|
|
|
Rush : Tweeter Center - Chicago, IL - 06/05/04
|
TAP reader, Chris Heer, has graciously provided us with his account of a Rush show in Chicago at the Tweeter Center on June 5 of 2004. There are quite a few shows left in the USA before the show moves over to Europe for a big series of appearances.
It's an amazing feat that Rush is still providing 3+ hours worth of music drawing from a wealth of material that spans over 30 years.
Sit back and enjoy the write up of this show in Chicago. Chris has promised a write up of Rush's latest release, Feedback, an album of cover tunes done in the inimitable Rush style making the set doubly interesting. Watch for that.
When Rush announced that they were going to tour for their 30th Anniversary, I decided it was time to see them again (I hadn't seen them since 1982). When a band gets this long in the tooth you begin to wonder if they still have the energy and stamina to really put on a show. On the plus side, the band's lineup of Geddy Lee on bass and vocals, Neil Peart on drums, and the under-rated Alex Lifeson on guitar hasn't changed since Neil joined the band after their first album. So many other hard-rocking 70s bands have been through more lineup shuffles than a baseball team that this, at least, encouraged me.
I also had not taken a show in at the Tweeter Center yet. Charitably considered to be in the Chicagoland area, from my vantage point near the Wisconsin border I briefly considered booking some kind of flight before deciding to just drive the 75 miles. The Tweeter Center is a covered outdoor arena with uncovered lawn seats, and all shows are held rain or shine. I was worried about mosquitos but they proved to be a non-issue.
I needn't have worried about the band's energy, either. Rush plays with far more energy today than they did over twenty years ago. Whereas in 1982 they more or less stood in place and performed their music, in 2004 they're jumping around the stage, ad-libbing a bit, and having FUN. And stamina? Expect to hear just about 3 hours of music from these three.
Geddy's vocals don't quite hit the highs they used to, but then they haven't for a long time and it doesn't really matter. I love his sound but I suspect not many people were drawn to Rush by the vocals. In any event, you can expect to hear a wonderful blend of old and new music. The show opens with an instrumental medley of some older tunes that haven't been heard live in decades and then launches into The Spirit of Radio. The crowd, which stood as soon as the music started, sang along, chanted, cheered, and kept standing for the entire show. Geddy and Alex bounded around the stage, pumping the crowd up, and the crowd responded beat for beat.
Of course you can expect to hear the popular favorites, like Tom Sawyer, Working Man, The Trees, Red Barchetta, and so on. You'll also hear less-played faves like By-Tor and the Snow Dog, newer material like One Little Victory and Earthshine, and the beginning and end of 2112.
Shortly before the tour began, Rush announced the forthcoming release of Feedback, an EP CD of nothing but cover songs from the late 60s. (Rush has never had a cover song on any of their albums.) Rush has said that as part of their 30th anniversary they wanted to pay tribute to the music that inspired them. So you'll be treated to a few of these as well, including The Who's The Seeker, Cream's Crossroads, The Yardbird's Heart Full of Soul, and a cover of the Blue Cheer version of Summertime Blues.
Even beyond the music is the show itself. Opening with a funny video starring Jerry Stiller (complete with a Rush T-shirt), the band combined photo montages of themselves over the years with psychedelic graphics, lasers, and even blasts of fire. After the intermission there's a very funny video starring Rush bobblehead dolls that has to be seen to be appreciated.
Alex Lifeson has emerged as one of the funniest men in rock and roll, and now takes time during La Villa Strangiato to rant about whatever crosses his mind. During the Chicago show he did a very funny rant about how horrible the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" was, but during the Nashville show he acted out some odd story about him as a youth trying (and failing) to fly radio controlled planes. You never know what he's going to go on about.
What you can be sure of, however, is his passionate guitar work, which especially shines during La Villa. You don't often hear Alex mentioned with the guitar greats, but for a little while after hearing La Villa you might find yourself saying "Stevie Ray WHO?" Of course, Geddy Lee's bass skills are legendary, and Neil Peart owns the world of drumming, especially during his incredible solo.
As a band, Rush has always been hard to classify. Originally a hard-rocking Zeppelin-esque trio, they moved into an intellectual metal group (once categorized by Playboy magazine in the group "I Think, Therefore I Wham), then a progressive rock group, and finally into their own unique sound that cannot be classified. And whatever their age, it's clear that they will continue to play -- and get better -- for many years to come.
