Official R40 Newspaper Concert Reviews

[ctbadger]

Another Houston review:

 

http://www.houstonpress.com/music/40-years-later-rush-remains-timeless-7452448

[Merely Space]

It's too bad Houston's newspapers are so awful these days.

[Tombstone Mountain]

http://www.nola.com/...leans_revi.html

 

Here's the best from the review:

 

Did the performances perfectly align with the studio recordings? No -- and nor should they. In a live environment, stuff happens -- as when Lifeson found himself with a dead guitar at the outset of "Between the Wheels." As Peart and Lee pressed on, he swapped out for a second guitar -- also dead. His frustration was obvious. Once he finally got a functioning instrument and plunged in, the chords were maybe a bit angrier, and he torched the solo.

 

Videos made clear that the bandmembers long ago ceased taking themselves seriously, if they ever did. During "Roll the Bones," famous Rush fans -- actors Paul Rudd, Jason Segel and Peter Dinklage, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello -- hammed it up during the robot-rap breakdown. A killer sock puppet routine from the Yukon Blade Grinder. There was a gag reel of outtakes from previous Rush tour videos; an extended introduction of the encore by Eugene Levy; and a final post-concert scene in which the musicians are denied entrance to their own dressing room by the puppet king from the cover of "A Farewell to Kings."

Edited May 23, 2015 by Tombstone Mountain

[ctbadger]

Review: Rush turn back the clock on four decades of rock at Tampa's Amalie Arena

 

 

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/soundcheck/review-rush-turn-back-the-clock-on-four-decades-of-rock-at-tampas-amalie/2230966

[Tombstone Mountain]

http://www.tampabay....-amalie/2230966

This was the best from the review:

 

Front-loading a three-hour concert with so much new stuff can be risky – it took Rush a solid 45 minutes just to reach the '90s – but their hardest-core fans didn’t seem to mind. Musically, the second half of their career is arguably as ambitious as the first – see the operatic rage of Headlong Flight (2012); the murky metallurgy of The Main Monkey Business (2007); the polyrhythmic power of Distant Early Warning(1984).

 

Roll The Bones (1991) even paid homage to the band’s Apatow-assisted 21st-century resurgence, with stars like Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, Peter Dinklage and Tom Morello appearing via video to “perform” the song’s rap section. Also included was, if I'm not mistaken, a sock puppet routine carried out by the Yukon Blade Grinder. Gonna have to look up those guys on wikipedia as soon as I get home. Truly original. Later comedic clips featured Eugene Levy, Jerry Stiller and the lads from South Park, among others, proving Rush don't have a problem being the butt of all the cool kids' jokes.

 

But the good thing about working front to back is that when you return from intermission, it’s all about the glory days. Rush thundered back onstage with one of their biggest hits, Tom Sawyer, and two more furious rockers, YYZ (1981) and the righteously anthemic The Spirit of Radio (1980), which saw the arena bathed in rainbow lights.

 

The musical time warp was reflected in the mise en scene. Throughout the night, a team of jumpsuited “roadies” transformed the stage from a whimsical wondermagorium of brass, tubes and gizmos into a bank of coin-op washing machines and amplifiers topped with toy dinosaurs (shout-out to the suburban dystopia of Subdivisions!); then an ever-shrinking wall of amps. By the time they closed with the dino-stomping Working Man, there were only two amps teetering on a couple of stacking chairs. Talk about going back to your roots.

 

One thing that hasn’t changed over 40 years is the band’s jaw-dropping musicianship. Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart twisted and tumbled their way through every knotty number with stoic precision. They mostly make it look easy, but they’re not above a little show-offy showmanship every now and again. Lee and Lifeson strapped on double-necked instruments for 1977’s Xanadu; and all prog-rock, pyro-packed hell broke loose during a 10-minute selection from their operatic 1976 opus 2112.

Edited May 25, 2015 by Tombstone Mountain

[ctbadger]

So I'm on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution site looking for a review this morning. There's a wonderful review with lots of pictures from Billy Idol's concert last night but nothing on Rush. Billy Idol played to at most 2,600 people while Rush played to over 10,000. WTF?

