coventry

Really...? Is it because a 'best of' setlist would be too mundane for you? Or a 'deep cuts' setlist may be.... too deep for you? Or whatever Rush plans on playing, including A/B alternates, may just be not to your liking, at least not enough to attend the show? I can understand how a certain setlist could greatly enhance your concert experience.... ...but to have the setlist alone, determine if you are attending or not... I think you should save your money and spin your favorites at home. I attempted to tolerate the Time Machine setlist and left 3/4 the way through. A generous pee-break couldn't save the experience either. So, yes, the setlist is the defining factor should I attend the show or not. Could care less about any accoutrements to "enhance" the show unless they complement the older material. Well, like Bobby Brown, that's your prerogative. A 41-year old band with over 150 tunes is bound to displease a bunch of people. They'll also please a lot more. How old is the "older material"? Are we talking pre-Signals here? That means you champion 1/4 of the band's history while discounting the majority of their career. I mean, at this stage, RTB is "older material", and even T4E is almost 20 years old.

That you all scored Saturday feeding-frenzy tickets I think is even greater odds than the mail order lottery! Congratulations! I don't know which show I'll get (I only put in for one show), but it'll be the GA Pit section. Good times.

I understand the band plans to invite you to rehearsals so you can see the setlist firsthand, because your attendance is REALLY important to them. They're actually pretty nervous about it as they'd be forced to consider canceling the tour if you couldn't attend. :( Well, imo, they should simply cancel any tour plans if its a continuation of a tour with the SOS. I mean, seriously, at this stage of the game its now or never- pull out the big guns or go into fckin' retirement. Who has the time or patience for them adhering to old philosophies regarding tour protocol? "Oh, we'll never do a greatest hits tour like all those down-and-out loser bands". Get over yourselves, ffs. If Rush won't perform a setlist worthy of representing songs crucial to their development and success and satisfying their "deepest" fans, then they've lost any remaining integrity they have left. They're limited to playing songs that Geddy can actually sing. Unfortunately that eliminates much of their earlier work. Most "old Rush good/new Rush bad" fans have trouble understanding or accepting that, and they get flustered when they don't play all of Hemispheres. Problem is, "old Rush" fans have a cutoff of Signals (1982), some 33 years ago.

I understand the band plans to invite you to rehearsals so you can see the setlist firsthand, because your attendance is REALLY important to them. They're actually pretty nervous about it as they'd be forced to consider canceling the tour if you couldn't attend. :( Well, imo, they should simply cancel any tour plans if its a continuation of a tour with the SOS. I mean, seriously, at this stage of the game its now or never- pull out the big guns or go into fckin' retirement. Who has the time or patience for them adhering to old philosophies regarding tour protocol? "Oh, we'll never do a greatest hits tour like all those down-and-out loser bands". Get over yourselves, ffs. If Rush won't perform a setlist worthy of representing songs crucial to their development and success and satisfying their "deepest" fans, then they've lost any remaining integrity they have left. Seriously? Um, how much "integrity" have they lost, iyho? Please, do tell. That is, after you get done dressing down the band for their lack of set creativity and selfish nonconformity.

I actually scored lottery tickets for one of the shows. I could take the family on a comfortable vacation for how much those tickets are being offered for on Stubhub and other resale sites. I won't, of course, but the demand was insane. It helped that I created a kick-ass watercolor/mixed-media mailing envelope for my lottery request.

Its all about reciprocity. Give-give = Win-win. Imo Rush has failed to keep up their end of the equation. As you can tell by the lackluster reception their music has been getting and how sparsely attended their shows are

I don't think Rush has ever been too vocal about the synergy and connection with their fandom. Outside of Geddy's shout-out to the "Glaswegian chorus" on the ESL liner notes and the surprised acknowledgment of how rabid the Brazilian fans were on the R30 documentary, this has been a band who has for the most part remained aloof and distant from the fans that created them. I don't think they "owe" us anything. They've filled the last 26 years of my life with indelible music. That's all I could ask for. This idea that we as hardcore fans "deserve" something seems self-entitled.

My point exactly. Those of us here in the States ARE getting a chance to get seats, no matter how far away from the stage, to see a show from a band that's been in part or in whole our soundtrack for many years. Those equally passionate fans in other parts of the world who may not even get the chance to try to get good seats - or any seats at all - are the ones I feel have a legit gripe.

I remember living in England in the early 90's and seeing a "Countdown" single lp in a Loughborough record store. It had a photo of the Columbia taking off on the cover. My 19-year old self just didn't see the value in it. My 40-year old self does. My 40-year old self would also like kick my 19-year old self's ass every now and then.

My butt's worth at least that much, if not more.

