ctbadger

Love the solo on Anesthetize, it fits the song really well.

Too bad the band didn't do this for every stop on the tour. I would have snapped one up in Boston NQA...

I wish I understood more about how it all works. Does this mean they can use their music for commercials without their permission? They sold their music catalog (Ray did) in January for somewhere in the vicinity of $25,000,000.00. I think that does mean that their music can now be used for anything without their permission. Or I think that Ole is now the owner and can grant or refuse permission. 2016 presidential candidates take note!

If you want a close up look of Geddy's basslines you have to check out Troy on You Tube. Here's Digital Man:

I was mowing the lawn earlier this week with the lawn tractor listening to Chicago 1981 and did the "air ding." I think my neighbor saw me...

Alex does! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRw9wlOZ9Lg True. I guess that shouldn't surprise anyone because Alex is a wack job! BTW, I dig that tiny bass Geddy used...lol The Steinberger bass. I really wish he brought that back for R40 and played it during DEW or BTW.

If that's his name. Hopefully we see some concert footage! My wife is a big fan of the show and I'm not telling her about the special guests.

Reading all of these reviews makes me really appreciate that I discovered Rush in 1983 and have been fortunate to see them live 20 times over the years. I can't imagine how much of a bummer it must be to have discovered them late in their career and think about what you had missed. Keep 'em coming!

I love the song, the live version even more due to the way Alex changes his playing style in the second verse. I'm not a guitar player so I don't know the technical term but on the studio version he plays shorter notes in both verses. Live, the notes ring out longer in the second verse.

Yes if you just want "ooo this is great" or "I love it" comments. I'm not seeing much conversation on things in the Rush groups I'm in on Facebook. It's a lot like here. What is your favorite song/album/guitar solo/etc. threads abound. Some of the liking of the books is preference, sure, but there is such a thing as good plot development/structure, proper use of syntax, interesting, well developed characters which Clockwork Angels the novel doesn't really have. It's written very simply in a teen fiction style, which is fine if that is the audience. It was never presented that way. Spot on. If I were 15 I probably would have loved the book. At 46 I expect more from what I read.

That might be more true if it were written by Neil, but since KJA wrote the story itself, you can't even blame it on that. He's known to be a pretty poor writer in the general sci-fi world, so when I heard he had anything to do with the book, I didn't expect much and didn't get much either. Pure hackery. As I've mentioned before his crowbarred-in Rush references were jarring to me, and actually detracted from what little enjoyment I received from reading CA. Anderson should be on his knees every day thanking his preferred deity that Neil has partnered with him. Given how erudite Neil is I continue to be puzzled at what he sees in KJA.

I'm glad he hasn't used his blog to shill for his hack author friend.

I cried the first time they played Losing It, I was watching on Periscope and fortunately my wife was upstairs :) The Garden gets me all the time, too, especially the solo. Brilliant. It's not crying but I get strong emotional responses quite a bit to Rush songs, no rhyme or reason but just how a particular song or passage hits me in the moment. You know, that electric thrill that shoots down your spine? My family has been through some challenges over the years and I am absolutely certain the positive emotional response I get from Rush's music has helped me time and time again.

Oh, no, sir...I thought you knew that you were not alone in that. I agree about Presto as well. I agree. But Losing It was about 45 minutes shorter and it hit much less hard considering it was about fictional characters and not illustrative of a band that had fallen so far in under 10 years Fictional? Clearly this refers to Hemingway: The writer stares with glassy eyes Defies the empty page His beard is white, his face is lined And streaked with tears of rage. Thirty years ago how the words would flow With passion and precision But now his mind is dark and dulled By sickness and indecision And he stares out the kitchen door Where the sun will rise no more

