Rush
7/22/08
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

With Rush's extension of their highest grossing tour ever, Snakes and Arrows, into 2008, I was lucky enough to see the band for a second time. On the way there I couldn't help but think of the last time I saw my favorite band still touring. It was the best concert I had been to, so my expectations for the night were high, but somehow I knew even if they didn't change the set list around from the 2007 tour, this would still be a magnificent show.

I walked into Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre to the tune of Zeppelin's "How Many More Times" playing on the speakers. Of course, I ended up listening to it from the little cove in front of the bathroom. Like always, it was the day of a concert at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, so it was pouring. I liked to look at it on the bright side though. Maybe, just maybe, because of the storm they'd play "Jacob's Ladder". One could only hope. After an unsuccessful trip to the janitor's closet to try and find some trash bags (they didn't have any), I decided to run out and buy me and my brother some ponchos. Two Verizon ponchos = $10. That seemed fair.

The storm blew over, and anticipation grew as people all over the amp started to notice there were filming crews with huge cameras. Although Rush has already filmed one of their concerts in 2007, one of the rumors was that the crew was filming the 2008 song changes to use as bonus material. It was a great show and we can only hope that it comes out as a full DVD. Soon enough the lights went out and there was the uproar of applause as the brilliant scarlet drum set was unveiled. The screens lit up with the video intro that the band has been using since 2007, followed by Alex walking onto the stage leading the rest of the band as they played their 1981 classic, "Limelight", which ended with lights flashing everywhere. Then almost right after the Moving Pictures tune, they played one off their next album, "Digital Man" from ‘82's Signals . It was performed superbly and the crowd was treated to a special camera view that showed both Geddy playing bass with his hands, and hitting all the right notes on his foot pedals. For those of you who don't know, Rush is famous for their unique recreation of every little bit of sound that's on the studio version of a song, live. However, they still take on a live feel. They achieve this through these pedals that serve as keyboards (for when Geddy needs to primarily play bass), samples, and even things such as harmonies or sound clips.

"Digital Man" was followed by "Ghost of a Chance" which was performed in front of a screen lit up by cool smoke-like animations. After this, Geddy greeted the crowd, and the crowd cheered. He explained that they had "so many songs" to play, and that they were going to get started. He stated that they'd start off with something off 1987's Hold Your Fire , the emotional synthesizer-soaked "Mission". As always, the song started out slow, but when it came time to kick into full force, the band got noticeably louder, making a much more exciting intro. Multi-colored lights filled the stage as Geddy sang, Alex played the "Andy Summers-like" rhythm guitar, and Neil pounded away on his enormous drum set. When it came time for the guitar solo, Alex's whole guitar was split across the three huge screens at the top of the stage.

After the heartfelt Hold Your Fire track, they went into an instantly recognizable tune off of one of their more famous albums, Permanent Waves . The radio-friendly "Freewill" excited casual and not-so-casual fans alike with its live power. Geddy thanked the audience for coming, and then announced they were going to play some tracks off the new album, Snakes and Arrows , and the first song they were going to play was "The Main Monkey Business". Last time I saw this track live it was great, but they've really polished it up over the tour so it sounded even better. Due to Alex having to play an acoustic guitar during some parts and an electric during others, he had his electric slung across his shoulder like normal; however, he also had an acoustic on a stand that he could just walk over to and play. This made the sound on this live version much like that on the studio version. During the faster sections of the song, lights would flash everywhere into the crowd, enhancing the experience. A roadie in a chef's hat even came out during the song to "tend the chickens" in Geddy's rotisserie chicken cookers, and, as usual, during the song there was a montage of monkeys.

The stage went dark and the Bob and Doug McKenzie video came on before "The Larger Bowl." As usual, the song featured a video montage of the less fortunate on one side, and the more fortunate on the other, showcasing the suffering some have to go through while others sit on the couch and eat caviar. After this song, Dirk announced that they were going to play one from the early 80's and it was about a car. That didn't leave many options, so it was pretty obvious they were going to play "Red Barchetta." This live version was great though. "Red Barchetta" usually isn't a song I really get into, but it was excellent, live, and had a lot of energy that seems to be missing from the studio version. Behind the band was a video that made it look like the stage was flying down the road, and red lights lit up on either side of the stage, making it look like tail lights on the back of a car. After the guitar solo, the song slowed down to a chilled out repetition of one of the riffs, and then it kicking into high gear to end the song.

Following "Red Barchetta" came another Rush classic, this time from three years earlier. Hemispheres has four tracks, two of them being lengthy and amazing, but there were two short amazing ones on it, too. The one they played was "The Trees". The intro was performed on Alex's acoustic on a stand, and when the band got to the heavy part, Alex left the stand playing his iconic white ES-335. During the song, videos of tall trees in the sunlight shown upon the screen, until the end, when plots of felled trees were shown. During the end, also, samples of birds chirping and cartoon quotes from shows like South Park played. This classic was followed by the synthesizer-heavy "Between the Wheels", the last track off of '84's Grace Under Pressure . As the song went on, these huge light "pods", for lack of a better word, came down and shown upon the stage in all sorts of colors. Cogs turned on the screen as they played in a cool animation and purple spots shown on the ceiling. Finally, after "Between the Wheels", the band played their first set closer, "Dreamline". During the main riff, green lasers shot off into the sky and during the solo they spread into a fan pattern of green light. After the exciting song, Geddy informed the crowd they were merely human, so it was time for them to take a short break.

