Stan Getz

Like all of, have been devastated the past 24+ hours. Raised a toast to Neil last night, a dram of The Macallan..and then it hit me that even my love of Scotch whisky came about from Neil's books and reading how he enjoyed Macallan and deciding to give whisky another chance (didn't care for it much when I was younger). Today I was in a fog, out running errands I stopped to fill up the wife's car. The pump auto shut off at $21.12 - I swear! It brought happier thoughts to me for sure.

Heartbroken for his wife and young daughter Olivia. Neil deserved so much better, after the tragedy he endured losing his first wife and daughter, this just cannot be.

They’re too good for an all-you-can-eat, gaudy interiored, fat bastard cruise. P.S. I enjoy cruises. :) :) Yeah, I can't quite picture them there! I was just surprised to see how many bands do them! Basically, almost everyone, except the A++ listers like U2, Elton John, and Springsteen. There are cruises with KISS, Styx, Yes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Bonamassa, Marillion, Bad Company, etc etc. The pay must be good! I've never been on one. My sister lives near Tampa and has been on a few but her stories (plus those of a friend that worked for Norwegian Cruise Line) have left me wondering about ones on really big ships. I have a friend who's nuts for European river cruises and those look like a lot of fun! There are smaller ship ones that do the Alaskan inside passage or the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence river and those look really interesting as well. Maybe in a few years. https://www.rocklege...se.com/artists/ Maybe someone could talk Geddy or Alex into this one! Martin Barre's band is absolutely freaking fantastic! Saw them 3 times last year and they'll be back for another go in the US with a new album later this year. I already have our tickets for their 2 shows at Daryl's House in October. I cannot recommend highly enough that if they are playing anywhere near you...go! Along with Rush, Jethro Tull was always a favorite of mine over the years. Was bummed when Tull disbanded (yes I know Ian A. is still touring and performing as in 'Jethro Tull by Ian Anderson' but this version of Tull is a shadow of its past glory). They're doing a 50th Anniversary tour this year and after seeing them last year...I'll pass. If we agree Geddy struggled live the last several tours, Ian's voice is gone. Most times he's inaudible at best, and the songs he knows he cant do at all they have the vocals are pre-recorded by various guest singers and played on the screen during the concert. His flute and stage presence is still quite good, but c'mon...its time. Martin Barre on the other hand, is reborn playing small venues for the love of the music and performing. He's now 70 (or maybe 71), in excellent physical condition, and has the energy and chops of a 40 year old. Each musician in his band is stellar and they rock out for 2 hours of lesser played Tull classics, Martin's original songs with a few blues numbers mixed in the set. Last fall we saw them front row at a winery and he was running around stage all night, and during the guitar solo in 'Teacher' stood right on our table and then jumped down and ran through the crowd playing...never missed a beat. Jeff Beck's drummer, Jonathan Joseph, sat in on one stop we saw last year and he flat out crushed it. And who knew Martin was so damn funny, I must have seen Tull 30 times and never recall hearing Martin say a word, now on his own his dry Brit humor is on full display during the evening.

My personal favorites...don't think I've seen Martin's name mentioned by anyone else but his work in Tull is legendary and his recent few solo albums have been awesome. Alex Lifeson Martin Barre Joe Bonamassa

Just saw the "Jethro Tull by Ian Anderson" tour last night and enjoyed it a lot. Technically Ian disbanded Tull in 2011 and in doing so all the long time members left including drummer Doane Perry (a pal of Neil's) and guitarist Martin Barre who's been with Ian since the second album...though in Rush speak he's still the 'new guy' :) Folks here always slag on Geddy's voice but Ian's voice has truly been gone for 25 years now and it is to the point where on several songs he needs back up vocalists to fill in. Despite that, his showmanship, stage presence and musicianship on the flute remain amazing. For a bloke that just turned 70 he still runs around pretty damn well! Loved the format of no opening act, just two sets of Tull music with a brief intermission. Like Rush, Ian chose songs that fit what his voice can manage these days, and with a catalog of so much great music there is plenty to pick from. For some of the numbers he "had to play...Aqualung, Locomotive Breath, etc." he used additional vocalists to fill in , and it worked fine on stage. So when is the right time to quit? Next year is the 50th Anniversary of Jethro Tull and Ian's announced a final tour for the UK with many more dates to come around the world. One thing about Tull, when they tour they truly play all over the world..not just the North America and Western Europe. As a side note, Martin Barre has been touring clubs and small venues the past few years and I've seen him perform several times and will again in October. Flat out amazing, hard rocking original numbers and few lesser played Tull gems and just a great, great group of musicians including Jonathan Joseph (Jeff Beck group) on drums. Love seeing these guys perform for the sheer love of playing live. I think Martin's having far more fun than he did in all those years in Tull, he too is now 70 but as the song says 'no way to slow down'.

All I need to do to feel old these days is simply to wake up...3 cups of coffee and listening to Rush on my way to work usually cures that. :codger:

Read them all, though very different themes Traveling Music and Masked Rider were my favorites. Ghost Rider is poignant and I can sympathize and understand the importance of putting pen to paper helped in a small way to heal but it is just too morose for me to ever read it again...tough to finish really. As a fellow motorcyclist I can relate to a lot of Neil's writing but I do wonder sometimes if for the non-motorcyclist its just enough already. We all get it, he hated much of whats involved with "touring", yet still enjoyed performing live with his mates and he loved the days off to ride off the beaten path from destination to destination. Unfortunately, the latest two books, Far and Away & Near and Far are not particularly great IMHO...read them once and gave em away. I see now on the Rush store they've added a Rush coloring book ~ hopefully Neil didn't "write" this one!

