiency in a fingerpicking folk style, something that pops up occasionally in Yes's songs, like show-stopping "Roundabout," also played to perfection. The more relentless side of Yes came through in the pounding "Heart of the Sunrise."

Yes sent the fans off with a soaring version of "Starship Trooper" that was like the grand finale of a fireworks display.

Without Anderson, it was all a bit of a guilty pleasure. But when they're that good, players gotta play. And the crowd full of prog geeks got the reward.