I start with a warning: This post includes spoilers.
The day of the epic R40 Rush concert finally arrived,
wrapping up an insanely busy period that included a conference in Louisville,
four intense work days at Mackinac Island, a visit from a king and queen, an
honors ceremony, a high school graduation and finally an open house with relatives and many, many marching band members.
With all of those events going well, a celebration was in
order. And a long-awaited Rush concert with my buddy and fellow Rush fan would
do the trick!
I arrived in Chicago around 1:30, in time for a late lunch.
Will used to write restaurant reviews and knows lots of cool places to eat. I
know lots of things on the Panera Bread menu. So Will picked our lunch spot, a
neat place in Lincoln Square. We spent the afternoon checking out a store
filled with action figures of the past and catching up.
While we communicate frequently by email, it was our first time together since Will's epic birthday surprise just over a year ago. Fiancee Laurie pulled off an amazing feat -- gathering friends and family from across the country in a U.S. Cellular Field skybox to celebrate a milestone birthday.
Will has shed his ponytail after five years, and we've both had eventful years. It was a long overdue opportunity to share stories and photos.
While we communicate frequently by email, it was our first time together since Will's epic birthday surprise just over a year ago. Fiancee Laurie pulled off an amazing feat -- gathering friends and family from across the country in a U.S. Cellular Field skybox to celebrate a milestone birthday.
Will has shed his ponytail after five years, and we've both had eventful years. It was a long overdue opportunity to share stories and photos.
We then made our way to the United Center, which also is
home to the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks, the latter still competing for the
Stanley Cup.
There are statues of Michael Jordan and Blackhawks heroes, and Jordan
is wearing a Blackhawks jersey – that’s a “sweater” to hockey fans.
From our seats in section 314, we determined that the rest
of the audience leaned toward middle age, but not as old as we thought it would
be, and heavily male, though with more ladies than expected. Perhaps Rush is
suddenly becoming cool!
Billed the R40 tour to commemorate the 40th
anniversary of Neil joining the band, the show is decidedly an effort to look
back at a long and glorious career.
I peeked at a set list online, but Will prefers to be
surprised. I offered only that it read as if Geddy and the gang said, “Dave and
Will, create a set list for the show” then accepted, and said “Well, we’ll make
some changes, but this is pretty good.” Part of the fun for me was knowing what
was coming, and watching Will’s reaction to hearing some long-unplayed
favorites.
Note that this is twice in two years that I've been able to keep a big secret.
Note that this is twice in two years that I've been able to keep a big secret.
 |
| You know you are at a Rush concert when the line for the men's room is out the door and down the hall, and there is no line for the ladies' room. |
And Will was indeed surprised when the band ripped into “The Anarchist”
from Clockwork Angels as the curtain raised, a curious choice to be sure.
The show was a trip back in time, starting with three songs
from the most-recent release and the stage filled with some of the steam punk
props form the Clockwork Angels tour.
The band proceeded to work backwards through its catalog,
from Clockwork Angels though the debut album, and even a snippet of a pre-Rush
song at the very end.
But as the band played, guys in red jumpsuits – like the
movers on the cover of Moving Pictures – began disassembling the props,
replacing them with a wall of Marshall amps on Alex’s side and white washing
machines on Geddy’s stage right. On past tours, Geddy’s sounds were pumped
directly through the PA, so he filled his side of the stage with various
appliances, including revolving dessert trays.
The second half curtain rose to reveal a wall of amps on
both sides and Neil’s old drum kit with chimes, and bells.
Geddy and Alex also pulled out older instruments as the set
list worked backwards, including the double-necked guitars and bass for “Xanadu.”
And there were concert effects of the past to go with songs
of the period, like the lasers shooting across the United Center during “YYZ,” which
was greeted by Will yelling, “Hey, it’s “XYZ!” More than 30 years later, we are still bitter.
As the band proceeded to play older songs, the movers
started removing amps. By the end of the show, Geddy was reduced to one amp set
on two chairs and Alex with one stack – and the screen behind the stage showing
a high school gym, showing where it all started.
Highlights
The set list was amazing, with the band dusting off
favorites that have not been played in decades, including “Jacob’s Ladder,” “Hemispheres
Book II Prelude,” “Cygnus X-1,” “Lakeside Park” and “What You’re Doing.”
The video screens were a big help, showing close-ups of the
musicians and also videos from the past.
Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson is photographing the tour,
and even from the upper bowl we could pick out the 6-foot, 10-inch “Big Unit”
at the edge of the stage snapping away.
The intermission included outtakes from previous tour
videos, ending with the South Park “Lil Rush” into to “Tom Sawyer,” which the
band used to start the second half.
