What can you say about Rush that hasn't been said before? Either you love them or you don't. I went to this show with my neighbor Donald and his wife Bernadette. I would say that of all the "older" rock bands I've ever seen, Rush was the best because they sounded like they hadn't aged at all. Geddy, Alex, and Neil sounded like they just stepped out of 1978 (except for the hip-hop interlude in "Roll the Bones" which had a huge skeleton rapping on the giant video screen ... that was laughable). There was no opening act, and Rush played two sets for almost 3 hrs total! They treated the audience to spot on versions of "Tom Sawyer", "Spirit of Radio", "Freewill", "YYZ", "2112" (all seven parts!), "Red Barchetta", and "Closer to the Heart". It was pretty awesome!
Set One
1. Dreamline (w/ 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra' intro) 2. Limelight 3. Stick It Out 4. Driven 5. Half the World 6. Red Barchetta 7. Animate 8. Limbo 9. The Trees 10. Virtuality 11. Nobody's Hero 12. Closer to the Heart 13. 2112 (Part I: Overture) 14. 2112 (Part II: The Temples of Syrinx) 15. 2112 (Part III: Discovery) 16. 2112 (Part IV: Presentation) 17. 2112 (Part V: Oracle: The Dream) 18. 2112 (Part VI: Soliloquy) 19. 2112 (Part VII: Grand Finale)
Set Two
20. Test for Echo 21. Freewill 22. Red Sector A 23. Roll the Bones 24. Resist 25. Leave That Thing Alone 26. Drum Solo 27. Natural Science 28. Force Ten 29. The Spirit of Radio 30. Tom Sawyer
Encore:
31. YYZ (w/ 'Cygnus X-1' outro)
RUSH RULES AGAIN IN '90s SUBURBIA by Steve Crawford for The Houston Chronicle [1997]
In the realm of '80s suburbia, dude, Rush ruled. Sure, you had Van Halen for partyin'. You had Journey for makin' out. Rush is what you had for those all night rap sessions. Rush is what you listened to in your car when you were trying to escape the Fascist Establishment (i.e. your parents). It's what you listened to when you played Dungeons & Dragons.
The '80s, of course, are gone. Rock has splintered into a million musical shards. Rock gods such as the Rush trio of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart no longer roam the Earth with impunity as they did a decade ago. But while other '80s acts burned out or faded away, Rush keeps chugging along, releasing a new album and touring every other year or so.
And the fans keep showing up. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion was packed with the faithful of all ages Sunday night. What they wanted, Rush delivered - for better and worse. The band played two sets on a nicely uncluttered stage set - a few icons from the artwork on its new album, Test for Echo, and a large video screen that offered a mix of arty clips and live shots of the band. The first set was a tight, professional affair highlighted by Lee's nimble basslines and Peart's muscular drumming. Between-songs chatter was kept to a bare but friendly minimum. That's one of the pleasures of the band: These guys have been around so long that they seem like friends you'd invite over for a beer and a hockey game.
There was a number of obligatory cuts from the new album, including "Driven" and "Half the World". The new album is rather airless and bland, but in concert the band played these songs with substantial power. And there was a little raw meat for the crowd - in other words, a few of the band's classic hits: "Limelight", "The Trees", "Red Barchetta", "Closer to the Heart" and a suite of songs from 2112, the most Spinal Tap-pish of Rush's albums.
The second set was strictly for the fans, which turned out to be a double-edged sword. Bathed in the sheen of an entertaining light show, the band happily delivered classic cuts from its immense catalog. But lurking in the background was the crowd's anticipation of a jam session complete with bass, guitar, and - gulp - drum solos. Of course, Rush gave the fans what they wanted with an interminable interlude of the kind of jazzy prog-rock self-indulgence that spawned the opposite and equal reaction known as punk rock.
And the crowd ate it up. By the time Rush closed with all time faves "The Spirit of Radio" and "Tom Sawyer" and an encore of "YYZ", devotees were sated and it was clear why Rush has been around so long: These guys are consumate professionals. They show up on time, they play hard and well, and they don't begrudge the audience its old favorites. They have a good time, and they deliver a good time. They don't condescend or pander (well, not too much). What more can you ask of your aging rock gods?
Set One
1. Dreamline (w/ 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra' intro)
2. Limelight
3. Stick It Out
4. Driven
5. Half the World
6. Red Barchetta
7. Animate
8. Limbo
9. The Trees
10. Virtuality
11. Nobody's Hero
12. Closer to the Heart
13. 2112 (Part I: Overture)
14. 2112 (Part II: The Temples of Syrinx)
15. 2112 (Part III: Discovery)
16. 2112 (Part IV: Presentation)
17. 2112 (Part V: Oracle: The Dream)
18. 2112 (Part VI: Soliloquy)
19. 2112 (Part VII: Grand Finale)
Set Two
20. Test for Echo
21. Freewill
22. Red Sector A
23. Roll the Bones
24. Resist
25. Leave That Thing Alone
26. Drum Solo
27. Natural Science
28. Force Ten
29. The Spirit of Radio
30. Tom Sawyer
Encore:
31. YYZ (w/ 'Cygnus X-1' outro)
RUSH RULES AGAIN IN '90s SUBURBIA
by Steve Crawford for The Houston Chronicle [1997]
In the realm of '80s suburbia, dude, Rush ruled. Sure, you had Van Halen for partyin'. You had Journey for makin' out. Rush is what you had for those all night rap sessions. Rush is what you listened to in your car when you were trying to escape the Fascist Establishment (i.e. your parents). It's what you listened to when you played Dungeons & Dragons.
The '80s, of course, are gone. Rock has splintered into a million musical shards. Rock gods such as the Rush trio of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart no longer roam the Earth with impunity as they did a decade ago. But while other '80s acts burned out or faded away, Rush keeps chugging along, releasing a new album and touring every other year or so.
And the fans keep showing up. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion was packed with the faithful of all ages Sunday night. What they wanted, Rush delivered - for better and worse. The band played two sets on a nicely uncluttered stage set - a few icons from the artwork on its new album, Test for Echo, and a large video screen that offered a mix of arty clips and live shots of the band. The first set was a tight, professional affair highlighted by Lee's nimble basslines and Peart's muscular drumming. Between-songs chatter was kept to a bare but friendly minimum. That's one of the pleasures of the band: These guys have been around so long that they seem like friends you'd invite over for a beer and a hockey game.
There was a number of obligatory cuts from the new album, including "Driven" and "Half the World". The new album is rather airless and bland, but in concert the band played these songs with substantial power. And there was a little raw meat for the crowd - in other words, a few of the band's classic hits: "Limelight", "The Trees", "Red Barchetta", "Closer to the Heart" and a suite of songs from 2112, the most Spinal Tap-pish of Rush's albums.
The second set was strictly for the fans, which turned out to be a double-edged sword. Bathed in the sheen of an entertaining light show, the band happily delivered classic cuts from its immense catalog. But lurking in the background was the crowd's anticipation of a jam session complete with bass, guitar, and - gulp - drum solos. Of course, Rush gave the fans what they wanted with an interminable interlude of the kind of jazzy prog-rock self-indulgence that spawned the opposite and equal reaction known as punk rock.
And the crowd ate it up. By the time Rush closed with all time faves "The Spirit of Radio" and "Tom Sawyer" and an encore of "YYZ", devotees were sated and it was clear why Rush has been around so long: These guys are consumate professionals. They show up on time, they play hard and well, and they don't begrudge the audience its old favorites. They have a good time, and they deliver a good time. They don't condescend or pander (well, not too much). What more can you ask of your aging rock gods?