[Tombstone Mountain]

Here's an interesting snippet from the review. His timeline is a bit off

 

http://progreport.com/concert-review-rush-5-28-15/

As with the intro animation – an amusing morphing timeline of Rush’s various looks through the decades – the crowd was treated to a number of amusements on the main stage video screen and smaller screens flanking it. During set changes, we took a trip through time thanks to oddball skits, celebrities (Paul Rudd, Jerry Stiller, the South Park kids, the Yukon Blade Grinder), and various visual representations that celebrated Rush’s illustrious career — always fun and light-hearted, never overly self-congratulatory. Even throughout the sets, as the band played on, roadies dressed in coveralls (resembling the movers depicted in the classic Moving Pictures artwork) continually morphed the stage to take us through each era. They not only changed out amps and keyboards, but various silly props like a huge popcorn popper and clothes dryers. This band that has created such poignant, literary rock music can never be accused of lacking a sense of humor.

The curtain rises a second time and we’re in the midst of the grand strains of “Tom Sawyer” and “The Camera Eye.” Here is where Rush relived arguably the most glorious of their glory years: tracks from Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves, Hemispheres, A Farewell to Kings and 2112. Majestic, stately epics like “Jacob’s Ladder,” “Xanadu” and “2112” were dusted off and presented with bone-rattling volume and genius-level precision. Geddy’s voice isn’t the crystal-clear, shimmering banshee-wail it once was, but he delivered well enough. His hot bass work never faltered, nor did drummer Neil Peart’s myriad percussive patterns. There were a few errant notes from guitarist Alex Lifeson in “The Camera Eye,” but it didn’t matter. Not in a set of such challenging material and deep scope. They worked through the most difficult songs of their prog rock period with the authority that makes Rush, well, Rush.

After reaching even deeper with the wistful “Lakeside Park” and proto-metal workout “Anthem,” the curtain dropped once again. A schmaltzy showbiz character, played by Eugene Levy, appeared on screen, introducing the band as if it was 1975 and as if they were new to us all. Rush then stormed onto the stage one last time, amid a simpler, more stripped down atmosphere, running through “What You’re Doing” and “Working Man” from their debut album. (Ultra-geekazoid fans recognized the snippet of the “Garden Road” riff tacked onto the end of “Working Man.”) The entire presentation had to be the most authentic feeling of time travel anyone in the room had ever experienced prior to this evening.

[ctbadger]

Baltimore Post-Examiner for the Bristow show:

 

http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/rush-celebrates-40-years/2015/06/01

[Disembodied Spirit]

For ALL of the Youngsters out there.

 

NEWSPAPERS are PRINTED BLOGS.

 

Just in case you were unaware.

 

Come on people these Hipster Rush fans who are 23 have never heard of a NEWSPAPER.

[Digital Dad]

For ALL of the Youngsters out there.

 

NEWSPAPERS are PRINTED BLOGS.

 

Just in case you were unaware.

 

Come on people these Hipster Rush fans who are 23 have never heard of a NEWSPAPER.

 

Not universaly true but his piece does smack of a certain amaturishness.

[Tombstone Mountain]

http://www.dispatch....eview-rush.html

 

Kinda brief review. Geddy is still thinking they never played JL I guess--TM

 

After an animated retrospective video, Rush opened with several songs from its last studio album, Clockwork Angels (2012), with the title track; The Anarchist (with its opening lyric, “Will there be world enough and time for me to sing that song?”); and the rumbling bass and drum solo on Headlong Flight (“Oh I wish that I could live it all again”).

 

Next were two tunes from 2007’s Snakes and Arrows album: The Main Monkey Business instrumental and Far Cry (“One day I feel I’m ahead of the wheel / and the next it’s rolling over me”). The backwards theme continued with One Little Victory from 2002’s Vapor Trails;Animate from 1993’s Counterparts; Roll the Bones (1991); Distant Early Warning from 1984’s Grace Under Pressure; and Subdivisionsfrom 1982’s Signals.

