For those who saw CA Tour in person, crowd reaction?

[TheAccountant]

Another guy near me was thrilled by the 1'st set (the last time he had seen Rush was in the 80's - either the Power Windows Tour or HYF - I forget which) but you could tell he was not into the 2'nd set. To make matters worse (sigh - we have heard this before but here it comes) he had brought his girlfriend with him and she was a country music fan who did not like Rush. She just tested the entire time and as the second set went on was obviously saying to him "I am bored - lets leave" He finally did. Poor guy.

 

 

 

That dude needs a new girlfriend and – a set of balls.

 

When I said "She just tested the entire time..." it should read "She just text'ed the entire time...". Sorry for the typo.

 

But yes - I agree, dude needs a new girlfriend and a set of balls. At least should have gone to show by himself rather than put up with that.

[Thunder Bay Rush]

Yes, I knew it was a typo. I once left a GF at her house because she couldn’t stop texting. I’ll bet her very next text to one of retarded friends was, “OMG, what an asshole… he totally just walked out on me!”

And, that was the last of that whole deal… she was F-ed anyway.

It would drive me nuts to be at a rock show and see people talking or texting on their goddam phone. Didn’t Bono yell at someone in the front row for texting once? I think I saw that on the YouTube.

[NaturalScientist75]

The crowd reaction I saw, during 6 different shows, was the best I have ever seen. Of course there were the Tom Sawyer fans, but the fans of both the old and the new blew them away. There were old men, and young kids, all singing alone to every song, old and into CA. Geddy always acknowledges the crowd and thats them at the end. At the show at Jones Beach, he was the most thankful of the crowd that I have ever seen him, The place went insane with every song. I was in the second row right in front of Alex. There were 4 young girls in front of me in the front row. And they looked nice. But what blew me away was that all of them sang along to every song! They were true fans. So in my opininon, the crowds during the CA tour were the best ever.

 

Hershey, AC, Brooklyn, Newark, Jones Beach, Philie - all amazing supportive crowds overall

[Lieutenant Dan]

I saw them in Brooklyn and I thought the crowed was decent. Big cheers for Analog Kid, HF, 2112 (even with Alex having to switch guitars in the middle of the song - and having to wait and wait and wait for the crew to get him the guitar) and frankly a lot of other songs. Overall the crowd was good.

 

Also saw them at SPAC and I thought the crowed was lame. Mind you. the SPAC show was on the 2nd leg of the tour and I had picked up inside seats (usually I get lawn tickets). Big reaction for the big songs, Analog Kid and a very bog reaction for HF. Other than that - lame. One guy near me was saying "I don't recognize this stuff but it sounds ok, maybe I will pick up the new album" He was referring to the new material. Mind you this is on the 2'nd lg of the tour and the guy paid for indoor tickets.

 

Another guy near me was thrilled by the 1'st set (the last time he had seen Rush was in the 80's - either the Power Windows Tour or HYF - I forget which) but you could tell he was not into the 2'nd set. To make matters worse (sigh - we have heard this before but here it comes) he had brought his girlfriend with him and she was a country music fan who did not like Rush. She just tested the entire time and as the second set went on was obviously saying to him "I am bored - lets leave" He finally did. Poor guy.

 

Even beyond those folks (why go? why get inside tickets? give them to the real Rush fans) I thought the crowd was just lame.

 

Pity because SPAC crowds have been good in the past.

 

This is the kind of response that really fuels the thread. Thanks for posting!

 

As to that texting GF....part of the blame goes to the guy for even bringing her in the first place to a show she was not even 'pre-qualified' to see.

 

Conversely, if you drag me to a country show, I won't have fun, but at the minimum I will tolerate it, not text, and not make the person who brought me along and loves the music leave early, either. Just horrid.

[Brucey]

Well at the one show I went too, the only Clockwork Angels song that got a good reception BEFORE it began, was Headlong Flight. The others, as has been said a million times on here already, got polite applause. Tom Sawyer & Subdivisions etc got rapturous applause just as they began of course.

[LedRush]

It was a tale of two cities for me. The crowd was fantastic at the show I went to in Seattle with the crowd loving every song and being very into it. Salt Lake City was a different story as there was a lot of sitting down for the CA material and people just didn't seem into it at all. But then Salt Lake City crowds are generally poor for any event, I have observed over the years (with the exceptions of course of the nice people I met at the SLC meetup ). Perhaps not coincidentally, the above exactly describes my experience of seeing Dead Can Dance in Seattle and Salt Lake City.

 

Perhaps they don't drink enough. I know when I see the band at Jones Beach (where no drinking is allowed) the crowds are always tame.

 

The SLC show was good for me but I think it was so hot at starting time that dampened some of the crowd. As far as the drinking goes, don't think that's an issue, we have lots of rowdies. I just don't get why people are so dense, they name the tours for a reason! I was listening to CA from the time it came out so I had the songs memorized..Carnies was fantastic with the fireworks but the crowd didn't get as excited as my sister and I were. :dweez: :haz: :rush:

 

Yeah, but the rowdies aren't really what gives it energy. But having 1-3 drinks in you often makes you a little more likely to bang your head, or let out a real "whooooo", or high five a stranger. I'd bet SLC has a greater percentage of people who don't drink at all, which means that the audiences are more likely to be tame.

 

Note: I recognize that drunk assholes are still assholes and I recognize that many people don't need to drink to have super energy. I'm talking in generalities. When I go to a rock concert that doesn't serve alcohol, the crowd is simply not as into whatever it is.

[LedRush]

The crowd reaction I saw, during 6 different shows, was the best I have ever seen. Of course there were the Tom Sawyer fans, but the fans of both the old and the new blew them away. There were old men, and young kids, all singing alone to every song, old and into CA. Geddy always acknowledges the crowd and thats them at the end. At the show at Jones Beach, he was the most thankful of the crowd that I have ever seen him, The place went insane with every song. I was in the second row right in front of Alex. There were 4 young girls in front of me in the front row. And they looked nice. But what blew me away was that all of them sang along to every song! They were true fans. So in my opininon, the crowds during the CA tour were the best ever.

 

Hershey, AC, Brooklyn, Newark, Jones Beach, Philie - all amazing supportive crowds overall

 

I went to those shows (not AC, add Bridgeport and Mohegan sun) and Philly was horrible...the crowd was completely dead the entire time, and the show wasn't closed to sold out. Jones Beach was almost as bad, and it always sucks. Newark and Bridgeport were much better, and Mohegan Sun was excellent). I don't think I'll ever see Rush again at Jones Beach - the crowds just suck so much and the acoustics are horrible.