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Impartial Fan Reviews


Rush85dude
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If you only want to read purely fanboy reviews, this is not the topic for you, so please don't go ape over what might be posted here.

 

I just thought, having seen the band a couple weeks ago, I should starat a thread like this. So post your "fair and balanced" review here if you'd like.

 

My review:

 

The show in ATL was Setlist A--which I was glad for since I hadn't seen DEW in awhile and always love to hear RB. I was in the 12 row, so the view was good, as was the sound for the most part.

 

Suprisingly, at least to me, the band seemed at its best early on, in terms of energy and overall performance. Although I am not one to lislten to CA much these days, I could tell these tunes are fun for them to play. Same with One Little Victory and Roll the Bones. I have to say the first set was, for me, quite good despite the absence of more recognizable fare for the average (majority in attendance) fan.

 

Like Set 1, Set 2 seemed strongest in the fist few songs (in terms of enthused perofrmances). When Prelude kicked in, I was probably one of few die-hards who ran to the concession area to pee then get a beer. Don't get me wrong, I wore out Hemispheres back in the day, but that chunk of the show, though interesting in concept (framing the solo with Cygnus instrumental parts) seems to be break-time for Geddy and Alex. I would have perferred The Trees and La Villa... Nevertheless, I continue to be floored by how well Neil still plays. He may have tendinits and miss a few fills but he is still on fire. If I had the disposable income, I'd go again just to focus on him.

 

Geddy and Alex were spot on with the tundering Xanadu riff but the opening and solo section guitar was so much better in years past (even on R30). CTTH was a good choice since they didn't play many of "the hits." Wish they'd added Soliloquy to 2112. Nice to have Presentation but...

 

Sorr,y but the encore, for me, looks better on paper than live. For those who don't think so, go back and check out the encores for VT and R30. The were just much more in synch, even with more challenging arrangements. I know what they're doing (ha) now fits the overall flow of the scirpt for the show, but a tele with that much gain/distorition can be annoying to my ears. And Geddy's singing on Lakeside...

 

To be fair, Alex's solos on Anthem and Working Man were worth sticking around for.

 

It's a bittersweat thing to admit, after seeing the band live for over 30 years, that they just play better one the newer songs since so many of us have been dying to hear the old chestnuts, but I think the best performances of those songs were performed at least a decade ago. I know I'm the rare bird to say this, but if they focused even more on the last few albums, the show would retain the energy displayed on tours gone by...

 

I rate the show Fair to Good, overall.

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I have my 3 shows starting Sunday so it's hard to say at this point, but judging from the boots I've seen I think you're right. The newer material seems to do more for them than those old songs. They're probably only included because this is the last tour since they've ignored those songs for so many years. Lakeside Park is almost painful to listen to vocally and Anthem is not much better. OLV is a real struggle vocally. I don't think most fans want to hear it anyway. It should be permanently dropped from the show if only to give Ged an easier song vocally. Prelude is way too low for my liking but that's the only way he can sing it, but the song is almost ruined it's so low. From a production standpoint, this looks to be some of the nicest lighting we've seen in a while, although I was hoping for a complete revamp and getting rid of the pods. Nice to see the coloured lasers back. All in all I don't think these will be the best Rush shows I've seen going back to 1983, but I'm looking forward to the last 3 shows I will probably ever see. Even if they do shows in the future, It will probably be festivals and out of reach for me geographically. I really don't want to see them in a club setting or a small hall either. It's been a hell of a ride of over 60 shows going back to high school. My kids are now older than I was when I saw them for the first time. I can't beiieve they've lasted this long. We're so lucky.
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We witnessed the same show and saw and heard two different things. Doesn't surprise me at all... :codger:
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We witnessed the same show and saw and heard two different things. Doesn't surprise me at all... :codger:

 

Yeah same for Columbus. Sure they made some mistakes, they're only human. Btw, the lasers are awesome. :LOL:

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Having attended 2 of the Texas shows, I'll post my general thoughts along the lines of the things OP mentioned.

 

First, I kinda agree about Hemispheres. Being downtuned a whole step, it doesn't sound right to me. I know it's for Ged's sake, but I'd be fine if they dropped it for any other tune from that album (preferably LVS). I like Cygnus X-1 better anyway.

