(Rush, not in Boston, from a few years ago, just hanging out.)
So yes, I'm back with my records! I've been working so hard at not neglecting records that I've actually been neglecting this blog. Tonight, I'm breaking from the usual Neglected Records format - but for good reason.
Last night, I saw Rush in Boston. This was a momentous occasion for a few reasons: 1) It was my first show at the Gaahhhhhden (which is downright puny compared to the United Center) 2) It marked my 5th time seeing Rush (not including the times I saw them playing at the Charter Bank Pavilion, where I just sat on the beach listening to them for free.)
Let me start with the short version - the show was great. Now read on...
Somehow, Rush is "cool" now. When I saw them in 1996 at the New World Amphitheater, Rush was not "cool." When I saw them again in 2002 at the Tweeter Center (same venue as before, different name), it was their first tour since the one in 1996, and they still weren't cool. Now, I imagine that most of you have noticed the past few years how Rush has gotten a lot of recognition lately. There was the various Grammy nominations, their appearance on the Colbert Report, the documentary (Beyond the Lighted Stage), their scenes/major plot line in I Love You, Man, and their recent release, Clockwork Angels. Rush has accomplished more in the past 5 years in terms of popularity more than they had in their entire career. Honestly, there simply isn't a better time than now to release a new Rush album and tour behind it, which Rush has done/is doing as we speak.
(Rush in the early 90's. Not very cool looking.)
What makes this tour special is that, for the first time since their resurgence in the past few years, Rush is pushing themselves musically in ways they haven't done for quite a while. As much as I enjoyed the previous tours and albums, it always seemed that they were playing to a certain crowd - people who were only "kind of" Rush fans. Sure, they might've broken out "Circumstances" during the "Snakes and Arrows" tour, but honestly, the "Moving Pictures" tour seemed more like a cash-in than anything else they had ever done in their whole career. Granted, I loved hearing "The Camera Eye" live, but realistically, that show was meant to bring in the "fair weather" Rush fan - the guys who were way more into Deep Purple or Zep and made the transisiton to Jimmy Buffet, but still had one or two Rush albums - to a concert and buy a $35 t-shirt.
All the while, Rush was apparently recording a new album. For months, people speculated what it would sound like and all that garbage. Honestly, what did it matter? If you liked Rush before, you'd like them again. The only information we could gather came in the form of two new songs played on the "Time Machine" tour (that's when they played Moving Pictures.) Those songs were OK - not great, but good. I found things to like and things to dislike. As time progressed, it seemed as if this album would never be completed - honestly, an album doesn't take 5 years to make - and all we had was just these two songs.
All of a sudden, the information is dropped - there's an album. It has a terrible title. It's a concept album. There's strings on it. Then there's the tour - it's happening. There's a string section.
Jesus H. Christ, this is going to be weird.
For the first time in their ENTIRE career, there would be an additional musician on stage during the show. Well, actually, it was an additional NINE musicians, all string players. Naturally, I got nervous. Remember when Metallica played with the SFSO in that mistake that was S&M? Luckily, Rush did it right - the strings nailed the parts as they were on the album, and when they played on three songs after the Clockwork Angels material, it sounded great. Honestly, to hear "Dreamline"'s brassy sounding keyboards replaced with strings was awesome.
(God, this album SUCKED.)
Here I am rambling, and I haven't even talked about the first set. Basically, it seemed like Rush realized that the last few tours, they pretty much ignored most of what they did from 1983 to 1992 or so. With this tour, it's like someone told them "HEY GUYS, REMEMBER ALL THAT STUFF YOU DID AFTER MOVING PICTURES? MOST OF IT WAS PRETTY GOOD!" and being the nice Canadians they are, they agreed and followed course. I mean, there was a whopping 4 songs from Power Windows! And that album DOES kick ass! Seriously, let's fight if you disagree. I've seen Rush plenty of times, but this was one of the first where they seemed to actively challenge themselves and their audience.
(Still from "The Big Money" music video. Very 80's, very terrible haircuts.)
So why am posting about a Rush concert I saw on this blog? Well, because it looks like Rush attempted to do what I attempt to do with this blog - dig through some old albums you haven't heard in awhile, find something good on them, and then share them with some friends.
Here's the setlist:
Set 1:
Subdivisions
The Big Money
Force Ten
Grand Designs
Middletown Dreams
Territories
The Analog Kid
The Pass
Where's My Thing? (w/ drum solo)
Far Cry
Set 2:
Caravan*
Clockwork Angels*
The Anarchist*
Carnies*
Halo Effect*
Seven Cities Of Gold*
The Wreckers*
Headlong Flight* (w/ drum solo)
The Garden*
Dreamline* (followed by weird, dubby-sounding drum solo)
Red Sector "A"*
YYZ*
The Spirit Of Radio
Encore:
Tom Sawyer
2112 (Overture/Temples of Syrinx/Grand Finale)
*=with string section
(Another Power Windows promo pic, because why the hell not?)
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