Concert Review: Rush
Ok, people. Rush is my favorite band, and always has been since I became musically aware in the 7th grade. I've been to every concert except one since 1984, and saw them twice in one tour about 10 years ago. Suffice to say, a Rush concert is a big event in my life. Particularly as they get older and take longer between albums... added to that the likelihood that each successive tour could be their last, I savor the shows with the enthusiasm that someone living their last day on earth savors each breath.
I first learned of Rush from friends at my grade school who were into drumming, and insisted that Neil Peart was the best drummer in the world, past or present. Not having much for a basis of comparison, I just listened with as discerning an ear as I could muster. I soon made the conclusion that not only was Neil the best drummer, but Geddy Lee was the best bassist I had ever heard, and Alex was one of the greatest guitarists as well. Their skill certainly was unmatched as a combo - if I had ever heard a greater guitarist, he was fronting a band of weaker musicians. To me, I had encountered the greatest band of pure musicians in the world. There are many who say that Geddy's voice leaves a lot to be desired. I will grant you that at times, especially in their earlier days, that he could get unpleasantly shrill. But for the most part, the high voice blended right in with the music. And in later days, as it became increasingly difficult for Geddy to hit the highest notes, the songs were written in lower keys. As Rush's style changed over the years many people gave up on them saying "I wish they wouldn't have changed - I like their old stuff." Well, I like their old stuff too. But for a band to stay successful and relevant for over 30 years, they have to change. If they keep writing the same music over and over, they'll get sick of it and quit... or break up the band and go onto their own solo projects. By changing their styles over the years, they've been able to keep their enthusiasm for music and the band... and at the same time, deliver fresh music consistently over the course of their career. It's been a great journey for them, and I have enjoyed every step.
Their newest album, Snakes & Arrows, was essentially a reflection on faith - fed by encounters and observations by Neil on his motorcycle travels across the USA. A meditation on how the world that our children stand to inherit has been changed by the recent tendencies toward over-zealous religious types (especially Christian and Muslim) ... and not for the better. And not just on one side... disturbing parallels are drawn between Middle East and Midwest. Neil, in addition to being a virtuoso drummer is a brilliant lyricist. In the past, just about every song has a message or a reference that stimulates the intellect. This album is no exception, as a matter of fact, I'd say that this one has more to say than any other before it - and the one that I most identify with. Most of you know of my increasing disillusion with religion over the years, and how I think that recently fundamental Christianity has become fundamentally unchristian - more of a weapon of hate and separatism and xenophobia than a protective blanket of love and acceptance (which is how Jesus wanted it, by the way.) This is one of the main messages of Snakes & Arrows, particularly the song "Armor and Sword" : "Sometimes the fortress is too strong or the love is too weak/ what should have been our armor becomes a sharp and angry sword."
Over the last few years, in addition to becoming disillusioned with religion and Christianity, I've also become increasingly angry with the liberties taken by the current administration in order to advance their own agenda with no regard for the future, the American people as a whole, or the environment. This album has really spoken to me in ways that not just satisfy my insatiable desire for new Rush music, but also to scratch that itch of disillusionment. To know that my musical heroes feel the same way I do about the state of the world is somehow comforting in a small way.
I digress... My friend Rick, who attended the concert with me pondered how a band comes up with a set list for their concerts. Most bands, it's not difficult - they have a few hits and some new music to promote. They have plenty of time to play their new music, and still play all their fans' favorites. Not so for Rush. If you ask 25 Rush fans what their favorite song is, and you'll get 25 different answers. Over 35 years and 19 studio albums, the band has been prolific in their music making. Each album has at least three songs that might be someone's favorite... in some cases, every song on an album is someone's favorite... so song choice on each tour must be an excruciating process. I believe in this case, that the song choices were made to include as many songs as possible that comment on the state of the world in the same manner as Snakes & Arrows has.... songs like Free Will, Between the Wheels, Subdivisions (each about how society is growing and expanding and squashing the individual to feed its own needs) ... Natural Science, a statement on how the environment is being sacrificed for industrialization... Witch Hunt, originally written about how fear motivates a group of people to act in ways that it ordinarily wouldn't... it gains a whole new degree of freshness today, given the state of the world with the Patriot Act and executive powers growing to frightening levels... Distant Early Warning, a statement against Nuclear Weapons. Some of the rest are standard 'must play at all concerts' songs like Tom Sawyer, YYZ, Limelight, Spirit of Radio... songs, I have to admit, I could actually do without. I've been to 9 Rush concerts, and I've heard all four of those live 9 times - it would be nice to leave them out to make room for some other deep cuts. It WAS a real treat to hear some very deep cuts that I've never heard live before: Entre Nous, Digital Man, Circumstances, A Passage to Bangkok... and Natural Science I have heard live on a previous tour, but it's in my top 5 favorites of their songs and it was the highlight of my night.
