Really bummed I missed R40

[Jaminbenb]

it was pretty cool. shame there couldn't have been a 2nd leg

 

Yeah, had I known that I would have tried to get to MORE shows. My friend and I went to Bristow, VA since it was on a weekend and easier to get to from a "work" standpoint.... we both figured that there would be a second leg, and that we'd probably get another shot or two, but sadly that didn't happen! Kicking myself for not going to Philly

[Pressure/Hopenosis]

It's funny the "How many shows I've been to" gets thrown around as if it means anything. I've been to many more than one show ( see here I go). All it takes is one memory of a great live performance. If you've been great, if not there's plenty of shows captured for your enjoyment. I decided to go to R40 hours before the show. It was so spur of the moment that I went alone. Big deal, I'm happy I went but I don't think I would kick myself if I missed it. Especially if "real life" took a higher priority.

 

If I had the ability to help someone and didn't - I'd kick myself

If I had the ability to make a positive change in my or a loved one's life and I didn't - I'd kick myself

 

Holly, I will say from the shows you did mention you went to at least Ged's voice was much stronger for those performances. Not a knock, just reality...

[zepphead]

It's funny the "How many shows I've been to" gets thrown around as if it means anything. I've been to many more than one show ( see here I go). All it takes is one memory of a great live performance. If you've been great, if not there's plenty of shows captured for your enjoyment. I decided to go to R40 hours before the show. It was so spur of the moment that I went alone. Big deal, I'm happy I went but I don't think I would kick myself if I missed it. Especially if "real life" took a higher priority.

 

If I had the ability to help someone and didn't - I'd kick myself

If I had the ability to make a positive change in my or a loved one's life and I didn't - I'd kick myself

 

Holly, I will say from the shows you did mention you went to at least Ged's voice was much stronger for those performances. Not a knock, just reality...

I don't give a sh*t how strong Geddy's voice was on R40 ... i so wish i could have seen just 1 date on the R40 tour..... it certainly wouldn't have been

'no big deal' in my eyes

[TheGhostRider]

I only saw them twice. Time Machine and R40. I was 11 when the Clockwork Angels Tour happened and my dad was only able to take my older brother. I was devastated. Fortunately R40 happened but I still wish I would have been able to see them during Clockwork Angels. It would have been awesome to hear more songs live from Power Windows and Clockwork Angels.

[Derek19]

For the Rush concerts seen live in person, be glad, grateful, and fortunate they were able to be seen in person. Edited August 10, 2020 by Derek19

[Pound of Obscure]

Saw R40 from front row. Had whole family with me. The 4 of us. SO glad that happened. Not trying to rub it in for anybody, sorry. I had tickets, pretty good ones really. Bought the premier seats thing. Then one day I was just nosing around TM for the same show, not even sure why I did it and 4 seats available in Row A. Row A????!!!!!. Can't be real. Kept looking at it, yeah Row A. Kept telling myself you can't pay this much for seats. Can't do that, and what will I do with the other expensive seats? So I did. But it would only let me buy 2. So now I'm panicking because I will have to log back in and buy the other two before someone else sees this miracle. And holy crap it worked! Was fortunate to find a buyer for my now relatively crappy old premier seats after a few weeks for what I paid for them. Best money I ever wasted. Particularly now.

 

Anyone else's fanhood increased again after losing Neil? I find mine has peaked again. Driven by nostalgia and generally losing quite a bit of loved things from my youth (seems like every month someone or something else is gone) my listening is up exponentially the last few months. Got the 2112, Hemisphere's and PW 40th anniversary discs, mostly for the new released live stuff. The PW live show, wow. Wish I could have seen that live. Hemispheres is the greatest 37 or so minutes of music ever recorded. PW not far behind.

[NetBoy2112]

As a 24 year-old-fan from the UK I did not, alas, get the opportunity to see them.

But I'm forever thankful for their recorded concerts.

[YYZ Working Man]

it was hard to see them leave show 2 in toronto... but you bite your lip-knowing thats it after40 years of inspiration - hold back the tears and exit stage left with the 35000 other people

[invisible airwave]

Silver lining for me, I got to see them get their Hollywood star. Traveled on train and subway to see Geddy and Alex and Billy Corgan give the speech. So many people in the way yet him I could recognize. That's a testament to how tall Billy is.

