nhlrush

Too bad blu-ray HD DVD full length concert videos weren't around in the mid 70's.... I tihnk I would be busting out "All the World's A Stage," the DVD version right about now...

interesting take on it.... i am not sure that rush really manipulates things like this, but its true in the fact that if I knew for sure that there was going to be an R40 tour, I would scale back some shows for this spring/summer leg... with Geddy saying there will be no plans for R40, I am trying to figure out how many shows I can get to

5 days betwen shows? oh, that would make it almost impossible to spend two weeks on the road seeing shows....gotten harder with the no back to back shows these days

I think the thought was that this tour ends in early august....they start R40 in sept 2014, that's a year off the stage.... they do 50-60 shows total through spring of 2015, then they take an extended break and take 2015-16 off, returning in 2017... something like that.... I get they need a long break, since their return they've toured 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013..... when you look at it like that....that's a lot of touring.... on the bright side, it seems like at some point down the road, they will create some new music ....

I actually thought the lack of "classics" on the current tour. i.e. natural science, xanadu, la villa, hemispheres, trees, freewill, closer to the heart, by-tor, etc. etc... were because they were saving them for an R40 type blowout... it goes without saying, they do any tour that involves chunks of hemispheres, a whole other group of old time rush fans come out of the woodwork for that...

From RIAB: quote from article in Metal Hammer: Geddy: ""I don't think about things like the 40th anniversary. We have no plans to celebrate it. We did enough for the 30th. So, if anything is being planned, it will be without our involvement. We are still looking forward, not back." ... Yikes....so this means after Kansas City on August 4, 2013, there are ZERO plans for the future of RUSH besides REST.... I am not saying they don't deserve it....sure they do...and they can do anything they want, they owe us nothing. NOTHING... but as a fan of the band and someone who travels to see many multiple shows per tour, I cannot help but wonder when we may see Rush on stage again.....could they change their minds about an R40, maybe, but doubtful.... Will Geddy just concede that the rigors of touring are just too much for another extended tour..... As said in my other thread about R40, if you have the ability to see them on this tour.....GO!!!

Not that I really want to get into Alex's weight, but I thought he looked pretty trim for the fall leg of this tour.... I think that we have all gotten very spoiled recently with their constant touring and three hour shows...(okay, 2:25 of actual music..or whatever it is) and in a way they have kind of set themselves up for some kind of rude awakening at some point.... they have no opening band, they play two very long sets and fans have become accustomed to the "evening with rush" type of format... I would never want them to go back to some kind of opening act....but if you said to me, its an opening act and they continue or they stop entirely, well, i suppose i would pick having an opening act but at this point seeing a rush show that was only an hour and a half would be hard to adjust to, especially with the depth of their catalog... there's no way they could have played so much clockwork angels material if they had a scaled back show.... I am still hoping for two more long extended tours in the current format....if its R40, great...if its something else, well, that's great too.... i would like to see an R40 for 2014-15, a break, another album in 2017....and one last major kick ass tour for 2017-18 and then they can call it a day.... I really don't think they are going to be a band that does limited engagements for 5 nights in a couple of selected cities.... I'm thinking they either embark on major tours and go all in, or they just stop touring...i think its too much for all of them to get into the kind of playing shape needed to just do limited touring...

I can so appreciate your burning desire to have a meet & greet experience.... I had the chance to do a meet & greet once in 2004 and it was very satisfying... If I ever got another meet & greet pass I think I would be compelled to give it to someone like you, for free, so you could experience it too... You can spend your money any way you choose, its your money, but I hope somehow you get the chance for a meet & greet from the goodness of someone's heart and not from a financial transaction... That said, if I got a pass, would you go $1500? Okay, bad attempt at humor....just kidding..... I hope you get to meet them....just remember, its only 30 seconds or so and as wonderful as Geddy & Alex are with the fans, you are going to be one of a large group that night, so its not like you are sitting down with them for drinks and a snack....

I've said it before and still strongly believe that it WILL be Neil who finally calls it quits. I don't really think that Geddy is in as bad of shape (vocally) as people think and he loves the road, as does Alex. The last couple of tours, they've been having a ball. They'll take some time off, but I don't think it will take too long for them to miss the view from the stage and wanna get back out there. I have to disagree with you....have you seen the interviews that Geddy has done in the past few months.... He stays in bed all day on off days to "recover" from a show and does not talk at all on off days...I don't think he loves the road...He has said how much he misses his family and unlike Neil who is out with nature and motorcycles and Alex who is swinging golf clubs, lying in bed and nursing a 60 year old singing voice that has seen lots and lots of mileage doesn't sound fun....

I think what makes this thread so compelling is that you could debate it from either side.... Is an R40 tour a regrettion/reguritation of an idea (R30) that they've already done......or.......because its R40 and not R30, is that considered somehow something new and fresh.... If its up to Geddy, I think all touring would end on August 4, 2013 in Kansas City.....that would be their final show....and you never know.....nothing in life is ever for certain.... but I still think that if they start an R40 tour in September 2014, that's a full year off from the grind of the road, even if they start preparing for the tour earlier.... then one more studio album and an extensive tour to support it, and then they hang up their skates for the final time.... Remember when Wayne Gretzky played his final game in the nhl? He sat at his locker with his full uniform on and his skates on for like hours before he removed his skates for the final time....okay, it won't go down like this for Rush, but whenever legends stop doing whatever made them legendary, it's sad... I keep saying....go to as many shows this summer as you possibly can...if you live in southern california or arizona, vegas, etc....go travel and see them while you can, worry about finances later....

please don't ever think about taking your three year old to a concert like this.... first off, no matter how much you protect her ears, its gonna be loud....plus, no matter how much she likes rush, she is three and the thrill of seeing a live show will be gone within a half hour at most..... i would expect that you would regret this....plus, what time does she go to bed? the concert will be over way past whatever time she normally goes to bed and she will be so tired and cranky, i can't imagine... i took my five year old daughter and four year old son to disney world, now that's disney, aimed at kids, not a rush show, and even in disney, when it became nighttime they just become very difficult to deal with, its just too much for them, even if they love disney... i think you are making the prudent choice not taking her.... btw, my kids hate rush with a passion, i mean hate them....they get upset if they are on my tv in any shape or form, and you know what? I am totally fine with that....i don't need my kids to like rush, maybe its selfish, but i am good going to the shows without the rest of the family.... they will be going to disney on ice instead....

at the metro centre, sec 50 seat 1 is the far outside next to the lower bowl.... sec 52, seat 14 is to the far outside with seat 1 being on the center aisle....

Great point.... If you really sit down and think about this..... how many people can you say have been best friends since youth, grew up together through their teen years and into adult hood and are now approaching 60 years old and not only are still the best of friends but have worked together and traveled the world together and became so successful together and more importantly still like each other.... I always find it funny that technically Geddy was not the first bass player and vocalist of Rush as it was Jeff Jones for the very first gig with Alex and John Rutsey..... I always remember a radio special where Alex talks about the fact that he had to ask Geddy if he would play a gig because Jeff is not coming... I think the friendship between Geddy and Alex is one of the main themes of Rush that makes them so unique and special..... and then there's that new guy....what's his name? neil something?

I would be SHOCKED, SHOCKED if Rush ever announced ahead of a tour that it was a farewell tour....SHOCKED.... they have been so consistent in their philosophy.... they work as hard as they can on the project or tour that is in front of them.....then....and only then, they take a break from things and eventually get together and talk about the future..... so how could they ever say in advance that a tour is going to be a farewell tour when they never come out and say anything about the future... I don't even think they would know that a tour would be a farewell tour....I think all three of them would never allow management to call a tour a farewell tour even if they privately agreed that look, it's getting to hard and we are going to wind this down.... I suppose how they do business and how they plan the future could be altered, but I just don't see them ever announcing a farewell tour.... I think there will come a time when Rush ends a tour and those in attendance for the last show of that tour will find out sometime down the road that they were the lucky ones who saw them for the final time... I still hope for an R40 tour, one more studio album and another extended tour to support that new album.....so hoping for two more tours....

Just when you think you have your whole summer touring schedule worked out, RUSH throws a monkey wrench in it.... Now snaked, just call Ray and get those West coast dates penciled in for late August so i can go out there and get some In-n-Out burgers in california... pretty please???? with the Macallan poured on top....

just my opinion, but I don't think any of them really need the money anymore.... if they haven't figured out how to be set up for life already, well, then that's their fault....didn't I read somewhere they estimated Neil is worth twenty something million dollars.... geddy has a baseball memoriabilia collection that has got to be worth a ton and alex has a wine collection worth mega bucks.... I am thinking these guys have plenty of money if they are spending this kind of money on autographed baseballs and wine.... As far as marketing each tour with a hint that you never know, I think they aren't doing this as any kind of marketing ploy to get fans out....I truly believe they are going to do their thing for as long as they think they are still at their best...regardless of the financial aspects...

AMEN, brother. I love all these posters who think it would be cool to ride down the interstate in a motorcoach all day and night. That would get old after the first week, and anyone who has travelled much can attest to that fact. I drive a truck, and have been all over the US and Canada, BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING. Actually, I've been cursed, to a certain extent, because I have been within 25-100 miles of a great percentage of the national parks and I've only been to one of them(here in home state). THAT is why Neil takes the motorcycle...TO BE OUT THERE IN IT, not just LOOKING at it. That is why I hate my job-it is like being in jail-I can see everything, but I rarely get to experience it. I bet every penny that I have that if you met Neil on the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Coast Trail or in a National Park in Utah, etc., that he'd talk to you for 15 or 20 minutes or longer about anything that you wanted to talk about, even if you knew who he was and you told him you were a fan. He just doesn't like being bombarded by the crazies, and, honestly, you wouldn't either, if you were famous. You'd go from a person who wants nothing but fame to someone who just wants a few moments to himself, free from being mobbed by strangers. I started this thread because its a wonderful story, so the fact that I mentioned Neil's method of touring is my fault...but I only mentioned it because Neil writes of the fact that he misses spending time with his daughter when he is traveling on the road...I also said that Neil doing an about face and changing the way he tours was not going to happen....and it won't.... I am sure he will tour by motorcycle for as long as he chooses to and its his life....I merely pointed out that there are other options if that's what he chooses... as far as you hating your job. I am sorry to hear that....but....life is what we make of it....when we get up everyday, some people whistle a happy tune, some are planning to commit horrific acts of violence and mayhem, its freewill at its finest.... If you really hate your job that much, there are others things you can do with your life...I am not trying to preach or tell anyone what to do, just saying life is full of choices that we make everyday...some of those choices are not easy and have consequences.... Sometimes I feel like I work in a sausage factory (forgive the rush pun) but then I think about the fact that given the alternative, I make a decent enough living to support the family and pay the bills and see a whole bunch of rush shows, so it gives me a sense of perspective that maybe its not so bad after all... you might respond by saying that driving a truck is all you know and you make a good living at it, but I understand it has some drawbacks....so maybe for one vacation you go to some of those places that you only get to drive past when you are working... I just want to share with you the story of Milton Hershey....yes, that Hershey.... Raised in rural central Pennsylvania, hampered by the lack of a formal education and nearly bankrupt by the time he was 30, Milton S. Hershey went on to become not only one of America’s wealthiest individuals, but also a successful entrepreneur whose products are known around the world, a visionary builder of the town that bears his name and a philanthropist whose open-hearted generosity continues to touch the lives of thousands. Following a four-year apprenticeship as a teenager to a person in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, candy maker, Hershey in 1876 attempted to start his own candy business in Philadelphia. Despite 6 years of hard work, it failed. So he moved to Denver, Colorado and found work with a confectioner who taught him how to make caramel using fresh milk. Then He started up a second candy business in New York City, which was also unsuccessful. Returning to Lancaster in 1887, Hershey established the Lancaster Caramel Company, which quickly became an outstanding success. Utilizing a caramel recipe he had obtained during his previous travels, his company soared to the top. It was this business that established him as a candy maker, and set the stage for future accomplishments. Hershey became fascinated with the machinery to make German chocolate exhibited at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition by J. M. Lehmann Co. of Dresden, Germany,[4] and bought the equipment for his company. With the proceeds from the 1900 sale of the Lancaster Caramel Company, Hershey initially acquired farm land about 30 miles northwest of Lancaster, near his birthplace of Derry Church. There, he could obtain the large supplies of fresh milk needed to perfect and produce fine milk chocolate. Excited by the potential of milk chocolate, which at that time was a luxury product, Hershey was determined to develop a formula for milk chocolate and market and sell it to the American public. Through trial and error, he created his own formula for milk chocolate. The first Hershey's Bar was enjoyed in 1900. Hershey's Kisses were developed in 1907, and the Hershey's Bar with almonds was introduced in 1908. On March 2, 1903, he began construction on what was to become the world’s largest chocolate manufacturing company. The facility, completed in 1905, was designed to manufacture chocolate using the latest mass production techniques. Hershey’s milk chocolate quickly became the first nationally marketed product of its kind. The factory was in the center of a dairy farmland, but with Hershey’s support, houses, businesses, churches, and a transportation infrastructure accreted around the plant. Because the land was surrounded by dairy farms, he was able to use fresh milk to mass-produce quality milk chocolate. Hershey continued to experiment and perfect the process of making milk chocolate using the techniques he had first learned for adding milk to make caramels when he had moved to Colorado. When we went to the Hershey factory tour, they said that he made $1 million dollars in 1900 with the sale of his caramel business....that was a ton of money back then....he could have just sat back and had enough money to last a lifetime....instead he took a chance, used all the money to create the Hershey we know today....that takes courage and some tough choices, that's all I am saying... Most of us are content just earning a living, I am.....some are destined for more....either way, you should try and make your life as happy as possible.... When I hit the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa on June 21, I will be very happy....If I can get a ticket in the first few rows in front of Alex, I will be even happier....

I am not sure why this particular situation has me so excited, but given all that we know about Neil not wanting to directly interact with the fans, I find this case very refreshing and it just leaves me with a really nice feeling inside.... Skin Bag, it was a really nice gesture to knit those items in the first place, you must feel great that it wasn't simply tossed into the trash as I am sure other items sent to the band have been... So, not only does he receive the ski hat, he wears it, and to just keep adding to the story, he writes about it, takes a picture of it, posts it all on his News, Weather & Sports story and then adds the great caption as well.... It's really hard to top that without having your own private dinner with Neil at the lodge....and who knows how that would go...lol....

I agree! Why travel around the country on a dusty bike when you can travel with your family in this: http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w387/losingit2k/luxuryRV1.jpg Nice one L2K...where you been you singing canary you? This is what I am talking about....tell me its hard to travel the country with a professional driver and you and the family....doing whatever strikes your fancy.... btw, carrie and olivia don't have to do the entire tour but could come and go as they please....my basic point was that Neil doesn't have to go weeks on end without seeing his family if he doesn't want to.... I just think that after like 10 years of touring by motorcycle, I just don't see how Neil finds it so attractive to find run down hotels, average meals and a lot of roads that go nowhere, but that's just me....I'll take the luxury coach...

BTW, my advice to Neil for future touring.... Get off the bike, use a luxury PROVOST tour bus and bring Carrie and Olivia along, she's young enough not to be in school just yet and could come along on future tours during the summer months.... that way, he spends more time with his family and Olivia experiences new places and new experiences, seems like everyone would be happy... After all these years of touring by motorcycle I often wonder if he's already biked on just about every back road the USA has to offer....just a thought, not gonna happen...

One of the things that sucks about writing words on a computer is that no one knows how you intended something unless you use the silly "LOL" Yes, I was just kidding around, I know who CANADIAN Neil Young is..... Buffalo Springfield (For What its Worth, Mr. Soul - RUSH FEEDBACK) CSN&Y I actually didn't think of him when I wrote the title, "Neil has a heart of Gold," but once it was referenced I thought I had to play along and yes, I was referencing Neil Young when I said, "I must be getting old." Now back to your regularly scheduled programming....

WHO in the HELL is Neil Young? I must be getting old.

For all those who believe there's something wrong with Neil because he doesn't do meet & greets, doesn't like the hero worship from lunatics, etc. take a look at the current news, weather & sports that he posted.... He not only shares a lot about his relationship with his daughter which I thought was really touching on several levels but he shows a picture of him wearing a ski hat....His commentary.... My ski hat this winter, knitted and given to me by a fan on our Clockwork Angels tour. Now that’s cool. And warm! Perhaps I am over reactiing, but the fact that is actually wearing something created and given to him by a fan says a lot that Neil does indeed care about Rush fans, he just is too shy and uncomfortable to accept all the praise in front of all of us... After reading his caption to the photo, I came away with a new respect for Neil the person, not the drummer of Rush...

some people just have lots of disposable income.....if u know anyone, please have them message me, they can help me finance the touring this year....thanks...

Lots of families these days, just be prepared to explain the funky smell in the air and the typical loser drunk guys who aren't really rush fans who got free tickets close to the stage and are constantly going back and forth for more beer and then returning and spending the whole time talking loud and yucking it up with themselves.... personally I'd rather have the funky smell than the loud drunken aholes who ruin a show.....there's nothing like a beautiful quiet moment during the garden being destroyed by loud obnoxious people who don't care about what's going on up on stage...