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Should Rush still be performing live?


chasekratzer
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I think that they should keep going. I mean, they want to, right? Besides, if they do continue to tour, people will show up. I'll show up.

 

Yeah me too. As much as I complain about Geddy's voice (and that's only because it upsets me) I'll still go as long as they tour.

 

It upsets you?

 

The fact that his voice is declining.

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The fact that his voice is declining.

 

I wondered what you meant there, too. I agree that Geddy is struggling a bit. I would actually rather he change the parts a bit rather than push so hard. Sometimes his voice cracks a bit at the start of a line, and I think if he'd just pull back a bit it might sound better. But I'm no expert (and have a terrible singing voice myself!).

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The fact that his voice is declining.

 

I wondered what you meant there, too. I agree that Geddy is struggling a bit. I would actually rather he change the parts a bit rather than push so hard. Sometimes his voice cracks a bit at the start of a line, and I think if he'd just pull back a bit it might sound better. But I'm no expert (and have a terrible singing voice myself!).

 

I love it when Geddy sings but I do have to admit I've always wondered why he doesn't tone it down a notch.

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The fact that his voice is declining.

 

I wondered what you meant there, too. I agree that Geddy is struggling a bit. I would actually rather he change the parts a bit rather than push so hard. Sometimes his voice cracks a bit at the start of a line, and I think if he'd just pull back a bit it might sound better. But I'm no expert (and have a terrible singing voice myself!).

 

I love it when Geddy sings but I do have to admit I've always wondered why he doesn't tone it down a notch.

 

I don't think he can sing any lower than he is already. As it is, he had already toned it down more than a few notches.

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I don't think he can sing any lower than he is already. As it is, he had already toned it down more than a few notches.

 

For some songs, maybe, but for songs like Red Barchetta, which are in the original key (I believe), he's really pushing hard. Actually, I don't know what the solution is, because people want to hear what they expect to hear, I guess.

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The fact that his voice is declining.

 

I wondered what you meant there, too. I agree that Geddy is struggling a bit. I would actually rather he change the parts a bit rather than push so hard. Sometimes his voice cracks a bit at the start of a line, and I think if he'd just pull back a bit it might sound better. But I'm no expert (and have a terrible singing voice myself!).

 

I love it when Geddy sings but I do have to admit I've always wondered why he doesn't tone it down a notch.

 

I don't think he can sing any lower than he is already. As it is, he had already toned it down more than a few notches.

 

No when he's live he does push really hard and try to hit those notes when you can tell he'd be able to go lower.

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The fact that his voice is declining.

 

I wondered what you meant there, too. I agree that Geddy is struggling a bit. I would actually rather he change the parts a bit rather than push so hard. Sometimes his voice cracks a bit at the start of a line, and I think if he'd just pull back a bit it might sound better. But I'm no expert (and have a terrible singing voice myself!).

 

I love it when Geddy sings but I do have to admit I've always wondered why he doesn't tone it down a notch.

 

I don't think he can sing any lower than he is already. As it is, he had already toned it down more than a few notches.

 

No when he's live he does push really hard and try to hit those notes when you can tell he'd be able to go lower.

 

I'd rather he didn't push so hard to hit them and just save his voice. I'm certain he knows he just can't do it anymore, as much as he (and us) would like to be able to.

 

I don't know if it was on account of the fact that he was tired (since it was an encore song) or if it is representative of how he sings it now, but when I listened to Tom Sawyer on CA Tour DVD - he is singing that quite low. Gangster, do you remember if he sang it like that when you saw all those times last tour?

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I don't think he can sing any lower than he is already. As it is, he had already toned it down more than a few notches.

 

For some songs, maybe, but for songs like Red Barchetta, which are in the original key (I believe), he's really pushing hard. Actually, I don't know what the solution is, because people want to hear what they expect to hear, I guess.

 

As long as he can carry a tune and still sing, I guess it shouldn't matter what key he sings in, as long as he sings. :)

 

:geddy: :wub:

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I've only seen them once so of course I think they should still perform live for as long as they can. They take very good care of themselves and I think that they still kick ass. I know that they're getting older but they do so well for their age. And yes, Geddy's voice has changed a lot but that's why they like to take extensive breaks, so he can try to preserve it. I agree with Segue, older fans have seen them change throughout the years and they wish their shows could be like they used to. But for someone who's on the younger side, just being there at a Rush concert is an amazing experience, whether it's one of their best of one of their worst performances. And for the people here who have seen them 20+ times, it may start to get boring. I want to experience as many Rush concerts as I can before they retire, no matter how many that will be, and it probably won't be a lot. Like Segue said, if you don't think they're good, don't go to their concerts and buy their live DVDs/albums.
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The fact that his voice is declining.