 

While the first set had pyrotechnics and roadies putting washing machines on the stage, the second had laser lights, retro outfits and instruments — and those same roadies taking away amplifiers. After a video that included the South Park version of Rush, set two started with a few tunes from the classic 1981 recording Moving Pictures —Tom Sawyer and Red Barchetta — before going into The Spirit of Radio and Jacob’s Ladder from the 1980 album Permanent Waves. Of the latter song, Lee said he never thought they’d play it live.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Tombstone Mountain

[Tombstone Mountain]

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/06/18/rush-classy-in-career-spanning-show-at-acc

"Toronto fans, meanwhile, were encouraged to wear Rush T-shirts, and bring their “outside voices” for a DVD of the tour being filmed at the ACC dates.

“Hey, Toronto, Canada, how are you doing tonight?” said Lee right before the Snakes & Arrows 2007 track Far Cry which included the first fireworks and fireburst display of the night.

“So great to be home. Thank you for coming out tonight and over the last 40-plus years. We’ve got a lot to celebrate. Smile and look pretty.”

[Tombstone Mountain]

http://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/music/concert-review-rush-turns-the-bell-centre-into-a-time-machine

 

"They’ve come so far. Early in the show, Lee said: “We’d like to keep going backward. It’s a state that suits us well.” On this night, yes. But it’s a tribute to Rush’s continued relevance that such a loving overview of its history is the exception, not the rule, when it comes to live performance. It was a thrill to hear so many beloved songs return to the stage. And it will be a thrill to hear new material if Rush finds its way back to a studio and back to Montreal. One can hope there’s a road to an R50 signpost."

[Tombstone Mountain]

Billboard Review

 

 

Rush Rocks Harder Than Ever at 40th Anniversary Tour Stop in New Jersey: Live Review

 

http://www.billboard...new-jersey-live

 

A cool snippet:

The satisfaction Lee and Lifeson derived from it was evident in their frequent smiles and animated posturing, while Peart could have been mistaken for being perpetually grumpy if fans didn't already know that his stern concentration belies the pleasure he gets out of drumming.

Despite his stoic onstage expression, Peart does share a sense of humor with his bandmates, and their famed love of comedy was evident in the video footage that enhanced the show. The opening cartoon montage (as well as the closing video) paid tribute to the album art that has become intertwined with the band's image, like 2112's starman logo and the fire hydrant from Signals, while also fondly remembering the fashions and hairstyles the threesome have sported through the years.

The end of intermission was marked with a compilation of hysterical outtakes from footage the band shot for other tours (imagine Lifeson breaking character while encased in a fat suit), and fans laughed as much as they cheered when celebs like Peter Dinklage, Paul Rudd and Tom Morello hammed it up onscreen while lip-synching to the rap bridge of "Roll the Bones."

The concert was no laughing matter though. Nostalgia was inevitable, as Rush paid tribute to the 40 years the lineup has been together by taking fans on a time-machine trip through its catalog, opening with "The Anarchist" from its latest album, Clockwork Angels, and tapping into material all the way back to its self-titled debut, in the form of classic rock scorcher "What You're Doing."

Edited July 1, 2015 by Tombstone Mountain

[Tombstone Mountain]

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/06/rush_performs_40-year_music_chronology_in_reverse.html

 

The three appeared to be in top form, performing epics like "Cygnus X-1," "Xanadu" and "2112" with uncanny precision. Of course they added some fan favorites like "Tom Sawyer" off the hugely successful 1981 Moving Pictures album as well the "Spirit of Radio" from the 1980 classic Permanent Waves.

[Tombstone Mountain]

The best review I've read so far--TM

 

 

 

Rush’s R40 Tour: If It’s Their Last, They’re Going Out on Top

Rush's recent concert took a trip across their 40-year career...and my lifelong relationship with their music.June 30, 2015 3:05 PM

 

http://radio.com/2015/06/30/rush-r40-tour-review-photos/

By Brian Ives

I’ve been going to see Rush concerts for about three quarters of my life. In fact, I just dug up the ticket stub from my first concerthttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png ever: it was Rush on Sept. 29, 1984 at the Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey—theGrace Under Pressure tour.

