Last night was the Rush show, and let me first say, there's a world of a difference between the last time I saw them (September 2007) to now. For the Tinley show last year, Dale and I had just started our Sophomore year and were already about three weeks in, it was sunny, late summer, gorgeous weather, seeing Rush for the first time at an outdoor venue. This time, Dale and I had just gotten out of school, it was cloudy and rainy, late spring, seeing Rush for the second time at an indoor venue. So, two very different scenarios should call for two very different evenings, eh?
Anywho, Dale and I brought our pal Ray along, huge Rush fan who was also kind enough to provide a ride. We stopped at a place called Moretti's near the venue for dinner, and at about 6:50 we arrived at the United Center. We scoped out our seats and after we found them, hustled to the swag lines so I could buy a shirt and a program. It was about 7:25 when all was said and done, and I ran to the bathroom to change my shirt and got back to the seats at exactly 7:30, when the band was supposed to come on.
The lights eventually went down at 7:45, with the adrenaline of a concert rushing through our veins like no one could ever believe. The intro video was the same, and it helped me realize how much I dislike "greatest hits fans." The whole video, the guys behind us kept saying "Start the damn show!" and "What are they a fuckin' comedy act now?" Annoyed the hell out of me. In the vid, Alex Lifeson says he has a dream about snakes, he calls for "honey" so he can talk to them about it, and Neil Peart wakes up next to him, thus instigating a scream of horrifying surprise. Following that, Geddy Lee is sitting in a room and Harry Satchel (also played by Geddy) and basically tells him to get off his ass and get on stage.
And they did. First song of the evening was the classic "Limelight," which was an immediate crowd pleaser. The band seemed very energetic as did the fans, and the sound was simply great where we were. It's an awesome way to start off a Rush show, no doubt. Second song was, as everyone by now should know my personal favorite Rush tune, "Digital Man." This one smoked, only this time I think I had a much greater appreciation for it than last time. The guys seemed to have a lot of fun with this one, and who could blame 'em? The crowd was lovin' it, and Rush has seemed like a band who enjoys playing deep cuts. It was also a serious highlight for me. Third song was "Ghost of a Chance," which seemed to me like somewhat of a momentum killer. I was anticipating it live, sadly it didn't really deliver. "Entre Nous," which was replaced by GOAC for this leg of the tour, seemed to be the better fit for that spot in the set.
Geddy would take a moment to say hello and introduce the next song, which would be a very emotional performance of "Mission," and after this would be the classic "Freewill." That song was a definite crowd pleaser, especially in Alex's shredding guitar solo when you seemingly couldn't calm the crowd down, and who can blame him? The guy has to be mid-50s, and the fact that he could still shred so gracefully, to me, is remarkable. Following this, Ged would introduce the next two songs as "new" ones, and the annoying fans behind us were saying "Well, time for ME to go take a shit!" laughing their asses off, while Dale, Ray, and I were stoked to hear these songs again. First one was "The Main Monkey Business," which was SO much better the second time around for some reason. Following that would be "The Larger Bowl," which also seemed to click better live in the environment it was in.
After a small string of Snakes & Arrows tracks, Geddy said we'd move on to some classics, and he wasn't lying. The first one was "Red Barchetta," which I will say right now was probably the best song of the night. So much energy in the band and the crowd, it was just outstanding. Such a perfect atmosphere for that song, and Neil even caught the stick on the toss, which made the crowd more rabid. Definitely better for the set than "Secret Touch" was last year. The next tune would be another new addition to the set, "The Trees," which replaced "Circumstances" from last year. This was a real momentum killer, and if I were the band I'd have alternated "Barchetta" and "Trees" around. Cool to hear live, but it didn't click with me. Following this would be two of my favorite songs from last year and probably this year, too. "Between the Wheels" was the first, a song which I really was hoping would be dropped because lately I've had a hard time getting into it. It didn't disappoint though, it was probably one of the most solid performances of the night. Just awesome. After this would be "Dreamline," with the stunning laser show and enormous energy by the band and fans. Following the song, Geddy would announce that they are no longer "spring chickens" and need to take a break, thus beginning the intermission.
In this contest, I believe it's safe to say that Chicago was the clear winner of the first set.
We would then set out at intermission, where I would go use the bathroom (which had probably the quickest line I've ever been in waiting), and Dale and Ray would go to a concession stand to buy some beverages. When I returned to the seats, they both were already there, both saying that so far, this show was better than Tinley. And I agreed. So we looked at the program, and before you know it, the lights go down again. Seemed to be a much shorter intermission from last time.
The intro video to the second set was different. Instead of Alex's "Plane of Dharma" video, we got a new one called "What's That Smell?" It featured Harry Satchel again, driving a truck and picking up Alex's Barbie dolls (which he humorously has as his "fan club" on stage), and then finding a guy with some chicken (a play on the chicken roasters Ged uses as amps). In the end, Jerry Stiller makes an appearance, which was nice to see due to the R30 vid.
