Rush: Classic or Dud?

Air Supply is at Spirit Mountain Casino. I'm taking my Mom for her birthday, but also the guitar player of Witch Mountain is equally excited and going with me.

Weird Al is a the Roseland.

Rush is up in the greater Seattle area.

So there's some driving to be done on my part (and I do have to spring for the Air Supply tix). Otherwise, it's just good timing!

So it rained really hard from 6:45 to 7:30, then it stopped or sprinkled. Bought an $11 can of beer, got our seat, and at 8:00 they canceled the show, saying the forecast saw thunderstorms in another half hour. That's not what we saw on the weather radar. Sure enough, it's after 10 and still no storms. I thought that venue's policy was rain or shine. They said they would reschedule, but I don't know when they can. What a let down.

That's a real shame...I'd be devastated.

"I liked the Wals at the time, but I far prefer the rich, growly tones he gets from his Fender basses, and I love his classic Rickenbacker as well. The Wals and Steinbergers, in retrospect, were a bit too punchy and thin for my taste."

Not to be gear dude again, but I'm guessing that you've never played a Steinberger or Wal bass. I suggest that the less impressive bass sound you're hearing was more a result of the synths bogarting all the good frequencies.

It certainly may have a bit to do with the production of the time. Those late 80s/early 90s Rush albums have a distinctive lack of low-end compared with their more recent recordings.

However, there was definitely a trend at that time toward basses with active pickups, very clean tones, graphite basses with no bodies (Steinbergers), and a twangy/punchy quality. It was all about a sharp clean tone with little or no distortion.

On their last bunch of albums, the bass really fills out the low-end, it sounds fuller and somewhat distorted. Part of this has to do with changes in the way Geddy Lee plays. He used to pick each note with individual fingers, in a more traditional bass style. Now you'll see him strumming the notes in an up and down motion using his whole hand a lot of the time. However, I still contend that the move to Fender basses is a major contributing factor in the overall improvement of the bass sound over the last 10-15 years.

Don't know why I know this, but Geddy used to use "Funkmaster" strings, in the '80s, and now I presume does not. Plus, he uses Fender jazz basses, which I also presume it what helps him boost the bottom rather than ride on top.

Taking that as confirmation on never having actually played a Steinberger or Wal, then.

I'm not exactly sure what your point is. Are you saying Wals and Steinbergers sound exactly like Fenders? Or even like each other? They all have distinctive sounds.

FWIW, I haven't played those basses, although I'd say that my Modulus has a lot in common tonally with Wals. But I'm not really sure why it would matter either way. I have ears and I can tell the difference between these various basses.

I think that both the Steinbergers and the Wals sound good. I prefer the Wals over the Steinbergers and I prefer the Fenders over both. It is my personal opinion that Fenders are better suited for a rock sound. Geddy Lee's move back to Fenders coincided with the band's move back to a more hard rocking sound. I believe he changed for exactly this reason, but feel free to disagree.

My point is that your idea of what these instruments sound like is based on reading magazines and listening to records and not on any actual experience with the instruments. I was startled by how "old fashioned" (in a good way) and, well, ROCK the two Wals I have played sounded -- not at all like the Modulii (an M-92 and an old Quantum V) I have played did. Similarly, Steinbergers are not TURBOTWANG IN YER FACE instruments, as their continued use in reggae (and nearly nowhere else) will indicate. Steinberger and Wal no longer make new instruments and no longer have marketing departments, and the availability of a well-made instrument and the strength of a marketing department have much more to do with what instruments a star bassist says he uses or actually uses than you would believe.

i just saw DEVO last weekend, first time i'd seen a steinberger in a LONG time

I get that the sound that ends up on record is a combination of instruments, amps, and recording techniques, and that perhaps in "real life" these basses can sound much better. However, I think there is no denying that the basses on all the Rush albums from Grace Under Pressure through Roll The Bones have a very clean and twangy sound and often lack depth. The fact that these were the albums on which Geddy used the Steinbergers and Wals, leads me to make the (possibly spurious or just plain ignorant) assumption that those basses have something to with the sound as recorded. Am I really off-base here?

Likewise, Alex Lifeson played Signature guitars on a bunch of these albums. I have in fact played these, and they did actual sound every bit as thin and terrible in "real life". I think his change back to Gibsons, PRSs, and Fenders helped fix this. Maybe I'm just smoking crack...

Would their last bunch of albums have sounded better if they just stuck with their late 80s gear?

I'm glad DEVO came up on this thread. I wore my 2112 backpatch at the DEVO show last year and got A LOT of love from that crowd. Big-time nerd crossover between those 2 bands.

As for all this bass gear talk--way to take a nerdy thread to new depths. Fancy a game of Magic, anyone? ;)

I can't help it. I'm a bass nerd and I basically learned how to play by being in a Rush cover band in the late 80s/early 90s and trying to immitate Geddy Lee's sound as much as I could, so it is a passionate topic for me, boring to everyone else.

As for another nerdy intersection, I hail from Akron, the not very fabled land of DEVO and former Akron mayor Tom Sawyer, who is...wait for it...

my father.

So much for his mind not being for rent by any government, then.

you make the joke, i've probably heard it

wait La Lechera, I was born in Akron and go there almost every year for the holidays

You are all part of a secret government project to create Rush/Devo fans.

Really? He was mayor from '83-'86 iirc. The guy who was mayor after him has been mayor ever since.
uh oh someone has figured out my secret plot.

I'm kind of uncomfortable with Rush new status as a cool band

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Rush: Time Machine tour was great last night. Anyone who misses this tour is gonna end up seeing them next time around--and you can bet that half of that set will be Clockwork Angels material. (not that that's a bad thing).

Looking forward to october!

how was weird al!?!

Weird Al was GREAT! I saw Styx the same week. What a week! Air Supply I had to pass on :(

Nate was all out of love for Air Supply :(

Exactly two weeks left until the "makeup" date in Chicago for the show that was rained out last month ... can't fucking wait

Don't remind me. I have a fucking wedding to go to that day, so I will miss Rush yet AGAIN. So pissed that they chose that date.

Nate was all out of love$ for Air Supply :(

Things I didn't know:

As a group, Rush possesses 24 gold records and 14 platinum (3 multi-platinum) records, placing them fourth behind the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Kiss for the most gold and platinum albums by a band in music history.[1] According to the RIAA, Rush's sales statistics also place them third behind The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones for the most consecutive gold or platinum albums by a rock band.

Actually their most current press kit has them in the #3 spot now. A few years back they were #5.

I think they plan to live/record long enough to hit the #1 slot.

Of course, having "consecutive" gold/platinum records is fairly specific distinction (though it's still profound).

Oh, nevermind. That's clearly indicated in your post. That's what I get for skimming info I already know. D'oh!

http://news.2112.net/

Last night Rush returned to Chicago after the July 7th rain out, which led to one fan suing the band seeking reimbursement for the ticket but also his airfare and other travel expenses (story below). As a thank you for standing in the downpour on July 7th, RUSH gave fans attending the August 23rd makeup performance an exclusive baseball hat which includes the stitching ""The Rain Date Chicago-2010"

http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/tours/100823hat.jpg

Such good Canadian boys!

yep ... I got my hat ... very nice, very cool .. and the show ruled as expected. Geddy said something like "let's try this again" in re: the rainout

Yeah I thought about all the people who had traveled a long way and booked hotels for that show in July. The fucked up thing was that the rain had stopped right around 7 that night, and no other thunderstorms were nowhere near downtown Chicago. The tickets said rain or shine. It was certainly a great night though (who has weddings on a Monday??). Geddy's voice was crack-a-lackin' at the start of "Spirit Of The Radio" -- they must be tired after a long tour. But later he'd nail the notes like on "Freewill." Awesome performance, never thought I'd get to see "The Camera Eye" live. I don't wear those hats, still deciding what to do with it. Eight are currently on sale on eBay. One is asking $150 -- probably trying to recoup hotel expenses, ha ha.

