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When is the right time to pack it in....


Phantom
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Doesn't Billy do a regular residency at MSG every month now? Maybe he's just not that excited to be playing there anymore.

 

He does have a residency there. But in this gig, he was off. Seemed to pause longer between songs..was looking over lists of tunes as he did. Made references to having more and more "senior moments". Hey, we all do. We all age and once we reach that age, it's expected that we're not as sharp and energetic as we once were. It was just hard seeing Billy Joel on stage that way.

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Doesn't Billy do a regular residency at MSG every month now? Maybe he's just not that excited to be playing there anymore.

 

He does have a residency there. But in this gig, he was off. Seemed to pause longer between songs..was looking over lists of tunes as he did. Made references to having more and more "senior moments". Hey, we all do. We all age and once we reach that age, it's expected that we're not as sharp and energetic as we once were. It was just hard seeing Billy Joel on stage that way.

 

Well, the guy is 68 now. I had to look that up. Didn't realize he was pushing 70. Thought he was four or five years younger than that. Yeah, no surprise at the lack of enthusiasm given his age.

 

Does he still tour or is the MSG residency the only thing he does now?

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I wonder, with the consideration of his age and physical condition (whatever that might be- I'm not implying that he's not healthy- just going by what Phantom is saying here), if he would be more comfortable playing a smaller venue than MSG. That is a big stage to fill with a performance, and if he's physically not up to snuff with what he once was, it is certainly more evident, in that environment. Could be that a smaller theater would be more conducive.

 

Phil Lesh, the bass player of the former Grateful Dead, has continued playing thousands of shows since that band folded, when Jerry Garcia died. He has carried on almost like a jazz bandleader, playing with so many different musicians since the mid to late 1990s- both guest musicians appearing on stage with him, or as various different incarnations of his Phil Lesh and Friends band. He is 77 years old now, and doesn't play live nearly as frequently as he used to...he has battled and beaten cancer three separate times in the past 20 years.

 

I believe he's still doing residencies at small theaters in New York and San Francisco, maybe 20-30 shows a year.

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Billy primarily does the residence.. On occasion goes out to play gigs... I think he's playing some stadiums this summer. Being 68 and playing his show live has to be very difficult. He seems to have added a fair bit of weight (no judging here) since I saw him 3 years ago, so that could tax his energy too.
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I wonder, with the consideration of his age and physical condition (whatever that might be- I'm not implying that he's not healthy- just going by what Phantom is saying here), if he would be more comfortable playing a smaller venue than MSG. That is a big stage to fill with a performance, and if he's physically not up to snuff with what he once was, it is certainly more evident, in that environment. Could be that a smaller theater would be more conducive.

 

Phil Lesh, the bass player of the former Grateful Dead, has continued playing thousands of shows since that band folded, when Jerry Garcia died. He has carried on almost like a jazz bandleader, playing with so many different musicians since the mid to late 1990s- both guest musicians appearing on stage with him, or as various different incarnations of his Phil Lesh and Friends band. He is 77 years old now, and doesn't play live nearly as frequently as he used to...he has battled and beaten cancer three separate times in the past 20 years.

 

I believe he's still doing residencies at small theaters in New York and San Francisco, maybe 20-30 shows a year.

 

20-30 shows/at 77..that's impressive.. Good for him!

 

I think that some artists can pull that off based on the degree to which they play now vs how they played in their prime.

 

The difficulty for aging artists who played aggressively and energetically in their prime is that it's difficult if not impossible to sustain that style of play in the twilight of their careers.

 

All I know is I'd rather not see Rush playing live at that point. Having thought about it for a while now, I'd rather see them pack it in a year or two too early rather than a year or two too late.

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I wonder, with the consideration of his age and physical condition (whatever that might be- I'm not implying that he's not healthy- just going by what Phantom is saying here), if he would be more comfortable playing a smaller venue than MSG. That is a big stage to fill with a performance, and if he's physically not up to snuff with what he once was, it is certainly more evident, in that environment. Could be that a smaller theater would be more conducive.

 

Phil Lesh, the bass player of the former Grateful Dead, has continued playing thousands of shows since that band folded, when Jerry Garcia died. He has carried on almost like a jazz bandleader, playing with so many different musicians since the mid to late 1990s- both guest musicians appearing on stage with him, or as various different incarnations of his Phil Lesh and Friends band. He is 77 years old now, and doesn't play live nearly as frequently as he used to...he has battled and beaten cancer three separate times in the past 20 years.

 

I believe he's still doing residencies at small theaters in New York and San Francisco, maybe 20-30 shows a year.

 

20-30 shows/at 77..that's impressive.. Good for him!

 

I think that some artists can pull that off based on the degree to which they play now vs how they played in their prime.

 

The difficulty for aging artists who played aggressively and energetically in their prime is that it's difficult if not impossible to sustain that style of play in the twilight of their careers.

 

All I know is I'd rather not see Rush playing live at that point. Having thought about it for a while now, I'd rather see them pack it in a year or two too early rather than a year or two too late.

 

I definitely agree with that; I wouldn't want to see Rush putting on subpar shows (which, even with the changes that they've undergone over all these years, I don't think they have done, at all), and when it comes right down to it, I think all three of them feel that way, too.

 

I think of what Neil described in the Time Stand Still documentary- when you have a tour to put on, every show demands equal (and intensive) preparation and commitment...they don't get into any undertaking if they're not fully committed to it.

