Had the great pleasure of seeing Rush again last night, this time at SPAC in Saratoga Springs. Three main impressions:
1. Definite problems with the sound from start to finish, but most were improved by the 3rd song and more corrected by the 2nd set.
2. Some nice inclusions in the set list, but overall a little disappointed with the song choices - too idealogical, which I didn't think I'd see from Rush.
3. Great show. Just a great show overall. And we were out of the parking lot and driving down 50 15 minutes after the end of the encore, which rocked and made it all the more enjoyable.
Here's a breakdown:
First a video intro, a bit silly, a bit entertaining. Could have done without it, but it was interesting.
1. Limelight - Great opener, big sing-a-long way to start the night (at 8:00, which I didn't really get, why so late with no opening act?). Alex's guitar is basically lost in the mix way behind Geddy. You pretty much had to fill in the guitar solo by memory since you couldn't hear it.
2. Digital Man - Awesome addition. Not one of my favorite songs, but a very neat song to pick from the catalog. The ending was a lot of fun. Still no guitars.
3. Entre Nous - Another awesome pick to add. When was the last time they played this live? Seemed like they lost a few people on this one, not too much singing along. Nope, no guitars.
4. Mission - Done amazingly well. They crushed on this song and Geddy drove it home. Big hit with the fans. The roadies have found the guitars in the mix! Hooray!
5. Freewill - Oh, yeah. They played this gem for all it was worth, rouding out the classics intro to the show. Another big hit with the crowd.
6. The Main Monkey Business - A rather tentative step into the new album,
Snakes And Arrows, the song choice, not the execution. The execution was fun and uptempo, this is just a wonderful instrumental from the guys and they pulled it off well. Video accompaniment of stock monkey footage, including some sort of 5th-rate King Kong and a bit of obligatory monkeys doing what they do at the end that could have been left off. Not very Rush-like.
7. The Larger Bowl - I was a little surprised this made it into the show given the presence of some stronger songs on the album. Video accompaniment of some stark images of poor and rich people, an electric chair, Klansmen (no, I didn't see Robert Byrd). A little odd, but it sounded good. The audience was a bit 'not there' during the song, though. Short, humorous video introduction from the Mackenzie brothers for this one.
8. Secret Touch - Absolutely inspired. This is a song I like, but not love, but they rocked it for all it was worth, Geddy was reaching for all the notes and hit most of them. I think this was the most underrated highlight of the night for me.
9. Circumstances - Wow, what a golden oldie to dig up. They got all the rock out of this song that they could, the audience loved it - me, too!
10. Between The Wheels - And they hit the brakes. Ouch. I think this might have been a bit of that 'form over function' that troubled me about the show. I think in the statement they were trying to make with the set-list they added this, instead of thinking about how it would go over (same with Larger Bowl). It was a true lead balloon. The wind went completely out of the sails, the audience stilled, and it was just a matter of waiting for it to be over. Just ouch. Not a particularly strong song and not one you can really sing along with. Even the guys were a bit lifeless on this one. Did I mention the bass? Good grief. The keyboard bass notes Geddy was playing were just insane, didn't anyone check the mix? It was almost painful it was so loud and resonant. Let's just move on, shall we?
11. Dreamline - That's more like it! I remember hearing this one start up at the beginning of the Test For Echo tour and it really kicked things off. A nice fit here as it kicked the concert back into life. Suddenly we're at the intermission, though...
12. Far Cry - And we're back after the intermission and another video intro that leaned pretty heavy on the Snakes and Arrows theme. It was pretty long. It was a close-up of the board as if you were playing it and moving around, the squares were all labeled as in the original with things like 'Envy', 'Plane of Enlightenment' and stuff. Some doors would open at certain squares with a little vignette, mostly featuring the guys, it was a bit hard to understand most of them. I recall Alex's head on a platter for Envy, I believe Geddy dressed up like the devil. It's all a bit of a blur. Interesting, but not necessary. The song was great, sounding better than on the album. They could have opened the show with this, but opened the 2nd set with it (like they opened TFE's 2nd set with TFE). Good to sing along, too, but not a lot of that going on for some reason. And did I mention the pyro? During one of the 'almost see the circuits blowing' we're treated to some 80's era sparkling explosions behind the monitors/chicken roasters (more on that later) and Neil. That was it for the pyro, though. We continue with a megadose of S&A.
13. Workin' Them Angels - Well done. I love this song and it sounded great, including Alex on the bazouki. Video accompaniment of, I guess you would say, working class heroes with digitally added wings including a blacksmith, high steel worker, etc. and several soldiers.
14. Armor And Sword - I like this song on the album, but it's no sing-a-long hit, and thus an odd live choice. But I admit that it was good, better than expected. Some slightly-odd, slightly neat video accompaniment that I can't even really explain. Like a road in a desert and some lava lamp-like blobs moving and wobbling back and forth. It was odd. A suit of armor, fires. Interesting, overall.
15. Spindrift - One of my favorites from S&A, sounded really good, but not well received by the audience for some reason. Too many older fans that just want to see them play Exit...Stage Left I think. I liked it, but it was a little off from the level of the album.