[Rhyta]

I decided not to go and the reason was the same as it was for a number of years.....they just couldn't do the songs justice any more...listening to vids of Geddy yodelling and straining to reach notes, Alex flubbing some of his parts due to psoriatic arthritis and Neil simplifying his drumming due to age made it unlistenable for me.

They were a great band who had their time and imo should have hung up their hats a good deal earlier so their legacy was untarnished.

I wanna be the first to pre-emptively defend your contribution here. It will be more than tempting under the circumstances for many fans to find your comment offensive, unduly so, I believe. And while I come retroactively to a different conclusion, I felt the same way, albeit first as it relates to their creative output going back to the nineties. As with many who followed them from very early on, Counterparts became not just a respite from substandard music, but as well an oasis sent by the rock gods on which one would have to reside a good long time until the eventual destruction of vocal chords and other elements of ageing made even improved compositions less than what they might have been.

 

Yet in spite of the fact that I justified for many years not shelling out the way beyond inflationary price for stadium spectacles, I do not think they should have quit earlier. In spite of the fact that I couldn't help thinking that it was a shame that the audience in attendance at the R&RHoF ceremony who had not known the band very well up to that point were witnessing anything but the same band that led to the response at that ceremony. As an introduction to the band, it was not impressive for the very reasons you cite in your comment.

 

Nevertheless, the response that night was what I would say should put RUSH in the Hall of Fame of the Hall of Fame. Their influence alone justified their continuation and the only thing that was tarnished about their legacy was in the eyes of those who never knew them. In other words, for those of us who knew them who also happen to think that their career arc diminished significantly in quality at one or another point along the way, that itself shouldn't be relevant save for our projections onto the world of fans that never were.

 

I do know that I found Clockwork Angels to be an album I would have loved had it not been mired in ear-crushing mud, which is one more reason that I wish I had gone to that last show when I had the chance. I take solace in the fact that I probably would have been watching via the jumbo-tron and some guy's phone in front of my face and hearing it via the swirls in the atmosphere, themselves drowned out by the same guy screaming all the lyrics in my ear.

 

All this makes me wish there were more people posting here to tell us about how they went and wish they hadn't. I don't think that's gonna happen, though. Even had I gone, I don't think my reaction would be one of feeling anything had been tarnished. My memory of their unequalled greatness remains undiminished and I don't believe one more negative experience would have changed that.

 

I don't get the bashing of how Ged's voice was lousy or Alex and/or Neil were sub par, I wasn't a fan in their heyday so I don't know what they sounded like then except from live albums. Frankly, I think Ged's voice mellowed when he stopped trying to shriek loud enough to break glass. I was a late comer and the Rush I found at the R30 concert blew me away. I only kick myself for missing Snakes and Arrows and Time Machine but I did get to hear Clockwork Angels and R40, the last one with my sister and we sat close on Geddy's side . I really enjoyed the Time Stand Still movie and last year's Cinema Strangiato. I knew they were on their last tour so there was no way I was going to miss it since they were coming to my city. I don't want to diminish anyone's experiences or impressions. I sympathize with the regrets because they had fantastic concerts and having been to some I understand why it would bother fans to miss them. We each have our own reasons for loving this band and it's great to share the memories.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Rhyta

[lerxt1990]

I decided not to go and the reason was the same as it was for a number of years.....they just couldn't do the songs justice any more...listening to vids of Geddy yodelling and straining to reach notes, Alex flubbing some of his parts due to psoriatic arthritis and Neil simplifying his drumming due to age made it unlistenable for me.

They were a great band who had their time and imo should have hung up their hats a good deal earlier so their legacy was untarnished.

I wanna be the first to pre-emptively defend your contribution here. It will be more than tempting under the circumstances for many fans to find your comment offensive, unduly so, I believe. And while I come retroactively to a different conclusion, I felt the same way, albeit first as it relates to their creative output going back to the nineties. As with many who followed them from very early on, Counterparts became not just a respite from substandard music, but as well an oasis sent by the rock gods on which one would have to reside a good long time until the eventual destruction of vocal chords and other elements of ageing made even improved compositions less than what they might have been.

