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Hi, I'm Carrie, 1 of the 7 women at a Rush show...


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*Just realized there's some Time Machine tour spoilers here, so just putting that out there. -C*

 

20 Or So Years Ago

 

I'm in high school as the 90's are just beginning. Of course I knew who Rush was, being generally into both classic and 80's rock, and having fond memories of growing up in the 80's watching MTV where, among other delights of the age, I remember watching the video for Limelight. One of my best friends, thinking that wasn't enough, made sure to ply me with plenty of mix tapes, all heavy on, primarily, or completely Geddy, Alex, and Neil. Well, the day comes when said three guys are going to play somewhere nearby (was it Albany, NY)? Now stoked by listening to my trusty mix tapes, I told my friend to get me a ticket, too, and I'd pay him for it.

 

Well, he and his buddies went to see Rush...without me. It was a "big bummer, you know what I mean?" (And can you believe I'm forgiving enough to still be friends with this guy)? Sore as hell, I soon packed up for college, mixtapes and all, playing them less and less over the next 20 years as life went in different directions, until they finally got buried in the corner of my living room when I wrecked the last car I had that had a cassette player.

 

A Few Months Ago

 

The schedule for the State Fair is out! Wooooo! Time to see what shows they're going to have this year, which are always a highlight of the summer. Lessee...Kansas, free show...cool...Styx, free show...well, I've heard they're still good without Dennis DeYoung...maybe...Rush...Rush. The memories come flooding back. Of how it felt to get left behind. I knew right then and there, NOT THIS TIME! How many times do you really get to right the wrongs of life? The only trouble is, times are bad now, money is tight, and it's gonna mean giving up the trip to see The Fixx, who I've been a groupie of the last three years, but whose scene I've become disillusioned with anyway. So, I buy nosebleed seats and tell boyfriend we're going. Of course, the Fixx, who haven't changed their setlist much over the last three years, end up doing four songs they've either rarely or never done live. I kick, and kick, and kick myself saying, da**it, this was one of my usual crap decisions. But how could I have known?

 

A Week And A Half Ago

 

I get out of work and we rus...er...hurry to the Fair on its most oppressively hot day, make our way to the grandstand, and begin our arduous climb to our second-to-last-row seats. Great. And the big poles that hold it up are gonna be right in my way for pics. Greeeeeaaat. Well, it's not filling up too bad up here, maybe I can stand up in the back and take some pics later. And it's gonna get cooler when the sun goes down, right? Nope. As the people fill in, and the humidity grows, I abandon any plan to move around much.

 

At 8:00, the big screen at the back of the stage flickers to life, with scenes of a girl working in a sausage shop, putting on a bravely pretty face for the drudgery of a job that sucks a little more of her soul out each day (Oh, I feel your pain, dear), until some misdirected flying mustard changes everything, most especially dear old Rash in the corner, who look they might turn into the life-changing spectacle she'd all but stopped dreaming could transport her to another place and time.

 

And that is exactly what happened to ME at that show. Never mind the oppressive heat, the poles in the way, the back-row seats, the long-ago missed opportunities, skipping the Fixx, the fact that I asked boyfriend after the show, "So do you remember any of their songs? and he responded, "Maybe one, and the rest of the time I wondered when he'd stop screaming" (Don't worry, all hope is not lost - we dug the mix tapes out of the corner of the living room, since his pickup has a tape player, and he listens to them. I haven't gotten them back yet, which I take to be a very good sign). I made one of the best decisions of my life.

 

I was absolutely blown away. I have not been able to stop thinking about it since. I have had their songs in my head ever since. For the first time, I was ecstatic to have a customer's transactions take 20 minutes at work, because we talked about going to Rush the whole time. It's really woken up this sleepy town, but where the others might slowly go back to their lives, I'm searching for how I can keep this going. I realize now I've a long way to go and am drinking from a fire hose so to speak in terms of trying to catch up on all the gaps in my experience, fearing it'll take my lifetime. But what a lifetime it'll be. And I haven't thought about life like that for a VERY...long...time. So, talk to me about what's next...what I need to know...discover...or just how much you understand where I'm coming from.

 

And why I've got a huge mustard stain on my shirt.

 

Carrie

Edited by 1 of the 7
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trink39.gif Great story, and welcome! (Nice to meet another fan of The Fixx as well!)
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applaudit.gif applaudit.gif

 

Just awesome. What a ride you're on. You have no idea.

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That's a really cool story and reminds me of when I first discovered Rush and saw them in concert. The first Rush album that I ever bought was 2112 and it blew me away, just as many of their albums did after that! You have definitely picked a good time to rediscover Rush! Or, maybe time has picked you? I think that a good move for you right now would be to watch/buy the new documentary on Rush called Beyond the Lighted Stage It's very inspirational and entertaining and I personally know some people that became instant Rush fans after viewing it. It really gives you a good glimpse into who Rush are as a band, as friends and gives you a good idea of their musical history and the impact that they have had on their fans. I can tell by your post that you are in for a real ride! There is so much to discover when it comes to Rush. I myself do not like every single thing that they have done but I like most of it. The thing that I like most about them is that they stay true to themselves and make the kind of music that they feel like making at the time! If you stick around in this forum, you will see that Rush has a lot of influence on a lot of our lives and as Neil Peart once said "It is the soundtrack to their lives".

 

Hope to be seeing more of you!