16. The Way The Wind Blows - Catchy tune, if a little preachy for my tastes. I have to admit that it sounded great live and is stuck in my head this morning more than any other song from the show. Video accompaniment was a tad odd, little Easter Island head-y people walking across a plain, occasional buidings pop up around them, sometimes there's a car, sometimes one of the little heads goes rolling along like a tumbleweed. At the end some trees sprouting up, blowing in the wind. Better than I feared it might be. Much better. The S&A tribute is basically over.
17. Subdivisions - Man, this one exploded out of the archives. The audience just went nuts, totally singing along, rocking out. The energy about doubled from the new stuff. Pretty much a sprint to the finish from here. It was fantastic to see this one.
18. Natural Science - I was psyched to see this return a couple of years ago and it's still awesome. The audience ate it up, too. It sounded great, the guys were all over the stage playing when they could be, Geddy sang the heck out of it.
19. Witch Hunt - Another addition to the 'theme' of the evening, but this one totally worked. They played it just like it's on the album, it was moody, atmospheric, we had some fire in the back, sounded great.
20. Malignant Narcissism - This was pretty fun, but you had to know what was coming, so it was really just an intro for:
21. Drum Solo - Oh, man. Not my favorite of his, but just amazing. Neil has basically rewritten his drum solo it sounds like. There were touches from the past, but no large chunks that I could hear, although I didn't see the 30th Anniversary tour. The first solo was typical, using most of the kit to play a melodic, entrancing beat. The kit spun and the 2nd portion was the part I found a little below the level of previous 2nd parts. It was still largely electronic triggers and electronic xylophone and it sounded really good, but it sounded a little like a break for Neil. Everybody gets old, I guess. It was so inventive, though, that you don't notice it's a little less energetic. Kit spins for part 3 and it's more fast bashing, typical of 3rd parts for Neil. Again he seques into some swing/big band beats, lots of horn accompaniment and some classic drummers beating away on the screen along with swing dancers. We finish, resoundingly, with I believe Buddy Rich on the screen and a bit of a tribute by Neil. Smoking. Insane applause as always.
22. Hope - Neil gets a break as Alex plays this nice 12-string solo from S&A. Alex gives us a little bow for the exploding applause and cheers at the end. It sounded really, really good.
23. Summertime Blues - Fun, different. Well received. Geddy seemed to enjoy it.
24. The Spirit Of Radio - So nice. A little less energy I think from the guys, the audience is eating it up, though. They picked it up at the end for a big finish.
25. Tom Sawyer - Big BIG finish. Intro'd with a South Park clip of 'Lil Rush' as the kids try to play Tom Sawyer - however Cartman, as Geddy, playing the keys and singing totally butchers the song, singing something about Huckleberry Finn and Stan calls him on it. It was hilarious. He tells him to play it again the right way and, of course, this time the guys pick it up and start the song. As always, Tom Saywer slayed. Nuff said.
Encore:
26. One Little Victory - Nice song to pop in. Included the dragon animation from the Vapor Trails tour along with the fireballs.
27. A Passage to Bangkok - I dunno. Geddy had fun with it. The audience lapped it up. I thought it was a little indulgent and the reefer madness video accompaniment was just...un-Rush like.
28. YYZ - Spot on. Amazing that something they recorded so long ago could still be so challenging and enjoyable for the guys and the audience air-drummers and air-guitarists. Just fun fun fun to end the show. But what'd you do with 2112, guys?
That's it. Time to leave. A good show. I left happy. Geddy was skinnier than ever it looks like, chicken-bobbing around and smiling. The voice is going a bit, but he wears it well. His bass was too far forward in the mix at the beginning and was always just a tad too much at the lowest end. Alex was good, especially after they brought his guitar into the mix. His solos were fun and clean, he seemed to have a great time playing down in front of the audience when he could, but he was stapled to his area too much with the pedals to really rock out too much. Neil was just nuts, as always. He must've busted a head at one point, I think during Workin' Them Angels, because he hopped up after the last note and a roadie jumped in his spot with a new drum, they must've changed it when the lights were off. It took a second as they noticeably delayed before starting the next song.
All-in-all the oddest thing was the three faux (?) giant chicken rotisseries behind Geddy. Three times a roadie in apron and chef's hat come out, opened them, and basted what appeared to be rubber chickens slowly spinning. I don't know, I don't get it.
But you know what? That's OK.
--
(contrary to the review in the Times Union, Rush played neither a new song titled "Sprit of Radio" nor one titled "Secret Truth".)--
(contrary to the July 3 correction in the Times Union, the Times Union review did not make a mistake in the title of "Spindrift". "Spindrift" was not mentioned in the Times Union review. And you know what's really hilarious? They went into the original and fixed the "Secret Touch" part of the article, but failed to fix "Sprit of Radio"...I guess they just ignored the fact that they couldn't find any "Spindrift" to fix and went on with their lives. Really professional job, editors, really professional.)
