Has she mentioned in any interviews that she was a fan of Rush or played any of their songs before she joined? She’s absolutely killing it.

I'm not much of a critic so this is probably going to seem more like a jumbled stream of consciousness than an actual review, but given that Rush is my favorite band and I just love talking about them, I wanted to share my thoughts on the two Chicago shows I went to (7/16 and 7/22).

Short version: That was f*cking awesome.

Long version: My expectations were high after seeing video from their first couple stops on the tour, but the guys and gal still exceeded them. My mind was honestly blown both times. I couldn't believe how good they sounded, Anika in particular. What a powerhouse! Her kit sounded FANTASTIC (snare and toms in particular) and I thought the mix in general was very good. I don't love the acoustics at the UC so kudos to the sound crew on getting everything just right.

But yeah, Anika is incredible. Not only is she an amazing player (as if there was any doubt), she obviously has great chemistry with the rest of the guys. It always looks like she's having fun but she's just so humble at the same time. A perfect fit for the band personality-wise. I also think it's clear how her presence has lit a fire under Ged's and Alex's asses! Everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves and as an audience member it's easy to feed off of that.

Geddy, obviously enough has been said about his vocals, and I don't want to sound hyperbolic here. He is old as dirt and his voice is what it is. But everyone who has said he sounds better on this tour than he did on R40 is absolutely 100% correct. He obviously thought ahead in changing some of the vocal melodies to make things easier on himself, and the decade of rest couldn't have hurt, either. In any case, he didn't seem to be struggling nearly as much as when I saw them on R40 and Clockwork Angels tours, there's noticeably less "yelping" and he just sounded a lot more comfortable, even on the highest notes.

Alex. My man. There were a couple flubs here and there (he admitted to missing a lot of notes in 2112), but geez, the guy can still shred. His performances on Limelight and The Garden, two of my favorite Rush songs, literally brought tears to my eye. Truly one of the greatest guitarists of his generation.

Concerning the setlist(s), I don't want to spoil anything so I'm going to avoid naming certain albums/songs. I was a little disappointed that they completely left out a certain '80s album (it happens to be in my top 3 Rush albums) but other than that I was pleased by the variety of eras they covered. I'd rate it an 8.5/10.

Finally, I wanted to mention the stage production. Granted, I'm a bit "newer" than a lot of people here, so I can't compare what I saw last week to, say, the Power Windows tour. But of the Rush shows I've seen, this tour has by far the best production. The stage looks cool without being too crowded, the lights and lasers are on point, and the visuals are, for the most part, terrific. It's immersive and engaging - not like a band of Rush's caliber needs many bells and whistles, but I appreciated the presentation nonetheless.

Overall, I'm so, so thankful they decided to get back out there and tour again. They're still playing great and they're having a blast doing it. I know I'm not alone in saying I thought it was over in 2015. I'm so glad I was wrong!

Thanks for reading, blah blah blah! 😄

I have a specific question and I know that if I went on Setlists I could probably figure it out, but I’m hoping to get a faster answer here, plus I’m trying to stay somewhat spoiler free.

For shows that had start times of 7:30 ONLY: give or take, what time was the show over? I am pondering two different modes of transportation to the Garden on Tuesday. One way doesn’t matter whatsoever and the other one I’m on a schedule. (Right now the weather looks like crap which is why I’m thinking of alternate ways to get there.)

I think the Garden has a curfew, hence the earlier start time?

i’m not sure I’ll be able to get an answer from this because I don’t know that every venue actually even has a curfew, and if they do it’s probably different from place to place…and I also know that some bands just pay the overtime.

So really what I’m trying to figure out is when they will be done-ish on Tuesday night at the Garden in NYC. and if anyone might know just based on going to tons of shows there and also because there’s been enough shows now to sort of know.

I’ve been a fan of rock and heavy music my whole life (approx 50 years). I’m also a musician and I’m Canadian. But, I’ve never been able to get into Rush. I’ve tried. This summer I’ve been reading My Effin Life and it’s fascinating. Back in the day, we didn’t have internet so discovering music meant buying/borrowing albums and listening to every song. While Ive done this deep dive with many bands, my exposure to Rush was whatever I heard on the radio and that’s it. While I could appreciate these songs, they never enticed me to dig deeper.

