Thunder Bay Rush

Okay, Cygnus, you're staring to make me think this one through one more time... how about if we take The Camera Eye, remove it from MP and simply add it to PeW? Now, THAT would be THE best SOB of an effing dad gum, gosh dang it Rush album! See, I'm waaaaaaaaaaaay smarter than I think I thought I was!

Gotta be PeW. Listen to Jacob's Ladder and Natural Science again. Un effing believable.

I don't have a PHD, so I don't know what the album is all about. What I DO know, is that it's a wicked album... all of it. Too bad Gabriel left after that one...

I don't have any tatts... I'm not married. And, I'm a dude. So, I guess I'm not being much help. But, HOLY SHIT - talk about tattoos! I get the feeling you're a Rush fan... and them some. Wow.

I once had a GF who often told me I treated her "too well." So, one night while eating a nice dinner that I made, I said, "Hey, you ugly piece of shit, could you pass me the f*ckin' potatoes." Then, I belched, farted, started scratching my onions and wiped a booger on her shoulder. I might be "slightly" exaggerating, but not by much. She was my EX GF right after that dinner. She was an idiot anyway... I don't know why I was even with her. But, that was 20 years ago and I'm guessing that my "main digit" was doing the thinking rather than my brain... Bottom line - don't take any crap from anyone, especially someone of the opposite sex. If they say mean things to you, they really don't care about you. Obviously. They can take shots at you all they want, but they can never take your pride or the stuff inside of you - that makes you you. One of the reasons I've been single for quite a while now is that I refuse to take any crap from anyone. Right now, my campfire is my "partner." She never complains, she's always "in the mood" and she never lets me down. She's "smokin' hot" too... Hard not to like that...

Buddy, listen to me. I am old and bald, so automatically I know lots of stuff. So, if any guy says this kind of crap to you, he is far below your level of awesomeness and you should tell him to go and eff himself. Find someone who isn't still living at the fifth grade level.

I agree with upstateNYfan. I think the band rents the venue for the day, not by the hour. And, since the internet really got moving around 2000 - 2005, bands don't sell nearly as many CDs as they used to. For example, all of Rush's albums previous to Vapour trails in 2001 went either platinum or gold. But, none have since, as far as I know. Clockwork Angels was on You Tube, entirely, almost immediatley after it was released to retailers. People just go on line and get it for free. This is something I just don't understand and why bands allow this to happen is beyond me. Hey, didn't Lars Ulrich start something about that at one time? If I was in a band I would NOT allow my product to be stolen from me. This is ridiculous. When someone goes to work in the morning, they get paid, whether they work as a plummer, a waitress, a doctor or a teach... a musician should be treated the same way. So, today, bands go on the road and the bigger acts that can charge top dollar, do. At one time, the main reason bands toured was to promote their latest album with hopes people would buy it. They rarely made any money on the road, if any at all. If you're watching a concert DVD and it seems to be "rushed" between songs, it's likely that the editing process removed some of the "dead air" that would make the concert drag on for longer than necessary. Personally, I like to see the WHOLE concert they way it really happened. But, maybe time limits on DVDs give reason to look for dead spots to eliminate some time. Good luck!

Haven't heard of Dave LaRue. Who does he play with?

Now, THIS is a good idea! I could just see especially Lifeson in a few of those insane skits... he really is one funny dude. Geddy too...

Interesting. So, when I was making $2.10 an hour washing dishes at the Ponderosa Steak House in Ottawa, I guess it wasn't so bad after all! (Still sounds brutal though!) I still don't think rock bands charging $100 - $150 for a seat are overcharging if - they put on a big show like Rush does. Imagine what it must cost to keep KISS or Motley Crue on the road... holy shittin' shit!

That's very true. 3 drummers 4 vocalists 4 guitarists 1 bass player 6 keyboard players (I think) Did I miss anything?

I'm not surprised. After watching Rush's concert videos (the opening ones) it's obvious that Geddy and Alex can act. Neil, not so much, but he probably really isn't all that excited about it in the first place. The other two guys - funny as hell.

I remember seeing my very first concert, April Wine for $5.25 in '74 and in 75 Kiss was $6.50. WOW! I can't buy a goddam decent hamburger for that much these days! But then again, minimum wage in Ontario was $2.10 an hour, chocolate bars were a dime and can o' pop was .15 cents. Bread was a quarter... and the "Export A" cigarettes my mom used to send me to the store (when i was 5) for were .65 cents. Oh, and gas - .39 a gallon. Those were the days! I think for Rush in 1976 I paid abot $6.00 or $7.00??? It was at the Ottawa Civic Centre. I guess that makes me old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I must go now because my Depends are full of shit and need changing...

