Last night I went to US Airways Center and saw Rush for the
eleventh time in my life. While it was not the best concert of theirs that I
have seen—nor was it the worst—it was certainly the most unique.
For the uninitiated, Rush (pronounced like it is spelled),
is a Canadian rock trio that has been churning out albums since 1974. They
reached the height of their popularity in the early 1980s, with hits like “The
Spirit of Radio,” “Tom Sawyer,” and “Subdivisions.” But while many people who
were only casually aware of them during the Reagan-era think they have faded
into obscurity, diehard fans like me know that they never went away—they simply
aged gracefully like a fine wine.
Admitting that you’re a Rush fan generally elicits one of
three responses: 1) a blank stare from the 99% of people under the age of 36
who have never heard of them; 2) a roll of the eyes from the 99% of women and
92% of men over the age of 36 who immediately stereotype you as a Mountain Dew
swigging, Dungeons & Dragons playing, throwback geek who was into computers
15 years before everyone else; or 3) a spontaneous and very enthusiastic air
drum display from those unaccounted for above who, like you, knows that Neil
Peart is the greatest drummer who ever lived, ever will live, or can ever be
created by a group of the world’s top scientists working 24 hours a day, seven
days a week for the next 200 years.
While we’re on the topic of Neil, I’ll make my first
observation about last night’s concert. To this day I’m always amazed that with
the blistering speed at which Neil plays, his hands don’t simply snap off at
the wrists and continue feverishly beating upon the drums independent of his
arms. I’m pretty sure this is bound to happen one day, and I hope I’m there to
witness it. (I don’t think this would faze him, as nothing seems to.)
The other players in the band are Geddy Lee (singer,
bassist, and keyboardist) and Alex Lifeson (guitarist, backup vocals, and comedian.)
Together, Geddy, Alex, and Neil create a wall of sound at once intense and
thought-provoking. They are musical masters who never cease to amaze. And last
night, after having seen them on nine previous tours since 1986, they amazed
yet again—this time with the inclusion of a string section!
Now in the name of full disclosure I should say that the
presence of a string section came as no shock to me. In my role as diehard Rush
fan I follow them on Facebook and Twitter, frequently look at their website,
and read all the magazine articles about them that I can get my hands on. So I
had heard long ago that there would be a string section this time around. But
hearing about it and actually experiencing it are two different things. I had
no idea what to expect, but in a word—Wow!
And the thing about the “Wow” is that it comes not just from
the musical aspect of the string section—though the music was great. The “Wow”
comes largely from the off-the-charts energy that these eight musicians brought
to the stage.
The string section entered for the second set, which was
composed mainly of songs from Rush’s new album, “Clockwork Angels.” (In my
opinion their best album in at least 20 years, in case you were wondering.) When
they first appeared they were sitting, which is what I would have expected from
a string section; but the second the music started they all jumped up and
played their instruments standing the entire time. But they didn’t just play—they
bopped, and rocked, and head-banged the whole time they were up there. When
they didn’t need to play their instruments many of them were passionately thrusting
their bows in the air in time with the music. Basically, they were acting like
eight rabid fans that were handed violins and cellos and such and told to hang
out on the stage with the band. It was an absolute blast to watch, because they
were acting exactly as I would act if I were allowed up there. (Well, not
exactly as I would act. They were actually playing their instruments well,
whereas any effort I made to play a stringed instrument would likely come off
sounding like the tortured wails of a dying yak.)
For me, the highlight of the show was the song “Headlong
Flight,” from their new album, which is seven minutes of pure adrenaline
surging rock. If you can listen to this song without having your pulse rate
increase you are, in all likelihood, not actually human. Clearly, the players
in the string section are all human, as they were going as ballistic on the
stage during this song as the rest of the audience.
The show was not perfect. Yes, I’m a diehard Rush fan, but
even within their canon I have likes and dislikes. Of their 165 original songs
there are probably about 10 to 15 that I don’t actually like very much. Their
set list happened to include five of those. (I mean, what are the odds?)
But that’s okay. Last night was really about hearing them
play a bunch of songs from their outstanding, super-stupendous new album; and
about watching a rocking string section; and about waiting with bated breath for
that elusive moment when Neil’s hands finally declare their total independence
from his body. One day, Neil. One day.
I first saw them in 1986 also, and this time had to wonder early on if I was experiencing a Power Windows tour flashback. Some odd choices there, but definitely a great show, and I thought the strings were fantastic, nice that Geddy didn't have to multi-task in the new songs and trigger the strings via foot pedals.
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