Rush: Classic or Dud?

fuck it. after you all raved I looked at setlist.fm and....yeah. I bought a ticket to the Alpharetta show and am just gonna go up on Memorial Day and work one day from a hotel.

Yay!

Wow.

Jacobs Ladder, Cygnus, Xanaduuuuu

yeah think I'll bite the bullet and buy an overpriced ticket for san jose. I've never seen Rush somehow.

you won't regret it

also we got "Red Barchetta" tonight instead of "YYZ". which is no biggie to the hardcore Rush fan who has seen them six times but to me, who had already heard "YYZ" live, it was a nice surprise.

(i've only seen them twice)

I'm hoping like mad Calgary gets "The Camera Eye" instead of "Barchetta" (they rotate those and YYZ), only because I've never seen that played live before. But I won't complain whatever they play!

I like that they played literally the one damn song I knew from Counterparts.

wait, I know "Nobody's Hero" too.

"Jacob's Ladder" with that snaking guitar lead though, wow. I broke my 'no video, just watch' rule so I could get a snippet of it.

Hm, you guys are starting to sell me on this. They're playing Montreal the day before Liturgy. I'm half-considering going up for that whole weekend.

do it!

Yeah, absolutely go. I'm not going to this tour, but I saw the two before this one. Before seeing them in 2011, I was someone who liked the songs I heard on the radio, but didn't feel the need to go deeper than that. After that show, I became obsessed. And the 2013 tour, on which they were accompanied by a nine-piece string section for half the set, was amazing.

going to the Columbus show cos I hafta check them out one more time before they fade into the sunset.

En route!

I can't figure out what the rationale is yet on the nights they play Natural Science. On those nights they play 27 songs instead of 26 and on first glance it appeared that the time diff on the other substituted songs is fairly small.

I don't think I'm getting that set anyway tho. They played it at their last show.

I've seen them five or six times, but may not be in the cards to go this week. Sadface.

Five songs in and I already have chills. Subdivisions might make me weep tonight

They played 'Losing It' for the first time ever in Toronto last night, with Ben Mink on violin. I believe the show was filmed.

They'd been soundchecking it for weeks, reportedly. I wonder if that's the only Rush song the band had never played?

Oh, whoops, wow. Here's the never played list:

Take A Friend
Before And After
Making Memories
Rivendell
The Fountain Of Lamneth
Lessons
Tears
Madrigal
Different Strings
Losing It
Emotion Detector
Open Secrets
Second Nature
Tai Shan
High Water
Chain Lighting
Anagram
Red Tide
Hand Over Fist
Available Light
Face Up
The Big Wheel
Heresy
Neurotica
You Bet Your Life
Cut To The Chase
Alien Shore
Speed Of Love
Everyday Glory
The Color Of Right
Totem
Dog Years
Carve Away The Stone
Peaceable Kingdom
The Stars Look Down
How It Is
Vapor Trail
Sweet Miracle
Nocturne
Freeze
Out Of The Cradle
Bravest Face
Good News First
We Hold On

Awesome deep cut:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsjeQdEXOD4

So I guess Peart has officially retired now, eh?

From Drumhead Magazine...

... Lately Olivia has been introducing me to new friends at school as "My dad-- He's a retired drummer." True to say--funny to hear. And it does not pain me to realize that, like all athletes, there comes a time to... take yourself out of the game. I would rather set it aside then face the predicament described in our song "Losing It" ("Sadder still to watch it die, than never to have known it") ...

wow, I had come to terms with the idea that there would be no more major tours, but I'll be very sad if Rush just stops making music all together. I definitely had my hopes up for more studio work.

Well, if this is the end, then I'm happy with the band's honesty. They were never less than consistent that the last tour could be the last tour, because they're all dealing with varying health ailments (Peart and Lifeson) and would prefer (again, probably mostly Peart and Lifeson) to spend more time with their families. I'd put my money on Geddy staying the most active. Also, on Geddy forming some shitty supergroup with, like, Mike Portnoy and Les Claypool. They could call it Basses Loaded, which is perfect, because it's both a baseball and fish pun.

at least they'd be going out on top, clockwork angels is a monstrously good record. might even be my favorite of all of theirs at this point

True Rush low points are honestly few and far between. They never released a bad album, imo, just a couple I never want to listen to.

They could call it Basses Loaded

yesssss please

at least they'd be going out on top, clockwork angels is a monstrously good record.

Yeah, I actually really respect and admire that they're calling it quits with such a solid record as their final statement after such a long and productive career.

So now Geddy Lee is saying Neil's comments were specifically in reference to touring and they still haven't discussed what the future holds

I was listening to Clockwork Angels Tour this morning; Peart's playing is amazing. So high-energy and forceful, he sounds like Brann Dailor or something.

Basses Loaded makes me want to track down Big Bottom Pow Wow again

... "There's really nothing to say. I think Neil is just explaining his reasons for not wanting to tour, with the toll that it's taking on his body. That's all I would care to comment on it. We'll get together eventually and chat about things. But in my view, there is certainly nothing surprising in what he said. Neil just feels that he has to explain with all the thousands of people asking, 'Why no more tours?' He needs to explain his side of it."
Asked whether he feels Peart's quote was taken out of context, Lee adds: "I think that's absolutely right. That's their job. Talking about something when there's nothing to talk about." ...

New Modern Drummer cover story:
http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/modern-drummer-01.2016.php

I guess it's more or less now official that Peart is done touring:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/alex-lifeson-on-rushs-uncertain-future-20160308

That is, until he's not done touring.

They should relax and chill out and maybe get together for the occasional studio album whenever they feel like doing one. I really don't think these guys have anything left to prove at this stage.

I think that is almost verbatim what Lifeson says they are going to do.

Geddy could tour w/ AC/DC

It all hinges on whether or not Peart actually wants to do any more studio work, though!

Surprising number of situations where you want to listen to heavy rock that isn't metal where Rush is the right answer.

The rest of the time that answer is BOC

I only hear 2 Blue Oyster Cult songs on "classic rock" stations

Surprising number of a great many

UFO occasionally fits that bill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeJZR6vLMAs

Amazing drumming, and he makes it all look so fucking easy, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq3yjfoorsU

"When you're playing the drums ... is that hard?"

"Yes. It's hard."

Turrican, are you familiar with the Neil Peart: Taking Center Stage DVD set? It's the entire Time Machine concert shot from over the drum kit, with drums cranked in the mix, plus interminable Peart monologues about the songs and his drum philosophy. It's definitely worth checking out if you like to geek out on his superhuman drumming.