 

As far as energy goes though, I felt like the place was dead for most of the first set except for RTB and Subdivisions. The band played fine, flawlessly in fact, but the first 7-8 songs weren't exactly their most inspiring. At intermission, the people who hadn't caught on to the reverse chronology thing were probably thinking "WTF, is the WHOLE SHOW gonna be like this?".

 

Second set was a completely different story. Total vibe of electricity in the air from the first note of TS to the last of 2112. I think most people do realize the band is older and they aren't going to nail the 70s stuff with the same power they did back then. But they did a hell of a job trying and where they occasionally lacked in energy, the audience more than picked up the slack. And I could tell from the guys' faces, they were feeling the gratitude.

 

For the encore, I thought Ged sang as well as he possibly can at this point. No, you wouldn't play a newbie the 2015 version of "Anthem" before the original. They're night and day. And Ged will probably struggle there more and more as the tour goes on. But the band can still shred musically on those 4 songs and they are far from embarrassing themselves.

 

The main thing I enjoyed about the shows I attended was that Rush seems to be sincerely trying to say thank you to the fans who've been with them since the beginning. Not calling the newer albums crap, but how big would Rush be today if their debut album had been, say, Presto? I'd say possibly big, but not huge. The first 8 albums especially are what made Rush and left their stamp on music history. And I think it's beautiful the way they are embracing that history on this tour and the way their audience is responding to it. It was beyond any other Rush show I've attended (which admittedly only goes back to the mid 80s). Hell of a way to go out if indeed "this is it".

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music is subjective--I am afraid that nobody could write a completely fair and objective review--it will always be clouded by lots of variables that you have no control over.

 

That being said--post away!

^^^ This...
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Having attended 2 of the Texas shows, I'll post my general thoughts along the lines of the things OP mentioned.

 

First, I kinda agree about Hemispheres. Being downtuned a whole step, it doesn't sound right to me. I know it's for Ged's sake, but I'd be fine if they dropped it for any other tune from that album (preferably LVS). I like Cygnus X-1 better anyway.

 

As far as energy goes though, I felt like the place was dead for most of the first set except for RTB and Subdivisions. The band played fine, flawlessly in fact, but the first 7-8 songs weren't exactly their most inspiring. At intermission, the people who hadn't caught on to the reverse chronology thing were probably thinking "WTF, is the WHOLE SHOW gonna be like this?".

 

Second set was a completely different story. Total vibe of electricity in the air from the first note of TS to the last of 2112. I think most people do realize the band is older and they aren't going to nail the 70s stuff with the same power they did back then. But they did a hell of a job trying and where they occasionally lacked in energy, the audience more than picked up the slack. And I could tell from the guys' faces, they were feeling the gratitude.

 

For the encore, I thought Ged sang as well as he possibly can at this point. No, you wouldn't play a newbie the 2015 version of "Anthem" before the original. They're night and day. And Ged will probably struggle there more and more as the tour goes on. But the band can still shred musically on those 4 songs and they are far from embarrassing themselves.

 

The main thing I enjoyed about the shows I attended was that Rush seems to be sincerely trying to say thank you to the fans who've been with them since the beginning. Not calling the newer albums crap, but how big would Rush be today if their debut album had been, say, Presto? I'd say possibly big, but not huge. The first 8 albums especially are what made Rush and left their stamp on music history. And I think it's beautiful the way they are embracing that history on this tour and the way their audience is responding to it. It was beyond any other Rush show I've attended (which admittedly only goes back to the mid 80s). Hell of a way to go out if indeed "this is it".

This is basically what I experienced in Atlanta. A mostly subdued crowd (including me) until RTB. As I have posted in other threads Ged really struggled with the recent material and OLV in particular. Tough to listen to. After that and the finishing of the first set things went uphill real quick. The second set had all (that I could see at least) standing and really into it. The excitement during Jacobs Ladder and Xanadu seemed to be the highlight for all. The encore was cool and exciting but I really think the 2112, Hemispheres, Cygnus, Jacobs Ladder and Xanadu stuff was the highlight even more so than the "hits". I only wish I would have caught the set with Natural Science. I would trade that any day for a couple "hits". Anyway that was my "impartial" :LOL: review... :codger: Edited by Narps
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I hope they drop Natural Science. Neil completely misses that fill and plays a simple beat there instead. I dont care if Ged cant sing it. This is Rush and I want to see them nail the parts. Aside from that irs a great show and an amazing concept.
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I've seen opening night and 2 of the Texas shows. I would have to agree with some the vocal comments, LP and Anthem or almost painful to listen to. Pius Neil's performance during the encores, reminds me of someone pouting. Remember Bangkok on ESL compared to the Snakes & Arrows version?
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Sounds like we have 2 main camps. Whether you'd rather see them do songs they can still play as flawlessly as they did on the original album, versus them playing songs that may be a little rough around the edges now, but that happen to be your personal favorites. Obviously there will not be complete consensus on either side.
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They're having their troubles this tour....interesting to say the least...hearing one flub here, and one at some other time aren't out of the ordinary...but they're having some difficulties!

