theoriginalfuzz

QUOTE (Thunder Bay Rush @ Sep 13 2012, 10:01 AM) I've been a Rush fan since 2112 - ATWA Stage, but when I heard AFT Kings for the first time, I actually checked my pants to see if there was any shit in them... That "New Rush" with the Mini Moog was so good I thought I soiled myself. I couldn't imagine Rush without keys. I really don't think Rush would have got to the "world stage" without keys. Just guitar, bass and drums has a limited audience, I think. And, when the dude plays bass, double-necked guitar, sings, plays Taurus pedals AND plays an EFFING keyboard at the same time... that made it even more cool. More reason to check my pants for shit at age 14... What would Yes or Genesis have been without keyboards? That's precisely my point. You nailed it Keys add so much more dimension and possibilities to the music. And that is the spirit of artistic experimentation. It's a shame too many people are incapable of understanding this.

QUOTE (Silas Lang @ Sep 13 2012, 12:01 PM) QUOTE (ClassicB @ Sep 12 2012, 08:33 PM)Agreed! Rush wouldn't be here today if it weren't for the keyboards. Good point. I imagine it would be pretty hard if you were a musician and alive in the late 70s/early 80s to not use the new keys/synths that were becoming more available and convenient. And there's no reason one should - to remain a contemporary musician you almost have to try new things and embrace whatever the current technology may be or remain a one dimensional, stale punk or metal band (which is what it seems the setlist complainers would've preferred). Exactly!

QUOTE (analog guy @ Sep 12 2012, 09:57 PM) I'm a drummer first and a bass player second..... but I'm a BIG TIME synth enthusiast, especially old synths. Totally a sucker for Moogs, Prophets, and Oberheims in particular. Geddy's got a lot to do with that. That's right! Let's hear it for the keys/synth enthusiasts among us!

QUOTE (Gedneil Alpeart @ Sep 12 2012, 09:06 PM) Love the keys, am a keys player myself! Love the Rush-keys era! I too am a keyboard player, so admittedly, I might have bit of a bias in favor of bands that use keyboards. But think about it: many of the best bands out there have used keyboards as an equal compliment to the guitar element at some point or another (in my humble opinion). Rush, Yes, Genesis, Marillion, Porcupine Tree, the Flower Kings, Spock's Beard, to name a few... the list could go on and on The keys just add so much additional depth and substance to the art.

QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Sep 12 2012, 09:24 PM) As I read through the usual complaints about the setlist, what's wrong with it, how Rush is so selfish, etc I can't help but think about how so many people take them for granted. That they're always going to be there, that there will be an R40 tour, a next album, etc Rush has picked a setlist that first and foremost is easy on Geddy's voice. The Spirit of Radio is a song he has struggled with of late and it looks like has now been permanently dropped. That blows my mind. My guess is after the 1st night his voice didn't recover so well so they made that change, trying to find the right setlist for the vocals. This is very telling. Rush has always been a band that will not hang around if they can't continue to play up to their own standards. I can't help but think that that day is coming very soon. Geddy has even spoken about his recent struggles in interviews of late. As successful as the Time Machine tour was, he very clearly struggled with vocals. Hence, we have this setlist. When the day comes when he can't sing the SOR, I gotta think that gives the guys pause. I'm just saying that I wouldn't be surprised if this is Rush's last tour. They want to go out on top and Clockwork Angels is an incredible achievement. The signs are there for Rush to call it a day. How will Geddy be singing in 3 years? Think about it. He's not going to be able to belt out Freewill, Spirit, 2112, etc and they won't tour if he's just barely getting by. Not their style Appreciate that you have another tour and that these guys are still doing top notch 3 hour shows. It just won't last much longer. It can't Very good points. They naturally want to be able to deliver shows that are at least up to a minimum level of what their standards are. To add to your assessment, even Neil Peart recently stated in an interview that he doesn't know if he'll physically be able to do this in another 10 years (the assumed implication being that if he can't deliver, he doesn't want to do it). So the clock is definitely ticking for our boys.

QUOTE (GeminiRising79 @ Sep 12 2012, 02:38 PM) QUOTE (LedRush @ Sep 12 2012, 01:55 PM) ....But for the hardcore, this setlist is amazing. Erroneous statement no, not really.