There's some good footage of Jon Davidson playing with Yes on the You Tube. It's shocking just HOW MUCH he sounds like Anderson. He's a highly skilled vocalist, no doubt about that! It's still weird for me though, because after 40 plus years, the original singer is out and the new guy is in. It's not Yes anymore. What's next? A new bass player? Guitarist? This is the main reason why they're playing to half filled theaters these days (they're even playing casinos and 1000 seat House of Blues venues). I almost wish they'd pick a new name and acknowledge that YES is over.

This can't be a serious question...

I agree with all comments above. I can see bands these days (not just Rush) sitting around discussing what the "encore will be for this tour." What I would really like... is after the planned and rehearsed encore, the band comes back out (if the crowds asks for it) and plays a different or random song each night. I know that Rush already plays for nearly 3 hours, but would 4 more minutes really make a difference to the overall scheme of things? We, the fans would love it!

That sounds like the Soundstage videos. They did videos for Closer to The Heart, A Farewell To Kings, Xanadu, Circumstances, The Trees and La Villa Strangiato and I believe those performances are different than what ended up on the actual albums if I recall correctly. These appeared on bootlegs over the years until all of them eventually got released commerically over the years on various DVDs. Yes, I think you're right... I had forgotten about those performances. If they're the ones you're talking about they were shot in front of a small studio audience at Seneca College in Toronto. The performance was broadcast on a 1977 Canadian TV special called "Rock Times Three." I remember seeing it on the air when I was 15. It featured Rush as the main attraction, plus, the Ian Thomas Band (Painted Ladies) and The Stampeders (Sweet City Woman.) All three bands were popluar Canadian acts at the time, but Rush was the only one headlining 10,000 - 15,000 seaters. The performance was "lip synched" but still cool to see. Rush did AFTK, Xanadu and Closer to the Heart.

Nice... thanks! This was from a time when Yes was probably the best band in the world... at least as far as progressive rock bands go.

U2 lost me right after The Joshua Tree. I think Bono got a little too cool for me... the dude still puts on a hell of a show though...

I went to see Ron James, a popular comedian up here in Canada. I think the tickets were $55 or so... I have to say it was well worth it. He was so funny I nearly peed my pants... (Actually, I think a little bit of pee actually did come out at one point.) You're welcome....

Actually, with all this talk about The Unforgettable Fire - I got the urge to listen to the album again. I just finished it. And, I have to say that "Bad" is THE best U2 song of ALL time. Listen to that song... listen to the power in the voice of that young (22 years old) Bono. Un effing believable.

Mika, you just FOUND a better job.. you're a writer / psychologist! (At least I'm assuming that you're not one already)... You and Cygnus Gal should get together and write a damn Rush book! I'd buy it... Would I get a Rush Forum Member discount?? I'll pick four songs now, as I don't have an I Pod nor do I have all the Rush tunes lined up in "random" mode... 1 - Circumstances - holy shit... if people knew what my goddam life has been like! Up and down like a toilet seat! Circumstances, indeed. Some good, some not. 2 - Working Man - That's my life... self - employed, so if I don't work, I don't eat. Simple. 3 - Tears - I won't get into any detail here... just trust me. 4 - Tom Sawyer - Kind of the under-dog and I always bounce back, not afraid to tell people to go and **** themselves! Thanks for the cool post - now go get writing!

It's a pretty good snap shot of where the band was at the time. But, yes, it's kind of short... I don't think U2 was anything special until The Unforgettable Fire came out. I think that is, by far, their best album. "Wire" and "The Unforgettable Fire" are two KILLER tracks... they paved the way for Joshua. Thanks to Daniel Lanois and Mr Eno...

1 - Hemispheres (Rush) 2 - Close to the Edge (Yes) 3 - Foxtrot - (Genesis) 4 - A Farewell to Kings (Rush) 5 - Octavarium - (Dream Theater) 6 - Animals (Floyd) 7 - Fragile (Yes) 8 - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (Genesis) 9 - Permanent Waves (Rush) 10 - Selling England by the Pound (Genesis) I am right and everyone else is wrong... kind of, but not really.

I'll bet a dozen donuts that their management has a bunch of reasonably good video footage from'77 - '80 locked away somewhere. I'll bet TWO dozen donuts that if they released a full length DVD of some of it, it would fly off the shelves.