Bard

If that's all you know, I know more than you, spud. Time will prove one of us wrong. :) If it's you, send a letter to Rush apologizing for all your illegal bootlegging. If it's me...well, it isn't me, so I won't have to do much. :) Now here's a prime example, Lorraine, of a fella havin' trouble with his mortality. ;)

Chilling in the backyard with the grandkids plunking an acoustic is a bit different than cranking a double neck in front of 20 thousand screamin' fans in the hot lights and sweaty arena stank. :) His arthritis only gets worse the more he plays. That's how arthritis rolls. It's a bitch. Ever take a close look at Eddie Van Halen's knuckles? It ain't pretty. There's a reason.

It is very hard. We were there when all of these bands first began, and here they are old men, some of whom (thinking especially of the ghastly Robert Plant) now bear a faint (if any) resemblance to their younger self. And I'm not a teenager anymore either. :codger: No less for me, chica. I friggin' hate this getting old thing. And seeing my favorite bands fade away - by necessity, choice, or force - isn't fun either. As is watching all these TV and movie actors we grew up with, kick the bucket. The 'net has given us a wide window into literally watching our age turn to dust. It's unsettling. Informative. But unsettling. Plant still brings the goods, chica! Just saw him live a month or two ago. Outstanding stuff. He looks pretty good for a geezer. :)

As usual he is talking out his arse. I'm curious though to see if he's got this one right. Overall he's being a real killjoy here on the forum :( Am I? Well, the good news is, we only have a few days left before these premises become a lot less crowded. I won't be coming back after Friday evening. No need for visits to a fan forum after Saturday. So breathe easier, ye keepers of the flame. Your online hopes will soon be unfettered with nasty realists. :) Bard, I know you think you know it all, but sometimes you state things so bluntly without really telling what you (may) know. Let those of us who still want to dream in your opinion just dream :) That's also what being a fan is about. I know that sooner or later they'll 'quit their jobs'. But if two out of three are not completley done yet who knows what might be in store. With or without Neil in tow :) And, what you're leaving TRF after Friday evening? You just give up? It's still fun to hang around here :cheers: Yes, even when they're done (touring). Alex is playing in pain. Rest assured, he'll be taking a nice long break from playing the guitar. It's not just Neil that wants to gracefully step out of the spotlights. 1 of 3 will be interested in recording. A solo record from Dirk is very probable. There may even be a humble club tour behind it. I don't really see it as blunt. It's simple realism. Admittedly, I get impatient with the fanboyism, that's on me. But after reading so much self gratuitous opinions (these 'hopes' are often founded in seemingly base human greed - i.e., "I want more Rush and I don't care if they want/need to retire or not"), it gets old. Wish the Canucks well and if they decide to come out in a few years for a couple nights at Madison Square Garden, great. But expecting more touring is pretty selfish, given what they've already given to the fanbase. Far more than the usual. Rush fans are a spoiled lot. You want to be a really frustrated fan? Try heralding Van Halen. Or the Police. Or the Kinks. Or Guns n Roses. One might rightfully say that the only two bands on the planet who've consistently given to the fanbase time and time again consistently for the last 30 years are Rush and U2. I definitely don't know much. Much less know 'it all.' But I know Rush's last official touring show is on Saturday. And no, I don't stick around message boards when bands are retiring. Two of my three favorite bands are retiring this year. It's a sign of the times. My era is passing. That's why so many people are resistant. Nobody likes staring mortality in the face. Especially when the internet literally shows us these fades step by step, page by page, year by year.

