BigMontanaSKY

Wouldn't base any judgements on ONE gig during a tour. Alex could have just had a bad day.(though he seems to be the moody one when something goes wrong.) That said I watched about 85 percent of the tour on periscope and saw 3 of those gigs myself and if took them about half of the tour to get in shape and they really didn't start humming until about two-thirds of the way through. At times it was painful for me to watch, Seems that both Alex and Neil went heavy on the extra curriculars and Geddy admitted being low key staying in his room and going above and beyond to protect his voice so he was the one who seemed to be sacrificing the most and yet he did seem to be the happiest, at least to me. Well Geddy Lee likes what he does. Also- I used to play a bunch of the riffs from Permanent Waves. They *feel* heavy to play...maybe Lifeson was just communicating his mindset through his expression. In the Rush concerts I've been to he always appeared gleeful. & Nothing against Neil but he's been apparently "wishy washy" on touring since the late 1980s. NOT in any dramatic Axl Rose style that invites bad gossip. It's a thing that has been talked about..... & Lastly not all of us look thrilled all day at work. If so people would get increasingly scared about why any given person would be smiling and laughing all day. In some cultures that's a sign of mental problems.

IMO you're reading too much into this. ALL of the band members have made polite statements that they all understand the tours are for financial enrichment of both themselves and the employees they hire to put the tour on. In the music business the almighty dollar is the ultimate decider about whether an act even tours anywhere, and then personal preferences of both artists and investors are considered. If you read about the recent history of high earning musical acts, there's some serious friction that happens before major decisions are made. I'm not going to name drop but some of the funniest urban legends in rock music have to do with long running grudges and disagreements between performers and their management.

Oh definitely. He probably will. This was a cute story. I've been poor enough in the past to hit up the pawn shop for $ and it's not always a great experience. I am glad he got a great return on that venture.

"Animate" & the rest of Counterparts

Lovely!

Vegas residency for sure.

My music teacher disliked "Presto"- he always preferred the "occult" style Rush albums. IMO the albums are reflections of the times and a collective expression of the band's creative thoughts.

Due to my life experiences and age, I tend to view Rush fans as people who are always seeking more out of life (in constructive ways, not crack cocaine party 48 hour hotel room destroying bender ways...) The music definitely got me away from accepting the terrible things happening around me (drug addicted relatives, getting pregnant as a teen, staying in poverty.) I was seeking a life of a higher standard and the music was one pathway to it.

Speaking as a younger Rush fan and someone who has middle aged Canadian friends- They were offering something different to the public and that used to be a great thing- the golden age of music as art is over but back then, innovation could be rewarded. Also in regions where there are long winters, the weather influences a lot of music and people are "cooped up" socializing and sharing music/books/art/experiences. A lot of singer-songwriters take advantage of long dull winters to stay inside and hone their craft. The phrase "Zeppelin knockoff" is actually a compliment because Zep was unique, with no one really understanding how big the wave of British Heavy Metal was going to get. (Zep was also controversial, but that's another topic.)

An omlette

MAD was "the t*ts" …..sigh. That magazine was a huge influence on me.....

…..my dog pooped in the bathroom. I didn't know whether to be proud or frustrated with him...ha ha