"Headlong Flight" is probably the best song since "The Big Money". It's the one Rush tune produced since 1981 that could serve as a show closer.

you say that about every band you find. , Tull... :dweez: Tull wrote epics far beyond the abilities of Rush's best work. So did Yes. I love Rush, but the more I discover from that era the less impressed I am with their early work. I still love them, but Close To The Edge, Thick As Brick, Topographic Oceans, Leftoverture and even The Grand Illusion and Pieces Of Eight have left a bigger impression on me than the likes of Hems, FBN or even my beloved CoS. But I don't see that as a bad thing. Rush will always be a phenomenal band, and I remain a massive fan, and I never would have given these other bands a chance if it hadn't been for Rush. Thick as a Brick was written to almost spoof the epic. I find it unlistenable, truthfully, which is what Ian said about it in an interview a few years ago. I think Rush tired of writing "epics" after 2112 and moved on. Yeah, thank GOD that Hemispheres was radio worthy.... :laughing guy: Crap. That totally slipped my mind. Touche.

Good thing he had a full crew with him for his epic casual drive So. This is what the idle rich do. Well, when they're not whining about touring.

you say that about every band you find. , Tull... :dweez: Tull wrote epics far beyond the abilities of Rush's best work. So did Yes. I love Rush, but the more I discover from that era the less impressed I am with their early work. I still love them, but Close To The Edge, Thick As Brick, Topographic Oceans, Leftoverture and even The Grand Illusion and Pieces Of Eight have left a bigger impression on me than the likes of Hems, FBN or even my beloved CoS. But I don't see that as a bad thing. Rush will always be a phenomenal band, and I remain a massive fan, and I never would have given these other bands a chance if it hadn't been for Rush. Thick as a Brick was written to almost spoof the epic. I find it unlistenable, truthfully, which is what Ian said about it in an interview a few years ago. I think Rush tired of writing "epics" after 2112 and moved on.

This. Arena rock only has a few big players still in the game. Otherwise, rock is playing amps, sheds, and casinos from 2-10k capacity. 20k arenas, or 90k stadiums, a handful at best can properly play those venues anymore. As music becomes more niche-oriented and more accessible - and more visual in terms of youtube and such - then that collective draw is becoming more rare. U2? Katy Perry? One Direction? Who else could fill the Meadowlands or a 60K-capacity stadium? But that's also an extreme. Few bands in history could consistently fill that large of a venue.

I agree, Lorraine. Like I posted before, there are a bunch of good artists out there. I'd love to catch Sufjan Stevens when he comes around. Or The National. Or a few really good jazz artists. But I often wonder whether any of these artists would trigger the instant, "must-have" reaction in me when it comes to tickets. Phish does, but the other artists I mentioned in this post and others don't really, certainly not to the same degree. Tears For Fears would if they expand their touring. But even they are a dinosaur band, despite the new music.

It's got nothing to do with having a thick skin, Mick; it's about a vocal minority acting as if not getting tickets is personal. I'm not particularly bothered by it any more than any other thread, but I can't sympathize with self-indulgent petulance. And just as there are people on this thread who are calling me out on any number of issues, so too will I call out other members on things I notice. I mean, it's a forum about a rock band, not a religious discussion. I can't speak for everyone, but there really is an issue with some of the shenanigans that venues are pulling this time around. Tickets for me are the same price as they have been in the last 3 tours but my venue is playing games like I've never seen before. They're quite clearly controlling what tickets are being funnelled into the system every few hours. 6 hours to sell out all out every seat except nosebleeds only to have tons of 100 level seats appear in the evening out of thin air? I expect there will be tons of floor seats again next week or when the tour actually gets promoted in the city. I feel it's something legitimately complaining about. Every concert I've been to likely controlled the flow of tickets to a degree but never anything so blatant. I agree that the seat release and the schedule is suspect, but it's a seller's market. We can complain about it all we want; the venue's job is to sell tickets to cover and exceed the cost of the show, overhead, and fees. However they go about legally doing that is up to them. Having said that, I'm not saying I don;t give a shit about those who are unlucky enough not to have scored any seats except distant 300-level ones. It's just, at this stage, it's too early in the game to go into histrionics. I feel for them though. If they just got something decent right off the bat then they could be on with their lives. If I didn't get 100 level tickets I'd probably be checking 3 times per day hoping I'd get some newly released tickets. It would drive me absolutely nuts trying to get my hands on a decent ticket to see my heroes on what might be their last tour. Same thing happened to me in Columbus last tour. Had seats right next to the stage just off the floor. Then they slid the stage back one whole section. This tour, I got on right at 10am, and picked up Section 104 row D. They moved the stage again! Whine! Whine! Gripe! Bitch! This shouldn't affect VIP tickets, or would it? They're supposed to be within a certain amount of rows from the stage, regardless of where they move it. This kind of tinkering with seats almost seems illegal except the venue carefully inserts that "conditional, we-can-move-seats-as-needed" clause into their sales contract. It's definitely not in good faith, just as the relentless scalping and massive resellling goes against the grain of artistry as well. I wonder what would happen if the band suddenly said "we've changed our minds and decided not to tour?" Would the tickets be refunded? They'd have to be. The venue would be refunded the fee they paid Rush. Then again, who knows what contractual stipulations are in those sort of contracts. Still, if Rush had to bail for whatever reason, fans would get a full refund back. Especially if there were no hope of reschedule. It's got nothing to do with having a thick skin, Mick; it's about a vocal minority acting as if not getting tickets is personal. I'm not particularly bothered by it any more than any other thread, but I can't sympathize with self-indulgent petulance. And just as there are people on this thread who are calling me out on any number of issues, so too will I call out other members on things I notice. I mean, it's a forum about a rock band, not a religious discussion. I can't speak for everyone, but there really is an issue with some of the shenanigans that venues are pulling this time around. Tickets for me are the same price as they have been in the last 3 tours but my venue is playing games like I've never seen before. They're quite clearly controlling what tickets are being funnelled into the system every few hours. 6 hours to sell out all out every seat except nosebleeds only to have tons of 100 level seats appear in the evening out of thin air? I expect there will be tons of floor seats again next week or when the tour actually gets promoted in the city. I feel it's something legitimately complaining about. Every concert I've been to likely controlled the flow of tickets to a degree but never anything so blatant. I agree that the seat release and the schedule is suspect, but it's a seller's market. We can complain about it all we want; the venue's job is to sell tickets to cover and exceed the cost of the show, overhead, and fees. However they go about legally doing that is up to them. Having said that, I'm not saying I don;t give a shit about those who are unlucky enough not to have scored any seats except distant 300-level ones. It's just, at this stage, it's too early in the game to go into histrionics. I feel for them though. If they just got something decent right off the bat then they could be on with their lives. If I didn't get 100 level tickets I'd probably be checking 3 times per day hoping I'd get some newly released tickets. It would drive me absolutely nuts trying to get my hands on a decent ticket to see my heroes on what might be their last tour. Agreed! And idk, but part of the thrill IS checking for tickets all the time; even going to the venue box office during the day to see if something comes up. I'm not saying it's a really fun time, but it's a necessary step in this pseudo-sordid game.