Couldn't make the initial showing, went tonight with my 17 year old daughter. Theater was over an hour away but so be it, and only a handful of folks in attendance. We both enjoyed it quite a bit and glad we saw it on the big screen. Everything I've loved about these guys for 40 years, the humor, the wit, the gentle charm at times, the camaraderie; a bit of everything in this film but the last 30 minutes an overwhelming sense of finality from each of them..this was their farewell to us. When the lights came up, noticed a mother & daughter sitting behind us, the mom visibly teary-eyed...I looked at her and smiled, and whispered "it's ok"...she looked up and smiled back. Nice way to end the night I think.

I agree, but sadly the name recognition just isn't there I'm afraid to warrant even smaller arenas...this tour is small clubs only. He's playing clubs this tour that may bring in 100 folks, couple hundred tops...but if he's in any way hurt over this he didn't show it. He was rocking hard the other night and didn't seem to matter one bit the crowd was very small...same energy and effort as if he were playing Madison square garden.

Thanks Blue J, I appreciate it. That's a real shame you never got to catch Tull live, especially in there prime 70's - 90's....Ian A. was the most amazing front man perhaps ever of any band in his younger days. The wild haired, one legged stance while playing flute with his own unique style for that instrument was something to see for sure, plus Ian and Martin for so many years had that chemistry on stage much like Alex & Geddy. Geddy has said himself many times when asked best concert he ever attended and the answer's always Jethro Tull... As far as Martin Barre, his 2016 US tour looks to wrap up next month with some gigs in the UK but then he returns to the USA next year for another round of shows. I was so impressed with he and his band the other night we're booking hotels and taking a couple vacation days next March to catch another couple shows. For a bloke of his age he's renewed his spirit musically and in the best shape of his life, looking better at near 70 than when he was in his 40s. He's said those last 10 years of Tull shows were a bit stale for him as there was no new music, just a the same core favorites in the set list year in, year out. Now he can play anything he wants, and the Tull songs he chooses to add to the mix were rarely played the past 25 or so years.

Haven't been around here much since the R40 tour ended but last night saw an amazing show that made me think... Rush & Jethro Tull have been my favorite two bands for over 40 years now, and though different circumstances both bands are at best on indefinite hiatus. A few years ago Ian Anderson for whatever reasons basically ended Tull and decided he would embark out on his own from there on. Ian's a brilliant songwriter and a fantastic showman in his day (I've seen Tull some 40 times) but his newer music doesn't appeal to me and certainly live he's done vocally...having to enlist a singer to go on touring. Last night in an intimate club setting in Ithaca, NY I saw Tull's guitarist Martin Barre perform with his own band and was just in blown away by the musicianship and raw energy, and though Martin's 69 now he's in amazing physical shape. A 2 1/4 hour show (with a 20 minute break in the middle) playing his own great hard rocking material, mixed in with some blues, a Govt Mule cover and lots of rarely played Tull gems. One of the very best nights of live music I've ever heard, and Tull songs without Ian's flute in the mix allow Martin's guitar virtuosity to shine and really the entire group of musicians shined. A real bonus was his dry English sense of humor was on on full display with bits of comic relief scattered throughout the evening. Just a great night and if you get a chance to check out the Martin Barre tour it would be the best $30 you've spent this year I promise you, if you cant make a show their new CD "Back to Steel" is excellent. I've been rambling on enough but my point is there's life after playing big sold out arenas and down the road if Geddy and/or Alex decide to do go out and perform whatever material just for the love of playing live don't miss it just because "it isn't Rush"!

To me, they have already "gone out right" with the R40 tour - that tour & set list was aimed at their long time fans, their humble Canadian way of saying thank you for all the years of support. They could have just as easily finished up the second leg of the CA tour and then announced 'that's all folks'. The guys really owe us nothing beyond what they've already given us... 40+ years of some of the most amazing music ever created.

Played COS yesterday after work, happy as can be as I love this record. This morning played only Bastille Day, and this time with great sadness. We have to wake up in the Western world and demand accountability from our governments to defeat this evil. Our very freedom and way of life is threatening to this group of lunatics whom are sworn to eradicate us yet our own leaders are failing us horribly. In the US we are tearing our country apart over so much minutia while losing site that the world is on fire.

Can't argue with Limelight or Bastille Day as they're both outstanding intro but for some reason I'm going with By-Tor and the Snow Dog! Gotta love the youthful exuberance of the guys way back then :rush:

This exactly! Rush has been a big part of my life for 40 years, and although I love seeing them live they've aged as have I in these 40 years and I accept that it cannot go on forever. They've been amazing to me just to keep up the level of musicianship and energy they've expended over the course of the CA and R40 tours. Neil has more than earned his 'retirement' and I wish him nothing but happiness with his family and future endeavors. If Ged and Alex still have the passion to go out and perform, they will..it's that simple. I for one will be eager to see what direction they take musically and waiting to see them play live.