Astroboy2112

I was going only to the MSG NYC show but after seeing the first set imma try and see multiple shows. I don't understand how some people just go oh this is new stuff so it's no good...Are you kidding me?! Not because a song is older is better. Yes you have more nostalgia for old songs but that doesn't make them necessarily "better". Newer material is just as good problem is many people are stuck up in the way music sounded in the 70's and 80's and Rush is always experimenting with new sounds...The first set was absolutely on fire. Full tilt Rush songs indeed. I'm def in for more shows. It's a retrospective of their whole career not their 70's material! Second set will be amazing as well, this might end up being my favorite Rush tour ever. Can't wait for Jacob's Ladder!!!

Sectors sound amazing, you can finally hear clarity in muddy albums like Signals and Roll The Bones plus A Farewell to Kings in 5.1 is an awesome experience. Neil's cymbal work and Alex's guitars, previously buried under keyboards, really shine and benefit the most from all these new remasters.Some people are just stuck in the past, and anything that sounds remotely modern sounds too loud to them. Baloney! The sectors, iTunes remasters, and specially the HD Tracks versions of Rush discography all sound better than all previous formats.

I just remember why I don't go to Rush messageboards often. Old dudes living in the past hating on modern music and wanting everything to sound like Moving Pictures. Rush fans have been complaining about sound since Signals and some since Permanent Waves. Pathetic. Proceeds to enjoy the sonic diversity in his Rush catalog and forget he came here today.

Blown away! I didnt like Chiki's remixes when those came out, i thought he moved away from the heavyness of the record, but this is truly a helluva job by that David dude. He kept the badass hard rocking feel intact yet everything sounds cristal clear without distortion and he also took some smart liberties with the arragements that I'm really impressed by. It's not just a remix, it's truly much more than that. I always been a believer in this album and now that it has been elevated hopefully the naysayers will finally see the beauty of it too. Amazing, amazing job. Now remix Presto and get this guy onboard for the new album!

I downloaded Vapor Trail ( the song) first cuz that's the song i wanted the most without all the f***ing crackling and distortion. There are good versions of Earthshine and Secret Touch live but there was no listenable version of Vapor Trail. So once i saw that they fixed the crackling and the separation between instruments was better i decided to get the whole thing. All the cds in the Atlantic era benefited from this remaster. Even S&A - Neil's drums on TWTWB sound killer! Neil's percussion really shines and his hi hat/ cymbal work has never sounded clearer. Off to listen to Available Light!

I know a lot of ppl complain about all the recent Rush re-releases and how they are unecessary and whatnot but I for one am very happy that all these stuff is coming out. I bought the sectors a while back and all of those sound terrific too, I liked how they corrected some of the mistakes on the 80's albums in particular, for example you can finally hear Alex guitar which was buried on Signals!

Crackling is gone, which was the big issue for me but you can also hear a lot of notes u couldnt hear before- from all 3. Alex''s guitar layers / Neil's hi hat& cymbals, Geddy's bass all sound so much more clear and defined. I didn't like Rich chiky's remixes on the Retrospective 3 release as the crackling was still there and he toned down Alex's guitar and boosted drum& bass which gave the songs a different character than the original hard and heavy ones. This really does sound like VT was intended to sound from the get go, a really hard rocking guitar driven record with no f***ing distortion and crackling

Yup, from my understanding both the HDtracks version and "mastered for itunes" ver are done by the same guy, Andy Van Dette, can someone confirm this? I just got the itunes version, all the albums sound so much better, which begs the question, why doesnt Rush work with people who would make their records sound this good from the get go? Even Snakes and Arrows sounds much better and that's from 2007!