 

Yet in spite of the fact that I justified for many years not shelling out the way beyond inflationary price for stadium spectacles, I do not think they should have quit earlier. In spite of the fact that I couldn't help thinking that it was a shame that the audience in attendance at the R&RHoF ceremony who had not known the band very well up to that point were witnessing anything but the same band that led to the response at that ceremony. As an introduction to the band, it was not impressive for the very reasons you cite in your comment.

 

Nevertheless, the response that night was what I would say should put RUSH in the Hall of Fame of the Hall of Fame. Their influence alone justified their continuation and the only thing that was tarnished about their legacy was in the eyes of those who never knew them. In other words, for those of us who knew them who also happen to think that their career arc diminished significantly in quality at one or another point along the way, that itself shouldn't be relevant save for our projections onto the world of fans that never were.

 

I do know that I found Clockwork Angels to be an album I would have loved had it not been mired in ear-crushing mud, which is one more reason that I wish I had gone to that last show when I had the chance. I take solace in the fact that I probably would have been watching via the jumbo-tron and some guy's phone in front of my face and hearing it via the swirls in the atmosphere, themselves drowned out by the same guy screaming all the lyrics in my ear.

 

All this makes me wish there were more people posting here to tell us about how they went and wish they hadn't. I don't think that's gonna happen, though. Even had I gone, I don't think my reaction would be one of feeling anything had been tarnished. My memory of their unequalled greatness remains undiminished and I don't believe one more negative experience would have changed that.

 

I don't get the bashing of how Ged's voice was lousy or Alex and/or Neil were sub par, I wasn't a fan in their heyday so I don't know what they sounded like then except from live albums. Frankly, I think Ged's voice mellowed when he stopped trying to shriek loud enough to break glass. I was a late comer and the Rush I found at the R30 concert blew me away. I only kick myself for missing Snakes and Arrows and Time Machine but I did get to hear Clockwork Angels and R40, the last one with my sister and we sat close on Geddy's side . I really enjoyed the Time Stand Still movie and last year's Cinema Strangiato. I knew they were on their last tour so there was no way I was going to miss it since they were coming to my city. I don't want to diminish anyone's experiences or impressions. I sympathize with the regrets because they had fantastic concerts and having been to some I understand why it would bother fans to miss them. We each have our own reasons for loving this band and it's great to share the memories.

 

Geddy, imo, was really straining at the end, last couple of tours, I thought he did passable though. But listen to his voice, live, in the post-screeching period of say Permanent Waves to Power Windows maybe HYF and that was the sweet spot with songs old and new with his voice. Not saying it wasn't good after that, but clearly in the last couple tours he strained to hit those notes and it was different, imo anyway.

[_hi_water._]

I decided not to go and the reason was the same as it was for a number of years.....they just couldn't do the songs justice any more...listening to vids of Geddy yodelling and straining to reach notes, Alex flubbing some of his parts due to psoriatic arthritis and Neil simplifying his drumming due to age made it unlistenable for me.

They were a great band who had their time and imo should have hung up their hats a good deal earlier so their legacy was untarnished.

:goodone:

[Self-Indulgence]

I decided not to go and the reason was the same as it was for a number of years.....they just couldn't do the songs justice any more...listening to vids of Geddy yodelling and straining to reach notes, Alex flubbing some of his parts due to psoriatic arthritis and Neil simplifying his drumming due to age made it unlistenable for me.

They were a great band who had their time and imo should have hung up their hats a good deal earlier so their legacy was untarnished.

Sucks to be you.

[Fridge]

I decided not to go and the reason was the same as it was for a number of years.....they just couldn't do the songs justice any more...listening to vids of Geddy yodelling and straining to reach notes, Alex flubbing some of his parts due to psoriatic arthritis and Neil simplifying his drumming due to age made it unlistenable for me.

They were a great band who had their time and imo should have hung up their hats a good deal earlier so their legacy was untarnished.

Sucks to be you.

 

The denial is strong in this one.....

[chemistry1973]

There was a MEGA communal spirit at the Forum that night. Geddy could've had laryngitis and the audience wouldn't have cared.

 

It was fantastic - and this is despite NP's seemingly lethargic approach. That said, Peart was mostly great. I still can't get over how shitty his drum-kit sounded. Only to again hear the shittiness on the DVD! Seriously - I believe someone forgot to tune the toms after they replaced the heads that afternoon.

