cygnify

though I doubt it, maybe my bud is testing me (and I have failed!) If news of a bluesy Rush tune with extended Lerxst solo hits RIAB, I am f*cked! lol

 

and if there's no bluesy Rush tune with extended solo on the record, he was f*cked me twice! lol

 

But seriously, he had no reason to mislead me, he had just called me to share his extraordinary experience yesterday and show me some of the photos he took... that is all.

QUOTE (likeclockwork @ Apr 17 2012, 08:20 PM)

QUOTE (cygnify @ Apr 17 2012, 03:17 PM) OK, I have to be careful with this, and I am sure some will call bullshit, but I know somebody personally who has heard another one of the songs.  I have no reason to doubt this friend, but he is a professional recording Engineer and works with people very closely associated with certain members of Rush.  In fact, he was in the same room with one of them yesterday (and showed me indisputable photos to prove it.)  Anyway, for what it worth, he said he did not hear keys in the song he heard - and he described it as a long bluesy song with an extended guitar solo.  He thinks it is the last song on the disc.  I did not press him for any more details, but I thought that was interesting.  Take it for what it's worth.  And if he happens to read this, I hope he'll forgive me for being unable to contain my excitement for the new release and share this little nugget.  I think I was reasonably discreet.  :-) The last song is The Garden and this description definitely does not describe that song at all.   I've been fortunate enough to hear more than half the album and I haven't yet heard any song that can be described like this. Interesting. Don't know what I can say -   In addition to being a pretty successful recording Engineer, my friend is also a guitarist and Lerxst freak. I can only say that he has provided me "inside" information previously that was 100% accurate. He works professionally with people that have recorded with members of Rush and is credited on various CDs. He was extremely excited to hear the song, but he said the arrangement didn't have alot to it - thus the comparison to a "bluesy" song. But he did say the solo was great and "extended" He was under the impression that it was the last song on the disc (I don't know why) but he only heard this song. Of what he told me, that is the only thing I can comment on.   Sorry to have "disappeared" but I can't hang around here all day!

OK, I have to be careful with this, and I am sure some will call bullshit, but I know somebody personally who has heard another one of the songs. I have no reason to doubt this friend, but he is a professional recording Engineer and works with people very closely associated with certain members of Rush. In fact, he was in the same room with one of them yesterday (and showed me indisputable photos to prove it.) Anyway, for what it worth, he said he did not hear keys in the song he heard - and he described it as a long bluesy song with an extended guitar solo. He thinks it is the last song on the disc. I did not press him for any more details, but I thought that was interesting. Take it for what it's worth.

 

And if he happens to read this, I hope he'll forgive me for being unable to contain my excitement for the new release and share this little nugget. I think I was reasonably discreet. :-)

I have mixed feelings about the new BluRay...

 

PROS:

* great crowd

* a certain excitement to the performance

* documentation of a very good tour (though not my favorite tour in recent years)

*some* cameras have crystal clear footage (see CONS below)

*Parts* of the set list

* Geddy's bass playing is on fire

 

CONS:

* Ged's voice was not in top form

* Neil's drums sound like crap - particularly his kick drum

* Overall mix is very muddy and lacks clarity

(what annoys me about the drum sound is that the clarity is vastly better on Neil's "Taking Center Stage" DVD. Though that was meant to be a drum heavy mix, at least you could hear the details on his ride, etc. whereas on TM it is a wash...other band DVDs were done better!)

* Some camera angles were just flat lousy - I think they had some focus problems with the camera back at the board - many of the full stage straight-on shots are a blur. the "blimp cam" was a neat idea, but the lo-def shots were crappy. They keep throwing in these lousy out of focus shots through out the show.

* some of the video editing was less than optimum. I felt they spent too much time trying to get gimmicky shots and too many really tight close-ups and they missed the larger beauty of the show. For example, of the 6 shows that I saw, I loved the intensity of the "spider" light rig coming down. The video doesn't really capture that very well - in part because they cut away to too many other shots...

* I was bummed they didn't have "I still love you man" at the end. I know it was because they couldn't get the releases they needed to, but still I liked that ending better.