The moment i been waiting for for the past 11 years is finally here!!! Vapor Trails in pristine sounding quality.Yes the album still sounds LOUD but you can finally hear Neil's high hat/cymbal work, Alex's layered guitar work instead of the wall o' sound, and Geddy's thumbing bass! Just finished listening to the whole thing and heard so many notes I never heard before. All the distortion and crackling that made Vapor Trail, Earthshine, Secret Touch, etc absolutely unlistanable is gone! I repeat the crackling is gone and everything sounds crystal clear. This IMO makes this album a top 5 album. The material is simply fantastic! The album can finally be rediscoved and recognized for what it is - a modern Rush masterpiece. Now im sure that some ppl will still complain that the album is too heavy, high on the trebble, too jammy, etc but I think all of that is part of it's charm. Rush was a loud and obnoxious band in the early 70's ( just hear those old boots, specially the 5th Order of Angels stuff, etc) so I never really got why so many ppl complain that Rush's new material is too heavy when clearly their beginnings are rooted in some very hard rock. Buy the thing, it's awesome. Ok, off to hear Earthshine again! P.S. Presto finally sounds great too! P.S.S. Talking about the new Atlantic era compilation.

Took some great pics too, here's 1 u might like http://www.rushisaband.com/graphics/ti/full/9163.jpg

Here's Clockwork Angels and The Analog Kid %$%^ awesome as well!

filmed 8 songs in BK, will slowly add them, and got what could be the best version of Spirit of Radio so far this tour!! The crowd was singing LOUD even louder than in Newark where they were pretty loud too and the boys went on a magical run. It was awesome! Enjoy

i got some fantastic footage in HD and stereo cant wait to share in youtube but im tired as f**k and i gotta work tomorrow but ill start uploading tom afternoon. Got some nice pictures as well!

now wtf did someone pay a beer just to toss it to u?!! Anyways Clockwork Angels and Caravan are up! The light show on CA was amazing!!!

The Anarchist from NJ show is up. Great great sound from where i was.

im hoping to film about 8-9 songs tomorrow, all tix always say no cameras or recorders and people film anyway. The most an usher will do is tell you to stop, maybe if you keep filming after being told to stop a numerous times they will kick u out but dont expect to get ur camera confiscated or get thrown out for filming with a point and shoot.

I took a few videos, but plan to film most of the CA section in Brooklyn where i have orchestra seats. Here is the first one i uploaded. Im uploading The Anarchist now - which sounded amazing! As you can see the people in my section were standing. They stood the whole show and they rocked pretty hard on some new songs too. Also u can see the brunette violinist is now a blonde and u can see David Cambell doing a bit of his thing as well.

I was there and in my section (7) everybody stood the whole show! It was awesome! A few people sat during the garden but then everybody got up for Dreamline. I was really surprised with the energy from the crowd. Got really loud at times and saw quite a few people dancing, headbanging and jumping all over the place. The first few rows looked absolutely on fire the whole show and the whole place was delirious with the last 4 songs and for the first time ever i saw women going by themselves to a show! I Saw some 30 sum year old babes on the Path train with Rush VIP passes on the way back to NYC. Lot of people talking how great it was on the train except for a couple of 2 old guys who were saying the show was crap cuz they only recognized the last few songs and just like it happens here ppl got defensive and shut them up quickly lol One guy told em you've should seen the previous tour where they played MP in it's entirety and those 2 were like "oh yeah? f**k!" lol Overall, it was a fantastic show, they all played incredible, great energy, Geddy smiled a lot, and his vocals sounded POWERFUL. He hasnt sound this good since Vapor Trails tour. Also David Cambell was there and he was conducting the strings very passionately and looked really cool with a CA hoodie on. I also noticed that the attractive brunette violinist is now a blonde! Also, loved the stage, the mad scientists and other characters that showed up, the tvs going up and down, it was just fantastic.