 

I wondered what you meant there, too. I agree that Geddy is struggling a bit. I would actually rather he change the parts a bit rather than push so hard. Sometimes his voice cracks a bit at the start of a line, and I think if he'd just pull back a bit it might sound better. But I'm no expert (and have a terrible singing voice myself!).

 

I love it when Geddy sings but I do have to admit I've always wondered why he doesn't tone it down a notch.

 

I don't think he can sing any lower than he is already. As it is, he had already toned it down more than a few notches.

 

No when he's live he does push really hard and try to hit those notes when you can tell he'd be able to go lower.

 

I'd rather he didn't push so hard to hit them and just save his voice. I'm certain he knows he just can't do it anymore, as much as he (and us) would like to be able to.

 

I don't know if it was on account of the fact that he was tired (since it was an encore song) or if it is representative of how he sings it now, but when I listened to Tom Sawyer on CA Tour DVD - he is singing that quite low. Gangster, do you remember if he sang it like that when you saw all those times last tour?

 

It's in the same key, but Geddy is changing a few of the notes: for example, when he sings "what you say about society," he's not singing the high E note on "what"--he's singing that note an octave lower. That's pretty significant! However, most of the song is pretty much the same. Later on, he pulls it off.

Edited by toymaker
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How about Free Will?

I'll have a listen right now. In that song, the highest notes as far as I know are when he sings "cell of awareness, imperfect and incomplete"--if he can pull that off without fraying people's nerves too much, he's doing great!

Edited by toymaker
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How about Free Will?

I'll have a listen right now. In that song, the highest notes as far as I know are when he sings "cell of awareness, imperfect and incomplete"--if he can pull that off without fraying people's nerves too much, he's doing great!

 

I just listened to the one from Time Machine.

 

Da man still has it!!!!! :yes:

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How about Free Will?

I'll have a listen right now. In that song, the highest notes as far as I know are when he sings "cell of awareness, imperfect and incomplete"--if he can pull that off without fraying people's nerves too much, he's doing great!

 

In Freewill (Time Machine Tour) I think Geddy does a good job—he changes the line "you still have made a choice" to save his voice from the high note, which is definitely forgiveable. The "Each of us, a cell of awareness" bit I think he pulls off quite well—you can tell it's a bit of a struggle, but he does it, and you can hear the crowd roar its appreciation. (I remember that at the Hamilton show my friends and I grinned like idiots at each other). I think if he were to change that bit too much, it would be disappointing, so I appreciate that he makes the effort. Now, in the same show, he sings Time Stand Still, which I don't think works that well (listen to his lines after Aimee Mann's part, and to "Freeze this moment a little bit longer")--I don't think he quite nails those bits—it's not terrible, but it hurts my heart a bit. Update: it gets better as the song progresses!

Edited by toymaker
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My buddies sometimes complain about things like Geddy's voice after we see a show. All I can do is look at them and say (again): "60s!! These guys are in their @#$% 60s!!!" I'm 44 and my friggin' knees ache going up stairs and I think I might have arthritis in my left hand and I don't have even close to the range I had in my singing voice like, 5 years ago. I am so grateful that one of my favourite bands is rocking this hard and Geddy Lee is throwing his voice up where the air is thin. These guys could have retired after 20 years, or 30 years but it's been 40 freakin' years!! Almost my lifetime!! And I've been playing bass for about 15 years and I can't even get close to playing with the chops that Geddy Lee has on their first album! Should Rush still be performing? As long as they can!

 

PERFECT! :ebert: :rush:

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Toymaker, I found a good one. Listen to The Body Electric from CA.

How weird is that. I'm watching Clockwork Angels right now, and the song is Grand Designs. The next song is Body Electric...I'll give it a close listen.

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Toymaker, I found a good one. Listen to The Body Electric from CA.