The band was definitely in fine form this night. Alex's guitar work was as sharp as ever - though the usual rambling solos weren't as numerous as they usually are. Neil's drumming... well, what can I say? There has never been anyone better, and I take the stance that there never will be. The solo was as different and complex as I have ever heard it... usually from tour to tour it is easy to pick out a few parts from previous solos, but this one had more new material than I can remember hearing at any other show. Geddy has long been my idol as a virtuoso bassist and did not fail to deliver the goods where the pawn shop 1972 model Fender jazz bass is concerned, and my fears after the last tour that he was losing his vocal strength were soon dismissed - he was in good voice, with strong vocals and hit all the high notes, particularly in Free Will, which they considered stopping playing live a while back because of the difficult high notes in the song. The visuals were innovative and hypnotic as always. This time, they employed spotlighting rigs that moved up and down independently. The spot rigs had lights on frames that were part of the visuals as well. The usual green lasers that we've come to love were not big players but were there. The video setup was impressive - the screens were VERY high def, and gave us some entrancing visual effects during some songs, and some incredibly moving, interesting, and/or funny video to go along with the messages of the songs.
Every Rush show I go to, something manages to crack me the hell up. Last time, it was Jerry Stiller's introduction before the show. This time, during the blistering instrumental, "The Main Monkey Business," there was video footage of gorillas, chimps, monkeys and king kongs being goofy... and at one point there were two chimps in a boxing ring bitch-slapping each other... and there isn't much that makes me laugh harder than a bitch slapping in a comical moment. This song blew my face off, the band really knocked it out of the park... and the chimps pimp slapping each other was just the cherry on the sundae for me... aside from Natural Science, this was my favorite song of the night.
To the a-hole that was sitting behind me: nobody wants to hear you screech "WWWEEEEEEEEEEE-AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHH" multiple times in the middle of Neil's drum solo or Alex's acoustic guitar solo. You redneck jackass - thank your lucky stars that you actually shut up after the second time I yelled at you to do so - not much incites me to violence, but pricks like you make me want to fucking snap. I, and everyone around us, payed 80 dollars per ticket to hear Rush's music, and particularly Neil's master work drum solo. I'm pretty sure my ticket didn't say 'An Evening with Rush and Some Fucktard Redneck Dude That Is Probably Missing a Chromosome Who Will Screech Like A Howler Monkey.' Nobody wants to hear your womany wail, you fucking harpy. Do everyone else a favor... don't go to any more concerts.
To the boys of the Rush: Gentlemen... you've provided me personally with 27 years of one favorite band. I wonder how many people have had ONE favorite band for that long. Your music, lyrics and messages have meant a lot to me over the years, and the countless days spent listening to your work never cease to entertain me. Your live performance of Mission remains, just like the first time I heard it, one of the most inspirational, uplifting pieces of art I've ever experienced. It brought me to tears the first time I heard it when I was 18 years old at the Hold Your Fire concert... and every subsequent time I hear it live, it raises a lump in my throat. In an era where so much music is about violence and drugs and sex simply because that's what sells, I'm pleased to see that you don't and have never made music because 'it's what will sell' ... rather, you've maintained your own vision over the years and never succumbed to the record industry norms. The fact that you aren't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a travesty of the highest order. I never have, nor will I ever watch one of their shows or go to their facility until you are inducted. Thanks for a great show last night, and a great 27 years. I hope this wasn't the last. In 27 years of playing your music continually I've never gotten tired of any of it. You keep making music and I'll keep buying your records and going to your concerts.
