**SPOILERS** My first Rush show

[TheAnarchist2112]

2 days ago, I saw Rush play at the Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. And wow... it was the greatest concert I have ever seen. 

 

I got out of school early with my brother, and we (my family) drove the three and a half hours down to the outskirts of Cleveland from Michigan. Mom and Dad aren't huge Rush fans (Mom even less so), but they were excited! We got to our hotel and checked in, and then drove into downtown Cleveland. We parked in a parking structure and then went into the arena!! First, we got some 50 Something Tour shirts, with my brother getting the one with the three HYF balls on it, and me getting the stoplight with the three birds. We finally got to our seats, and then we waited! We were pretty high up on the right corner of the arena but not too high; we could still see the stage. We also talked with some people around us who were super nice! Meanwhile, my brother and I were counting down the minutes until they took the stage. 7:30....7:35....7:40...and finally 7:45! The music stopped, and I held my breath. Then the lights went out, and I screamed with delight!!! The intro video was hilarious; I hadn't actually watched it all the way through yet in the videos I had seen. When the first notes of Xanadu resonated through the arena, I felt like I was going to cry (and maybe I did... a little bit). I was finally here!! 

Next up was Limelight, which was surprising to me because I had been looking at the first-night setlists for a while, and they were previously following with The Spirit of Radio and The Analog Kid, which I really wanted to see. But nonetheless! I was thrilled to see one of my favorite songs! After that followed Subdivisions, which is my brother's and my FAVORITE RUSH SONG!!! Then, Geddy stepped up to his mic and talked about how Neil developed as a writer of lyrics throughout the years they knew him, and then they played The Pass, which was a huge surprise because they hadn't played it since the Toronto shows! After that followed Freewill, which was impeccable as usual; Anika COOKED on it! Then came the Neil Tribute and Bravado, which made me cry again. It was so beautiful. The Trees came next, then La Villa Strangiato, which my brother was FREAKING OUT about! Then Geddy went up again and introduced The Anarchist, which was another huge surprise!! They pulled it off super well, but that was the only song in the entire show where I realized it was a "bathroom break" song for a lot of people. Then came The Spirit of Radio, which was fantastic. The first set ended, and the clock showed up on the screen! 

Later in the intermission, I looked up the Night 4 LA setlist because I was curious what songs were in this version of the set. The second set showed the full 2112, Far Cry, New World Man, Vital Signs, and others. So I was hyped!

The lights went out for the second half, and they went right into 2112! I expected they'd play the full thing, but it was still so exhilarating when they did. Never in my life did I think I would be able to see that!! Oracle, Presentation, Grand Finale... are the parts that stood out to me the most. As the guitar feedback from Grand Finale faded out into black, I was left in the dark, shaking with anticipation for what I THOUGHT would be Far Cry... instead, I was greeted with the drum intro for one of my most favorite songs: ANIMATE!!! I screamed and jumped up and down, and wow, it was everything I thought it would be. After Animate, Geddy came up and started talking about how they recorded this next song in Wales in 1977, with Alex on acoustic guitar. My brother was hoping it would be A Farewell to Kings, but it was Closer to the Heart. Which was great! Then, Alex did a really funny speech before A Passage to Bangkok about "the train that went around the world....I want to get back on that train one day." Then came the second Neil Tribute and Time Stand Still, which were fantastic!! I got a little bit teary-eyed during that as well. Then YYZ, which prompted a huge roar from the crowd, and a plethora of air drummers. Anthem came next, then Red Barchetta. After that, there was finally The Garden. I don't think there was a single dry eye from me, or any of the people around me. Tom Sawyer ended the set, and was amazing as usual! For the encore, they did Finding My Way and Working Man. I sung and screamed my heart out during both of those! The jam in Working Man was actually a little longer than usual (?) and Alex was SHREDDING. The show finally ended with Anika's little drum guy thing, and then they were gone. 

What a night. What an experience. 

And just a notable mention: the next day, we went to the Rock Hall (still wearing my 50 Something shirt), which I had been to 3 years before, and they were playing Rush all the time! I even got to sit in with the house band on drums to play Working Man relatively at the start of when they started opening up spots to do so! That was also the first time I've ever performed in front of people, and I think a lot of people liked it! I also got to meet Kevin J Anderson and get my Clockwork Angels books signed and listened to him answer questions and talk about Neil in the theater with one of the Rock Hall guys. Overall, it was such a wonderful experience, and I will never, EVER, forget it. So thankful for everything that allowed me to do this.

[Lurkst]

Great read

Fantastic to see teenagers are still experiencing the exhilaration of seeing Rush for the first time in 2026 

[H to O]

Thanks for sharing such a wonderful experience! And you got to play drums on Working Man at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?  Seriously? Icing on the cake!!!

[TheAnarchist2112]

21 hours ago, H to O said:

Thanks for sharing such a wonderful experience! And you got to play drums on Working Man at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?  Seriously? Icing on the cake!!!

Yes it was a fantastic experience!! I'll never forget it :)

[James Bond]

Loved reading that! Echoes many of my similar sentiments when I saw them for the first time back in 2007. I considered myself a "young fan" then, so it's amazing to see people your age still discovering the band, loving the band, and thanks to this tour, getting to see the band. I'm glad you had a great time!

[TheGhostRider]

Glad you had such a good experience for your first show! My first show is a blur in my memory. I first saw them in June 2011. I was 9. My pops took me as well, along with my older brother and a friend of his. I saw them one more time with Neil in 2015 when I was 13. We only had lawn seats but it was a huge improvement over nosebleeds the first time. I’ve had such a blast seeing them on this tour. It’s just a joy to have their music in my life again. 

[TheAnarchist2112]

20 hours ago, James Bond said:

Loved reading that! Echoes many of my similar sentiments when I saw them for the first time back in 2007. I considered myself a "young fan" then, so it's amazing to see people your age still discovering the band, loving the band, and thanks to this tour, getting to see the band. I'm glad you had a great time!

It's amazing for me too! I live in Michigan but wasn't able to go to the Detroit shows, but in the days after the shows I saw SO MANY 50 Something Tour shirts being worn at school, it was crazy!

[TheGhostRider]

On 9/22/2026 at 6:48 AM, TheAnarchist2112 said:

It's amazing for me too! I live in Michigan but wasn't able to go to the Detroit shows, but in the days after the shows I saw SO MANY 50 Something Tour shirts being worn at school, it was crazy!

That's awesome! Glad it was such a great experience.