"The Big Money" has a visceral solo, one of Alex's best.

I'd still love to see Gordon, though. Was spinning one of his Songbook cd's today, as a matter of fact.

It's got nothing to do with having a thick skin, Mick; it's about a vocal minority acting as if not getting tickets is personal. I'm not particularly bothered by it any more than any other thread, but I can't sympathize with self-indulgent petulance. And just as there are people on this thread who are calling me out on any number of issues, so too will I call out other members on things I notice. I mean, it's a forum about a rock band, not a religious discussion. I can't speak for everyone, but there really is an issue with some of the shenanigans that venues are pulling this time around. Tickets for me are the same price as they have been in the last 3 tours but my venue is playing games like I've never seen before. They're quite clearly controlling what tickets are being funnelled into the system every few hours. 6 hours to sell out all out every seat except nosebleeds only to have tons of 100 level seats appear in the evening out of thin air? I expect there will be tons of floor seats again next week or when the tour actually gets promoted in the city. I feel it's something legitimately complaining about. Every concert I've been to likely controlled the flow of tickets to a degree but never anything so blatant. I agree that the seat release and the schedule is suspect, but it's a seller's market. We can complain about it all we want; the venue's job is to sell tickets to cover and exceed the cost of the show, overhead, and fees. However they go about legally doing that is up to them. Having said that, I'm not saying I don;t give a shit about those who are unlucky enough not to have scored any seats except distant 300-level ones. It's just, at this stage, it's too early in the game to go into histrionics.

Same thing happened to me in Columbus last tour. Had seats right next to the stage just off the floor. Then they slid the stage back one whole section. This tour, I got on right at 10am, and picked up Section 104 row D. They moved the stage again! Whine! Whine! Gripe! Bitch! This shouldn't affect VIP tickets, or would it? They're supposed to be within a certain amount of rows from the stage, regardless of where they move it. This kind of tinkering with seats almost seems illegal except the venue carefully inserts that "conditional, we-can-move-seats-as-needed" clause into their sales contract. It's definitely not in good faith, just as the relentless scalping and massive resellling goes against the grain of artistry as well.

Lots of artists: Phish, Umphreys, The Yellowjackets, The National, Jaime Cullum, War on Drugs, Mars Volta, Chris Issak, etc. There's always good, quality music out there to be enjoyed. Lest I sound pollyanna and pompous, of those listed above, only Phish will bring me to the emotional level that Rush does; the rest are various stages of enjoyment and appreciation and "must sees" in their own right.

You missed my point. And one of my previous posts where I refuted your OP. You can get quite good sound with a system that costs no more than two Rush VIP Gold tickets. Maybe you should understand how vinyl playback works before you go trashing it.

Same thing happened to me in Columbus last tour. Had seats right next to the stage just off the floor. Then they slid the stage back one whole section. This tour, I got on right at 10am, and picked up Section 104 row D. They moved the stage again! Whine! Whine! Gripe! Bitch! And yet I can see the whining here. A) It sucks completely. and B) That's deliberate manipulation of a product already bought. Not griping over something never had. (and I'm sorry you were dorked over by the venue)

It's got nothing to do with having a thick skin, Mick; it's about a vocal minority acting as if not getting tickets is personal. I'm not particularly bothered by it any more than any other thread, but I can't sympathize with self-indulgent petulance. And just as there are people on this thread who are calling me out on any number of issues, so too will I call out other members on things I notice. I mean, it's a forum about a rock band, not a religious discussion.