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Lorraine, I'll weigh in on this since I reacted early on to your post as well... I appreciate your honesty and sincerity and am glad that you shared how you felt with everyone. I am not offended by it. I am, however, seeing Rush tonight in Virginia so have avoided all spoiler info thus far. The reason I reacted to what you wrote is simply because it seemed to confirm my worst fears...that they were going to embarrass themselves on this tour. Reading some of the interviews ahead of time, Alex and especially Neil intimated that they were doing this tour almost out of obligation, and I feared that they would be half-hearted about it. Combined with their various physical ailments, I thought perhaps this would be the tour they would flub. Those were my fears, and your post seemed to confirm that, which is why I wrote what I did. I can say, however, that I am extremely thrilled that there are others who don't share your opinion...not because I think what you wrote was somehow "out of bounds"...but simply because I didn't want it to be true. I'll let you know my thoughts after I see them tonight. With no malice towards you...I sincerely hope you're wrong. ;) :rush:

The beginning of the second set. Agreed but they really played great and looked to be having fun. Not sure what happened in Tulsa but I didn't get any of that in Atlanta... You wouldn't. You have an emotional attachment to them. What I meant was i haven't seen anything from Tulsa so I don't know how bad it was... Don't get me wrong. It wasn't bad. But there is something vital missing from these three men this tour, and it comes through. It seemed to me that they are all going through the motions, but their heart is far from what they are doing. I could hear it from their instruments. I hate to hear this. I'm front row for the first time (and obviously the last) for Columbus. Dream come true for me and they either don't feel well enough to be there or just don't want to be there. :( Ignore this.....it's horse shit message board fodder. I have seen this band over 30 times in the last 30 years. The second set was the greatest live Rush experience I have had.....bar none. You will be blown away and enjoy that front row seat. Rock on man. Again ignore this horse shit fest in here. Disgusting thread. They are f***ing over 60 years old....of course Alex will flub, of course Neil is going to labor some. They sound amazing at this stage of their career......something missing? WTF are you talking about. Look at that set list.....and those who were at Tampa....know exactly how they sounded. Majestic. They slayed every tune. And Geddy's vox was in top form on that magical evening. Your going to take the opinion of someone watching a video and not being there....feeling the energy of the live show? LMFAO. Going through the motions? LOL. Not in Tampa. Not in Atlanta according to many reports. Opening night....things are a little more nerve racking and stiffer. You want them running around at their age? I saw Neil and Alex sharing a ton of smiles and laughs in Tampa....it was awesome. Yeah yeah it's one persons opinion.....every one has one....that particular one is such horse shit LOL!!!! But whatever. Enjoy that front row seat......oh wait I said that already. This is it........live the moment. Don't analyze it. Feel it, hear it....enjoy it. It may very well be the last time you can. These guys are giving us a love letter set list. This tour is for us. Not them. Thanks man! I needed that, especially since I'm headed to the concert tonight without any knowledge of the setlist. Rush have been my favorite band since 1987, and I didn't want to see three guys embarrassing themselves out there. I was hoping they would go out with fire and class, so I appreciate your take on it! Bristow, VA...here I come! :7up:

I probably have too but I have never seen them for most likely the last time either. The second half is worth the price of admission without "spoiling" anything. Gave me chills to be honest... :) Now you're really getting me pumped! :rush:

The beginning of the second set. Agreed but they really played great and looked to be having fun. Not sure what happened in Tulsa but I didn't get any of that in Atlanta... You wouldn't. You have an emotional attachment to them. What I meant was i haven't seen anything from Tulsa so I don't know how bad it was... Don't get me wrong. It wasn't bad. But there is something vital missing from these three men this tour, and it comes through. It seemed to me that they are all going through the motions, but their heart is far from what they are doing. I could hear it from their instruments. I hate to hear this. I'm front row for the first time (and obviously the last) for Columbus. Dream come true for me and they either don't feel well enough to be there or just don't want to be there. :( Seriously man, I feel the same way. I have been avoiding all setlist spoilers, etc., and am seeing them this Saturday in Virginia. I've been so excited to see them again, having seen them on TMT and CA, but now I'm just getting depressed hearing the reports. I'm getting a vision in my head of three old guys on walkers who sound like crap now. I hope I'm way off base. You are way off base. I just saw them in Atlanta and you will love it I would bet on it... :dweez: Thanks for the encouragement Narps! ;)