Thanks, btw!!

Rush is a big band. My words only reflect the respect the band deserves (which many people here are refusing to give).

I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts. We need more positive vibes here. Who here loves this setlist? I absolutely do! I personally have been waiting for a set like this for a long time. I'm a huge fan of the 80's material, because it was so innovative. Keyboards add immense color to the artistic/audio palatte (just like Lifeson's saturated effects on his guitar do). I'm always amazed at how few people understand this. Put another, overly-simplistic way: You can have either mostly phallic adolescent guitar masturbation the whole time, or you can have the sophistication of much of Rush's 80's material (which balances more subtle tasty guitar licks with keyboard augmentations - the two instruments play off of each other). Like the title says, there's a lot more to music than just guitar, bass and drums. And Rush is sophisticated enough to show us just that on this tour. (btw, I say this as a fan of ALL Rush - not just albums prior to 1981) Who's with me?

Honestly, some of us have been waiting a long time for a set like this. Believe it or not, there are a lot of us out here who love the 80's keyboard stuff. It was incredibly innovative. And given that Power Windows is one of my personal faves (among my top 4 or 5 Rush albums), I personally am pleased that they are doing 4 songs from it. Add to that the fact that some of us didn't start seeing Rush live until after the 80's (RTB tour was my first), we never got to see songs like Grand Designs, Middletown Dreams and Territories live. I don't mean to sound inflammatory here. Not in the slightest. But I have to say that it never ceases to amaze me how some people really don't see the value of keyboards as a strong addition to the aural color palatte. There is a lot more to music than just guitar, bass and drums. And I'm not necessarily referring to the original poster in making this statement. I fully understand what the original poster meant, though. I had the same complaint with the last two tours. But that's just the way it goes. The band plays what it is intrigued by at any given time. That's their artistic right. With a catalog as huge as theirs, some albums are simply going to get left out. I'd much rather they focus on multiple songs from an album I've been waiting to hear live, rather than trying to cram one song from every single album into a set. The set, to me, has more depth that way, as they can explore their back catalog in more detail. Next tour, it will be a different set of songs, and maybe everyone here will all get to hear Jacob's Ladder finally (which I am not personally all that fond of). But for this tour, I finally get my Middletown Dreams (the one I have been waiting for).

The Gorge is a great venue, BUT, as far as Rush is concerned, it's not as good as the White River, and here's why: Because of the winds and what not blowing in from the gorge itself, Rush can't do all the pyro stuff that they normally would do (safety hazard). Also, you don't really get the full light show experience that you would under the cover of the White River, because there is no covering over the reserved section of the Gorge. So the cool lighting effects don't really kick in until he second set (because it's daylight when the show starts). With that said, the setting is beautiful at the Gorge, so it's worth it for that reason alone. traffic does suck... perhaps even worse than the White River.

Does anyone know what the radio presale code is for the Gorge show. That particular presale is tomorrow, and I can't seem to find the presale code on the net. Can anyone help me out? Thanks in advance:) David

As the original thread poster, I just wanted to chime in and say that I did receive my VIP merch package today. I have to admit, I actually think the t-shirt is quite a bit cooler than I expected. While the design is simplistic, the gray color of the t-shirt works well, and I actually like its simplicity. Though, like others have mentioned, I too was expecting a tour-themed shirt. However, this is a cool shirt, imho. Overall I'm just happy to have the DVD and the shirt... the other stuff is not that big of a deal to me... and yeah, the poster blows. Seems a bit arbitrary. Would I buy the VIP package again? Nope. I mainly did it this time for the seats (figured I would splurge this tour), but next time I think I'll just take my chances with the regular-priced seats. I'm not sure I feel the VIP package is worth it.

I read on one of the other Rush forums today that there appears to be some sort of delay for people who ordered XL t-shirt sizes vs. L... the poster didn't elaborate or even explain where this info came from or why that is. But given that my friend did get his stuff and he ordered a L t-shirt, whereas I ordered XL and haven't received my stuff as of yet (the mail has already come today), it almost seems plausible... ... can anyone else corroborate what I've heard? If this is true - it sounds like this whole deal has just been very poorly managed. I'm very disappointed with the path Rush has gone down in this regard...