Rush v. Dirk, Pratt, & Lerxst

[ReaperKK]

The Garden is the right song, on the right place, on the right album, at the right point in a band's career. Sometimes all those stars aligning give a song a significant boost.

The Endless River ruined what should be the flag bearer for elite level final songs on a band's final album.

I was reading the posts and immediately thought of the Endless River. High Hopes was such a perfect way to end the Pink Floyd story that Endless River was never going to top it, it just took the wind out of the sails.

[jingle.boy]

The Garden is the right song, on the right place, on the right album, at the right point in a band's career. Sometimes all those stars aligning give a song a significant boost.

This.  Lyrically, it's as good as anything Neil ever wrote (imo).  Performance-wise ... shit, they were all in their 60s, so I'm not going to try and compare their performance of songs from Perm Waves or Hemispheres.  The guitar solo is the most emotive I've ever heard Alex play.

I think the scene from the book that this song tells simply amplifies my love for the song.  I'm curious how many her have/have not read the book, and whether that makes a difference like it did/does for me.

[Cool Chris]

I was just thinking about that book. I got that as a birthday gift along with the CD from my sister, and while I highly enjoyed the album from the start, I put the book on the shelf meaning to get around to it, and never have.

[nick_z]

I love The Garden and happen to think it's  a fitting closer to a career.

I agree emtee.  Is it one of their best songs ever?  No, definitely not.  Is it a poignant closing song to a 40+ year career (and a very good song at that)? Yes

This

The Garden is the right song, on the right place, on the right album, at the right point in a band's career. Sometimes all those stars aligning give a song a significant boost.

And this.

While it's certainly true that there was something that felt final about that song - and for that reason it might have added a certain "aura" that boosted fans' appreciation - I do think it's a really good, emotional tune. The simple piano motif and Alex's solo are beautiful, and so is the song's fade-out finale...

[Lethean]

The Garden is the right song, on the right place, on the right album, at the right point in a band's career. Sometimes all those stars aligning give a song a significant boost.

This.  Lyrically, it's as good as anything Neil ever wrote (imo).  Performance-wise ... shit, they were all in their 60s, so I'm not going to try and compare their performance of songs from Perm Waves or Hemispheres.  The guitar solo is the most emotive I've ever heard Alex play.

I think the scene from the book that this song tells simply amplifies my love for the song.  I'm curious how many her have/have not read the book, and whether that makes a difference like it did/does for me.

I should go back and reread that scene.  I recall thinking favorably about it, but I didn't care for the book all that much in general.  I think it could have been cool but the writing just wasn't all that great to me.

But otherwise I agree with both you and Chris.

And Nick.

[jammindude]

The Garden is the right song, on the right place, on the right album, at the right point in a band's career. Sometimes all those stars aligning give a song a significant boost.

The Endless River ruined what should be the flag bearer for elite level final songs on a band's final album.

I was reading the posts and immediately thought of the Endless River. High Hopes was such a perfect way to end the Pink Floyd story that Endless River was never going to top it, it just took the wind out of the sails.

The Endless River is more like Led Zeppelin’s Coda….a posthumous release.  I’m glad they released it, and I enjoy listening to it, but I’m not sure I consider it a proper album. It’s an afterthought.   

Sorta like an epilogue is something that happens in the book after “The End”.

[Cool Chris]

The Endless River is more like Led Zeppelin’s Coda….a posthumous release.  I’m glad they released it, and I enjoy listening to it, but I’m not sure I consider it a proper album. It’s an afterthought.   

Sorta like an epilogue is something that happens in the book after “The End”.

I get it, but it's still an album released under their name, so I have to consider it part of their discography. And while it could be considered an epilogue, which I am content with, it's still part of the story. I've never seen anything in a book after the words "The End."

And since we are getting off topic... f*@$ movies that have a scene after the credits.

[jammindude]

The Endless River is more like Led Zeppelin’s Coda….a posthumous release.  I’m glad they released it, and I enjoy listening to it, but I’m not sure I consider it a proper album. It’s an afterthought.   

Sorta like an epilogue is something that happens in the book after “The End”.

I get it, but it's still an album released under their name, so I have to consider it part of their discography. And while it could be considered an epilogue, which I am content with, it's still part of the story. I've never seen anything in a book after the words "The End."

And since we are getting off topic... f*@$ movies that have a scene after the credits.

Just think of High Hopes as Juliet’s dying speech, and The Endless River as the little dude who walks out on stage and does the whole “never was there more woe” speech followed by a plug to tip your server.

