Having been a fan of Rush for over 10 years and never seeing them live before, I knew that this tour would certainly be one of, if not the best show I would ever attend. The anticipation leading up to the show was certainly the most insane and unbearable thing relating to music that I have ever experienced before. Knowing the set beforehand, I was already aware of the insane amount of amazing songs that we would be subjected to over the course of the three hour show.
Arriving at the venue about an hour early worked to our advantage, seeing as the wait for merch was about 40 minutes, giving us 20 minutes to get to our seats and await the beginning of the show. I got the "steampunk" tour shirt, the pick magnet and a lanyard for my keys bearing the starman logo. The wait for the band to begin was finally met with the start of what I have to say was both the funniest and the most perfect way to begin a Rush show. Getting to hear all the different versions of the shows opener, "The Spirit of Radio", as well as seeing the members of Rush in funny costumes, made the start of the show spectacular. After an amazing rendition of SoR, Rush began to play one of their more popular radio hits, "Time Stands Still" which feature Alex Lifeson playing some synth leads. The next song of the set was "Presto", a song which the band had never played live before. I had figured that the venue would not understand what song was being played due to its relative obscurity, but the venue reacted nicely and there were even a few people singing along that I heard. After playing that song they ripped into a nice back and forth movement between some Counterparts and some Snakes & Arrows songs, including "Workin' Them Angels" and my personal favorite from CP, "Leave that Thing Alone" which has one of my favorite basslines ever. After that they began to play "BU2B" which is my favorite out of the two new songs. During this song the stage props began to spurt steam out in all odd directions, which was a really cool way to add a visual to the song. "Freewill" was the last song from the 70s played during the first set, and it went over real well with the crowd, especially it's chorus. The following two songs ended up being the highlight of the entire show for me. "Marathon" has long been my favorite song off of Power Windows, as well as my favorite Synth era song, and a favorite of the bands period. Singing along to the song live was easily one of the best concert moments of my life, and the fire works that the band used during the song only added to the intensity. Following the best song of the night was the only possible song that could have followed it as nicely: "Subdivisions". This song basically describes my high school life and for that reasons I have always had a strong emotional connection with the song. Finally hearing it live was easily the highlight of the night and I'm not going to lie, I was pretty much in tears the whole time. After the emotional rollercoaster of the last two songs in set 1, the band retreated to the backstage area and we awaited set 2.
After a ten minute wait, the next video clip started. It was just as hilarious as the first one and it included one of the lamest puns that still had the entire venue laughing (Geddy Lee: "Hey girls, stop moving pitchers!") After the clip the band launched into the main selling point of the whole tour: the entire Moving Pictures album. Seeing all the classics live was certainly a thrilling experience. The highlights of the album were easily "YYZ", "The Camera Eye", "Witch Hunt" (God that song had an incredible presence live) and "Vital Signs", the latter of which went over surprisingly well. After the album the band launched into the second new song, "Caravan", which had a great video playing behind it. Both of the new songs sounded better live than on the promo disc and the audience really enjoyed both songs. After playing the new piece, Geddy and Alex went backstage and the audience knew that it was time for the master to begin his masterpiece. The Drum Solo for the show was EASILY the best drum solo I've ever heard, and it actually kept my interest the entire time (I usually find them incredibly boring). The video and sound clips certainly added to the solo and it was overall quite unbelievable to see. After the solo ended Neil obviously needed a break, so Lifeson came out and played some nice melodies on his acoustic guitar. This led seamlessly into "Closer to the Heart" which is another one of my favorite Rush songs, and the band did an excellent job at it, and even changed up the middle part to make it sound just as fresh as it must have in the 70s when it came out. After Closer ended the synth effects from "2112" started, and about 6 minutes later the majority of the venue was on its feet in applause. The band performed the epic song flawlessly, and it also sounded fresh due to them playing it a whole step down. The band ended the show with "Far Cry", which has become their latest hit, and after that they left while the audience went insane encoring them. The encore consisted of "La Villa Strangiato", which was rewrote to have a polka beginning, fitting the theme of the other videos that were played throughout the show. Getting to see the epic finale to my favorite Rush album, Hemispheres, was certainly a highlight of the evening, and Alex's solo was nothing short of stellar. The final song of the evening was what I like to call "Reggae Man", which was basically "Working Man" but with a Reggae introduction. The lights fit the Reggae theme, green, yellow and red, and after a minute of doing the song reggae style, the band launched into the regular version of the tune. Alex was at his best during the last song of the show and he was going absolutely crazy on the guitar, as well as Geddy and Neil. After the show ended we were getting up to leave when we were greeted with yet another video, this time featuring the main characters of "I Love You Man" a movie that featured Rush and much Rush talk that came out last year.
Overall the show met and far surpassed all my expectations that I could have possibly have had. I was able to see a bunch of my favorite Rush songs from a large pallate of different albums throughout the band's career. Seeing all of MP in it's entirety was also a plus, but for me the best part of the show was "Marathon" and "Subdivisions". This is certainly a show that I will never forget, and Rush is a band that I will certainly be seeing every single time they are in New York for years to come.
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Topic: Concert Review: July 24th, 2010, Rush Live at Jones Beach Theater (Read 1075 times)