Speaking of “Tom Sawyer,” the guy sitting behind us was
funny. He was a little older, and needed help from a kid when he wanted to post
a concert photo on Instagram. But he went nuts as the first notes of “Tom
Sawyer” burst through the PA, loudly singing both the lyrics AND the keyboard
parts – “Wooo-woo-woo-woooo—woooooo.” He also knew all Geddy's song intros from
the live albums.
Was this annoying? Yeah, a little. But he was clearly a huge
fan having a great time. And he somehow
convinced his wife to come to the show with him. Enjoy the show and rock on, my loud friend!
 |
| Printed tickets are convenient, but I miss real ticket stubs! |
So, if the Hawks win, Geddy and the boys get some of the credit.
Minor grumble
One minor beef: The band worked backwards through its
catalog, but skipped songs from Test for Echo, Presto and Hold Your Fire, and
Power Windows. Since Will and I earlier in the week ranked Presto and Hold Your Fire at No. 2 on our R40 Countdown, we were bumming that we didn’t get to hear
songs from those discs. It’s easy to look back and think they could maybe trim two
of the Clockwork Angels songs and one of the Snakes and Arrows songs and work
in some things from the omitted.
But that’s minor. And as Will pointed out, Rush could add
three hours to the show and would still not be able to play all the songs we
want to hear. That the burden of being spectacular.
And Will jumps in:
I told Dave ahead of time that there were two things that Rush usually does at a show, besides kick all form of butt:
1) They play something old I'd never heard live before.
2) They play something I'd never heard before, period.
Mission accomplished:
1) “Jacob's Ladder” (a wish fulfilled, thanks boys), all of” Xanadu”(thanks again), a large chunk of “Cygnus X-1,” “Lakeside Park.”
2) “What You're Doing.”
I, too, loved the retro sets and lights. I half expected Alex and Geddy to come out in kimonos for 2112, like the Foos did at the RRHOF ceremony, but, well, you can't have everything.
I, too, was similarly disappointed about the skipping of certain things. Skipping Test for Echo was no surprise, because, as I assume, Neil just absolutely refuses to play anything from it. Skipping Presto was a disappointment, however. (I also would've preferred “Dreamline” instead of “Roll the Bones.”)
The second half of the show more than made up for the first half. After “Spirit of the Radio,” the boys served up a big steaming plate of progressive: It was basically an hour-long chunk of 10-minute songs broken up by only the obvious “Closer to the Heart.” I ate it all up and was asking for seconds.
I told Dave ahead of time that there were two things that Rush usually does at a show, besides kick all form of butt:
1) They play something old I'd never heard live before.
2) They play something I'd never heard before, period.
Mission accomplished:
1) “Jacob's Ladder” (a wish fulfilled, thanks boys), all of” Xanadu”(thanks again), a large chunk of “Cygnus X-1,” “Lakeside Park.”
2) “What You're Doing.”
I, too, loved the retro sets and lights. I half expected Alex and Geddy to come out in kimonos for 2112, like the Foos did at the RRHOF ceremony, but, well, you can't have everything.
I, too, was similarly disappointed about the skipping of certain things. Skipping Test for Echo was no surprise, because, as I assume, Neil just absolutely refuses to play anything from it. Skipping Presto was a disappointment, however. (I also would've preferred “Dreamline” instead of “Roll the Bones.”)
The second half of the show more than made up for the first half. After “Spirit of the Radio,” the boys served up a big steaming plate of progressive: It was basically an hour-long chunk of 10-minute songs broken up by only the obvious “Closer to the Heart.” I ate it all up and was asking for seconds.
In thinking about it more, the disappointment of no Presto was two-fold, not only for not hearing one of those songs again but also I was hoping for the rabbit to re-emerge from a top hat one last time. Hey, if you're doing retro staging, that had to have been one of their most famous pieces. It then could have stuck around and "rocked out" to “Subdivisions.”
Here's a video with the rocking rabbits in the background!
Unlike Dave and the unknown poster below (ahem), I didn't like the roll-back set list, although I understand why they did it that way (for the set), and it was a good choice, but, as Dave noted, I like to be surprised, and as soon as I realized what they were doing, I was able to start guessing most of what was coming, which wasn't as much fun. The only times I was truly surprised was “Hemispheres” and “Lakeside Park.” (I was surprised for “The Anarchist,” too, but only because I couldn't imagine that as a lead song. It was more a WTH surprise than an OMG surprise.)
It wasn't my favorite Rush concert, but it was awesome, like a hundred million hot dogs, sir.
Here's the R40 Countdown Will and I compiled as we waited patiently for the show.
No. 2: Hold Your Fire (Dave), Presto (Will)
No. 3: Permanent Waves (Dave), Signals (Will)
No. 4: Roll the Bones (Dave), Permanent Waves (Will)
No. 5: Power Windows (Dave), Roll the Bones (Will)
No. 6: Test for Echo (Dave), Grace Under Pressure (Will)
No. 7: Signals (Dave), A Farewell to Kings (Will)