[Ben_Jamin]

The Garden is a fantastic album closer. It's a great way to end what ended up being their final album, and I personally feel that Peart sort of had that feeling of it possibly being their last album too. They weren't getting younger, and who knows when the band would've wanted to come together. Ending the band on this album was the best move for Rush.

The song talks about the passage of time, and it's as if it's told from the POV of someone who is older, someone who once dreamed of the future but now that future dream has become a memory of the past. It's a realization that the life lived is what it is, and through that journey, the treasures that measure life are love and respect.

It's like a contentment and acceptance of having lived the dream and wanting to settle someplace to "tend your own garden". As did Candide chose to settle on a farm near Constantinople.

[RodrigoAltaf]

The Garden is a fantastic album closer. It's a great way to end what ended up being their final album, and I personally feel that Peart sort of had that feeling of it possibly being their last album too. They weren't getting younger, and who knows when the band would've wanted to come together. Ending the band on this album was the best move for Rush.

The song talks about the passage of time, and it's as if it's told from the POV of someone who is older, someone who once dreamed of the future but now that future dream has become a memory of the past. It's a realization that the life lived is what it is, and through that journey, the treasures that measure life are love and respect.

It's like a contentment and acceptance of having lived the dream and wanting to settle someplace to "tend your own garden". As did Candide chose to settle on a farm near Constantinople.

Beautifully put. I do believe The Garden was carefully designed to be the last studio song they released.

[MinistroRaven]

Fresh from the oven:

NDV plays Neil Peart grooves from Hemispheres, Grace and Signals

[HOF]

Fresh from the oven:

NDV plays Neil Peart grooves from Hemispheres, Grace and Signals

Great stuff as always from Nick!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR1A2dEaiWDdbz89VaEPwdliV6q2iBXAE-Jco_Bex0NpsXtXgYIYkklMqJo&v=SfQLvDfb14A&feature=youtu.be

[HOF]

Here’s footage (multi shot) of Losing It from Bubba Bash. Fantastic!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FOE3AkKABvc

[ytserush]

Really fun evening of Rush music last night! the Keswick was packed with die hard Rush fans, many of them sporting their really cool Rush gear. I broke out my R40 jersey that I don't wear very often.
The first set was YYNOT performing some great Rush covers as well as a few originals. I was really impressed with Patty, the singer. She had a very powerful voice and brought great energy to the classic songs I have loved for so long. She had a great stage presence and danced around all night, really looking like she was loving it.
The second set kicked off with John Wesley and Frank Bello joining the band (drummer and singer) for 2 songs. Next was Joe Bergamini  drums for 2 songs followed by Seven Antonopolos who was a beast on drums. Next up was Jason Bittner who was really powerful on the drums. When you see top level musicians playing Rush you can really see just how hard this music is to replicate properly! Somewhere in here was Jon Dinklage who guested on violin for a really great version of Losing It. The last guest drummer was none other than Mr. Mike Portnoy who garnered a great crowd response. I could feel his anxiety as they kicked off 2112. He motioned to the YYNOT guys  that he wanted to have a visual on the syncopated beginning and they both turned around to play to the crowd! I'm sure he didn't want to be the guy that messed up a NP part! It turned out great though. Michael Mossberg came out and said a few words about donating to Cedar Sinai as well as the bass player giving a few shout outs but it would have been nice to have a few NP visuals and maybe have the guests say a few words about Neil. I wanted to get a shirt but the merch line was crazy going in and even crazier after the show as all the musicians were making themselves available to meet the fans. I will just make a donation on line.
Overall a great evening and i would definitely see YYNOT  next time they make their way through the area.

I generally love the Keswick, but if there are a few downsides, the congestion around the merch/bar areas can be rough, and the bathroom situation is always especially atrocious.

Given this was originally YYNot show turned tribute, not surprised that there was no extra visual setup, but am surprised that no one had any short tributes about Neil. Especially from guys like Wesley and Portnoy who actually knew him.

But I had a great time, whole band was great, got a few deep cuts to actually be excited about, and the guests did a great job.

Sorry I missed you Nick.  Had third row right seats and didn't go anywhere during the intermission and we didn't hang around after the show. I had very low expectations but I really liked the bass player and the special guests in the second set. I was happy just to get a token post-Signals song. I wanted to experience Losing It again live  for likely the last time in my life. Like you I was hoping to hear some stories from the people who knew Neil but it has been three years so maybe I should have been expecting that.

[ytserush]

Nothing from the last 30 years of their 40-year history played?  Ugh, how boringly predictable.

You kind of have to expect that these days, which is why I don't go to a lot of Rush tributes (There seems to be a quite a few around at the moment.)

