Author Topic: Rush - 2010-07-21 - Camden, NJ  (Read 1244 times)

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Offline Nick

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Rush - 2010-07-21 - Camden, NJ
« on: July 23, 2010, 12:36:40 PM »
There are few times I can say I’ve gone into a show with such high expectations as I had this past Wednesday, and rarer yet that I can say that all those expectations were either met or surpassed. It won’t surprise many people that the band to accomplish this was Rush, the Canadian power trio that is currently enjoying a wave of popularity due to appearances in the movie “I Love You Man”, the show “The Colbert Report”, and the new documentary “Beyond the Lighted Stage”. For the first time in their 35+ year career the band can truly be considered cool, bringing added success to their current Time Machine tour.
   
When I got inside the venue I very quickly found myself going onto the floor to find my seat. Despite having an hour till show time I was extremely excited to see how close I would be as the ticket I had pulled would be the best ticket I’ve ever had for a Rush show.  I was not disappointed. Fourth row between Alex and Neil... it was going to be a good night. As time went on the inevitable finally happened as four guys, one at each corner of the stage started climbing ladders to their perches among the lighting rigs.
   
The show started as most Rush fans have come to expect, a crazy and hilarious intro video.  Alex could be seen side-stage being just as amused by the video as people in the audience were only seeing it for the first time. The video played well into the theme of the tour, as would most of the videos played throughout the evening, and it teased the audience mercilessly until Alex finally took his place on the stage and ripped into “The Spirit of Radio”. Always a crowd pleaser the song definitely got the crowd excited for the evening. One song in I was already sweating profusely. I had been so excited for the show and after one song the band sounded so good.
   
The band continued on with the 80’s single “Time Stand Still”, a beautiful piece that featured Alex actually playing some keyboards. After that was the biggest surprise of the evening, “Presto”. Catching many by surprise, and leaving a few scratching their heads the song ended up being one of my favorites from the set, and went over surprisingly well with the crowd, definitely aided by an intense solo near the end by Alex Lifeson. Next came one of the few Rush studio tracks I can honestly say I’m not very fond of, yet “Stick It Out” managed to be a pretty rocking and enjoyable live song. I have often said that Rush could play a set of my 25 least favorite songs and I’d still love it, and after hearing “Stick It Out” I certainly still stand by that statement.
   
“Workin’ Them Angels” came next and got the crowds energy up a bit as it was one of the more popular songs from Snakes and Arrows. “Leave That Thing Alone” came on and managed to rile up the crowd a bit as Rush instrumentals often do, always allowing each member to shine at one point or another. While I had said “Presto” was the biggest surprise of the tour a runner up prize certainly goes to the next song in the set, “Faithless”. I remember criticizing the band for not switching up any of the Snakes and Arrows songs between the legs of that tour so it was really nice to see them give “The Larger Bowl” and “Armor and Sword” a rest (I had expected at least one of the two would make the set) in order for a never before track from the album to be played live.
   
Following “Faithless” was a very special track for me. Despite the Caravan/BU2B single having been released well before my show, and despite “Caravan” being heard all around the radio I had purposefully avoided listening to either of the tracks, thinking back to the late 70’s and early 80’s when Rush would road test two songs on a break from the studio. Back then people had no way of hearing the songs in advance, and so they got to hear new tracks from their favorite band for the first time performed live for them, and that was an experience I was very interested in recreating. It didn’t take very long through “BU2B” before I was already looking forward to next year when Rush is set to release Clockwork Angels, which the Rush tour book seems to hint might finally be that long sought full length concept album from Rush. (Many casual fans mistakenly believe 2112 to be a concept album, but the conceptual piece is only half the record.)
   