Edited by Blue J
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Given the way they talk about playing live, IF they ever thought about setting foot on stage again, I think they'd make sure they were ok in rehearsals before even committing or announcing dates.

 

Great point..totally agree...

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Neil probably saved us from seeing Rush age not so gracefully in future live performances. Much as we might selfishly want a still active Rush in our lives, R40 was the right time to stop. Geddy clearly had lost range, Alex though still great was starting to occasionally (and uncharacteristically) flub solos, and Neil has obviously had road burnout for a while now. I do wish he could've sucked it up and extended R40 long enough to give the overseas fans a proper goodbye. But part of his reasoning for stopping was feeling like he could no longer give the caliber of performance that the songs deserve and I respect that (plus he has most definitely earned a happy retirement).
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Neil said it best when he said that facing the prospect of diminishing skills was what he couldn't deal with. It could be argued that even with diminishing skills, each of them are more proficient musicians than most. However, I personally wouldn't want to see them playing well below their peak. I'd much rather see them pack it in too early rather than too late.
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I prefer to "Pack It Up" and go! Love, UFO

Has someone hacked Earl's account?

 

This post is only one line!!! :huh: http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/tongue/tongue0009.gif

Hahahaha! I need some "White Lines." Love Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five!

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Sir Paul Mc Cartney doesn' think it is time to pack yet at 75 :codger: doing 2.50-3 hr hr concerts every other night and touring to south america and australia this year I think....seems not to be afraid of dying on stage this gentleman. My wholehearted respects.
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Alex has a tendency to be a bit more of an optimist I think. While I respect McCartney for what he's doing at 75, the demands of what and how he plays is quite different from the demands that Rush's music imposes on them. It's not really an apples to apples comparison.
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Alex has a tendency to be a bit more of an optimist I think. While I respect McCartney for what he's doing at 75, the demands of what and how he plays is quite different from the demands that Rush's music imposes on them. It's not really an apples to apples comparison.

 

I agree.

 

And I think that means Geddy & Alex would have to change their style a bit. This isn't out of the question IMHO as they've constantly evolved through the years. What that style is I have no idea as I'm neither Geddy nor Alex of course.

Edited by JohnnyBlaze
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Alex has a tendency to be a bit more of an optimist I think. While I respect McCartney for what he's doing at 75, the demands of what and how he plays is quite different from the demands that Rush's music imposes on them. It's not really an apples to apples comparison.

 

I agree.

 

And I think that means Geddy & Alex would have to change their style a bit. This isn't out of the question IMHO as they've constantly evolved through the years. What that style is I have no idea as I'm neither Geddy nor Alex of course.

 

I think that the physical challenges that Neil faces in order to play Rush music are greater than those of Ged and Al. His playing style has to be incredibly demanding and I think that hearing him play Rush songs in a modified way wouldn't be something that I'd enjoy as much as I enjoy them being played the way they were performed and recorded....which is what hooked me in the first place.

Edited by Phantom
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Alex has a tendency to be a bit more of an optimist I think. While I respect McCartney for what he's doing at 75, the demands of what and how he plays is quite different from the demands that Rush's music imposes on them. It's not really an apples to apples comparison.

 

I agree.

 

And I think that means Geddy & Alex would have to change their style a bit. This isn't out of the question IMHO as they've constantly evolved through the years. What that style is I have no idea as I'm neither Geddy nor Alex of course.

 

I think that the physical challenges that Neil faces in order to play Rush music are greater than those of Ged and Al. His playing style has to be incredibly demanding and I think that hearing him play Rush songs in a modified way wouldn't be something that I'd enjoy as much as I enjoy them being played the way they were performed and recorded....which is what hooked me in the first place.

 

Right. My post isn't something I actually want. It's just something I think that's possible.

 

I also didn't mention Neil as I think he's done. I'm talking about Geddy and Alex playing on in Rush (minus Neil) or in a new act a la the "Lee/Lifeson Project" or whatever.

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I saw Gordon Lightfoot a couple of years ago.. Much as I love him and him being the Canadian icon that he is, i felt bad for him.. He gave it his best, but his age truly showed... On top of that, It also made me realize that we are all going to go through this aging process, that was sad to grasp...

 

Sundown, he better take care...

If only he could save time in a bottle!
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At the very most I think the only possible thing we could expect from Rush in the future is *MAYBE* a new studio song released as a single. And even that seems like a stretch because I just don't think Neil cares about drumming or performing music at all anymore.
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Both of these posts reminded me of Neil Young. He is one of the few artists I can think of that was still going strong(until recently) at the age of 71, performing with new material and reimagining himself in so many different ways

 

I saw Neil with Crazy Horse about 4 years ago and left the show quite disappointed that they weren't as good as they'd been. The intensity just wasn't there anymore.

 

I went to see him again last year with Promise of the Real as his backing band, more out of loyalty than anything else and with low expectations, but I was blown away. Their youthful energy really rejuvenated Neil's performance.

 

Maybe if Rush were to continue in some form that's how they could do it? Although it couldn't really be called Rush if they end up doubling the size of the band!

 

I remember an interview they did as a group (one of the very few in latter years) with J.D. Roberts before a gig on the Time Machine tour and Neil Peart said he could see them keeping up their level of live performance up for another 4 or 5

years. And it turned out he wasn't far wrong...

Edited by Lurkst
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