 

WTF was that about?

 

STILL - there were so many HOLY SHIT moments - great old song selection - Jacobs Ladder absolutely ruled (even with NP changing so much of his part). Losing It melted my brain. Best concert moment of my life. The whole venue was stunned by that.

Edited October 13, 2020 by chemistry1973

[Pound of Obscure]

There was a MEGA communal spirit at the Forum that night. Geddy could've had laryngitis and the audience wouldn't have cared.

 

It was fantastic - and this is despite NP's seemingly lethargic approach. That said, Peart was mostly great. I still can't get over how shitty his drum-kit sounded. Only to again hear the shittiness on the DVD! Seriously - I believe someone forgot to tune the toms after they replaced the heads that afternoon.

 

WTF was that about?

 

STILL - there were so many HOLY SHIT moments - great old song selection - Jacobs Ladder absolutely ruled (even with NP changing so much of his part). Losing It melted my brain. Best concert moment of my life. The whole venue was stunned by that.

Agree about his drums. Just bizarre. Drums sounded like they were underwater. Live and DVD sounded the same. The snare intro on JL, was he even playing? Sounded like he had Moon gel pads on them so as not to wake the neighbors.

[GabesCavesOfIce]

Don't fret

 

Van squalin was at the wine store. Says an outside chance of Leefson is possible

[Fridge]

Don't fret

 

Van squalin was at the wine store. Says an outside chance of Leefson is possible

 

If you are thinking of a career as a comedian then I wouldn't give up your day job just yet.

[Lurkst]

I was angry for a very long time on the guys for not doing R40 in europe... [edit mine] but I did get to see them during Time Machine Tour and Clockwork Angels Tour (twice).

The way I see it, it's my fault they didn't come back to Europe because I didn't go to see them in Berlin in 2013. I'm sure Alex was like, "That guy that was in the front row for p/g hasn't been to another show since. We gave him what anybody would've thought was a final opportunity for CA two years ago. Why go back there again? He won't show up."

 

In fairness to me, it wasn't the high price or a lack of love, but the venue and chance I'd've had to be proximate to the performance. I was lucky enough to be young once and full of the energy and determination (and time) to wait in all-day lines and/or know someone who could snag me the opportunity to get up close enough to see and hear them in all their glory without looking at a big screen, or hearing them via the doppler effect. I still think today that had I gone to the O2 Arena, I'd've been weeping from the rafters, making it potentially a more negative experience than not having been there. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

Pity I never knew this at the time. I had a spare ticket for down the front the O2 World, which I sold outside the venue (for face value, I'm not a scalper ;) ).

 

If they'd played all of Xanadu and the full intro to Cygnus I'd have been really bummed to miss R40. As it stands I'm only slightly bummed.

 

IMO their performance peak was between 97 and 07 and I saw them plenty in that period, as well as before and after. I really can't complain about not fully appreciating what Rush offered as a live act.

 

Plus it was fun sitting up with a few beers following the R40 shows on Periscope :)

 

Edited December 6, 2020 by Lurkst

[Ged Lent's sis]

I was angry for a very long time on the guys for not doing R40 in europe... [edit mine] but I did get to see them during Time Machine Tour and Clockwork Angels Tour (twice).

The way I see it, it's my fault they didn't come back to Europe because I didn't go to see them in Berlin in 2013. I'm sure Alex was like, "That guy that was in the front row for p/g hasn't been to another show since. We gave him what anybody would've thought was a final opportunity for CA two years ago. Why go back there again? He won't show up."

 

In fairness to me, it wasn't the high price or a lack of love, but the venue and chance I'd've had to be proximate to the performance. I was lucky enough to be young once and full of the energy and determination (and time) to wait in all-day lines and/or know someone who could snag me the opportunity to get up close enough to see and hear them in all their glory without looking at a big screen, or hearing them via the doppler effect. I still think today that had I gone to the O2 Arena, I'd've been weeping from the rafters, making it potentially a more negative experience than not having been there. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

Pity I never knew this at the time. I had a spare ticket for down the front the O2 World, which I sold outside the venue (for face value, I'm not a scalper ;) ).

 

If they'd played all of Xanadu and the full intro to Cygnus I'd have been really bummed to miss R40. As it stands I'm only slightly bummed.

