singh99 Posted July 18 Posted July 18 (edited) It seems very strange to me. I've seen full shows of almost everything except Mexico on YouTube because they were very limited and mostly sounded horrible. I just don't ever remember them interacting this little with each other, well, ever. Not saying it's "a thing". But I wondered if anyone else has noticed it. They both (especially Ged) interact with Anika a lot. But but seem to stay almost exclusively in their own sides of the stage. Edited July 18 by singh99 typo 2
TheHonestMan Posted July 18 Posted July 18 (edited) I thought the exact same thing when I saw them for the first time this tour 2 days ago. It was a great show and they played well. But it didn't seem to have the same relaxed, goofy energy as past tours. It was surprising how little Geddy spoke to Alex in between songs. Once, maybe twice. And Alex seemed to mostly ignore Geddy while playing, outside of a few quick moments. Alex only came over to Geddy's side of the stage twice I believe. I didn't sense any tension between them, but the show felt a little stiff. Who knows? I'll see them again in a few hours, hopefully they'll be a little more laid back this show. Edited July 18 by TheHonestMan 1
singh99 Posted July 18 Author Posted July 18 4 minutes ago, TheHonestMan said: I thought the exact same thing when I saw them for the first time this tour 2 days ago. It was a great show and they played well. But it didn't seem to have the same relaxed, fun energy as past tours. I was watching this excellent boot of that show from TapeheadToo when I decided to to make this thread. 3
TheHonestMan Posted July 18 Posted July 18 3 minutes ago, James Bond said: Yeah, they sure can't stand each other on this tour. That's an intentional misrepresentation and exaggeration of what was said in this thread. I've not watched any other shows in order to avoid spoilers. But nothing like the picture you posted took place at the Chicago show. Outside of Geddy talking to Alex about his T-shirt for a few seconds and Alex making goofy faces at Geddy's camera, there really wasn't much interaction. No one said they dislike each other. We said the opposite in fact. But the dynamic between the two of them, at least at the show I've seen so far, did feel quite different from past tours. 2
singh99 Posted July 18 Author Posted July 18 3 minutes ago, TheHonestMan said: That's an intentional misrepresentation and exaggeration of what was said in this thread. I've not watched any other shows in order to avoid spoilers. But nothing like the picture you posted took place at the Chicago show. Outside of Geddy talking to Alex about his T-shirt for a few seconds and Alex making goofy faces at Geddy's camera, there really wasn't much interaction. No one said they dislike each other. We said the opposite in fact. But the dynamic between the two of them, at least at the show I've seen so far, did feel quite different from past tours. Reading comprehension. It's not for everyone. Some people insist on using a sledge hammer to drive in a thumb tack. 1
James Bond Posted July 18 Posted July 18 19 minutes ago, TheHonestMan said: That's an intentional misrepresentation and exaggeration of what was said in this thread. I've not watched any other shows in order to avoid spoilers. But nothing like the picture you posted took place at the Chicago show. Outside of Geddy talking to Alex about his T-shirt for a few seconds and Alex making goofy faces at Geddy's camera, there really wasn't much interaction. No one said they dislike each other. We said the opposite in fact. But the dynamic between the two of them, at least at the show I've seen so far, did feel quite different from past tours. I'm not misrepresenting anything at all. In my view, they are having a great time. Alex is indeed more stationary overall, but I put that up to age. There was a thread here a few weeks ago from someone saying they thought they felt tension at the R40 shows but feel that it his dissipated here. This thread seems to be expressing the opposite. Personally, I see plenty of jokes and smiles, and Geddy invites him to talk a lot at the microphone from what I've seen - perhaps more than any other tour. Having a contrary opinion to the one posted does not show misrepresentation. I posted a picture of them having a great time instead of trying to read into something that is probably due to age. Their interaction in the stage center varies from show to show, but overall the spirit is strong. All my opinion of course, which I am entitled to just as much as you two are despite my disagreement with it. 14 minutes ago, singh99 said: Reading comprehension. It's not for everyone. Some people insist on using a sledge hammer to drive in a thumb tack. And yet here you are resorting to insults (in this case, my reading comprehension) instead of responding directly to me - in addition to you saying I was "overreacting" because I disagreed with your sentiments. 4