 

Yeah, I know no DVD is perfect, but I think they missed some of the TM magic due to the above. In many ways, I still prefer Snakes and Arrows live as far as Rush live videos. (BTW, my ultimate benchmark for concert videos is Porcupine Tree's Anesthetize - crystal video, tastefully edited, reasonable crowd interaction, immaculate live sound all around, with solid performance, & excellent setlist)

 

 

Every youtube video I've seen, Geddy was singing quite well - probably better than I heard him on this tour. The Presto video above was pitchy - but someone near the camera was singing horribly and I think that gives the impression that Ged was out of tune a bit.

 

I do wonder if they'll fix the flub Neil made coming out of the guitar solo. Ged sorta turns to look at him like "WTF?"

this video shows the extra lights on the crowd:

 

I wonder which show this is from? I didn't see it mentioned anywhere.

QUOTE (D3strukt @ Apr 9 2011, 05:54 AM)

It sounds like he is, as well as on a few other songs?

here's a little postcard that Neil sent me years ago regarding IEM

 

http://andrewolson.com/Neil_Peart/postcards/images/pc2back.jpg

My buddy and I both got our Rush autographs today!

 

sent to the Sunrise show (which we attended) Here's mine:

 

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad352/cygnify/Autographs/RUSH3.jpg

a buddy and I are also losing hope for Sunrise packages....

 

We know they made it to the venue, but it's now 1 week after the show and they haven't shown up (we're in Florida - first class mail should only take 2-3 days.)

QUOTE (FOH Lights @ Apr 6 2011, 08:33 AM)

QUOTE (puscifer @ Apr 6 2011, 07:30 AM) I've noticed in all the new photos of the 2011 Time Machine Tour that Neil is still wearing the headphones as opposed to the in ear monitors.  Has anyone heard if he is still having issues with infection or is this merely by choice?  When I first saw the new pictures of him wearing the headphones I was surprised and wondered if he will in fact wear them for the taping of the Cleveland show.  Here is what was Neil originally said about switching to the headphones. "... The headphones I'm wearing also round off the ear-infection story, for now-or at least suggest the short version. After much experimentation with eardrops, creams, and hypotheses, two excellent doctors, Dr. Buzz Reifman and Dr. David Opperman, persuaded me to visit their clinic in Denver, specializing in "Care of the Professional Voice," but also a musician's ear, nose, and throat problems. Both ears were badly infected, aggravated by wearing the in-ear monitors onstage, and perhaps by wearing earplugs on the motorcycle, too-heat and moisture create a rainforest environment for bacteria, fungus, eczema, and psoriasis. The doctors prescribed a heavy regimen of three different antibiotics, and recommended that I switch to headphones (and no earplugs on the bike, but its Cee Bailey windscreen is pretty quiet). Within a few days, they had given me back two reasonably healthy ears. Never again will I take for granted simply hearing what I'm playing, what the other guys are playing, and-in everyday life-what people are saying to me. ..." The headphones allowed him to hear everything soo much better, that he now prefers them over IEM's. Remember, Neil is not only monitoring himself, but he also has Geddy's and/or Alex's sound increased & decreased MANY times throughout the show, as well as hearing "silent" count offs/ques. Being the consummate perfectionist that he is, if it gives him the ability to play better, he'll do it, regardless of the way the headphones look on him. Have you heard him say that or are you assuming that is the case?   I agree, the cans are better for hearing everything, but I haven't seen Neil make any public statement regarding that.   Can you cite a source where Neil indicates this is his preference for the ongoing tour?

that's cool! You're lucky, I'm still waiting on the photo I sent to Sunrise and I live in FL... hoping it shows tomorrow

Also, just noticed you were on the side of the stage - I wonder if you were getting more stage sound than FOH? Also, perhaps closer to the speakers = less ambient sound (bounce back etc) of the hall

 

hmmm, for sound, I still preferred the outdoor venues (however, I was closer to the stage then too)

 

For lights; indoor is better by far!!!

QUOTE (Todem @ Apr 2 2011, 03:16 PM)

Sound wise it was the absolute best I had ever heard them. Fellow musician and audiophile here as well. We sat right next to Alex on the side of the stage. The sound was crystal clear, his bass was a little fat but for the most part punched through. Alex's guitars were insane. Neil played like a beast all night and like you said Geddy's vocals were on point all night. A tremendous show all the way around and Moving Pictures was legendary.....again. TCE was out of this world and red Barchetta cooked as always. But the song that truly blew me away was Caravan. Live this song is on another level. Marathon and Time Stand Still were awe inspiring as well. I truly hope they ditch the sheds and stay indoors. Their shows are meant to be played indoors.