The only Rush tribute that I really loved because they totally captured the "spirit" of Rush and not just the notes was Power Windows (with Joe Bergamini and Zak Rivizi oddly enough.) But Power Windows pulled out songs from the entire catalog when they were active in the '90s.

The YYNOT bass played was like that too. Aside from being a monster bass player he totally got the vibe.

[ytserush]

Nothing from the last 30 years of their 40-year history played?  Ugh, how boringly predictable.

Yeah it bums me out when I see a tribute band just doing the same shit live the original band did. This is your chance to throw a bone to die-hards who never got to see stuff like Prime Mover or Chain Lightning or Cut To The Chase or Vapor Trail but it's just the same old late 70's/early 80's stuff Rush beat into the ground over the years. I like YYNOT's original stuff a lot but I think they could easily expand their live set to cover more ground.

The end of Closer To The Heart was the the perfect time to go nuts with a jam but it never happened. Even Primus took advantage of that opportunity.

[ytserush]

I saw a Rush tribute band play in Delaware a few years ago that would do some fun, obscure stuff. You know what song got an insane amount of applause and cheers from the audience? Half The World. That stupid ass song got the entire crowd going wild, probably because of how unexpected it was. I don't like it much, but goddamn I was excited to hear it anyway. If people are seeing a Rush tribute band, I'd have to imagine they're beyond the point of casual and have a good grasp on most of the catalog. I get it, Tom Sawyer and The Spirit of Radio might get some more attention because they're well-known, but they're a tribute band. They have no responsibility or obligation to play the hits, they can do whatever the hell they want.

If I heard a tribute band play Half The World I'd freaking go nuts too.  I think Power Windows may have played that one too, but I really can't recall. I know they played Where's My Thing and Leave That Thing Alone. That's think kind of tribute band I want to see if they have the vibe to go with it.

[ytserush]

Someone did a closing track survivor on the Rush subreddit.  It stalled out about a week ago, but the results of the first seven rounds were

...
14T. In the End
14T. Everyday Glory
15. You Bet Your Life
16. High Water
17. We Hold On
18. Out of the Cradle
19. Carve Away the Stone

I was seriously bummed to see Out of the Cradle go out so early and to see In the End and Everyday Glory go out while Mystic Rhythms and The Garba...err...Garden remain.

Also, I believe that In the End was the only one of the eliminated songs to have been played live.

I always really liked Everyday Glory

I’m a big fan of Every Day Glory as well as Carve Away The Stone and High Water.

I really like five of those....

[ytserush]

The Garden is the right song, on the right place, on the right album, at the right point in a band's career. Sometimes all those stars aligning give a song a significant boost.

This.  Lyrically, it's as good as anything Neil ever wrote (imo).  Performance-wise ... shit, they were all in their 60s, so I'm not going to try and compare their performance of songs from Perm Waves or Hemispheres.  The guitar solo is the most emotive I've ever heard Alex play.

I think the scene from the book that this song tells simply amplifies my love for the song.  I'm curious how many her have/have not read the book, and whether that makes a difference like it did/does for me.

Have multiple copies of the book and still have not desire to read it and I can't get enough of the song and the album. Hell, wife keeps telling me she wants it played at her funeral.
That song was a spectacle live.

[ytserush]

The Garden is a fantastic album closer. It's a great way to end what ended up being their final album, and I personally feel that Peart sort of had that feeling of it possibly being their last album too. They weren't getting younger, and who knows when the band would've wanted to come together. Ending the band on this album was the best move for Rush.

The song talks about the passage of time, and it's as if it's told from the POV of someone who is older, someone who once dreamed of the future but now that future dream has become a memory of the past. It's a realization that the life lived is what it is, and through that journey, the treasures that measure life are love and respect.

It's like a contentment and acceptance of having lived the dream and wanting to settle someplace to "tend your own garden". As did Candide chose to settle on a farm near Constantinople.

He absolutely did. He thought he was done after that tour and had to be talked into R40.

[ytserush]

Here’s footage (multi shot) of Losing It from Bubba Bash. Fantastic!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FOE3AkKABvc

That brings back some memories....

[HOF]

Here’s footage (multi shot) of Losing It from Bubba Bash. Fantastic!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FOE3AkKABvc

And here is an Overture/The Temples of Syrinx (with MP) multi-shot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9l1a4UiaOU

[DTA]

The Losing It cover was incredible, and Patty's voice on 2112 is insane. She is immensely talented and a great fit for the band

[HOF]

The Losing It cover was incredible, and Patty's voice on 2112 is insane. She is immensely talented and a great fit for the band

Losing It was a bit low for her range, but she killed it on Temples. I’d rather hear her sing it than Geddy!