QUOTE (Smegger68 @ Sep 13 2012, 02:04 AM)Astroboy, you clearly like the modern 'muddy' production sound. Fine. Plenty of people don't. This does not make them wrong. Deal with it. It's not wrong to not like it, that's not what im saying, what it's wrong is to think that because YOU dont like it is 100% proven that it sounds bad,horrible, muddy, etc Rush's using another gens way of tuning/mixing/mastering/production and it has been proven time and time again people are biased, more partial, more protective, have more nostalgia, have more fondness, more preference to THEIR generation's sound. CA clearly does not sound like the 70's or 80's music these fans are used to. CA is a contemporary record and sounds like a contemporary record. Got rave reviews by current critics and everybody who understands what they are going for in terms of sound. The problem is that these people insist that the mix/mastering/production is bad,horrible, a mess, etc It's completely arrogant to think that because is not up to your liking is 100% proven that it sounds bad. Again, these people have become their parents.Totally unwilling to do some research and try to understand a different sound. If i play Coheed and Cambria, Foo Fighters, Stone Sour, Avenged Sevenfold, Slipknot, etc to these fans they are all going to say that it's sounds horrible, too loud, and muddy and all the usual complaints CA has received. Why because your listening to it with YOUR gens perspective.However if I play those bands to the current gen of fans that go in droves to see those acts those fans are going to say that they sound awesome. Why? Because they dont know any better? No, it's because is their sound, its their gens sound and they grew up with it and love it. Now if I play AFTK, Hemispheres, PW, MP (albums that are the pinnacle of sound to Rush fans) to the current gen a lot are going to say that it sounds terrible and old. Why? Because it doesnt sound like their music, they are protective of their sound, and this sounds too different from what they are used too. It goes both ways. Is a lack of understanding of the evolution of rock's sound. If these Rush fans did a little homework into the bands that are influencing Rush's contemporary sound they might be able to understand that the album does sound like it's meant to sound - they want to sound like that and that's why they got Nick whose previous work all sounds like that! They certainly didnt get Nick and co to have CA sound like a Terry Brown record. In 4-5 years when Rush releases a new modern record produced by a young guy like Nick its going to be the same problem all over again. I would like these fans to understand that theres a difference between saying that this current gen type of rock sound is not appealing to them instead of saying that it CA sounds horrible, Rush doesnt care about quality control, and all the ignorant nonsense that gets thrown around just because your not familiar or dont like the way rock sounds this gen.

I honestly think the complainers have never picked up an instrument in their lives or have but cant play for shit! No music appreciation whatsoever. I just dont get how can you go to this show and walk away disappointed knowing that there's only 3 guys in the entire world that can do what they do and... you just watched em! Yeah, name me another 3 piece band where the singer, plays keys, plays extremely busy bass guitar, sings high, triggers samples, is 59 years old yet still hops around the stage on one foot while still delivering the notes perfectly, yeah im waiting. I mean how can you watch Neil perform and still walk away disappointed?! I never seen the arrogance of a guy like this ray dude who just because the band is playing music from records he doesn't own they must be crap. So the only music worthwhile in the world is the music that your familiar with? I dont own Power Windows, I dont own Clockwork Angels therefore is crap?! Give me music from the 3 records i own. I dont care if you, Rush, are not happy with the music I want to hear cuz is all about me I dont care about the bands artistic integrity, i dont care about ur art, i dont care about what you are triying to say I just want my hits, Fly by Night, and my Jacobs Ladder . Cant you f***ing see how f^& selfish u are?! Have you ever paid attention to Rush's lyrics? Seen Rush Beyond the Lighted Stage, read one of the bio books? Never noticed how their artistic integrity is very important to them? Rush's music is their art, not your art, they are the artist. The artist does with their art whatever the *&^ they want unless your a sellout then you cater to the record company and what produces the most $$$ but if you have a clue u know they don't sellout, they do what they want and their records and shows have always shown that honest and sincere quality about them. Any artist worth it's salt operates in a similar fashion. Go listen to Anthem and get a clue... damn, i just wasted 5 mins of my time, people like this will never actually get a clue.

No, but it looked cool 35 years ago.

awesome story! I'm going to both shows 2. Ill be in section 4 at the BK show and section 7 at the Prudential. So ill get the experience from the Orchestra seating as well as the one level up. I got some good video from that TMT show at Jones Beach and plan on recording a few songs on both shows.