How weird is that. I'm watching Clockwork Angels right now, and the song is Grand Designs. The next song is Body Electric...I'll give it a close listen.

 

Okay...not bad, not bad! Geddy sounds a bit like an opera singer during the 1-0-0-1 bit (how he extends each "one"...), and there is a little boo-boo there before the solo, but I think the song works well live. For the most part, live Geddy sounds much like album Geddy.

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I'll have to sign off soon—my band is playing a gig tonight in Hamilton. We don't play any Rush songs, but sometimes I'll throw in a signature Rush riff at the end of a song (something like Cygnus X-1). Any suggestions?
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I've said this before, and, no doubt, I'll say it again, but I love Geddy's voice like I would love a friend who comforts me when I'm down. Cracks and all.

 

It's absolutely true that when you listen to the live recordings in your house or your car or wherever you listen to music, you can hear that he doesn't sound great on every single song every single night, but I've been to 20 Rush shows since 2007, and there hasn't been a one where he didn't sound wonderful in the moment. I've never heard anyone at or after an actual Rush show say anything negative about Geddy's voice, and indeed, have many times heard sentiments such as "Wow, listening to the recording from the last tour I was afraid Geddy wouldn't sound good, but he sounds GREAT!" expressed by happy concert-goers in the afterglow.

 

(Yeah, okay, he did make a genuinely painful flub at exactly one of the 20 shows I attended, on the line "To know how they struggled...!" from the bridge of Mission, but he is, as they say, only human :LOL: And he NAILED the vocal for that entire song on the night of the live recording!)

 

As for whether or not Rush should still be performing live, the answer is OF COURSE THEY SHOULD. Go on all you like about a zillion drum fills that Neil doesn't play anymore or the fudging Alex does through the trickiest parts of the Analog Kid solo or the slowed tempo of YYZ (Regarding which, as great as the adrenalised chimpanzee feel of the version of YYZ appears on Exit...Stage Left is, I thoroughly enjoy as an alternate take on a great piece of music the thundering heaviness of that song as played on recent tours!), but the fact is, the purpose of performing live is to give your audience an exciting and enjoyable experience while the gig is going on, and leave them feeling good afterwards. I think that the vast majority of those who have been to a Rush gig in recent years can attest to the fact that Rush's skills as a band are still amply high to accomplish that.

Edited by GeddysMullet
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I'll have to sign off soon—my band is playing a gig tonight in Hamilton. We don't play any Rush songs, but sometimes I'll throw in a signature Rush riff at the end of a song (something like Cygnus X-1). Any suggestions?

 

Cygnus works! :ebert:

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I think that they should keep going. I mean, they want to, right? Besides, if they do continue to tour, people will show up. I'll show up.

 

Yeah me too. As much as I complain about Geddy's voice (and that's only because it upsets me) I'll still go as long as they tour.

 

It upsets you?

 

The fact that his voice is declining.

I like to think of it as "evolving." I love the way he sings Limelight now much better than on the studio, or even Rio. But that's just me.

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I think that they should keep going. I mean, they want to, right? Besides, if they do continue to tour, people will show up. I'll show up.

 

Yeah me too. As much as I complain about Geddy's voice (and that's only because it upsets me) I'll still go as long as they tour.

 

It upsets you?

 

The fact that his voice is declining.

I like to think of it as "evolving." I love the way he sings Limelight now much better than on the studio, or even Rio. But that's just me.

 

Oh really? To me he doesn't even sound the same anymore. He is singing from his throat and head voice rather than his chest like he should be. Clockwork Angels had so much voice processing done on it which makes it less noticeable how his voice cracks so much now.

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I think that they should keep going. I mean, they want to, right? Besides, if they do continue to tour, people will show up. I'll show up.

 

Yeah me too. As much as I complain about Geddy's voice (and that's only because it upsets me) I'll still go as long as they tour.

 

It upsets you?

 

The fact that his voice is declining.

I like to think of it as "evolving." I love the way he sings Limelight now much better than on the studio, or even Rio. But that's just me.

 

Oh really? To me he doesn't even sound the same anymore. He is singing from his throat and head voice rather than his chest like he should be. Clockwork Angels had so much voice processing done on it which makes it less noticeable how his voice cracks so much now.

Should is a funny word. I think Geddy should sing however he wants to Edited by Geddy's Soul Patch
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