The beginning of the second set. Agreed but they really played great and looked to be having fun. Not sure what happened in Tulsa but I didn't get any of that in Atlanta... You wouldn't. You have an emotional attachment to them. What I meant was i haven't seen anything from Tulsa so I don't know how bad it was... Don't get me wrong. It wasn't bad. But there is something vital missing from these three men this tour, and it comes through. It seemed to me that they are all going through the motions, but their heart is far from what they are doing. I could hear it from their instruments. I hate to hear this. I'm front row for the first time (and obviously the last) for Columbus. Dream come true for me and they either don't feel well enough to be there or just don't want to be there. :( Seriously man, I feel the same way. I have been avoiding all setlist spoilers, etc., and am seeing them this Saturday in Virginia. I've been so excited to see them again, having seen them on TMT and CA, but now I'm just getting depressed hearing the reports. I'm getting a vision in my head of three old guys on walkers who sound like crap now. I hope I'm way off base.

I find it to be about 50/50, depending on the drummer I'm talking with. Rock drummers will always sing Neil's praises, which makes sense. Typically it's jazz guys who immediately, and proudly, tell me that Neil sucks. They seem to get a high out of cutting the man down, which I'm sure is partly based on the fact that they get sick of hearing "Neil Peart is THE BEST!," but is probably also due to a bit of envy. They will point out that guys like Dave Weckl, etc. are so much better than Neil. I'm sure from a technical standpoint that's true. I personally find much of the jazz, swing, "in the pocket" drumming to be quite boring to my ears and will take Neil's "sucky" drum fills any day of the week. Just to put this in a bit perspective, Neil only probably "sucks" compared with a very small percentage of drummers. I know a guy who's been playing drums professionally for about thirty-five years...plays with lots of bands...plays on lots of records and is a local studio musician...can hop on a drumset and join in with a typical band in seconds without having rehearsed with them at all. Anyway, I was just at his house on Sunday and talked him into playing along to Tom Sawyer (he grew up idolizing Neil and still loves Rush). He did a great job, but screwed up about five or six times, having to stop for a second, listen to where the beat was, and then join back in again. He missed a few fills and simplified the song a bit here and there. Just want to point out that, compared with the vast majority of drummers, Neil's a monster player and far better. As Geddy likes say, Neil's the best f-ing musician he's ever played with.

The Loire Valley is gorgeous. My sister visited there years ago when she went to school in Aix-en Provence. Ahhh...Provence. If there's one place in the world I'd love to visit, it'd be there.

I'm thinking a lot of the difficulty comes from the multiple time signatures and the tight unison playing. When I hear other bands try to play it, it often sounds like crap since they get all out of synch with one another. Many times it is the guitar part that sounds the worst, IMO. I guess Alex's parts aren't as easy to play as they sometimes sound.

That's actually what prompted Alex to say it only took them two takes. On the Renman interview, Alex was asked if it really took them 49 tries to get it right, and he responded that it only took two. He said the second time through is what we hear on the album.

He said that about Xanadu in the Renman interview, but I don't remember him saying it about La Villa. Yeah, I'm about 99% sure he first said that about La Villa. He followed that up by saying, "We did the same thing with Xanadu." Again...if that's true, that's very impressive. I'm just not sure it's true, given the disparity in the various recollections.

Thanks for finding that Lorraine! But now it seems like there are three accounts, since here Geddy says they recorded it in three pieces, not because they had to "admit defeat" from a technique standpoint, but because they were bored playing it all the way through!

Alex made the point on Renman Live that it only took two takes for La Villa (one practice and the second take was recorded), and both of them were played all the way through as a band. On Beyond the Lighted Stage the point was made that they had to "admit defeat" when they couldn't play it all the way through in a single take, and had to record it in parts. Perhaps I'm missing something, but the accounts seem contradictory (not being snarky...just admitting my own possible ignorance of recording processes). Alex also said the same was true of Xanadu...one practice take and a second take that was recorded and put on the record. If Alex's recollection is correct, that's unbelievable, IMO!

Mixed emotions reading this, for sure. I'm glad they are giving us another tour, but it's sad to realize afresh that even the best of us inevitably succumb to the ravages of old age. Thanks for posting this.

Yeah...sad but true. We're only immortal for a limited time.