After about another half hour, the lights went out again, and a video took over the screens. This one was different from the 2007 tour video that appeared before the second set. It featured Scottish Geddy (who's featured in the intro) driving to get some chicken, and picking up the Barbies in front of Alex's pedal board. It also contained funny references like a sign that said "Tobes of Haiti" (like Tobes of Hades in Bytor and the Snow Dog, get it?). After the video, Dirk, Lerxst, and Pratt were onstage again as lights flashed everywhere. They played the heavy opener to Snakes and Arrows , "Far Cry" with extreme force. It was enhanced with the video they used last year, of the baby in a stroller rolling across the world. Also, like last year, after the second "you can almost see the circuits blowing", pyrotechnics exploded from behind Neil's set as the crowd went crazy. "Far Cry" was followed by "Working Them Angels" which featured another cool montage video of workers with angel wings, and a cool mandolin solo from Lerxst. Another 2007 track followed, "Armor and Sword", which was performed a lot like the studio version. Then, the light pods came down again to accompany the drone that starts "Spindrift", which is, in my opinion, one of the best new tracks. You could tell the band was really into this one, as Dirk jumped around like a mad man with a huge grin on his face. After this, he welcomed us to the second half of the show and thanked us for letting this all happen.

"The Way the Wind Blows" was played next, complemented by a video of travelers on a walk as the wind blew. The video was fitting to the song. After this new one, they got back to a well-needed classic. A deep pounding synth sound filled the air with Geddy manning the keyboards for the 1982 classic, "Subdivisions", which is a song any person that grows up in the suburbs can relate to. It was performed great as usual. Following this, Dirk introduced us to who he thought was the hardest-working, most intelligent individual on stage, his Neil Peart action figure on that was a stand next to his keyboard. I really wish I knew the story behind this.

I was extremely excited to next hear one of my favorite Rush songs of all time. Even from the soft beginning, the crowd was ecstatic as the epic "Natural Science" began. "Part One: Tide Pools" filled the air with anticipation as it grew faster, ending with strands of DNA filling the screens. Strobe lights exploded off the stage as the whirling sounds that start "Part Two: Hyperspace" flowed from the speakers. A colorful tunnel-like animation played during the choppy, but yet somehow smooth, second part of the closing song of Permanent Waves. Then, "Part Three: Permanent Waves" came on as cool colorful designs glowed on the big screens, and this part was just as awesome live as on the studio version. Being the most melodic of the parts, it invoked a lot of cheering. The epic was followed directly by Part III of the Fear series, "Witch Hunt", which began with pillars of fire being spurt out during the intro.

Feedback blared from the speakers, and the band went into their Grammy-winning new instrumental, one of my favorite new tracks, "Malignant Narcissism". It was brilliantly performed and showcased Geddy's talent with a bass guitar, leading directly into an amazing drum solo from one of the world's greatest drummers, The Professor. The set even spun around a couple of times during the solo to give him access to the electronic drums he's incorporated into his kit, and the solo ended with a jazz beat. The lights went out after this, and Alex came out with just an acoustic. His beautiful new acoustic guitar solo, "Hope", filled the air, reminding us Lerxst is just as good with an acoustic as he is with an electric.

After the acoustic solo, the band came back together on stage and multi-colored strobes flashed everywhere as the band played "The Spirit of Radio". During the song, the chef roadie came out again and this time was joined by a dancing guy in a chicken suit! After the song, I was expecting either "Distant Early Warning" or "Summertime Blues" like they put in this slot last year, but was very pleasantly surprised. The lights went out after "The Spirit of Radio" and then the spacey noises that start the epic "2112" came from the speakers. As the overture began, the famous star-man logo came up on the screen. The guitar solo was done excellently and Alex was on the screen performing it in negative coloring. This was followed by the next part of "2112", The Temples of Syrinx. Unfortunately, this was all we got to hear from "2112". We didn't even get a Grand Finale, which they'll sometimes throw into abbreviated versions.

Sadly, "2112" was cut short due to the most popular of Rush songs. Although it's good, I just wish they would've replaced it with a deeper cut. "Tom Sawyer" started out with the South Park "Little Rush" video intro, like last year. After the song, the band walked offstage. Cheering began for the inevitable encore, and sure enough it happened quickly. Dirk, Lerxst, and Pratt came back onstage and performed "One Little Victory" which ended with pillars of flames. They then performed the 2112 classic, "A Passage to Bangkok", with Geddy on his Rickenbacker bass. During the solo, animations fitting to the theme of the song appeared on screen. It ended with a reggae ending, unlike last time. Finally, the band performed one more, and like in 2007, their encore closer was the famous "YYZ". It was performed tremendously as usual, complete with lasers shooting out into the air. It was a fitting end to the show and the second-to-last concert of the tour. Hopefully the boys will be finding their way on tour again, soon.

-JJ