What Was The Last Tour Rush Did With No Samples?

[dngrDngr]

Look up the Sars concert footage on Youtube. That set was done without triggers/samples so the arrangements are just a little bit different. All the keyboard parts are either played by Geddy directly (hands or feet) but the sequences are still there (the keyboards in the chorus of Spirit). The backing vocals are either not sung at all (like Dreamline) or they are sung by Alex (and, clearly, it's Alex).

 

I'm with the OP.... it would be nice to hear the songs stripped down for a change.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia6MQpN_AtA

 

Still lots of triggers and samples in there... Notice the pedals? lol

 

"Pedals" do not equal samples. They are bass pedals and for years they were just used to play a simple keyboard line via Geddy's feet. They are also used to trigger sequences (the background keyboards during the chorus of Spirit) and they are used to trigger samples like the fake Geddy background vocals. In this performance they are used as bass pedals and to trigger sequences but they do not trigger any samples (except, maybe, the intro wind noise in Dreamline). Pedals are not fake. Triggering entire musical passages or background vocals are fake and are exactly what the OP asked about.

[upstateNYfan]

Honestly, Rush wouldn't be Rush without the triggers and samples. It actually adds to the performance because it gives texture and occaisonal effects that a 3 piece wouldn't normally have. To design it all and pull it off is really tough. They play really hard and play really difficult stuff; the samples only add to it. They are more with them, not less.

[Nate1647]

Look up the Sars concert footage on Youtube. That set was done without triggers/samples so the arrangements are just a little bit different. All the keyboard parts are either played by Geddy directly (hands or feet) but the sequences are still there (the keyboards in the chorus of Spirit). The backing vocals are either not sung at all (like Dreamline) or they are sung by Alex (and, clearly, it's Alex).

 

I'm with the OP.... it would be nice to hear the songs stripped down for a change.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia6MQpN_AtA

 

Still lots of triggers and samples in there... Notice the pedals? lol

 

"Pedals" do not equal samples. They are bass pedals and for years they were just used to play a simple keyboard line via Geddy's feet. They are also used to trigger sequences (the background keyboards during the chorus of Spirit) and they are used to trigger samples like the fake Geddy background vocals. In this performance they are used as bass pedals and to trigger sequences but they do not trigger any samples (except, maybe, the intro wind noise in Dreamline). Pedals are not fake. Triggering entire musical passages or background vocals are fake and are exactly what the OP asked about.

 

I'm well aware... Sampling, triggering, bass pedals, midi pedals, its all kind of my thing. The horn shots are also fired off in Dreamline by the pedals (you can hardly hear them in this mix, but if you watch alex, and if you know his pedal part in the song, you can clearly see him doing it.) Believe it or not, even the big sweeps in Tom Sawyer are "samples" straight off of the record ;) Also, another sample at the 12:18 mark, its just one long sample off the record. (not a sequence). The piano at the end of tsor is BARELY there, too. I had to watch it 3 times just to hear it. but that is also a sample. Just nitpicking, of course ;)

[HalfwayToGone]

FWIW, Rush is probably one of the best examples of a great bunch of musicians taking full advantage of technological advances. If you want to complain about sampling and digital technology, complain about the frauds out there (too numerous to start listing) who use the technology to hide the fact that they suck as both musicians and singers. The vast majority of recently popular bands and singers out there are guilty of the modern day equivalent of Milli Vanilli. There are notable exceptions, but very few of them.

[GeddysMullet]

Oh, and I'll trot this out again because Geddy is awesome and I love him and because he addresses the question of samples starting from around 7:15 of this clip:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv_HuCLhBZs