Well, The rumor playlist proved to be extremly accurate - in fact they were dead on. The set list exactly right as shown above. It was a very good show. I am a first time viewer of Rush, I am embarressed to admit. Now I regret all the chances I missed in the past. C'est la vie. I've heard them now.
Let me set the stage for you. All the equipment is covered as you enter. It is not until the start of the show that it is revealed. Guitar is set stage right (house left). Alex has 4 Marshall Heads, each atop a double stacked speaker cabinet. Neal's brand new drums sit dead center. They are something to behold in red with gold snake designs that glow when lit internally. Geddy Lee and bass amps are stage left. He has three custom made "Henhouse" cabinets with powerheads on top. They have a lit interior that are always on.
Above and behind the muscians are three video screens. Above the stage are a series of about 6 "cloud" banks with veri-lights and pulsar lights. These were flown in and out to many different positions for several different and imaginative effects.
Dramatic and comedic videos were used throughout the show to good effect. Sound guest vid shots include those crazy brothers from the Great White North (beer, eh), our friends from South park, and the band themselves in a scary nightmare.
The show is performed in two acts. Act I started about 7:50 (20 mins. late from ticket time). Being in outdoor venues it is the less scenic of the two, however, the lights cast a great warm wash through the show. Wonderful choice of colors by the designer. Not your usual range of colors. But then, when the performers are this old, you need to choose wisely to make them look good. Hide those wrinkles.
The show opens with a video and goes right into the first song. Here are a few passing comments and the show order:
1) Limelight - a good opener.
2) Digital Man - video screens are showing video cameras on musicians.
3) Entre Nous - personal greeting to audience followed the song
4) Mission - a video played in the background for this.
I must say the sound is excellent. Clean, crisp, heavy. Could understand all the lyrics and hear the nuiances of the music and layers or instruments when they were doubling up on foot pedals and keyboards and snyth pads.
Sound was neither too loud or too soft. Just Perfect.
5) Freewill - great bass and guitar dual in this song.
6) The Main Monkey Business - 1st S&A song, instrumental, funny video
7) The Larger Bowl - introduced by our great white north friends
8) Secret Touch
9) Circumstances - show was lagging a little here. Audience not real familiar with the new stuff and this song low on energy.
10) Between The Wheels - picked the up a little but energy still seemed low.
11) Dreamline - Okay, break out the lasers - good up end to the first act.
INTERMISSION - 25 minutes
1) Far Cry - Video intro with background music before this song.
This act was after sundown so the lights were a much bigger factor in this act. Unfortunately, there are several banks of pulsar lights on the stage level just above the amps. They would use these to create a strobe effect into the audiences eyes.
2) Workin Them Angels - good video in background.
3) Armor and Sword - lots of flashing lights, but excellent stage coloring too.
4) Spindrift - lasers made a repeat appearance.
5) The Way The Wind Blows (from S&A) cool tune, good background
6) Subdivisions
7) Natural Science
8) Witch Hunt
9) Malicious Narcissism - best instrumental of the night - good guitar/bass interplay and that is followed by a 20 minutes drum solo - including the drum stage pivoting to show the synth pad set up. It even includes a swing jazz section that really does swing. Neal is the man!
10) Hope (S&A) - a guitar instrumental solo. Very nice calmer after the solo.
11) Summertime Blues - Okay, I know they released a disc of covers. But this was the odd song out. Why is this song in the playlist - it just seems so out of place. Maybe it's the placement in the playlist. If it has to stay, please move it to the first act after the 3 S&A songs where it starts to slow down and drag a little. Here, it kind of stops the show, just when it's building such a nice momentum. I'm sure some real Rush afficianados could thing of about 15 songs to replace it with (not covers).
12) The Spirit of Radio - great rendition. Crowd really into this one.
13) Tom Sawyer - It's sing along time.
ENCORE
1) One Little Victory - Didn't recognize this song. Seemed a strange encore to me, but others were singing along.
2) A Passage to Bangkok - another one I didn't recognize, but some were singing with this one. Felt a little low.
3) YYZ - Now we're talking. This is the high energy encore stuff I was looking for. Good show closer.
I was not at all disappointed. The new songs blend in very well with the older material, musically. Lack of familiarity, however, brings the energy down during those songs. I would give the show a 7 out of 10.
Suggestions for the band: Get into it a little more and play the audience more - it took until the encore for Geddy to really connect with the audience by roaming further to the sides of the stage. I think they will get more at ease further down the road. It was a very technical show tonight, I think. They are still getting used to it. They'll be more comfortable and looser soon. That will get them in touch with the audience more and they will "perform" more than just play the songs.
Big Note: Enough with the Flashing Strobes. They gave me a migraine. You're going to send someone into epileptic shock or siezure with those things. Be sure the reason you're using them has a point. Don't turn them on just because they're cool. It's a good thing I did not bring my daughter who has epilepsy.
Well, that's one old hippies opinion. I think you will all have a great time. Enjoy, either live, or vicariously through your friends or your local favorite internet radio site (like Aural Moon).