“BU2B” seemed to ooze of Rush re-inventing themselves once again, adding in new sounds and ideas even after 35+ years of making music, and yet it was still definitively Rush. The crowd reacted so well to the song “Freewill” didn’t really manage to pick things up much despite being one of Rush’s most popular songs. After that came my personal highlight of the evening, “Marathon”. The song pretty much showcases everything that was great about Power Windows and the live presentation of the song was mind-blowing. Then, to complete the best one-two punch to end a set I’ve ever seen Geddy started the opening synth lines of “Subdivisions”, which remains one of my favorite radio hits (along with 2112), and which always comes across with a great amount of power live, and as always it got a fantastic response from the crowd.
   
During the intermission I started to really appreciate what a spectacular show I was seeing. Geddy sounded like he went back in time (appropriate for the tour I suppose), as his singing was stronger than any tour I’ve seen them on before. Neil seemed to be quite into the show (by his standards), and I’ve never seen the usually animated Alex so playful on stage. The guys really seemed to be enjoying this tour and it showed. As a result the songs came across full of energy and the sound was the best I’ve ever had for Rush. Guitar and bass were in perfect mix, and Neil’s drums sounded nearly as good as on the R30 tour, which to this day remains the best drum sound I’ve ever heard live, from any band. Any band that puts on an energetic show with a strong clarity of sound is on the right path, but when that band is Rush the end result is magnificent!
   
The second set opened with a video that rivaled the hilarity of the first set’s video, and when the band came on and ripped in “Tom Sawyer” I knew it was time for the much hyped live presentation of the band’s famous Moving Pictures album. Their best selling album, Moving Pictures first side (remember kids, it was originally released on this thing called a record) featured four successful singles, the aforementioned “Tom Sawyer” along with “Red Barchetta”, “YYZ”, and “Limelight”. Although a part of me was trying to say, “Man, I’ve heard these songs sooo many times, can we skip ahead”, you couldn’t hear any of that because another part of me was screaming, “This is so freaking awesome!” Then came the rarer side of Moving Pictures, featuring “The Camera Eye”, “Witch Hunt”, and my personal favorite, “Vital Signs”. All three went over very well with the crowd, and the band had videos for every song on the album themed around the lyrics and often featuring bits from the album cover and tour theme. I have to say the high quality of video footage brought out on this tour is yet another contributing factor in why this was one of the most amazing shows I had ever seen. As always with Rush none of it was overblown, but you sensed that whenever the video screens where being utilized that it added to the songs. I can also say at this point that I’ve never watched Alex more at a Rush show. As much as I love him I’m typically focused on Geddy and Neil, but tonight he stole the show. I had mentioned his stage antics were upped a notch and on top of that he was just nailing solos left and right. The man simply forced your attention at sections of every song.
   
After the entirety of Moving Pictures the band decided to bring us crashing back into present day as they ripped into “Caravan”, a song I fell in love with more and more with each moment that passed. The verses were great, the chorus was even better, and only repeated listens will allow me to confirm this, but for now I’d say the instrumental section was perhaps the best in any Rush song to date. It was more than worth waiting for. After “Caravan” came an expected and essential part of any Rush show, the drum solo from Neil Peart. The solo for the tour was 95% new, only carrying over a few of the classic crossover moves. Neil even ditched the bell solos he’s had in his solos for quite a long time now. If I am recalling correctly the drum solo was the only time Neil switched over to the primarily electric side of his kit, which was an amazing thing considering I’ve never liked how the electric side sounded in full songs, especially considering how heavenly the acoustic side always sounds. Overall the drum solo was good, but my least favorite of the modern era (Vapor Trails forward), however just being able to watch the man work from such a short distance is always a very special treat.
   