As usual he is talking out his arse. I'm curious though to see if he's got this one right. Overall he's being a real killjoy here on the forum :( Am I? Well, the good news is, we only have a few days left before these premises become a lot less crowded. I won't be coming back after Friday evening. No need for visits to a fan forum after Saturday. So breathe easier, ye keepers of the flame. Your online hopes will soon be unfettered with nasty realists. :)

As usual he is talking out his arse. Are you sure? :) Time will tell. ;) Haha. If Neil comes out to take a trio bow with Ged and Al, I predict a lotta fanboys crying on this forum. :) Luckily, no such thing will occur. But one last deep cut outta the blue? Possible. :)

some Dave Davies love...finally! also a great songwriter. Death of a Clown, Strangers, Rats, Mindless Child of Motherhood, Party Line, Livin on a Thin Line... Hell yeah. Without the Kinks, much of classic or modern rock wouldn't exist. The ever underrated bannermen of the British Invasion. Those other Limeys, the Fab Four and the yardbirds and the Stones, they always get all the credit. Ray and Dave Davies are beyond question two of the finest songwriters in history. They almost made a 50 year reunion happen this last year, but Ray and Dave still hate each others' guts and Dave took a hit on his dexterity after the stroke, but he came back well enough to keep jamming, it seems. Still, I figure if Sting and Copeland could get back for a one-off Police reunion after 30 years, I'm hoping the Kinks might do the same. It's a little late, but they're not dead yet at least. Ray wants to do it, but Dave, not as much. :)

Not even in the top 20 deep cuts they COULD play live. :)

I think you might be overrating Schenker a tad for Mt. Rushmore. ;) I dig Michael myself. And his brother, and all the German boys in the Scorpions past and present, Matthias, Rudy, Uli. They are absolutely worthy and rank in the very top of hard rock axemen. But in the top five over SRV? Or Howe? Or Lifeson? David Gilmour? Joe Perry? Dave Davies? I dunno. ;)

I like Joe when he's playing with others....like the Chickenfoot outfit he did with Sammy Hagar. But as a solo artist....virtuoso style...like many others of that genre...focuses too much on technique and showboating. Not enough soul.

Because it's an awesome song. Great lyrics, violin is haunting and soulful, and it's totally F'n relevant for this tour, even if it should have been played last tour. Rush has better songs, is my point. :) If they wanna break out a deep cut once or twice on a tour, there are, IMO, better offerings. On Signals alone. :)

well said Stevie Ray was unbelievable I saw one of his last shows when he was co-billing with Jeff Beck shortly before the 'copter crash. :( I drove down from undergrad at CSU Chico to Arco Arena in Sacramento with a couple buddies. Beck opened that night. He was amazing. But SRV? Words fail. And we didn't have great seats. Didn't matter. Stevie was utterly magnificent. Didn't miss a beat. Flowed like honey. Like it was nothing. Like he'd been playing for thousands of years, and each note was new. Staggering. I maintain to this day...despite having more preferred personal guitarists like EVH, I will defend to my dying day that nobody on earth has ever played a guitar with more soul than Stevie Ray Vaughn. When you have a guy that makes Hendrix songs his own...you know you got something beyond there. :)

I was at the San Bernardino show. Dave actually delivered the right goods for the first time since he rejoined in '07. And Ed was on fire. That said, they definitely seem to have decreased in potency in subsequent shows.

Once again....it's always the same four guys, and then the 5th guy is usually personal preference. You gotta take out the godfathers like Les Paul and Chuck Berry. They're a class unto which few can be inducted, so that's a different animal...and if you take out the solo virtuosos like Vai or Satriani or Bonamassa or Di Meola or whom have you, the first 4 are virtually indisputable. :) Hendrix Clapton Page EVH Stevie Ray

No contest. EVH. Beck was an innovator. EVH was a game changer. In the stratosphere of the elitist of the elite axemen, it all comes down to the same 5 guys. 4, really, and the 5th position often slides to the subjective. But for me, it's always the same five guys....technique, innovation, ability to PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS (in other words, not just cruise the soloist circuit ala Vai or Malmsteen or Satriani or Di Meola or Bonamassa, which is why I take them outta play when it comes to ranking), and most of all, soul. Some play sloppier than others, some play more technical, some rip off each other and the godfathers like Les Paul or Chuck Berry and whom have you, but it's always the same 5 guys. :) Hendrix Clapton Page Van Halen Stevie Ray