 

 

Hopefully the official live sets are pristine...bootlegs are excusable.....

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I have my 3 shows starting Sunday so it's hard to say at this point, but judging from the boots I've seen I think you're right. The newer material seems to do more for them than those old songs. They're probably only included because this is the last tour since they've ignored those songs for so many years. Lakeside Park is almost painful to listen to vocally and Anthem is not much better. OLV is a real struggle vocally. I don't think most fans want to hear it anyway. It should be permanently dropped from the show if only to give Ged an easier song vocally. Prelude is way too low for my liking but that's the only way he can sing it, but the song is almost ruined it's so low. From a production standpoint, this looks to be some of the nicest lighting we've seen in a while, although I was hoping for a complete revamp and getting rid of the pods. Nice to see the coloured lasers back. All in all I don't think these will be the best Rush shows I've seen going back to 1983, but I'm looking forward to the last 3 shows I will probably ever see. Even if they do shows in the future, It will probably be festivals and out of reach for me geographically. I really don't want to see them in a club setting or a small hall either. It's been a hell of a ride of over 60 shows going back to high school. My kids are now older than I was when I saw them for the first time. I can't beiieve they've lasted this long. We're so lucky.

 

We are lucky. Most bands of their caliber didn't survive the 90s without compromising.

 

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Sounds like we have 2 main camps. Whether you'd rather see them do songs they can still play as flawlessly as they did on the original album, versus them playing songs that may be a little rough around the edges now, but that happen to be your personal favorites. Obviously there will not be complete consensus on either side.

 

I'm not expecting them to go note for note from the original.....the flubs I've heard so far are just on a different level... Not sure what the issue may be...although we have discussed some possible issues...

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Sounds like we have 2 main camps. Whether you'd rather see them do songs they can still play as flawlessly as they did on the original album, versus them playing songs that may be a little rough around the edges now, but that happen to be your personal favorites. Obviously there will not be complete consensus on either side.

 

I'm not expecting them to go note for note from the original.....the flubs I've heard so far are just on a different level... Not sure what the issue may be...although we have discussed some possible issues...

 

This is very challenging stuff to perform live. No question about it. I would guess they don't seek feedback or input about the set or rehearsal performances, so we get what feels/sounds right to them. It just seems to me VT or R30 were their last tours where it all came together. They had many blistering performances on those tours.

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Having attended 2 of the Texas shows, I'll post my general thoughts along the lines of the things OP mentioned.

 

First, I kinda agree about Hemispheres. Being downtuned a whole step, it doesn't sound right to me. I know it's for Ged's sake, but I'd be fine if they dropped it for any other tune from that album (preferably LVS). I like Cygnus X-1 better anyway.

 

As far as energy goes though, I felt like the place was dead for most of the first set except for RTB and Subdivisions. The band played fine, flawlessly in fact, but the first 7-8 songs weren't exactly their most inspiring. At intermission, the people who hadn't caught on to the reverse chronology thing were probably thinking "WTF, is the WHOLE SHOW gonna be like this?".

 

Second set was a completely different story. Total vibe of electricity in the air from the first note of TS to the last of 2112. I think most people do realize the band is older and they aren't going to nail the 70s stuff with the same power they did back then. But they did a hell of a job trying and where they occasionally lacked in energy, the audience more than picked up the slack. And I could tell from the guys' faces, they were feeling the gratitude.

 

For the encore, I thought Ged sang as well as he possibly can at this point. No, you wouldn't play a newbie the 2015 version of "Anthem" before the original. They're night and day. And Ged will probably struggle there more and more as the tour goes on. But the band can still shred musically on those 4 songs and they are far from embarrassing themselves.