In the modern era it has been traditional for Neil to get a break after his solo, and my bets were on “Hope” continuing in the set, but instead Alex made up a new acoustic 12-string interlude that eventually meandered into the opening chords of “Closer to the Heart”. The song was retired for many years (aside from a show in Mexico and a few in Brazil on the Vapor Trails tour) because Neil had become bored with playing it, but it seems the boys remedied that this tour by altering or adding several bits to the song to give it a bit of new life.  After “Closer to the Heart” came what was recently announced to be the central piece in the new Guitar Hero video game, “2112”. The six minute edit of the song was my favorite of theirs back when I was first getting into Rush, and it still stands today as being perhaps the best six minutes of music they’ve ever done. On top of that the live presentation is always among the most powerful songs of the night and the crowd was really getting into the song. Closing the second set was the lead single for the last album, “Far Cry”. An instant favorite from the moment I first heard it the song translated into a live sensation on the Snakes and Arrows tour and certainly remained a favorite of the crowd on this tour.
   
When the band came back from a short break sporting shirts to be thrown out into the audience I was again passed by, but soon forgot about it once the band started some sort of funky polka song. That polka song would soon transform into the instrumental by which Rush fans measure all others, “La Villa Strangiato: An Exercise in Self Indulgence”. A stellar performance it actually included the rarest of treats… a Rush mishap! Near the end of the song Alex and Neil got out of sync, but managed to play through it. With another altered intro, “Working Man” closed a fantastic evening, featuring Alex at the very top of his game. After the band left the stage a final hilarious video came on the screens before fans started filing out to a polka version of “Closer to the Heart”.
   
After the show I was pretty much in awe, as my favorite band had just upped their game on every level. The performance was the best I’ve seen, the videos were the best I’ve seen, the sound was the best I’ve heard, and the stage setup was entertaining as always. From the casual fan to the die-hard this is not a tour to miss as the set includes many of the favorites, a few lesser heard singles, and a few rarer gems, and all are being delivered in the best fashion to date. Leading up to the show I was as excited as I’ve ever been for a show, and now I might even be excited for my next show on the Time Machine Tour at the end of August.
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Offline EPICVIEW

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Re: Rush - 2010-07-21 - Camden, NJ
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2010, 01:05:03 PM »
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! thank you for sharing that with us!!
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Offline ZBomber

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Re: Rush - 2010-07-21 - Camden, NJ
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2010, 01:22:33 PM »
tl;dr

But seriously, good review. I agree about the Peart drum solo. He is a god, but overall I felt this was one of the weakest solos he has done in awhile. Too much electronic stuff for me.

Offline 73109

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Re: Rush - 2010-07-21 - Camden, NJ
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2010, 01:32:27 PM »
Cool review and I look forward to seeing them in August, though I doubt I will come to surprise you this time. :P

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Re: Rush - 2010-07-21 - Camden, NJ
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2010, 01:54:59 PM »
Niiiiiice. Seeing them in October. :metal

Offline King Postwhore

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Re: Rush - 2010-07-21 - Camden, NJ
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2010, 07:48:54 AM »
Great review Nick. Can't wait till Sept!
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Offline ytserush

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Re: Rush - 2010-07-21 - Camden, NJ
« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2010, 11:29:13 PM »
Still buzzing after eight days....

Wasn't that AWESOME? (I actually think I saw you walk out during intermission with a reissue "Kings" shirt on) but I was talking to a group of friends.

Glad you managed to hold out for as long as you did.

I'd wanted to get there for soundcheck, but as often happens when you go with other people, things never work out how you want them to. We got there just in time for the opening video.

Things were looking great from section 103 Row T.

They were on fire in spite of the humidity.


I think that was the best version of "Marathon" I've ever heard in my life. I think I liked the first set a little better than the second set.

I have to admit I wasn't really looking forward to "The Camera Eye," but I definately felt like I stepped into the Time Machine when I heard it. It didn't sound bad at all.

I noticed that Neil REALLY like to play the new stuff. He seemed very enthused on the kit during those times. I didn't think it was one of his better drum solos because of the humidity. I think he was holding back.

I might show up at PNC against my better judgement and see what kind of ticket turns up (Only budgeted for two shows this leg not three)

Could have done without "Stick It Out" and "Working Man" but at least the Reggae made it enjoyable. Can't really complain about the set even with those two in there.