Edited by snowdogged
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Hi Carrie! bekloppt.gif You have so much fun ahead of you getting to know these guys and their music. Doesn't matter that finding them was fairly recent ... your head will explode with everything that you will discover about them, but it will be SO worth it. Enjoy the ride ... those of us who are old enough to have been around since pretty much the beginning STILL aren't tired of it yet. 2.gif 1022.gif
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Welcome to the board. Awesome story! Rush is amazing.

 

Time for me to be dense...what does your name refer to?

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QUOTE (Gompers @ Sep 18 2010, 10:00 AM)
Welcome to the board. Awesome story! Rush is amazing.

Time for me to be dense...what does your name refer to?

Hey, Gompers, no insult intended but that is a pretty dense question! rofl3.gif rofl3.gif

It says it in the title of her post: 1 of 7 women at a Rush concert.

 

I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you did not see that! rofl3.gif rofl3.gif rofl3.gif

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QUOTE (snowdogged @ Sep 18 2010, 12:07 PM)
QUOTE (Gompers @ Sep 18 2010, 10:00 AM)
Welcome to the board. Awesome story! Rush is amazing.

Time for me to be dense...what does your name refer to?

Hey, Gompers, no insult intended but that is a pretty dense question! rofl3.gif rofl3.gif

It says it in the title of her post: 1 of 7 women at a Rush concert.

 

I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you did not see that! rofl3.gif rofl3.gif rofl3.gif

Oh, I followed the link from the post in the other thread so I never read the subject. doh.gif

 

 

Nevermind...

 

laugh.gif

Edited by Gompers
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Hmmmm what a ride you took us on Carrie. I was there with you sweating my butt off and anxiously awaiting the start of the show, you are quite the storyteller! Thank you for sharing...*hug* and welcome to the family!

 

 

(and here I thought there was some Star Trek Borg refereneces to your name...as in Jeri Hall's character, 7 of 9? Resistance to 2.gif is futile mwahahahahah! )

 

wink.gif

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Bob, love your thinking on the name, since I like Star Trek too (although I wouldn't look as good in a silver lame' bodysuit) rofl3.gif Thanks for the welcome! If there's a meetup for the next show I'll be sure and say hi! Edited by 1 of the 7
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QUOTE (Jaye @ Oct 6 2010, 07:17 PM)
QUOTE (BeOhBe Bob @ Oct 4 2010, 02:24 PM)
Jeri Hall's character, 7 of 9

Jeri Ryan, I think you'll find... wink.gif

found lol...

 

this morning, read it and said hmmm that doesn't look, feel, sound right and said ah what the hell left it

 

 

thank you dear... wub.gif

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QUOTE (BeOhBe Bob @ Oct 7 2010, 01:23 AM)
QUOTE (Jaye @ Oct 6 2010, 07:17 PM)
QUOTE (BeOhBe Bob @ Oct 4 2010, 02:24 PM)
Jeri Hall's character, 7 of 9

Jeri Ryan, I think you'll find... wink.gif

found lol...

 

this morning, read it and said hmmm that doesn't look, feel, sound right and said ah what the hell left it

 

 

thank you dear... wub.gif

tongue.gif trink39.gif

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Hi Carrie,

This thead left such an impression on me that I just have know what albums you have now listened to or bought and what videos you have watched or bought. I'd also like it if you could comment on your reactions to so some of the stuff.

 

Thanks,

 

Pat

Edited by snowdogged
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Hey there Pat!

 

Well, it took me almost four months, but between YouTube, RushRadio, the I'm A Rushaholic And Need No Help Facebook group, and what my BF and I have bought, I've finally heard every Rush song, including a few early rarities. Power Windows is probably my fave album, although Grace Under Pressure is pushing hard at the top spot. Being an 80's music enthusiast, it's not a surprise that Moving Pictures-Roll The Bones is my favorite period. There's really so many songs on every album that I love, though, and none I don't.

 

We have BTLS, and spent NYE watching Rush in Rio that I borrowed from a customer at work. We also have 2112, Moving Pictures, and a couple of compilation albums. I hesitate to invest heavily in the albums with potential remasters coming out, but I may not be able to wait wink.gif

 

I think I've seen most or all of the official videos, and have watched a good number of the A Show of Hands and Grace Under Pressure Tour live videos, and have listened to most of the Echoes on the Stages rehearsal songs.

 

Every time I watch Rush play live, I'm struck once again at what a happy-looking singer Geddy is, how much Alex is "feeling it" when he plays, and Neil's intense determination, but also at how much fun they all have. And I love that the fun they poke at themselves trumps all the hard time anyone has ever given them in 40 years and turns it into a positive. It makes me feel that anyone could call ME a Rush nerd and I'd take it as one huge compliment and be proud of it - they've shown me how to feel better about myself!

 

On that topic, I think a large part of their appeal for me comes from their acknowledgement that life can be very, very tough, but that people are so strong to get through it and make the most of it. The way they express this gives me a ton of hope and energy I've had a hard time finding by myself or from others who are quick to judge. They make me feel so happy on the worst day, and I thought it was just a fleeting feeling that would soon fade, but four months on, I'm still feeling the best I have emotionally in YEARS.

 

My next step? We're planning a road trip in April to the Toledo and Hershey shows, and this time I sprung for way better seats. I also want to go to one of the conventions like RushCon or RatCon, maybe as soon as this year! I may be broke, but I know I'll be happy!

Edited by 1 of the 7
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