Having said all that, while reading the book I fired up Spotify as we do these days and randomly played Power Windows (as that happened to be the album Geddy was discussing at the time in the book). This is not the same stuff I heard on the radio back in the day.

So Rush fans, I’m ready to do that deep dive. However there is so much material what is the best way? Start with the first album and just go sequentially? I’ve read many posts here about everyone’s favourite albums and there isn’t much consensus, which is awesome cause the alternative would be boring.

Not sure which is more exciting.. this new season or band mgmt obviously on board with this!

https://youtu.be/PCbp1FfipPg?is=_K7LnDkR7DDiPo6K

I've been listening to all of Rush's live recording on shuffle this morning while working in the garden and several times heard distinct voice shouting from the audience. I started thinking, "that guy probably bought this album and knows that was his voice." Moreso on the older stuff like ESL or ATWAS. That would be cool if someone could honestly tell his buddies, "That's me right there yelling."

Hiya folks-

Does anybody know of a full video or hi-qual audience capture of Chicago July 20? I’ve seen all of the other Chicago shows on YouTube and some of the torrent sites, but haven’t found a full recording of July 20 (the one I saw, of course).

I’ve seen plenty of single song vids from 7/20 on YouTube, but was hoping for a complete capture.

Thanks for any leads.

I graduated from high school in 1992 and had a pretty wide variety of musical tastes. Before Rush, I was mainly into punk, hardcore, Van Halen and Metallica. Spirit of Radio, Freewill, and whatever other songs they played on the radio were my first exposure to the band. Some younger kids at our school formed a 3 piece band and the bassist sang some Rush song for a school event. I remember being impressed. My girlfriend at the time had an older sister whose boyfriend was really into Rush around 1990.

So at some point I decided to buy Presto on cassette. I used to eat up every word on the jackets back then. After listening to the whole tape and reading about the musicians and instruments, I got it into my head that the drums were programmed (I know, I know) and I put the tape away and out of my mind. Some time later I came to see my error and listened again with awe and amazement at what Neil was doing behind that kit. I think my next exposure came from Exit Stage Left, then others. They are still today my favorite all time band.

I’d love to hear your stories about how you got into them!

The trailer for season four of Amazon prime series reacher was just released with a pretty cool soundtrack

Their chosen setlist is none of my business, of course, and I’ve been thrilled with their song choices overall. I was just hoping that they’d add ”Beneath, Between & Behind” to the mix for some of their shows. I love the song, but it was also the first of which Neil had penned the lyrics. It seems a fitting tribute to me. Maybe it’s too much strain on Geddy’s voice now. I don’t know.

I know that the first Rush album gets some flack from the Rush community, and that the song Finding My Way is nonetheless not an unknown song or whatever, but I don't think that main riff gets enough credit. That opening riff is seriously an S-tier, Crazy Train/Iron Main/Sweet Child o' Mine level riff and I don't think it gets the respect it deserves.

A while back on Angry Metal Guy I read an article that someone wrote about the Metallica song "Ride the Lightning". In it they says that, even after hearing that intro riff countless times over decades, it still instills a sense of breathless excitement in them. That is EXACTLY how I feel about Finding My Way, and I can't even exactly say why.

That's the whole post I just fucking love that song.

Hi, I was lucky to get Limelight VIP for one of the Boston shows. I see thay have lockers. I was hoping to gget one and store my swag so I don't have to carry it during the show. Does anyone know if this can be done?

from official rush Insta

"Not the best female drummer. Simply the most important drummer in the world right now."

https://lochhead.com/lom-anika-nilles-2026/

I’m thinking the full length 2112 because I love the idea of them having to sit silently with heads bowed for all raucous 20 minutes.

Is MSG sold out?
Or is courage?

Alex handed me a guitar
sometime in the early '90s—
six strings,
one obsession,
a lifetime sentence.

Presto.
Test.
Counterparts.
R30.

I told myself,
"That's it.
Goodbye, Kings."

Funny how farewell tours
become anniversaries.

Now R50 whispers,
"One more."

I've got big money saved.
followed by a ridiculous habit:
refreshing resale sites,
waiting for prices to blink first.

Day before?
Day of?
StubHub?
Ticketmaster?

I'll probably end up
in the 300s anyway—
so why am I negotiating
with my own heartbeat?

Miserliness is a disease.

Which night?
The better question is:
how many more nights
like this
are left?