1 of the 7

Originally, the subject matter of Wish Them Well had me the most intrigued, but since reading the reviews, I'm thinking Seven Cities of Gold could end up as my favorite. It'll be interesting to see!

Ugh, I can't decide between the Clockwork Angels ones or the Roll The Bones ones. The Snakes ones would be up there too.

Geddy (obviously). I love his voice, how he looks/his expression (his smile makes my day every day), his bounciness onstage vs. his normally calm demeanor, and his casual wardrobe that still looks like a million bucks. I also love all the little things I find we have in common - everything from huge 80's glasses to a deep love of potato chips to having Power Windows as our favorite album. Of course, his differences with me are cool too - I don't know anything about baseball or wine, but he has me more intrigued than I'd otherwise be. I also can't multitask for anything, so to see him do what he does, and Rush do what they do with only three people, is nothing short of completely amazing to watch.

More for Geddy and Alex - what do you think of New York State wines? More for Geddy - do you get to the Baseball Hall of Fame a lot, and do you like the surrounding area? (I'm curious as my family is from there) How are you approaching retirement? (I'm guessing they're seeing how things go day by day). I know, weird questions, but I don't want to ask too much of what has been asked before.

Nope. Marathon is my favorite song. Fountain is my favorite epic.

Love it! Geddy's vocals are particularly nice here - some unusually (for him) deep parts.

Hand Over Fist, Xanadu

I'd never heard of it until I met my boyfriend's family (who are from this area, but a bit more rural). Haven't played yet...if I find any games going on at any of the Rush shows, I'll have to get in on it.

Another band I follow used to sell USB sticks on a keychain for $25 after the show with the recording on it (well, until they fired the sound guy who was doing it, anyway). I got them every time. One of the band members had mixed feelings about it; he told me that when they had a good night, it was good to have it on record, but when they didn't, it wasn't. Dunno why this would be a concern when people will YouTube it anyway.

I'll go along with Prime Mover! Then again, I'd go along with Middletown Dreams, Emotion Detector, Lock And Key, or Turn The Page too.

I bring wit and wisdom fair

Lessons taught but never learned

Water

Welcome rrock, hope you enjoy it here!

Clicked!

Welcome PP! Hope you enjoy it here!

When I start stressing over how much I've spent on tix, I imagine singing the lines "I don't regret it, I'll never forget it" at a show, and living every word. The song is an affirmation of how I feel about my own life in general, so it certainly helps keep me fired up, much as other favorites like Marathon, Middletown Dreams, The Enemy Within, Cut To The Chase, and We Hold On do.

Caress of Steel has done the most growing on me of any album, mostly due to an increasing love for The Fountain Of Lamneth. Snakes & Arrows has done some growing on me too, but not like COS has.

From what I remember hearing about the Time Machine tour, the loudness can actually be more bothersome in the cheap seats. Our experience bore this out - our first show was second to last row and got loud at times, but that was high up in a grandstand with less than stellar acoustics anyway. Our second show was 17th row on the floor in an arena, and didn't seem loud to me at all. I used earplugs on and off during the first show and not at all during the second. I probably should use them all the time, though, as I've noticed my tinnitus is getting pretty bad. I'd recommend bringing earplugs and using them if you notice the sound is bothering you at all, and maybe anyway, if you think you're having issues already from going to shows (mine are a combo of this and other factors).

Kettle corn

shadow

I've always wanted to go to a show and never made it happen. I also think he'd do an awesome parody of a Rush song - anyone know if he ever considered it and approached them about it? I suppose they might have refused, but I think with their sense of humor, they'd be honored.

Monday, yesterday, and today!

QUOTE (Phantom @ May 9 2012, 05:37 PM) Any comments, one way or the other, have never taken away from how I feel about the band, and how I feel when I listen to their music...I just embrace the fact that for me, I've never been moved by any other band in a way that I've been moved by Rush. Nothing anyone says or does will change that feeling for me. Thanks for the reminder of what's truly important. Personally, I often fall into the trap of seeking out what seem like like-minded individuals on the Internet, so I at least have someone to talk with about the things that interest me, which NEVER interest people in real life who I have to deal with. The trouble is, instead of the enthusiasm I think I'm going to find, I often find the opposite, and not only the "YOU like THAT album?!?" attitude. It goes further to the fierce competitiveness among fans - the "you've SERIOUSLY only been to two shows? "You can't know what the h*** you're talking about because you've only been a fan for two years - trust me, you'll think Geddy's voice sucks in a few more, and if you don't, it shows there's something seriously wrong with you!" "There are too many fans of this band now - it was so much better when it was our little secret." All true things that have been said to me - the first to my face at a meetup! It makes it very, very hard to be a new fan of something or someone when you focus on what the fan base thinks of you (which, as a newer fan, is NOT pretty). Sure, there are a few "Better late than never!"s, "I'm glad you became a fan"s, or "Aren't they great?"s, but by and large, the attitude is "Why did YOU have to become a fan?" - and it's worse with Rush than almost any other interest I've had except maybe Star Trek/Star Wars - man, those people make Rush fans look sweet. If I didn't stop and ask myself "Isn't the only thing that matters how they make you feel?" and focus on the answer, I'd find being a fan too discouraging. It's mind-boggling to have to fight over something and defend myself from attacks over an interest we're supposed to SHARE, and that comes so naturally and positively to me. If it were anyone other than Rush, I'd probably move on (and have from other things in the past). But they're worth it. Thanks for reminding me of what my priorities should be.

And they'll probably go to Europe and/or South America, so that'll be part of the second leg.