zappafrank Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Jacob's Ladder (kept out of the title just to stick to spoiler rules) I've seen more than a few references to the fact that it would be difficult for them to play, was difficult in rehearsals, or similar. Can anyone shed some light on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snyder80 Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I'm sure they could play it. It is a very difficult tune to play though with time sig changes and stuff. However, it is well within their capabilities. Maybe R40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tombstone Mountain Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Oh boy, lets talk JL!!! I think they said it just wasn't "feeling" right. Perhaps the same reason they dropped "entre nous" on S & A... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vital signz Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Probably the most difficult song in their catalog due to the inordinate complexity of the time signature changes. Man it's just all over the place. It would have to be re-memorized. It would take them a lot of time to get it tight. I think that it would be one of their great moments in many, many years to reattempt this song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todem Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 (edited) Edited September 19, 2012 by Todem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zappafrank Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 (edited) Edited September 19, 2012 by zappafrank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todem Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 QUOTE (vital signz @ Sep 18 2012, 09:43 PM) Probably the most difficult song in their catalog due to the inordinate complexity of the time signature changes. Man it's just all over the place. It would have to be re-memorized. It would take them a lot of time to get it tight. I think that it would be one of their great moments in many, many years to reattempt this song. Yeah...it's not an easy tune....but come on. They can play it. They are just not feeling it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazyyz Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 QUOTE (Tombstone Mountain @ Sep 18 2012, 03:49 PM) Oh boy, lets talk JL!!! I think they said it just wasn't "feeling" right. Perhaps the same reason they dropped "entre nous" on S & A... Really? And I thought they pulled it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
av450 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 QUOTE (Todem @ Sep 18 2012, 08:56 PM) QUOTE (vital signz @ Sep 18 2012, 09:43 PM) Probably the most difficult song in their catalog due to the inordinate complexity of the time signature changes. Man it's just all over the place. It would have to be re-memorized. It would take them a lot of time to get it tight. I think that it would be one of their great moments in many, many years to reattempt this song. Yeah...it's not an easy tune....but come on. They can play it. They are just not feeling it. I don't play in a band so I don't know exactly how hard it is, but the guitar parts pretty easy to play with the song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunder Bay Rush Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 They could easily play Jacob's Ladder. Drum-wise, I could play it when I was 15, so it's not that hard. The vocals are in the lower register, so it would be easy for Geddy to sing. I guess since they have so many songs, they can't play all of them. Would be great to see it though. It is a killer song, especially the part after the slow synth part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astroboy2112 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Neil talks about it in Center Stage said they gave it a try and just didn't feel right. He said "sometimes you just can't go back". So obviously they have rehearsed a lot of stuff that doesn't make it to the shows over the years but they decide not to play it 'cuz it just doesn't sound good to them or is not as fun to play as it once was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zappafrank Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 (edited) QUOTE (Astroboy2112 @ Sep 18 2012, 09:27 PM) Neil talks about it in Center Stage said they gave it a try and just didn't feel right. He said "sometimes you just can't go back". In 1988, he said that about playing all of 2112 again. Edited September 19, 2012 by zappafrank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonw2112 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 They have played it live before, its been a while, but I'm sure they could. LA VILLA is much harder too play, so I think it's just a matter of preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazyyz Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 There is obviously a distinct reason why they choose not to play it knowing their fans are pining for it tour after tour. Whether it's the "feel" for it, or the change-ups are too complicated, they have their reasons. I went into this tour with firm conviction they were going to rip out JL. I'm nearing close to the realization that I will never see it performed live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdurbin22 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Considering they still play "La Villa Strangiato" - which is 10x more complex than "Jacob's Ladder" - I doubt their decision to not play JL has anything to do with its difficulty. As others have stated, it's likely that they're just not "feeling it" and I really don't blame them as I've always found it to be one of their most boring songs. In fact, "Permanent Waves" would be my favorite Rush album if not for that song. I'd much rather they bust out some more modern stand-outs never played live like "Cut To The Chase" or "Vapor Trail." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OGr8imL84AD8inF8sBlackSedan Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 As mentioned before, it's not a problem they just don't want to play it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micgtr71 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 (edited) JL is not a difficult tune to play. There are many far mor difficult tunes that they do play. I would guess that Rush (or part of Rush) doesn't want to play it. Edited September 19, 2012 by micgtr71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigalfan Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Most of the material on Clockwork Angels is far more complex than JL. That doesn't make it any less of a song, I'd LOVE to hear it live, but for those equating it to one of their harder songs to play - I don't think so. For whatever reason it just keeps getting passed up. 'It is what it is and whatever.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigalfan Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Good morning micgtr71! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridertoo98 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Another "could they play..." I am glad they are still out there,did they play what I wanted no but it isnt up to me.. Still enjoyed the show. Might be the last.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayglow76 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Neil discusses Jacob's Ladder omission from TMT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyali Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I have a practical idea and it would be epic if they did it. They could certainly play the first two parts of The Necromancer ( I. Into the darkness and II. Under the shadow). Their are very few lyrics. Geddy could sing in current range for first part and just keep lyrics out of "under the shadow". That is one of their most ripping band solos ever. Imagine seeing Alex rip that shit live. This would come right off of my bucket list. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevind2112 Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I don't get the fascination with this song either. It's not terribly difficult to play, the two major patterns are very repetitive. I would actually find it pretty boring to watch live, and I can imagine they were probably thinking the same thing when trying it out again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now