I'm with you. The point being made is that 70's Rush was a "bar band" when compared with the likes of ELP, Yes, Genesis, and Kansas, but I just don't agree at all. I think they are all comparable musicians. "Hemispheres Neil" doesn't stack up against Phil Ehart? No way in hell that's true. "Hemispheres Geddy" sucks when compared with Mike Rutherford? Seriously? "Hemispheres Alex" is "bar band" musician compared with Kerry Livgren? Give me a break. Perhaps Hemispheres is not as complex or symphonic as something like Brain Salad Surgery or Close to the Edge, but no way are Geddy, Alex and Neil "bar band" players, IMO. You're allowed to disagree. It's a free country. :) I'm talking about technical ability. No way were the boys in the same category with classically trained musicians. They just weren't. Yeah, I disagree. In fact, you're the first person I've ever heard say that 70's Neil Peart is "bar band" quality compared with...well...anyone...but certainly not the likes of Phil Ehart or Phil Collins. But, to each his own. For the record, I absolutely agree that Rick Wakeman, Tony Banks, and Keith Emerson wipe the floor with Geddy on keys...but then again Geddy has never claimed to be a great keyboardist.

Yes, I definitely know what you're talking about. You described it perfectly. He sounds like he's singing with jaws clenched, like he's angry. I just thought the main character in the story is showing anger at the foolishness of trusting in them. Regardless, I definitely hear what you're talking about. You're not crazy.

I'm with you. The point being made is that 70's Rush was a "bar band" when compared with the likes of ELP, Yes, Genesis, and Kansas, but I just don't agree at all. I think they are all comparable musicians. "Hemispheres Neil" doesn't stack up against Phil Ehart? No way in hell that's true. "Hemispheres Geddy" sucks when compared with Mike Rutherford? Seriously? "Hemispheres Alex" is "bar band" musician compared with Kerry Livgren? Give me a break. Perhaps Hemispheres is not as complex or symphonic as something like Brain Salad Surgery or Close to the Edge, but no way are Geddy, Alex and Neil "bar band" players, IMO.

I have to agree with this. While I like some of the post DS live recordings.....I loved that Rush had the 4 albums then a live album pattern going. A time capsule of each cycle. But hey.....they have to make a living. And having each tour since the rebirth (VT) has been cool. I like that I have those albums after T4E's tunes live.....and I love set one of the S&A Tour & CA tour....BIG TIME. If they have to make a living, and if they have the entire Test for Echo tour recorded somewhere, I wish they'd put it out on Blu Ray. I would definitely pick that up, as would pretty much everyone on this forum. More money for them, and the first "Evening with Rush" for us...plus all of 2112!

Makes sense. I just can't tell if it's the mastering, the mixing, or the songs themselves. It seems to me Rush have been going for a "wall of sound" approach since around Vapor Trails, but the remix of that album, for instance, brought tons more "light and shade" IMO. I went from hating it to liking it a lot. I'd love to see a remix/remaster of CA some day.

Just callin' it as I see and hear it.

I was watching the CA Live Blu Ray disc today and could only make it through the first six songs or so before I needed to turn it off due to ear fatigue. I don't know what the culprit is, be it post-concert mixing or simply the way their instruments sound live nowadays, but it's like a cacophony of sound, without much instrument separation, IMO. I can barely discern Geddy's bass, and Neil's drums sound pretty bad, too, IMO. I think this plagues CA studio album to a degree as well. It's especially noticeable since I've been listening to a lot of early material, like Caress of Steel and A Farewell to Kings, where each instrument is crystal clear, and you can hear every one of Neil's ghost notes, etc. I'd love to see them return to that kind of instrument separation, simply so I can enjoy listening to their newest stuff. I think CA has some great songs on it. I just wish I didn't get so damn tired listening to it!

Are you guys joking? You're "not allowed" to listen to rush if your wife is with you? It's not that I'm "not allowed," but since my wife doesn't really like them very much (she gave them a chance when we were dating), I just don't subject her to it. It's fine. She knows I love 'em, and she's happy that I'm getting to see them in concert. Hell...she encouraged me to go!

"You can tell this was a long time ago and early in our marriage, because my wife was still willing to let me play Rush with her in the car." Ha ha!!! That's hilarious and so true of me as well! My wife endures my love for Rush (that's putting it mildly), and long gone are the days when she endured me playing them on the car stereo. As soon as I'm in the car alone, though, Rush is cranked. The Big Wheel is one of my favorites too.

I agree with you on this...Rush have always been about making solid albums. They aren't content to put a half-assed effort into anything, and their albums reflect that. Even Rush's "worst" or, as you have labelled them, "not solid," are far better in every respect than most bands' best. As for your specific ratings...I actually find they align pretty well with mine, although I would consider CoS, Hem, HYF and CP to be solidly solid.

The Big Wheel and Dog Years. In fact, I like most of both Roll the Bones and Test for Echo, both of which are generally derided on this forum.