They have a documentary movie that just came out. It aired on VH1 a couple times and is on dvd. Really entertaining and they all come across as nice down to Earth guys.

The funniest part was when Geddy and Alex are together at a diner and the waitress recognizes Geddy. She gets him to sign about ten autographs, while completely ignoring Alex, even at one point leaning awkwardly over him to get closer to Geddy.

I'm still blown away at how much attention my Rush t-shirt, backpatch, and keychain get. Grocery store clerks get excited, dudes on bikes, guys in airports. People sing to me and congratulate me for being a fan. Such a crazy cult. Love it.

nice revive, Nate. I actually just finished listened to my vinyl copy of 'Power Windows' a few minutes. wanted to relive how fucking AWESOME it was to hear "Marathon" live. God, I can't believe I'll only get to see them two times on this tour. I'd see them every night if I had the money and means. best band ever

listenING .. a few minutes AGO

sorry, been drinking beer too...

I wanna know if the guys actually write the script/dialogue for the intro movies ... the thing with the "fat" Alex eating the sausage, then working the time machine box is hilarious

wore my "rainout" hat out on the town with pride last night, btw

who has weddings on a Monday??

That was my mistake, I thought the show was rescheduled for the 21st. Didn't matter since I was in Michigan for family visits after the wedding through the whole week. So bummed I missed it.

Revive!

Just saw them this weekend and they played the Fastnbulbous setlist. It was a great show -- I had almost an identical take on Geddy's vocals (rough at first, yet somehow nailed "Freewill"). I forgot how incredible things like "La Villa Strangiato" were. "The Camera Eye" live was incredible -- and the whole Time Machine stage design was outstanding.

It was my second time seeing them -- but I'd forgotten what a special vibe they have with their audience, which was about 85% 40 year-old guys in Zildjian t-shirts for whom "Subdivisions" was essentially their autobiography. Tons of inside jokes and in-references from the band -- just a very nice feeling.

I'd gotten excited about seeing them after watching the documentary and the Classic Albums episode on 2112 and Moving Pictures (as part of VH-1 Classic's "Rushashana" weekend, lol). And I'm with Al -- I'm a big fan of Power Windows. You can prefer the 70s material all you want (I personally think their classic is Exit Stage Left, which captures many of their best 70s moments) -- you can dig the sound of Lifeson's guitar more than the synths. But you can't deny the tunes or inventiveness of the arrangements on those 80s records.

******SPOILERS********

Saw them last night. Camera Eye gave me chills. A couple songs like Vital Signs and Far Cry were a bit chaotic and hard to parse because it was all so loud, and the guitar solo in Working Man completely shattered my eardrums. Otherwise a particularly nice concert. Other highlights: Presto and Marathon both came off really well. Lots of really smooth guitar solos. Insane light show/stage setup/videos/etc.

I noticed they had a little "Atheist" portion of their set with Faithless, Brought Up To Believe, and Freewill all in a row. I think they were trying to tell us something.

About Geddy's vocals: sounded a bit shaky on the first song, but got into a groove after that with some hiccups here and there. However, he was mixed really loud, probably louder than he should have been.

The sound quality overall was pretty good, but not great. Not nearly as clear a mix as their show in Austin a couple years ago.

Having now dug into their back catalog as a result of this tour, a few quick impressions:

I've always liked the uber-synth production on Power Windows -- but "Territories" may be my favorite song on there. Lifeson is doing his level best to channel The Edge on that one.

I think most fans view "Time Stands Still" as kind of the sell-out/"hit" from Hold Your Fire -- but that's one cut that really seems to transcend the "Rush = dudes" factor. As my friend at the show said, "This one is for the female fans" -- of whom there were actually quite a few. Great, rousing chorus on this one.

It's also a really bittersweet lyric given what happened to Neil's wife and daughter.

I read his Ghost Rider book just recently, so sad.

yeah i will stan for "time stands still" all day long, it's a wonderful, sad little pop song