I have not missed a tour since: Power Windows, Hold Your Fire, Presto, Roll the Bones, Counterparts, Test for Echo, Vapor Trails, the R30 tour for their 30th anniversary, Snakes and Arrows, the “Time Machine” tour on which they played Moving Pictures in its entirety and Clockwork Angels, I’ve seen them all, sometimes more than once. And if the latest issue of Rolling Stone is to be believed, the show I caught this past weekend may have been the last time I’ll see them live.

Related: Hell Froze Over, Because Rush Finally Made the Cover of Rolling Stone

Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart are far too sensible to dub this their “farewell” tour, knowing there’s a chance they’ll do shows again. But Lee did say in that article that “It’s most likely our last tour,” and most fans are taking that at face value.

And who could blame them if they do decide to put their road cases away. Alex Lifeson has dealt with health issues, including arthritis. Peart’s drumming is insanely physical—many Rush fans are winded after their concerts, just from mimicking him on air-drums. In the Rolling Stone piece, Peart himself compared playing concerts to “running a marathon while solving equations.” That’s not something a guy can do forever. It’s amazing he’s done it for as long as he has. Ditto for Geddy Lee’s voice, which has held up remarkably well.

So, on Saturday night, I went to New Jersey’s Prudential Center, ready to say goodbye to the band who in a very real sense have provided the soundtrack of my life.

[Tombstone Mountain]

Another good one--TM

 

 

Review: Still Modern Day Warriors, Rush Rocks Newark And MSG

 

July 1, 2015 3:44 PM

 

 

The incomparable Geddy Lee at Newark’s Prudential Center (Credit: Jeff Capellini)

 

Rush is the greatest rock band in the world.

Period.

The end.

Oh, if it were only this simple. But, Rush and simplicity rarely meet. And, the same goes for most Rush fans; just ask one to describe his love for his favorite band. Not only will the response be passionate, it will be thorough. And, the lengthy explanation will likely include multimedia — lyrics, photos and YouTube links. I know. I am a Rush fan.

 

 

http://newyork.cbslo...cks-newark-msg/

Edited July 1, 2015 by Tombstone Mountain

[Tombstone Mountain]

http://seattlemusicinsider.com/2015/07/20/rush-celebrates-40-years-of-progressive-rock-at-keyarena/

[Tombstone Mountain]

http://www.kisw.com/Rush-Still-Rocking-4-Decades-Later/11281418?pid=496252&do=1&stnBlogPage=true

 

 

The only difference between then and now was back then there was so much pot smoking going on in the arena I could barely see the stage from my seats and rowdy it was. Definite first contact high back then. Tonight all those fans are now middle aged plus, more more laid back and there to enjoy the show and witness a band no one thought would last this test of time. Still three of the greatest rock musicians around. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart still masters of the musical universe when it comes to progressive epic rock music.

[Tombstone Mountain]

http://www.vancouversun.com/Review+Rush+delivers+riff+ready+farewell+Vancouver+with+photos/11224033/story.html

 

The sheer onslaught of instrumental prowess showcased in first set songs such as Headlong Flight from 2012’s Clockwork (complete with a classic Neil Peart-with ‘Drumbastica’ mini drum solo), Far Cry from 2007’s Snakes & Arrows and a killer version of Losing It, with special guest violinist Ben Mink, made it possible to ignore the guys in coveralls.

[Tombstone Mountain]

http://www.straight.com/music/491936/rush-kicks-asses-ailments-deliver-goods-vancouver

 

A dazzling display of old-school lasers accompanied the so-so "Jacob's Ladder", though they would have been more effective if rolled out to the thrilling strains of the set-closing "2112". Lee wasn't quite able to hit the high notes on that heaviest of Rush tunes, but Lifeson made up for it with his astounding guitarwork. And by the time he had melted the frets of his tobacco sunburst Les Paul with the Zeppelinesque "Working Man"-—the final tune of a three-song encore—it was evident that he'd followed Peart's fearless example and pwned that pain-giving a-hole arthritis.