TheHonestMan Posted July 18 Posted July 18 (edited) 25 minutes ago, James Bond said: I'm not misrepresenting anything at all. In my view, they are having a great time. Alex is indeed more stationary overall, but I put that up to age. There was a thread here a few weeks ago from someone saying they thought they felt tension at the R40 shows but feel that it his dissipated here. This thread seems to be expressing the opposite. Personally, I see plenty of jokes and smiles, and Geddy invites him to talk a lot at the microphone from what I've seen - perhaps more than any other tour. Having a contrary opinion to the one posted does not show misrepresentation. I posted a picture of them having a great time instead of trying to read into something that is probably due to age. Their interaction in the stage center varies from show to show, but overall the spirit is strong. All my opinion of course, which I am entitled to just as much as you two are despite my disagreement with it. No one is bothered by you having a difference of opinion. In fact, I'd welcome viewpoints that demonstrate my experience may have been a one off thing. But we were discussing perceieved changes to their interaction on stage. Yet you decided to instead make a condescending and sarcastic rebuttal against a totally made up claim that Ged and Al were no longer getting along. Look, if you just meant it as a joke to get your point across - fine. But it came across as flippant and snarky. Edited July 18 by TheHonestMan 1
James Bond Posted July 18 Posted July 18 (edited) 10 minutes ago, TheHonestMan said: No one cares if you have a difference of opinion. In fact, I'd welcome viewpoints that demonstrate my experience may have been a one off thing. But we were discussing perceieved changes to their interaction on stage. Yet you decided to instead make a condescending and sacracstic rebuttal against a totally made up claim that Ged and Al were no longer getting along. Look, if you just meant it as a joke to get your point across - fine. But it came across as flippant and snarky. For sure. It was indeed intended as a sarcastic joke - the title of this thread is "virtually ignoring each other" (which, in itself, could be viewed as hyperbole) - so I intentionally posted an image that is the exact opposite of that. It also happens to be my favourite image of the tour so far (I borrowed it from another thread). I get that sarcasm doesn't necessarily translate well to online chatter sometimes, and I appreciated that you took the time to respond directly and, in turn give, me a chance to post my thoughts on the matter. All good now, I hope! And just to reiterate - I don't disagree that there is a difference in Alex on this tour, but there have been plenty of great moments. I wouldn't say they are ignoring each other at all. If anything, I think it is down to Alex himself. There is a stark contrast coming from how much running and jumping around Geddy is doing versus Alex who seems even more still by comparison. I think he is just focusing more on his playing, whereas Geddy is enjoying his freedom on the stage. Edited July 18 by James Bond 3
singh99 Posted July 18 Author Posted July 18 27 minutes ago, James Bond said: I'm not misrepresenting anything at all. In my view, they are having a great time. Alex is indeed more stationary overall, but I put that up to age. There was a thread here a few weeks ago from someone saying they thought they felt tension at the R40 shows but feel that it his dissipated here. This thread seems to be expressing the opposite. Personally, I see plenty of jokes and smiles, and Geddy invites him to talk a lot at the microphone from what I've seen - perhaps more than any other tour. Having a contrary opinion to the one posted does not show misrepresentation. I posted a picture of them having a great time instead of trying to read into something that is probably due to age. Their interaction in the stage center varies from show to show, but overall the spirit is strong. All my opinion of course, which I am entitled to just as much as you two are despite my disagreement with it. And yet here you are resorting to insults (in this case, my reading comprehension) instead of responding directly to me - in addition to you saying I was "overreacting" because I disagreed with your sentiments. No biggie. I was just responding in the spirit of your post that totally took what I said out of context. If you can watch any of the shows on this tour and truly believe that the interactions are the same as "the old days", then I'm happy to agree to disagree. Fair? 1
James Bond Posted July 18 Posted July 18 2 minutes ago, singh99 said: No biggie. I was just responding in the spirit of your post that totally took what I said out of context. If you can watch any of the shows on this tour and truly believe that the interactions are the same as "the old days", then I'm happy to agree to disagree. Fair? You bet. See my second post above to hear my further thoughts on it as well. I do agree that there is a difference - but I think age is playing a factor, and that Geddy's newfound freedom on the stage makes the comparison between the two of them seem as though Alex is a bit more "off in the distance" as it were. I can definitely understand those moments where it might seem less interactive, but there's been plenty to the contrary as well. Somewhere in the middle, I think. I've watched plenty from the tour despite my initial intention to stay spoiler free, and it varies from show to show. They've got a great moment in The Spirit of Radio (one of the LA nights - night four maybe) where they were just really rocking out and laughing. It was a joy. There's enough of it still happening that I think it really just comes down to Alex's energy on a given night versus a general lack of chemistry, or rather, the ignoring of one another. Not to knock on the poor guy at all - I think he's taking his playing very seriously this tour. 1