After this, the band would break into "Far Cry," which seemed to translate so much better live this time around (seemingly all the S&A songs did). It was a nice way to say "Alright, we're back in business!" especially with the shot of pyro before the second chorus. After this would be "Workin' Them Angels," which is such an uplifting tune in concert, given a great place in the setlist. It was an awesome way to start off the second half of the show.
The string of Snakes & Arrows tunes would continue, same as Tinley, with "Armor & Sword," which seemed to work out so much better this time around. The band seemed so into the song, and while the fans didn't take so kindly to it, the guys and I really enjoyed it. Smokin' performance of the song. Following that would be the dreaded "Spindrift," which I really was not looking forward to and as I reflect, I still think it should've been dropped. Better than Tinley, but still nothing really enjoyable. Next would be "The Way the Wind Blows," which was pretty good, nice way to end the string of S&A songs. Powerful performance.
We now approach the Big Three, if you will, from this tour. The band explosively breaks into "Subdivisions," a crowd favorite that definitely got a positive reaction this time around (and featured Dale and I humorously shouting "SUBDIVISIONS!" at each other when that part came up). Next would be "Natural Science," a song I can garner so much more respect for this time around, and they delivered. What an awesome performance, they really delivered the goods. Following that would be "Witch Hunt," with the outstanding laser display and a generally solid performance. After this would be "Malignant Narcissism," which really didn't click for me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE MalNar, but being familiar with the set, you KNEW what was coming next, which spoils the fun, somewhat.
What's next you ask? Neil Peart's drum solo! And my God this guy does not disappoint. His solo was basically the same as Tinley, only the electronic part seemed to lack a little bit of energy. Regardless, what this guy is capable of doing is mind-blowing, and it was impressive. Of course the assholes behind us kept saying "I think he needs to turn back around" during the electric part, and saying "Eh, it was alright" at the end. I mean come on, this guy put on a godly display of musicianship, as usual. Following that was the most emotional version of "Hope" I'd ever seen, a beautiful acoustic piece by Mr. Alex Lifeson.
Now we move back to the songs, starting off the last third of the show with "The Spirit of Radio," clearly a crowd pleaser. Everyone was on their feet, clapping, singing, clearly enjoying this classic being performed in front of them. Next would be "2112: Overture / Temples of Syrinx," which replaced "Summertime Blues" from last year. The Overture was played with a ton of energy, the fans singing certain parts and shouting "hey!" towards the end everytime there was a break in the music. Then, after a pyro explosion, the lights dim to a mere spotlight on Geddy, and a haunting chorus of 18,000 fans sang "And the meek shall inherit the earth..." along with Ged. It was a staggeringly good performance by the guys, glad it was added. After that was the funny South Park intro with them playing "Tom Sawyer," which would lead up to...you guessed it, "Tom Sawyer." Very nice performance, something about this one dominated the last show's. Nice way to end the regular set.
Enocre time! The first song is "One Little Victory," a song I like but to me doesn't belong as the first encore song. Regardless, pretty good performance, better than Tinley's because to me it sounded a bit slowed down, which it needed because it sounded sloppy in Tinley. Next would be "A Passage to Bangkok," which was SO much better this time around. I couldn't get into it at Tinley like I did last night. After this would be the last song of the evening, the fan favorite instrumental, "YYZ." This ended the night in grand fashion, and after it was over, the band left and fans began filing out, although a video at the end captured Al's "Plane of Dharma" character saying goodbye instead of Harry Satchel like last year. It also featured a cameo by Jerry Stiller and a funny appearance by Neil.
Overall, the better show was Chicago, and I'm not saying that off the high of last night's show. Do I miss "Entre Nous" and "Circumstances?" Yes. But I like two of the new inclusions as well so it cancels out. The band seemed to have a lot more energy last night than they did at Tinley, and it's proof that Rush is an indoor band rather than outdoor. Worked very well last night. I went in saying it couldn't get better than Tinley. To my surprise, it was.
Sadly, until Rush tours again, I won't be seeing them for awhile. No more stops nearby. Oh well, I'm sure the next tour will be just as good, if not better (Ged's "hope to see you again sometime!" at the end provides some nice hope as a fan). But two shows on the Snakes & Arrows 2007/2008 World Tour with my best friend? I can't complain, that's very satisfying to me.
So we left the venue and basically walked back to the lot where our car was parked. People shouting "RUSH!" all over the place was definitely exciting, and the one guy who said "Bangkok! Pulling into Khatmandu, smoke rings fill the air!" was quite humorous. We left blasting Disc 2 of "Different Stages," jammin' to "Natural Science" in the lot, and cranking and singing "Test For Echo," "The Analog Kid," and "Freewill" as loud as possible on the way home, getting some interesting looks from pedestrians. At 11:45, Dale and I said goodbye to Ray, he drove off, and we went back in the house, ending our evening.
And a great evening it was, one which I documented very well on video and also on pictures, if you will. Great fuckin' show, guys. And to show the excitement of other fans, I think this quote speaks volumes:
"Witch Hunt. They played fuckin' Witch Hunt!"
Yes they sure did. And it was but one of the many highlights of the evening. Anyway, I'll have a full blog on my entire week here sometime next week, but for now, goodbye!
Rush N' Roll!
-Zach
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment