PhoenixMike

I found the following on a Rickenbacker bass forum.. “Geddy's most famous Rickenbacker bass is a Jetglo 4001 that was built in the 1970s with a Badass II bridge fitted to it”. “The Badass Mod requires some drilling into the body of the Ric and a thin piece of plastic under the BAII bridge to cover the left over areas because the BAII bridges are much smaller than the standard Ric bridge.” I’m guessing he didn’t have the piece of plastic to cover up the gaps around the new bridge, so that’s why you see the gap. Mike

10 years ago I started this post, sharing a bunch of photos I took of Rush in the early 80’s. I was so saddened to hear of Neil’s passing yesterday I wanted to reshare this message thread. R.I.P. Neil. Mike

QUOTE (JPRushHed @ Jul 5 2010, 10:10 AM) Mike, Great pics. One small item...The pics you say are from JLA, well at least that 1st pic is from Cobo. You can tell by the seating and backdrop. You are right! After posting I realized I mixed the two up. I went back and checked the ticket stubs. Thanks for pointing it out. Mike

QUOTE (Skin Bag @ Jul 4 2010, 01:35 AM) What an incredible collection of Rush photos and memorabilia! You just mentioned Van Halen, so I'm wondering what other bands you saw in the 70s. Led Zeppelin, perhaps? And do you need an assistant to help you catalog all this great stuff? I just missed out on Led Zeppelin.. I had tickets on order for the 1980 shows in Detroit, John Bonham died a week after I ordered. I saw the Rolling Stones, Kiss, AC/DC and quite a few more bands starting in the late 70's. Lots of bands.. lots of memories! Mike

QUOTE (RUSHHEAD666 @ Jul 3 2010, 02:00 PM)Mike! Are you a pro? Your pictures are fantastic!!! Welcome To The Rush Jungle!! Earl Thanks.. I wasn't at the time! I'm doing photography for a living now.. mostly product photography and some drag racing, which I also love. I had friends telling me way back then I should have been doing it (rock photography) for a living but I never took it seriously. Not Rush related, but here is a shot I'll share that I'm proud of.. Van Halen, 1980 in Detroit. Eddie had just finished playing a great solo, the crowd went nuts and he jumped on a stack of amps about 20 feet in front of me, threw his arms up and I snapped the pic. I like the backlighting from a stage light. I didn't even have a ticket to get into this concert.. I met a girl there while I was looking for a scalped ticket and she happened to have a backstage pass. She let me go in with her thru the backstage entrance! Mike http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4758886660_9883b4feff_b.jpg

QUOTE (Mr. Krinkle @ Jul 1 2010, 02:33 PM)For Milwaukee and both Chicago shows I'm still using my Pentax K1000 SLR with a 135mm lens. I'll shoot Fuji 1600 print film. (because the 800 is not going to arrive in time for the shows) I'd rather shoot slides but the film is getting harder to get and I'm not even sure if Fuji has a good 800 slide film. Anyway.... I usually shoot at 1/125 @ f5.6 and have the focus ring within a foot or two of focus. I hope to shoot digital for the next tour. What digital camera would you suggest? I've heard stay away from Panasonic gear, although it is good (FZ35) when you need a repair you might as well get another camera. I've seen good quality stuff from Canon powershot cameras. I'd like to have a zoom that will equal my 135mm lens and a camera that is good for lower and changing color light like at concerts. Not too many good low light/zoom cameras to choose from, from what I've seen. I'd love a pro digital camera like some of those Nikon and Canon digital SLR's but I don't have two grand for a camera body, and then I'd need a lens. I'd need a home equity loan for that. And the odds of getting in a concert with that kind of gear are slim. Unless you have somewhere to hide it. Or a pass. I started with a Pentax K-1000! I used a Pentax MX for these shots, which was leaning toward a pro camera. Now I use a Canon 50D digital SLR plus a range of zoom lens. Back then, bell bottom jeans were still in fashion, and I used to sneak in the camera under one pant leg and the lens under the other! Once I got the camera in, they never questioned my having it. I even got away with some flash shots, as you can see. Never get away with that nowdays with the metal detectors! Canon Powershots are a good camera, but not sure how they would work in concerts, unless you can get pretty close. They would be worth checking out. Mike

QUOTE (Mr. Krinkle @ Jul 1 2010, 08:29 AM)Watch me play Hemispheres prelude on bass...... http://www.youtube.com/v/p2TOi4MvoOI&hl=en_US&fs=1 Thanks, and I have to say, I checked out your Hemispheres prelude bass video on YouTube and thought it was amazing! I played bass in a band for years and was never that proficient! I hope you record some more.. Mike

Oh.. just found these! I'm such a packrat... thought you would find them interesting. My ticket stub to the 1981 show.. front row. http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4751448176_7ac7f8114a.jpg A review for one of the 1981 shows... http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4751448152_df9bfd17fb_b.jpg An article about tickets going on sale for the 1980 concert. And yes, it was scary when the crowd went nuts. http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4750805835_2f81ace741_b.jpg

QUOTE (WIDE-ANGLE WATCHER @ Jul 1 2010, 12:52 AM) That last set of photos are amazing. Professional quality and coming from the 'fan in the audience' perspective gives them a more magical allure. I have seen hundreds, if not thousands of RUSH pictures, and your photos are as inspiring and entertaining to me as any. Thanks for sharing. I really appreciate the nice comments! It was especially tough back then to get good concert shots. I had a 35mm SLR, but it was totally manual. No auto focus, auto exposure, or anything! And it used to drive me nuts not knowing if the shots turned out till I got home. Nowdays, digital makes it a breeze. I do photography for a living now.. wish I had my current gear back then.. the shots would be amazing! Mike

Last few for tonight.. 1981. I'm thrilled to be sharing these with fellow Rush fans! Mike http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/4750270799_fb11f4ec9e_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4750270759_8d3d13d065_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4750914230_723ef237ed_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4750270663_4c037107c3_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4750914174_f70eedff4f_b.jpg

QUOTE (PariahDog @ Jun 30 2010, 06:33 PM) Truly spectacular photos! This thread has also revitalized my faith in The Rush Forum (after much recent negativity). I'm a new guy here, but I've noticed a bit of that negativity too. I'm a old school Rush fan, having seen them the first time in 1975. I'd love nothing more than to see them live, playing nothing but pre 1980 material, but I respect all the newer and older fans and their song likes/dislikes. I keep reminding myself that the important thing is that it's still the same 3 guys, playing together after 35 years! Rush won't be around forever, and we have to enoy them while we can. Imagine fans 35 years from now will never get a chance to see them perform live. Mike

And a few more black and whites from the 2nd night in Detroit, 1981. I used to shoot black and white in addition to color, because I had a darkroom at home and could make my own prints up to 11 x 14 inchs. I hope you guys aren't getting bored yet! Mike http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4750552710_7c16251b80_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4749909337_f8e8495949_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4749909309_cbb23208ef_b.jpg

QUOTE (ghostworks @ Jun 30 2010, 01:01 PM) QUOTE (PhoenixMike @ Jun 30 2010, 12:47 PM) I just found negatives I've had hid away for 30 years of the 1980 show. I forgot I had them! I'll scan some and post them later today. Mike hey Mike what can I say - I love your pictures! old Rush photos are a time capsule - the more we get to see, the better overall picture we have of those times (especially for those of us who weren't there) btw - have you seen/been to Erik's site? http://www.rushphotoarchive.com/concert/concert.html your photos would be a significant inclusion and I'm sure Erik would be honored to archive them thanks again for posting them (and keep them coming)! I haven't seen Erik's site before, but after checking it out, it looks fantastic! Thanks for sending the link. Mike

Here is a few photos I promised, in black and white from the 1980 show in Detroit. I took these with a pretty long telephoto lens, sitting near the back of the arena. Hope you like! I'll have more later. Mike http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4749822405_f7504ffb0e_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4749822573_324de12b07_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4749822513_07bd36d370_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4749822377_6314f86788_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4749822449_e8433e4c44_b.jpg

I just found negatives I've had hid away for 30 years of the 1980 show. I forgot I had them! I'll scan some and post them later today. Mike