I first learned of Rush from friends at my grade school who were into drumming, and insisted that Neil Peart was the best drummer in the world, past or present. Not having much for a basis of comparison, I just listened with as discerning an ear as I could muster. I soon made the conclusion that not only was Neil the best drummer, but Geddy Lee was the best bassist I had ever heard, and Alex was one of the greatest guitarists as well. Their skill certainly was unmatched as a combo - if I had ever heard a greater guitarist, he was fronting a band of weaker musicians. To me, I had encountered the greatest band of pure musicians in the world. There are many who say that Geddy's voice leaves a lot to be desired. I will grant you that at times, especially in their earlier days, that he could get unpleasantly shrill. But for the most part, the high voice blended right in with the music. And in later days, as it became increasingly difficult for Geddy to hit the highest notes, the songs were written in lower keys. As Rush's style changed over the years many people gave up on them saying "I wish they wouldn't have changed - I like their old stuff." Well, I like their old stuff too. But for a band to stay successful and relevant for over 30 years, they have to change. If they keep writing the same music over and over, they'll get sick of it and quit... or break up the band and go onto their own solo projects. By changing their styles over the years, they've been able to keep their enthusiasm for music and the band... and at the same time, deliver fresh music consistently over the course of their career. It's been a great journey for them, and I have enjoyed every step.
Their newest album, Snakes & Arrows, was essentially a reflection on faith - fed by encounters and observations by Neil on his motorcycle travels across the USA. A meditation on how the world that our children stand to inherit has been changed by the recent tendencies toward over-zealous religious types (especially Christian and Muslim) ... and not for the better. And not just on one side... disturbing parallels are drawn between Middle East and Midwest. Neil, in addition to being a virtuoso drummer is a brilliant lyricist. In the past, just about every song has a message or a reference that stimulates the intellect. This album is no exception, as a matter of fact, I'd say that this one has more to say than any other before it - and the one that I most identify with. Most of you know of my increasing disillusion with religion over the years, and how I think that recently fundamental Christianity has become fundamentally unchristian - more of a weapon of hate and separatism and xenophobia than a protective blanket of love and acceptance (which is how Jesus wanted it, by the way.) This is one of the main messages of Snakes & Arrows, particularly the song "Armor and Sword" : "Sometimes the fortress is too strong or the love is too weak/ what should have been our armor becomes a sharp and angry sword."
Over the last few years, in addition to becoming disillusioned with religion and Christianity, I've also become increasingly angry with the liberties taken by the current administration in order to advance their own agenda with no regard for the future, the American people as a whole, or the environment. This album has really spoken to me in ways that not just satisfy my insatiable desire for new Rush music, but also to scratch that itch of disillusionment. To know that my musical heroes feel the same way I do about the state of the world is somehow comforting in a small way.
I digress... My friend Rick, who attended the concert with me pondered how a band comes up with a set list for their concerts. Most bands, it's not difficult - they have a few hits and some new music to promote. They have plenty of time to play their new music, and still play all their fans' favorites. Not so for Rush. If you ask 25 Rush fans what their favorite song is, and you'll get 25 different answers. Over 35 years and 19 studio albums, the band has been prolific in their music making. Each album has at least three songs that might be someone's favorite... in some cases, every song on an album is someone's favorite... so song choice on each tour must be an excruciating process. I believe in this case, that the song choices were made to include as many songs as possible that comment on the state of the world in the same manner as Snakes & Arrows has.... songs like Free Will, Between the Wheels, Subdivisions (each about how society is growing and expanding and squashing the individual to feed its own needs) ... Natural Science, a statement on how the environment is being sacrificed for industrialization... Witch Hunt, originally written about how fear motivates a group of people to act in ways that it ordinarily wouldn't... it gains a whole new degree of freshness today, given the state of the world with the Patriot Act and executive powers growing to frightening levels... Distant Early Warning, a statement against Nuclear Weapons. Some of the rest are standard 'must play at all concerts' songs like Tom Sawyer, YYZ, Limelight, Spirit of Radio... songs, I have to admit, I could actually do without. I've been to 9 Rush concerts, and I've heard all four of those live 9 times - it would be nice to leave them out to make room for some other deep cuts. It WAS a real treat to hear some very deep cuts that I've never heard live before: Entre Nous, Digital Man, Circumstances, A Passage to Bangkok... and Natural Science I have heard live on a previous tour, but it's in my top 5 favorites of their songs and it was the highlight of my night.