 

The main thing I enjoyed about the shows I attended was that Rush seems to be sincerely trying to say thank you to the fans who've been with them since the beginning. Not calling the newer albums crap, but how big would Rush be today if their debut album had been, say, Presto? I'd say possibly big, but not huge. The first 8 albums especially are what made Rush and left their stamp on music history. And I think it's beautiful the way they are embracing that history on this tour and the way their audience is responding to it. It was beyond any other Rush show I've attended (which admittedly only goes back to the mid 80s). Hell of a way to go out if indeed "this is it".

This is basically what I experienced in Atlanta. A mostly subdued crowd (including me) until RTB. As I have posted in other threads Ged really struggled with the recent material and OLV in particular. Tough to listen to. After that and the finishing of the first set things went uphill real quick. The second set had all (that I could see at least) standing and really into it. The excitement during Jacobs Ladder and Xanadu seemed to be the highlight for all. The encore was cool and exciting but I really think the 2112, Hemispheres, Cygnus, Jacobs Ladder and Xanadu stuff was the highlight even more so than the "hits". I only wish I would have caught the set with Natural Science. I would trade that any day for a couple "hits". Anyway that was my "impartial" :LOL: review... :codger:

 

Jacob and Xanadu are the show stoppers this tour, no doubt about it. And i'm sorry you missed NS, it was awesome in Dallas. Neil might have missed a fill here or there, but I was too busy being blown away by the lighting, video and sound coming from the stage to care. :)

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Good reviews I like them better then the total ass kissing reviews

 

Yeah, I like honesty and cannot deal with the Geddy sounds just like he did when he was 25 shit http://www.shootersloft.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/crazy.gif

 

But I do not like criticism just for the sake of bitching. Honest critiques are awesome. I cannot wait until Friday :)

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Some Rush fans are a trip, find crap to complain If you must, but the Tampa show was the best I have seen in 30 years of attending Rush shows. Memorial weekend show on the 24th of May...kind of appropriate they played LP! The crowds at the Tampa shows are always rowdy, this one rocked from from song one, highlight of he first set surprisingly was DEW, that song ROCKED, Animate a close second. The band played very well, and enthusiastic, including Mr.Peart who was witnessed smiling on several occasions.

 

second set was a dream for this fan, and we got the extra song NS which was cool, Alex actually messed up the solo on TS, I guess we should have all gone home since they weren't perfect LOL. Xanadu was the highlight of the second set, the double necks were a nice surprise although I don't think Ged played both necks, Alex however sure did. Its worth noting that Alex used about 10 different very bad arse les pauls during the show, plus the obligatory Strat, and Tele. VERY COOL! Neils solo defied logic, even Ged led the crowd in an enthusiastic cheer after that one. Geds voice was quite good all night, including the 70s cuts, I cant say I have ever left a Rush show judging it by how well Ged sang, no he didn't sound like he did when he was thirty because.. well... hes not.

 

The encore was incredible, if they had given me a pen and said pick four, I would have quickly wrote down LP, ANTH, WYD and maybe In The Mood instead of WM but Alex shredded that solo. Never thought TTM show would be topped, I was wrong.

 

I prefer the outdoor AMP for shows, but THIS light show belonged indoors, and it seemed much louder which I liked, problem is if your not on floor seats (17th row center for me) the sound can suck which I heard from a couple people post show.

 

How these three can still perform like that for 2 1/2 hrs with THAT set list boggles, it was pretty darn cool to see full blown proper old school arena rock show, you could see the band and crowd feed off each other, it was special night.

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Maybe Rush should play it different every night, jam band style. "Hey man this is how it feels TONIGHT." In other words, "hey man, you can't ever tell if we ever make a mistake, cause it ain't a mistake, man."

 

It takes guts doing it the Rush way, attempting to replicate the LP versions, let alone at 62 freaking years of age.

 

Get real people!

 

 

.

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I don't think any one is complaining...I think people are noticing more issues this tour than others.....I thought the Bristow show was freaking amazing! But Neil had some issues...Alex had guitar problems....Geddy was struggling on a few higher notes....

 

I'm wondering if Neil's having problems because he's using two separate kits...someone mentioned Alex has different fret length guitars (or something to that affect) We know Geddy hasn't hit some notes for a while...

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Most casual fans don't know what the difficulties are or where they're coming from.

 

It's simply old age and 40 years of touring.

 

Again...Alex and Neil are playing under duress.

 

See them now, or not again.

 

Don't choose....poorly. ;)

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The other thing to consider is that we are much more aware of all the mistakes now at each show because of the Periscope thing.
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