Neil's message to his fans has been very clear. Sincere appreciation for the support and the applause, and a big "No, thank you!" for the worship. I agree. Neil has never wanted anything but to be good at what he does. He appreciates the money and the accolades but doesn't like the trappings of fame. He just wants to be a normal guy that plays the drums. He's said as much over the years in interviews and his books. He's put in his time at his "job" and now wants to retire. People shouldn't get mad at him for that, but should appreciate all of the great music we got from him over the years. Apparently, not a lot of people around here pay much attention. I'm just happy that Geddy is in a little better place with the initial shock having worn off. He seems to be processing it a bit better though I'm sure he's more than a little distracted at the moment. It wouldn't surprise me if he was the one that was in the most shock over it being over. He seems a little bit surprised and I don't know if I would call it disappointed but I don't know how he couldn't be. It's been pretty much his band for his entire life. He's the singer and that automatically makes him the one that has gotten the most press. Not that the other two haven't had their notoriety but Neil in particular seems to view it as a get out of jail card. I think he clearly was. (Especially based on his reaction to Neil at the end on 8/1.) He's finally had to deal with reality and I think that part of the reason why he was so off-the-charts awesome this year. He left it all out there despite the likely outcome. I have no doubt that he's gutted and has to come to grips with it. When the dust settles though I think he'll realize that these last 15 years have been such a bonus and probably have been the best years of their career. I may be in the minority on this but I'm still in a celebratory mood about the whole thing. They left us with so much fruity goodness that I really can't look at it any other way. But I'm not in the band (obviously!) so I'm spared the fallout from that. I just feel so lucky to have been along for the ride for all of these years.. To be honest, I really didn't think this last tour was ever going to happen.. I'd thought I'd seen my last Rush show in 2013. There may have been some serious behind the scenes stuff going on to pull it out of the fire. It's possible we'll never really know though. It's seems like such a strange feeling, but I'm really at peace with it. I thought I'd seen my last Rush show in 1997. So everything since then is gravy. Rocket sauce gravy.

are you talking about the guys in the red jumpsuits who always sit on the front row? Yes, I didn't realize they were jumpsuits. I was tired of them by the end of the last video they were in (TMT or CA, can't recall at the moment). They showed them a LOT in the previous release to the point of being tiresome. Let's hope R40 is different.

I know it's weird but there is a part of me that is mad at Neil for being selfish. The rational hemisphere of my brain understands that after 40 years of hard work he wants to retire, and he has earned it. The emotional hemisphere is acting like a spoiled brat - how dare he retire and take that pleasure away from me? I am usually rational, pragmatic and realistic so to me it's strange that I have this little corner of resentment bubbling away...

Another concert video with those South American dudes in red shirts? We've seen enough of them already.

Twenty. 4/1/83 - Hartford Civic Center, Hartford CT. I was 14 and it was my first rock concert. Countdown hooked me for life. 12/7/85 - New Haven Coliseum, New Haven CT 4/5/88 - Mecca Arena, Milwaukee WI 11/10/91 - Bradley Center, Milwaukee WI 3/14/92 - New Haven Coliseum, New Haven CT 4/24/94 - Hartford Civic Center, Hartford CT 11/10/96 - Hartford Civic Center, Hartford CT 6/23/97 - Great Woods Amphitheater, Mansfield MA (partially recorded for Different Stages) 6/28/02 - Meadows Music Theater, Hartford CT (1st show of Vapor Trails!) 7/12/02 - Great Woods Amphitheater, Mansfield MA 11/8/02 - Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville CT 8/6/04 - Meadows Music Theater, Hartford CT 7/9/07 - Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville CT 8/8/07 - Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison CO (passed by Neil on his motorcycle in Rocky Mountain National Park) 5/10/08 - Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas NV 6/15/08 - Great Woods Amphitheater, Mansfield MA 7/7/08 - Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville CT 7/19/10 - Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville CT 10/10/12 - Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport CT 6/23/15 - Boston Garden, Boston MA

Every time I hear that song I think of the scene at the dive bar in Airplane!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! So much quicker now...

I hope the rest of the show is like this. Great mix, great video. I can watch without the fear of swallowing my tongue, as it were.

Not on Twitter. What did he say? His tweet: "Neil Peart breaks down his R40 Live drum solo for Classic Rock http://www.rushisaband.com/blog/2015/09/10/4467/Neil-Peart-breaks-down-his-R40-Live-drum-solo-for-Classic-Rock …... I was a little disappointed to be thrown under bus." Ouch.

Rivendell, hands down. Especially when compared to the far superior LoTR-inspired tune Ramble On. Tears and Madrigal aren't far behind. Rush and ballads do not mix.

If you loved Goodnight Moon and If You Give A Mouse a Cookie, this book is for you (though there are a few more Rush references awkwardly thrown in.) It is a silly concept on the fifth grade reading level.. But, I'm sure it could make the top 10 Scholastic books of the month. (#8 perhaps) I think I was a page or two in before I started making faces at all of the corny song references. I have to say this is one of the worst sci-fi books that I have ever read. I would have stopped reading after the first few pages except I wanted to see if it ever developed into anything. Unfortunately it didn't. Owen Hardy is such a bland personality that you just want to slap him. It was jarring every time I ran across a lyric that Anderson crowbarred into the text. What I can't understand is why Neil gives him the time of day, given his intelligence and the far more sophisticated books he's read.