QUOTE (OGr8imL84AD8inF8sBlackSedan @ Oct 4 2012, 04:28 AM)Still starting threads about this? Yes.

Obviously not! But there is a 15% that is! I was looking at rushpetition.com and I noticed that out of the 80 +/- songs to choose from Middletown Dreams is ranked as the #3 most requested song by fans! Manhattan Project is ranked #10. Territories is #18. Grand Designs is #23. The Body Electric is #28. So on the 1st set they are playing the #3, #10, #18, #23, and #28 most requested songs by fans out of 80 +/- Isnt that worth something? If fans didnt want to hear those songs why the fux they voted for them? What has happened when they play those songs? Crowds go dead. Yet the same so call "die hards" that stand there motionless or talking with their friends when those songs are played go absolutely bonkers when Spirit and Tom Sawyer are played! SO WTF? Fans just talk the talk, but dont walk the walk. Fans complain about the same songs being played ad nauseum yet only get enthusiastic when those songs they complain about are played! Rush plays songs fans have requested, they have said they have looked at rushpetition.com in the past, and they just stand there like fuc*&(^ bricks with ears with absolutely no response or reaction whatsoever. So not only are they playing songs that have been requested by fans online, they are playing the new album which is a f***ing concept album full of quirky Rush moments, they have an 8 piece orchestra for the 1st time ever, they still covering a fair amount of hits with Subs, YYZ, Spirit, Tom, 2112 with grand finale, they giving u 2 drum solos, 2 instrumentals, an alex solo, new videos, awesome lights and pyro, Geddys voice is sounding fantastic, the performances have been stellar, no stupid opening band and a shorter set like it was for oh how many years? Yeah it was like that for 20 years! 74's-94'. They starting the Evening with format with T4E. They are fuckign 60 years old and they are still playing lights out and all these morons are still whining and complaining?!! I was reading some reviews at setlist.fm and that sh*t is a disgrace! I remember when fans stood up for the band when the critics where putting them down for decades. Now it's the other way around, critics are praising Rush and the fans are the ones putting them down with all kinds of attacks. You even say you like the setlist and you get called a "fanboy" cuz to these fans is just not possible to like music made by your favorite artist anymore. WTF happened?! Male menopause?!