Honestly, there are about a hundred other Rush songs I'd rather hear in LA than Losing It. LOL, I honestly I have no idea why that song is so revered. And I love Signals. It's my fave Rush album. There are at least 5 other Signals tracks I'd rather hear than Losing It. I have heard rumblings that the Forum gig will get an outta the blue shocker one-time-only deep cut. I've even heard what it might be. Hint. C.P. ;)

Ain't that always the way. :) Irvine is even more sold out than the Forum. I figure it's 'cause Irvine seats were by and large a lot cheaper than Inglewood.

I also have resale tickets for the LA gig. Not worried a bit. That's how they set it up. Once the new buyer purchases the resale tickets, the old seller is completely removed from the equation except for their payment from TM. No chance of them ripping you off by going with the old ticket they were issued. I agree that last minute face value seats are usually the way to go. But not this show. With RushCon in LA, plus it being the last Rush show on their last tour...I'm actually surprised there's any seats left at all at the Forum. But what is left...sheesh. Front row center for 10k a ticket? No show is worth that. Even if you had the money. :) Still, there's a few upper bowl seats left for under 300. Ouch. We ended up getting some nice box seats on the upper level, would've preferred being closer, but what needs must be done.

Nah, man, it's straight up through TM. Once purchased, the original ticket bar codes are automatically invalidated, and new ones are issued for the new owner. No chance of duplicates. It's all good. The problem is the markup, LOL. :)

No, they won't. But it's your prerogative to believe otherwise. Ask yourself. What happens if they don't? Nothing, that's what. You'll keep living your life. And so will they. What happens if they don't? Then they don't. My life continues unabated. Just dont say its a sure thing if no one else hasn't. He's just being a troll. Alex himself said most likely there is another album or two. To what purpose would I have in asserting what the evidence presented this year has indicated? Only realities. You guys want to play the idealism card, that's your right. But you don't get to cry about it later if you do. Remember. :) None of us know what's going to happen, including you. I'm just basing my opinion on recent interviews with Alex. This coming Saturday at the forum will mark my 60th Rush show. If it is indeed the end, I am fulfilled. I do know. And FOH knows. And some select few know. The band knows, too. I'll be at the Forum show myself. The Last Rush Show. History.

\ LOL, this guy. Maybe you should ask for a personal concert in your backyard while you're at it. :)

Well, good luck with that. Nothing in the band's history suggests they are even remotely capable or willing to make a big deal about becoming retirees.,

No, they won't. But it's your prerogative to believe otherwise. Ask yourself. What happens if they don't? Nothing, that's what. You'll keep living your life. And so will they. What happens if they don't? Then they don't. My life continues unabated. Just dont say its a sure thing if no one else hasn't. He's just being a troll. Alex himself said most likely there is another album or two. To what purpose would I have in asserting what the evidence presented this year has indicated? Only realities. You guys want to play the idealism card, that's your right. But you don't get to cry about it later if you do. Remember. :)

No, they won't. But it's your prerogative to believe otherwise. Ask yourself. What happens if they don't? Nothing, that's what. You'll keep living your life. And so will they. What happens if they don't? Then they don't. My life continues unabated. Just dont say its a sure thing if no one else hasn't. Again...they're not going to say it outright. They're allowing for possible future appearances, that's all. If you can't interpret what's been said to date, that's on you. You're one of the many folks hereabouts who won't believe it until they take out a full page ad in the New York Times with the headline We Are Done. :)

No, they won't. But it's your prerogative to believe otherwise. Ask yourself. What happens if they don't? Nothing, that's what. You'll keep living your life. And so will they. I knew u would jump all over that. Like a bee to a honeycomb or another similie I won't make here. You mean metaphor. :) Proclamations are great and all, but hopes and predictions are not backed up by evidence. The reasons why retirement is at hand are.