JAM! Music reports that Yes guitarist Steve Howe says fans shouldn't feel too bad for ousted singer Jon Anderson, and is warning audiences against "musical terrorism" during the band's 40th anniversary tour with new Canadian vocalist Benoit David.

Howe said he hopes fans won't give David a hard time in Anderson's absence, and cautioned them against heckling.

He called hecklers "idiots" and said it makes no sense to show up to a concert if you can't enjoy it.

"They're basically disruptive people who pay their money and then go spoil it for everybody, it's almost like musical terrorism," Howe said in a telephone interview from Montreal.

The U.K. band's plans for a world tour were halted in June when Anderson was diagnosed with acute respiratory failure and was told he couldn't work for at least half a year without further endangering his health. Dates in 25 cities were cancelled.

But a month ago the band announced that David - who had been singing in a Montreal-based Yes tribute band - would be the new lead vocalist and that the tour was back on track.

Anderson subsequently posted a statement on his website saying that he was "disappointed and disrespected" and hadn't even had a personal conversation with his bandmates about being replaced. The statement has since been taken down.

Howe said the band was sympathetic to Anderson's condition but decided their fans couldn't wait any longer, particularly since tour plans had previously been delayed for years due to the singer's solo pursuits.

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