So TommySawyer what part of my argument is bogus to you? 1. That Clockwork Angels is an awesome album? 2. That all these complainers are overlooking the fact that Rush is playing almost all the songs of Rush's first ever concept album?! Since the mid 80's, 90, 00's, ppl have been begging for longer songs, more unusual arrangements, aggressive playing, sci fi, and its finally here and tons of fans ( not just here, read elsewhere 2) are going "no JL or 70's?! This tour sucks!" I'm saying this is a monumental period in Rush career and should not be so easily dismissed as "too many new songs! meh" 3. That every person has a reason for liking or not liking something. You said people like it or not like it just because. I disagree, you like or dislike something for various reasons even if you are not aware of them. I posted a variety of reasons as to why some ppl dont like CA based on what I have read online as well as personal experience with Rush fans that have been having problems with Rush's music since T4E. 4. That the presence or absence of nostalgia is a big factor when fans are ranking albums and the fact that CA is a new record with no nostalgia to it hurts it. The material in those 70's is not better when objectively comparing it with CA. Some fans simply overrate the whole period and make it sound like every song they did in the 70's is of the quality of a Xanadu. In that very same album you also have Cinderalla Man, AFTK and Madrigal for example. Are those 3 songs that much superior to say Headlong Flight, Clockwork Angels, The Garden?! Madrigal > The Garden??!! Cinderella Man> Headlong Flight??! Like seriously? 5. That every generation prefers their era's music/the music they grew up on and since most Rush fans grew up in the 70's or 80's they have preference for that era's sounds, recording/mastering techniques. and here we go, this is gonna be a long one... 6.You said people that dont like CA need to give up on it cuz if they didnt like it after 25 spins, then they are never going to like it.... I'd say if you dont like CA, make sure that the "loud" contemporary sound mastering/mixing is not whats preventing you from enjoying it. Get familiar with Nick R's work. Listen to more modern rock, get familiar with it, then come back to CA. Maybe you'll get it. Listen to other contemporary bands like Tool, which Alex has been clearly been influenced by since VT, and just give CA another go. Most fans are familiar with the bands that influenced Rush in the 70's like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Genesis, etc That familiarity with the contemporary bands is one of the things that helped a lot of people get into Rush. Then, they changed that familiar 70's sound for the contemporary sounds of the 80's, bringing in Pop producer Peter Collins, and a lot of fans just couldn't get into it. The crunchiness of Alex 70's guitar was out, and in was the thin and bright guitars plus the myriad of keyboards no longer providing color and texture but eating up the midrange. Huge sonic issues for hard rock fans, but if you listen to a lot 80's music, and get familiarized with those 80's pop artists that influenced Rush you'll understand what they were going for and get why Geddy regards PW as one of his favs. Same has been happening since T4E when they embraced the dry grunge/alternative sound even hiring Andy Wallace (Nirvana/Rage Agaisnt the Machine) to mix it. Many Rush fans never bothered with those bands so guess what happened? I remember hearing T4E and Driven and thinking it rocked pretty hard but lots of fans hated it. I remember a guy , i think it was on the old The Solar Federation (Resistor's board) that posted "Counterparts was raw but this is naked!!!". Then he went on to say the usual I'm never gonna buy a Rush record again, etc. Now they are being influenced by a new generation of bands that again many Rush fans have no clue about and again brought a guy with a modern ear to help em out- Nick R ( Foo Fighters, Stone Sour,Coheed and Cambria,etc). Now, they are recording "hot", "loud" whatever u want to call it and Lifeson guitar is too overbearing and it makes your ears bleed and whatnot. Huge sonic issues if your not familiar with the current mastering/mixing tendencies, but if you listen to a lot of current rock, and get familiar with it you'll understand what they were going for and why some many people are calling it a masterpiece and why they are so proud of it and playing 9 songs of it this tour. I said this before and i will say this again. Every gen gets louder and heavier than the next. This is why Geddy's mom didnt like Rush's music. This way my parents didnt like my gen's music. It's too loud!! Sounds all wrong and muddy! This is the same attitude lots of Rush fans have now - they become their parents. Everything modern just sounds all wrong, and too loud to them. You just cant listen to a new gens music while looking at it exclusively from ur gens pespective. Some people have the ability to look at a Picasso and enjoy it without any knowledge of cubism, surrealism, etc but someone who has a deeper understanding of those particular art styles, have seen other works in those genres, and have done some art research/study is going to have a more informed opinion/better understanding of what's going on. It works the other way around too. I got a girlfriend who is a huge indie rock fan, i gave her a Led Zep cd and she didnt like it one bit. It just sounded " too old" for her. Now if i give her a Neon Trees album shes gonna eat it up, cuz it sounds like her generations music and shes familiar with the sound. If you play Rush to ur kids everyday since they are little then they will grow up with it and will probably like it but if you wait till they are 18 to play them ur Rush albums, while they been listening to Linkin Park/Avenged Sevenfold type bands exclusively all their lives, believe me, they gonna have some trouble getting into it (even if you play them Jacobs Ladder!). Finally, Tommysawyer I gave a reason as to why i didnt like opera using it as an example to prove that people like or dislike things because of actual reasons not just cuz they like it or not like it like u said. To me that type of overly dramatic singing just doesnt appeal to me. I have an issue with the singing. Whats ur problem with that reason? I dont care for it mostly due to ignorance yet if I where to research opera for a while, and listen to various singers I might get an appreciation for it and maybe even end up liking it. Music is all about feeling but if you dont understand a piece of music how are you going to feel it? It's a long post, and many people will disagree but at least it has more substance than "your argument is bogus" post.