 

IMO their performance peak was between 97 and 07 and I saw them plenty in that period, as well as before and after. I really can't complain about not fully appreciating what Rush offered as a live act.

 

Plus it was fun sitting up with a few beers following the R40 shows on Periscope :)

Yeah, that's a pity for sure. But even had I done a bee-line and gone down there (I was walking up Warschauer on my way home when I saw a guy in a Rush-tee (and actually drumming the air with real sticks in his hand) walking the opposite direction), the chances of just happening to run into you before you'd already unloaded you extra ticket are almost as slim as my chances of ever getting another good seat in any area and any era.

 

Still, reading your assessment of peak period 97-07 makes me think about how good some of those shows had to have been. No lyric resonates more with me still than "the years went by, we drifted apart, when I heard that he had gone, I felt a shadow cross my heart". It is so true re. my only having kept one eye on the band all the way through this century and to their retirement and then, bam. Neil's gone.

[Weatherman]

Judging from the comments here, and from YouTube videos, I'm not too bummed about missing R40.

 

But I AM bummed at missing R30. Those setlists look perfect, to my almost exact taste, and at that point the band seemed to be at the height of their live power.

 

I did see the S&A tour a few years later, but ...

1) the setlist wasn't as good

2) Neil's drum kit sounded weird

3) it was at an outdoor venue, which I didn't like for them

[jnoble]

Judging from the comments here, and from YouTube videos, I'm not too bummed about missing R40.

 

But I AM bummed at missing R30. Those setlists look perfect, to my almost exact taste, and at that point the band seemed to be at the height of their live power.

 

I did see the S&A tour a few years later, but ...

1) the setlist wasn't as good

2) Neil's drum kit sounded weird

3) it was at an outdoor venue, which I didn't like for them

 

I think R30 was the last tour before Geddy's voice really started going downhill

After that it was very hit or miss on both the studio albums and live shows

 

The Snakes tour set list indeed a mixed bag:

One part old classics they HAD to play

One part obscure/rarities they hadn't played in many years or ever

One part new songs from the album that you either loved or hated

 

Plus his voice was either good or strained and cracking depending on which night you saw them.

 

When I pop in the DVD, I just skip around to the obscure songs like Circumstances, Entre Nous , Mission etc they brought back that tour

Edited December 19, 2020 by jnoble

[Weatherman]

Judging from the comments here, and from YouTube videos, I'm not too bummed about missing R40.

 

But I AM bummed at missing R30. Those setlists look perfect, to my almost exact taste, and at that point the band seemed to be at the height of their live power.

 

I did see the S&A tour a few years later, but ...

1) the setlist wasn't as good

2) Neil's drum kit sounded weird

3) it was at an outdoor venue, which I didn't like for them

 

I think R30 was the last tour before Geddy's voice really started going downhill

After that it was very hit or miss on both the studio albums and live shows

 

The Snakes tour set list indeed a mixed bag:

One part old classics they HAD to play

One part obscure/rarities they hadn't played in many years or ever

One part new songs from the album that you either loved or hated

 

Plus his voice was either good or strained and cracking depending on which night you saw them.

 

When I pop in the DVD, I just skip around to the obscure songs like Circumstances, Entre Nous , Mission etc they brought back that tour

 

Yeah, at my show they played both Dreamline and Ghost of a Chance, which was great.

But they ignored most of the synth era -- only 3 songs total from Signals thru HYF. They also ignored Counterparts and Presto.

Then they played 6 songs in a row from S & A. Heavy eyeroll.

But worst of all they opened with Limelight IN THE DAYTIME. How are you supposed to show a spotlight on Alex in the freaking sunlight? It should've been illegal to play a song about a spotlight in any other time than at night.

[jnoble]

I wasn't a fan of Limelight as an opener. It's just not that type of song

[Jaminbenb]

I wasn't a fan of Limelight as an opener. It's just not that type of song

 

Nah...Spirit of Radio was probably the best opener!

 

 

The one thing I DID love about these guys live was that they never really did the same setlist from one year to the next!

 

From the time they came back on the Vapor Trails Tour, they really mixed it up from tour to tour! When they got to R30, I was a little disappointed that they didn't open the second set with another "overture". The first set was great because I never got to hear any off Bastille Day live, so.....