QUOTE (usb_connector @ Apr 2 2011, 02:49 PM)

Nice pics, what kind of camera did you use?

at Sunrise, I clicked a few photos on my little Lumix - and an elderly security guard came up to me all serious - "Sir, I have to tell you that if I see you take one more picture, you will be escorted from the building." As he was telling me this, the people on either side of me were taking a pictures and I could spot about 50 cameras in our immediate vicinity. Poor old dude probably doesn't realize that everyone has cameras - in their cell phones! lol. Anyway, I watched out for him, but still snapped a few shots. The point is, they can be dicks if they choose.

QUOTE (MysticDigital @ Apr 1 2011, 12:00 PM)

I had seats at the back of section 5 on the floor, on Alex's side. I thought the sound was the best sounding Rush concert I've seen in a while. The subs shook my chest, Alex's guitar was flawless, Geddy's bass had a twang to it but I thought it gave it a great sound, vocals perfect, Drums outstanding. All in all it was the best show, sound and visual wise. Great photos, my iPhone did not do as well so I'm glad to see some great shots of a GREAT show. Looking forward to more!

Enjoyed the show last night - though it was far from my favorite Rush show, it was not the worst either. Though it was probably my least favorite of the 5 TM shows I saw...

 

Had decent seats on the floor - just Alex side of center about half way between stage and board. I would have thought the sound would be excellent at that vantage esp for an indoor show. Well, the sound SUCKED! Everyone I was with agreed - we just could not make out the bass. Just a muddy mess. Much worse than other shows I've seen on this tour sound wise. I went to the ear plugs about half way into the first set to try and cut some highs and maybe give more definition (I wear plugs when I play, so I am used to them) but this did not help. Yuck sound.

 

The place was pretty full - the upper bowl was curtained off, but all in all a good size crowd.

 

We had an absolute prick head of an usher, who approached me when I took one pic (I wasn't being obnoxious - maybe took 30 photos all night) and told me "I have to tell you that if I see you take another picture, you will be escorted from the building." This was pretty funny, considering that I could point out about 50 other cameras in our immediate vicinity. I mean, I'm all for watching the show and not being distracted with photos, etc. but to snap a couple pics - give me a f***ing break!

 

Anyway, on to Rush:

 

setlist was the same, as was reported.

 

I noticed some tempos were kicked up a notch (that's good!) Marathon was one in particular that I noticed.

 

Neil's solo did not strike me as much as the prior TM shows in FL or at Red Rocks. It is the same skeleton structure - same ostinatos, with improv over. Didn't feel particularly inspired to me.

 

Neil was wearing headphones - I wonder if he still has the ear issue or if prefers them to the in-ears.

 

MP is always great to see live!

 

Ged's voice sounded very good.

 

Alex shreaded Working Man.

 

A good show, not the best. Still glad I went. Here's some pics including merch (nice baseball shirt, but I'll wait until comes down from $100...):

 

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad352/cygnify/Rush%20in%20Sunrise%20FL%20March%2030%202011/P1150406.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad352/cygnify/Rush%20in%20Sunrise%20FL%20March%2030%202011/P1150374.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad352/cygnify/Rush%20in%20Sunrise%20FL%20March%2030%202011/P1150402.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad352/cygnify/Rush%20in%20Sunrise%20FL%20March%2030%202011/P1150392.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad352/cygnify/Rush%20in%20Sunrise%20FL%20March%2030%202011/P1150410.jpg

 

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad352/cygnify/Rush%20in%20Sunrise%20FL%20March%2030%202011/P1150422.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad352/cygnify/Rush%20in%20Sunrise%20FL%20March%2030%202011/P1150426.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad352/cygnify/Rush%20in%20Sunrise%20FL%20March%2030%202011/P1150427.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad352/cygnify/Rush%20in%20Sunrise%20FL%20March%2030%202011/P1150428.jpg

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad352/cygnify/Rush%20in%20Sunrise%20FL%20March%2030%202011/P1150349.jpg

Interesting - I like reading threads like this - but I could never do one myself! Every time I start thinking about the 114 or so Rush songs, I can't bring myself to say x is better than y is better than z. For example, I really enjoy some of the songs in your bottom 20 and I can't imagine Rush's catalog without them

my photo was delivered at Sunrise today!

 

Fingers crossed!