[Tombstone Mountain]

http://www.oregonlive.com/music/index.ssf/2015/07/live_review_rush_r40_moda_center.html

People love Rush, probably because Rush is a spectacular rock band. The holy trinity -- guitarist Alex Lifeson, drummer/lyricist Neil Peart and bassist/keyboardist/singer Geddy Lee -- has played together for 40 years now, and the group's anniversary tour is a time-machine trip from 2012's "Clockwork Angels" all the way back to 1974's Led Zeppelin-influenced, self-titled debut. There are few bands who could play that wide a catalog without slipping into embarrassments better left out of print, but Rush's evolution -- from hard rock to intricate prog to capable '80s synth-rock and back to a straight-ahead power trio -- has led to one of rock's sturdiest catalogs.

It's Peart who seems to get the most attention from fans -- if he wanted to judge air-drumming contests for a living or start a new Ryan Seacrest competition, he could probably earn millions. But Lifeson deserves more credit for decades of guitar tones that were current then and sound classic now: that takes taste, not just his considerable chops. And on Tuesday, Lee was an indefatigable frontman, yelping through "Tom Sawyer" (or is it "Sawyee"?), "The Anarchist" and more with eyebrow-raising glee.

[Tombstone Mountain]

http://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/07/28/rush-concert-review-r40-tour-phoenix/30776383/

 

You know you're at a Rush show when a drum solo breaking out in the middle of the third song doesn't seem the slightest bit peculiar.

PLAYLIST:

Best Rush songs of the century (so far)

Lee, who nailed those wailing high notes at the end of "Headlong Flight," explained that they'd be working backwards through the catalog from "Clockwork Angels." And they didn't stop at every album, but they touched on many of the highlights as they made their way back from a pyro-fueled version of "Far Cry" and the epic instrumental "The Main Monkey Business," both from Snakes & Arrows," to "How It Is" from "Vapor Trail" and "Animate" from "Counterparts."

[x1yyz]

http://www.azcentral...oenix/30776383/

 

5]

You know you're at a Rush show when a drum solo breaking out in the middle of the third song doesn't seem the slightest bit peculiar.

5]PLAYLIST:

Best Rush songs of the century (so far)

5]Lee, who nailed those wailing high notes at the end of "Headlong Flight," explained that they'd be working backwards through the catalog from "Clockwork Angels." And they didn't stop at every album, but they touched on many of the highlights as they made their way back from a pyro-fueled version of "Far Cry" and the epic instrumental "The Main Monkey Business," both from Snakes & Arrows," to "How It Is" from "Vapor Trail" and "Animate" from "Counterparts."

 

 

:D

[Tombstone Mountain]

http://www.hollywood...t-review-812647

 

After perfectly blazing through an arsenal of songs from their newer albums, including “Far Cry,” “One Little Victory” and “Animate,” the band showed a lighter side by dialing up the title track of their 1991 effort Roll the Bones, which featured an accompanying video showing Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Tom Morello and The Trailer Park Boys rapping along to the song’s hip-hop verse. The crowd really dug the theatrics, and the energy in the room ramped up as fans rapped along with the stars.

 

After a searing version of “Distant Early Warning,” the lone track pulled from 1984’s Grace Under Pressure, Rush was joined by violinist Jonathan Dinklage (the brother of actor Peter). The special guest is no stranger to performing with the band, after being a part of the string section on their Clockwork Angels Tour, which marked the first time Rush ever used outside musicians onstage. He joined the trio for the rare ballad “Losing It,” marking only the fourth time the band has ever played the song from the 1982 album Signals live. Rush ended the first set with an urgent and powerful version of “Subdivision,” also peeled off the Signals album.

Similar to jam bands, Rush fans proudly boast about how many shows and tours they have seen. During the set break, one fan bragged he had been to 30 Rush concerts and hasn’t missed a tour since 1981’sMoving Pictures. He also recalled seeing them in the second row at the Forum back in 1985; now 20 years later he was catching what could be their last concert. The show was also the inaugural concert for the future Rush fan base. One father brought his 6-year-old son because he had to have him see the band in case it was the last time.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Tombstone Mountain