The band was definitely in fine form this night. Alex's guitar work was as sharp as ever - though the usual rambling solos weren't as numerous as they usually are. Neil's drumming... well, what can I say? There has never been anyone better, and I take the stance that there never will be. The solo was as different and complex as I have ever heard it... usually from tour to tour it is easy to pick out a few parts from previous solos, but this one had more new material than I can remember hearing at any other show. Geddy has long been my idol as a virtuoso bassist and did not fail to deliver the goods where the pawn shop 1972 model Fender jazz bass is concerned, and my fears after the last tour that he was losing his vocal strength were soon dismissed - he was in good voice, with strong vocals and hit all the high notes, particularly in Free Will, which they considered stopping playing live a while back because of the difficult high notes in the song. The visuals were innovative and hypnotic as always. This time, they employed spotlighting rigs that moved up and down independently. The spot rigs had lights on frames that were part of the visuals as well. The usual green lasers that we've come to love were not big players but were there. The video setup was impressive - the screens were VERY high def, and gave us some entrancing visual effects during some songs, and some incredibly moving, interesting, and/or funny video to go along with the messages of the songs.
Every Rush show I go to, something manages to crack me the hell up. Last time, it was Jerry Stiller's introduction before the show. This time, during the blistering instrumental, "The Main Monkey Business," there was video footage of gorillas, chimps, monkeys and king kongs being goofy... and at one point there were two chimps in a boxing ring bitch-slapping each other... and there isn't much that makes me laugh harder than a bitch slapping in a comical moment. This song blew my face off, the band really knocked it out of the park... and the chimps pimp slapping each other was just the cherry on the sundae for me... aside from Natural Science, this was my favorite song of the night.
To the a-hole that was sitting behind me: nobody wants to hear you screech "WWWEEEEEEEEEEE-AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHH" multiple times in the middle of Neil's drum solo or Alex's acoustic guitar solo. You redneck jackass - thank your lucky stars that you actually shut up after the second time I yelled at you to do so - not much incites me to violence, but pricks like you make me want to fucking snap. I, and everyone around us, payed 80 dollars per ticket to hear Rush's music, and particularly Neil's master work drum solo. I'm pretty sure my ticket didn't say 'An Evening with Rush and Some Fucktard Redneck Dude That Is Probably Missing a Chromosome Who Will Screech Like A Howler Monkey.' Nobody wants to hear your womany wail, you fucking harpy. Do everyone else a favor... don't go to any more concerts.
To the boys of the Rush: Gentlemen... you've provided me personally with 27 years of one favorite band. I wonder how many people have had ONE favorite band for that long. Your music, lyrics and messages have meant a lot to me over the years, and the countless days spent listening to your work never cease to entertain me. Your live performance of Mission remains, just like the first time I heard it, one of the most inspirational, uplifting pieces of art I've ever experienced. It brought me to tears the first time I heard it when I was 18 years old at the Hold Your Fire concert... and every subsequent time I hear it live, it raises a lump in my throat. In an era where so much music is about violence and drugs and sex simply because that's what sells, I'm pleased to see that you don't and have never made music because 'it's what will sell' ... rather, you've maintained your own vision over the years and never succumbed to the record industry norms. The fact that you aren't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a travesty of the highest order. I never have, nor will I ever watch one of their shows or go to their facility until you are inducted. Thanks for a great show last night, and a great 27 years. I hope this wasn't the last. In 27 years of playing your music continually I've never gotten tired of any of it. You keep making music and I'll keep buying your records and going to your concerts.
posted by Jeremy at 8/13/2007 01:08:00 AM
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