Far Out Magazine recounts an anecdote from Yes's 1973 tour, when keyboardist Rick Wakeman reportedly grew tired of the band's marathon live sets and had a curry delivered to him on stage, which he ate discreetly while continuing to perform. The story illustrates both the extreme demands of prog rock's sprawling compositions on musicians and the sense of humour that helped the band endure them, offering a lighter counterpoint to the creative tensions Yes faced as they balanced experimental ambitions with commercial pressures.

The article centres on Yes's 1973 album Tales from Topographic Oceans, an ambitious four-part "opera" with tracks around 20 minutes long, which made for gruelling live shows. During one such performance, Wakeman balanced a takeaway curry on his large keyboard rig and ate it unnoticed by the audience and most bandmates, until singer Jon Anderson traced the smell to him mid-song, prompting Wakeman to offer him a bite. The piece also touches on the band's later struggle to replicate the commercial success of 1983's 'Owner of a Lonely Heart', which singer Jon Anderson said created internal friction as the group chased hits at the expense of their progressive roots.