Photos and review by Michael Hurcomb - Staff Photographer club.kingsnake.com
I'm Canadian, Male and a Musician. So I should be a Rush fan right? Somehow it never happened. I heard their music growing up, knew that my brother's friends liked them and that they were supposed to be one of the best bands ever, but I just couldn't turn the corner as a fan. But a few things happened during the last decade that led me to appreciate their talent and legacy. The first thing was seeing them live at "Sars Stock" in Toronto. Before they went on it just seemed like a mediocre festival in the heat but they really brought an energy to the crowd that had been missing all day. The musical friends I attended the festival with were equally impressed with the band members' astounding playing abilities. The second thing was teaching guitar professionally for many years. With the aftermath of Sars Stock and the eventual influence of Guitar Hero/Rock Band every kid suddenly wanted to know how to play Rush so I dug into their catalog and learned their hits and really liked how complicated yet simple their songs were….even if I couldn't get used to Geddy's voice. The final moment that convinced me to believe was seeing the amazing show they put on last night in Toronto.
First of all - BEST OPENING VIDEO EVER! Great to see a band with a sense of humour. And what a crowd--absolutely packed with fanatical fans of all ages (both men
and women contrary to what you'd think a Rush fan would be.) At times I couldn't hear the band for the crowd! RUSH burst onto the stage to "The Spirit of Radio" and quickly segued into "Time Stand Still" and "Presto." Their performances were all note perfect but the show didn't suffer as they made every effort to connect with their hometown crowd. The stage set was suited to the Time Machine theme with the backline, video graphics and drum kit designed to look like retro machinery. And unlike some bands that are well on in their careers (I'm looking at you U2 and the Rolling Stones) they didn't make the stage the star. Everything was there to merely complement the band and music. Rush knows that the fans are there to hear them play and see how well they do it. The highlight of the night for the fans was during the 2nd set (Geddy told the crowd that the band is about a 1,000 years old and they needed a break) when Rush played their classic album, Moving Pictures front to back. Later in the set the crowd were treated to a fantastic drum solo by the incomparable Neil Peart after which they played Closer To The Heart followed by both parts of 2112. Probably the biggest crowd reaction came when they played YYZ (refers to the Toronto airport code).
Something that struck me, and maybe I pick up on this as a musician, were the smiles and eye contact that the guys share with each other throughout the night. They've been together for over 30 years and you can see that these guys genuinely love each other and love playing together, rather than only doing it for the money (ahem….Eagles). A friend loaned me a copy of the recently released DVD "Rush, Beyond The Lighted Stage" and it's worth a watch for any music fan. It's filled with old footage, a great bonus disc and an all-star roster of Rush influenced musicians.
Click here to check out the rest of the Rush photos by Michael Hurcomb Staff Photographer