TheHonestMan Posted July 18 Posted July 18 (edited) 14 minutes ago, James Bond said: For sure. It was indeed intended as a sarcastic joke - the title of this thread is "virtually ignoring each other" (which, in itself, could be viewed as hyperbole) - so I intentionally posted an image that is the exact opposite of that. It also happens to be my favourite image of the tour so far (I borrowed it from another thread). I get that sarcasm doesn't necessarily translate well to online chatter sometimes, and I appreciated that you took the time to respond directly and, in turn give, me a chance to post my thoughts on the matter. All good now, I hope! And just to reiterate - I don't disagree that there is a difference in Alex on this tour, but there have been plenty of great moments. I wouldn't say they are ignoring each other at all. If anything, I think it is down to Alex himself. There is a stark contrast coming from how much running and jumping around Geddy is doing versus Alex who seems even more still by comparison. I think he is just focusing more on his playing, whereas Geddy is enjoying his freedom on the stage. Water under the bridge now. And thanks for elaborating, as well as posting that picture 😂. Perhaps, I was a bit too negative in my assessment of the show also. I think the weeks of online hype may have raised my expectations for the shows to an unreasonable level. The rather... let's call it... "unsurprising" setlist from the first night probably affected my perception of things too. But I do agree with you about Alex. He played well, but seemed hesitant to do much beyond that. A few times I actually saw him quickly take his left hand off the fret board during a song and shake his fingers. Has he been doing that all tour? Geddy otoh was running and jumping more than any 70 year old I've ever seen. Almost too much! Edited July 18 by TheHonestMan This phone's keyboard is killing me 1
snowdog212 Posted July 18 Posted July 18 Heres what I noticed since the start of the tour.Geddy has a unhealthy obbsession with Anika. He cant go a song without constantly walking back to her.Hes doing bass parts in songs that fans would love to see but hes always facing her when playing them.I showed my GF some songs and she not that big a fan and she noticed something was off with him about her 1
James Bond Posted July 18 Posted July 18 5 minutes ago, TheHonestMan said: Water under the bridge now. And thanks for elaborating, as well as posting that picture 😂. Perhaps, I was a bit too negative in my assessment of the show also. I think the weeks of online hype may have raised my expectations for the shows to an unreasonable level. The rather... let's call it... "unsurprising" setlist from the first night probably affected my perception of things too. But I do agree with you about Alex. He played well, but seemed hesitant to do much beyond that. A few times I actually saw him quickly take his left hand off the fret board during a song and shake his fingers. Has he been doing that all tour? Geddy otoh was running and jumping more than any 70 year old I've ever seen. Almost too much! I think as things have settled in, and as the tour rolls on, everything that was once a surprise is now the "status quo" for the tour and it makes us all eager to discuss whatever else we can find. I've seen Alex do that a few times across the tour so far. I remember an interview from a few years back where he basically said he didn't think he could play as well as he did ten years ago. My guess is just that it's his arthritis getting the better of him. I think he's good at managing it (which I believe he said recently), but I'm assuming it flares up here and there. It's funny thinking back to the old The Boys In Brazil documentary where Alex mentions his problems with his hands - and that was 24 years ago! No wonder he was still hesitant to tour, as I can't imagine the chronic pain he probably deals with regularly just for doing what he loves. His playing isn't flawless this tour by any means, but he's locked in and giving it his all. Funny to think everyone was worried about Geddy and the bronchitis, and yet there he goes jumping around like Angus Young. It's unreal how much energy Geddy still has. I think the overall chatter about Anika across the web (well-earned chatter, of course) has overshadowed Geddy being simply outstanding this tour. The playing, the moving around, the improved singing, etc... He clearly took his homework seriously for getting back on the road. 1
TheHonestMan Posted July 18 Posted July 18 3 minutes ago, James Bond said: Funny to think everyone was worried about Geddy and the bronchitis, and yet there he goes jumping around like Angus Young. It's unreal how much energy Geddy still has. I think the overall chatter about Anika across the web (well-earned chatter, of course) has overshadowed Geddy being simply outstanding this tour. The playing, the moving around, the improved singing, etc... He clearly took his homework seriously for getting back on the road. My seats were lower bowl right by Geddy, so I could still see him when the lights were off. He was blowing his nose quite frequently in the dark between the songs. Now maybe he does this all the time and I never noticed. But it did make me wonder if maybe he was still fighting off the lingering effects of the bronchitis. If so, you'd never know based on how well he was signing. 9 minutes ago, snowdog212 said: Heres what I noticed since the start of the tour.Geddy has a unhealthy obbsession with Anika. He cant go a song without constantly walking back to her.Hes doing bass parts in songs that fans would love to see but hes always facing her when playing them.I showed my GF some songs and she not that big a fan and she noticed something was off with him about her I figured he was just trying to be as encouraging as possible and make sure Anika felt like she was part of the group. I can't imagine the pressure she faces every time she gets behind that drumset. 2
snowdog212 Posted July 18 Posted July 18 8 minutes ago, TheHonestMan said: My seats were lower bowl right by Geddy, so I could still see him when the lights were off. He was blowing his nose quite frequently in the dark between the songs. Now maybe he does this all the time and I never noticed. But it did make me wonder if maybe he was still fighting off the lingering effects of the bronchitis. If so, you'd never know based on how well he was signing. I figured he was just trying to be as encouraging as possible and make sure Anika felt like she was part of the group. I can't imagine the pressure she faces every time she gets behind that drumset. Maybe at the beginng of the tour he did check in on her.But tour is now in full swing and its still quite noticable. He faces her more then the audience lol 1
James Bond Posted July 18 Posted July 18 20 minutes ago, snowdog212 said: Maybe at the beginng of the tour he did check in on her.But tour is now in full swing and its still quite noticable. He faces her more then the audience lol Could be he doesn't quite know what to do with his newfound freedom now that he's not tied to the foot pedals. Geddy's new mantra: when in doubt - jam with drummer. 33 minutes ago, TheHonestMan said: My seats were lower bowl right by Geddy, so I could still see him when the lights were off. He was blowing his nose quite frequently in the dark between the songs. Now maybe he does this all the time and I never noticed. But it did make me wonder if maybe he was still fighting off the lingering effects of the bronchitis. If so, you'd never know based on how well he was signing. I thought Chicago (from what I listened to so far) sounded a particularly strong night for his voice, so if he's still dealing with some phlegm and bronchitis aftermath, I am even more impressed. You'd never know based on the audio bootleg.
78jazz Posted July 18 Posted July 18 2 hours ago, TheHonestMan said: He was blowing his nose quite frequently in the dark between the songs. Now maybe he does this all the time and I never noticed. But it did make me wonder if maybe he was still fighting off the lingering effects of the bronchitis. If so, you'd never know based on how well he was signing. I'd bet on it.
Sir Lerxst Posted July 19 Posted July 19 17 hours ago, TheHonestMan said: That's an intentional misrepresentation and exaggeration of what was said in this thread. I've not watched any other shows in order to avoid spoilers. But nothing like the picture you posted took place at the Chicago show. Outside of Geddy talking to Alex about his T-shirt for a few seconds and Alex making goofy faces at Geddy's camera, there really wasn't much interaction. No one said they dislike each other. We said the opposite in fact. But the dynamic between the two of them, at least at the show I've seen so far, did feel quite different from past tours. Just watched a video of Tom Sawyer at the 07/18 Chicago show. Alex was singing again at Geddy’s mic whilst Geddy was at the keyboards. Sounds like he was actually singing, not just miming. I suspect Alex (in particular) has good and bad nights due to his hand issues which may impact how much joking around the guys have together. The goofing around is probably less consistent than before - but it’s definitely there - probably more than before when the mood is right. 2
gornhay Posted July 19 Posted July 19 I think Alex has to concentrate a lot more now, hence the aversion to leaving his post. 4
lerxt1990 Posted July 19 Posted July 19 2 hours ago, gornhay said: I think Alex has to concentrate a lot more now, hence the aversion to leaving his post. This. The physical and mental focus required means less goofing around. And for years I saw them tied to lines on their guitars not interacting at all. I think that "fun Rush" started in the 90s lol. 3
TheHonestMan Posted July 19 Posted July 19 5 hours ago, Sir Lerxst said: Just watched a video of Tom Sawyer at the 07/18 Chicago show. Alex was singing again at Geddy’s mic whilst Geddy was at the keyboards. Sounds like he was actually singing, not just miming. I suspect Alex (in particular) has good and bad nights due to his hand issues which may impact how much joking around the guys have together. The goofing around is probably less consistent than before - but it’s definitely there - probably more than before when the mood is right. Yes, I was at the the show last night, and it was more lively overall than 7/16. He was definitely signing at that point in Tom Sawyer. My seats were about 10 feet away from Alex. He is definitely primarily focused on playing during the songs. But he was also quite relaxed/chilled out throughout the whole evening. I suspect he might be spending more time in Bangkok before the show and during intermission than prior tours haha. 2
James Bond Posted July 19 Posted July 19 3 minutes ago, TheHonestMan said: I suspect he might be spending more time in Bangkok before the show and during intermission than prior tours haha. Part of his "arthritis management" routine, no doubt! 2 1
TheHonestMan Posted July 19 Posted July 19 18 minutes ago, James Bond said: Part of his "arthritis management" routine, no doubt! Doctor's orders! 3
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