[Kram]

The Losing It cover was incredible, and Patty's voice on 2112 is insane. She is immensely talented and a great fit for the band

Losing It was a bit low for her range, but she killed it on Temples. I’d rather hear her sing it than Geddy!

Agree with both of you.  I usually don't like it when women cover Rush songs, but this chic's got an amazing voice for it. Very impressed!

[Nick]

The Losing It cover was incredible, and Patty's voice on 2112 is insane. She is immensely talented and a great fit for the band

Losing It was a bit low for her range, but she killed it on Temples. I’d rather hear her sing it than Geddy!

Agree with both of you.  I usually don't like it when women cover Rush songs, but this chic's got an amazing voice for it. Very impressed!

It's weird having a discussion of Rush vocals and worrying about things being too low.

I agree that she excels in their top end, she absolutely nailed stuff like 2112 and Bastille Day.

[TAC]

You guys mean Rush didn't have a woman singer??

[pg1067]

Someone did a closing track survivor on the Rush subreddit.  It stalled out about a week ago, but the results of the first seven rounds were

...
14T. In the End
14T. Everyday Glory
15. You Bet Your Life
16. High Water
17. We Hold On
18. Out of the Cradle
19. Carve Away the Stone

I was seriously bummed to see Out of the Cradle go out so early and to see In the End and Everyday Glory go out while Mystic Rhythms and The Garba...err...Garden remain.

Also, I believe that In the End was the only one of the eliminated songs to have been played live.

I always really liked Everyday Glory

I’m a big fan of Every Day Glory as well as Carve Away The Stone and High Water.

I really like five of those....

Someone else restarted the survivor.  Currently (in addition to what I already mentioned):

12. Countdown (BOO!)
11. The Fountain of Lamneth
10. Available Light (BOO!)
9. Something for Nothing

Hoping that Mystic Rhythms will finally go next (should've been out several rounds ago).

The Losing It cover was incredible, and Patty's voice on 2112 is insane. She is immensely talented and a great fit for the band

Losing It was a bit low for her range, but she killed it on Temples. I’d rather hear her sing it than Geddy!

Agree with both of you.  I usually don't like it when women cover Rush songs, but this chic's got an amazing voice for it. Very impressed!

Rocky Kuner's voice was what originally attracted me to YYNOT.  She was unique in her ability to nail the pre-Moving Pictures material (I've NEVER seen a male tribute band singer do that stuff justice).  If you've never seen it, look on YouTube for YYNOT's version of No One at the Bridge with Rocky.  It will give you serious shivers.  Patty Pershayla, who replaced Rocky about a year ago, also nails the early material but has a bit more range and depth for other songs.

[Samsara]

On a different note, I cracked open Rush's Golden Ale this weekend. Sat back with some friends and listened to a couple records. The beer is okay. It's a golden ale. You're paying for the Rush label. Anyone in the U.S. thinking of getting it, if you're a beer person, it isn't really anything spectacular. Decent, but dozens of beers taste just like it.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

You guys mean Rush didn't have a woman singer??

I used to work with a guy that thought Rush and Heart were the same band because the singers sounded "the same"

[pg1067]

You guys mean Rush didn't have a woman singer??

I used to work with a guy that thought Rush and Heart were the same band because the singers sounded "the same"

 

On a different note, I cracked open Rush's Golden Ale this weekend. Sat back with some friends and listened to a couple records. The beer is okay. It's a golden ale. You're paying for the Rush label. Anyone in the U.S. thinking of getting it, if you're a beer person, it isn't really anything spectacular. Decent, but dozens of beers taste just like it.

I work with a guy also named Paul, who is also a big Rush fan.  I have had a Jeopardy page-a-day calendar on my desk as long as he and I have been in the same office, and the last four years, he and I have kept score.  The stakes are a fried chicken lunch, and I've won every year.  In late 2021, he had massive dental work, so that lunch never happened.  Today, when he got into the office, he handed me a couple vintage Dodger pins (one from the 1988 World Series) and two bottles of the Rush Golden Ale (one to display and one to drink)!  SCORE!  He said one of his daughters bought him a case for Christmas.  I'll probably drink it over the weekend, but the display bottle will mean more to me (although I'll likely drink both and pop the caps back on them.

[HOF]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=481kX-gpGUk

"This is a love mustard, this Rush mustard"

"That's really a weird thing to say, Al."

[King Postwhore]

The world will shut up. 

[Kram]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=481kX-gpGUk

"This is a love mustard, this Rush mustard"

"That's really a weird thing to say, Al."

"I'm not really an expert on mustard...... but who is?"

[Ben_Jamin]

"What a great combination...Our beer, and our mustard"
"Yeah, and people shutting up."