Rush Steampunks Halifax
Jul. 16th, 2013 06:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tvordljI've long been a fan of Rush though not a very dedicated fan. I haven't really followed them much over the past many years so I'm not as familiar with their newer material. Having said that, when they came to Halifax this weekend, I wanted to see them because I never have seen them live. I knew they were touring to promote a cd from 2012, Clockwork Angels and Friday night's show had apparently featured quite a lot of that so I was prepared not to hear most of my old favourites on Sunday night.
The concert started off on a familiar note with Subdivisions. The next few and most of the first half were from older albums though I didn't know some of them but it didn't really matter. Rush puts out an awesome wall of sound for just three men. Alex Lifeson has a masterful control of his guitars and it never feels like he's "screaming" the notes out for the hell of it. He blazes his solos with precision and every note, whether it's achingly drawn out, menacingly crunching, or furiously buzzing up and down the strings with all the others is a joy to the ears. Neal Peart was surrounded by a percussion cage that spun around when he wanted to play the gear behind him and he demonstrated more than once that he's one of the greats. Geddy Lee's heart pounding bass lines rumble along underneath all of it, pulling it together in ways you don't even realize if you, like me, aren't a musician.
The stage was a pseudo carnival that cashes in on the recent Steampunk craze. Geddy's keyboard stand was decorated with gears. The drum set looked like it was sitting on a carrousel type stand, there were lights and dials and gears scattered around. The big video screen often showed the band members playing as if on a 50s style sci-fi video type screen with controls and levers and various other types of framing. The video show through much of the gig was great, with animation, cut out style graphics, and even a fun video of the band dressed up as g-nomes harassing a tax collector who had to find his way through the corridors of what looked like an old steam plant.
They even took Steampunk literally at one point, when the dry ice laid a cloud around the feet of Alex Lifeson, bathed him in blue light before Geddy came back to the microphone. There were pyrotechnics with flames blasting high at the back of the stage along with a thunderous bang and explosions of sparks. We could feel the heat from where we were!
During the Clockwork Angel songs, they were backed by a fantastic string ensemble (More about them here) but don't think of theses eight men and women as sedate, classical background noise. They rocked and rolled and filled in the back of the tracks with awesomeness gleaned out of their cellos and violins.
They ended the concert with Spirit of Radio which I love. While the crowd was loving every minute of it all, when they launched into the more familiar, the energy level of the audience lifted into the rafters and you could tell that the energy of the band suddenly matched it. It was as if, during the newer material, they enjoyed themselves but now, it felt like they were letting loose and having more fun. The encore was a fan-favourite mix of Tom Sawyer and my personal all-time favourite, a mixture of bits from 2112 including the Overture, Temples of Syrinx and bits of the rest of that 1976 concept album. It really made my night having heard that done live.
It's actually Bastille Day and I was hoping they'd play that hit. They really missed one by not doing it, I think! Someone commented to me that they didn't think Geddy could hit those ultra high notes anymore and that may be so.
I enjoyed the show in spite of not knowing most of the music and liked enough of the new material that I think I will investigate Clockwork Angels, as well. It's got a lot of good, solid rock that Rush do so well. One review I read said they played their new material with "conviction and courage" and because they did, the audience was quickly won over, even if they, like me, were hoping for a few more of the older hits.
A Flickr set of photos is here. There are more on my Facebook page
A couple of asides:
The new album is also supporting a Steampunk novel, Clockwork Angels, that Neal Peart and author Kevin J. Anderson wrote. Amazon describes the story as: The newest album by Rush, Clockwork Angels, sets forth a story in Neil Peart’s lyrics that has been expanded by him and Anderson into this epic novel. In a young man’s quest to follow his dreams, he is caught between the grandiose forces of order and chaos. He travels across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy with lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life. Hmmm....I may have to check that out!
Rush are the good guys. They always were and their next tour date, July 24 has been turned into a benefit concert for the Calgary flood relief. They had to cancel due to venue safety but are putting it on in nearby Red Deer, Alberta and donating all the profits from it for the benefit of people that lost so much in the recent floods. They have long been one of Canada's most respected bands and this is a very good example why.
More good news, Rush was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and about time!
The concert started off on a familiar note with Subdivisions. The next few and most of the first half were from older albums though I didn't know some of them but it didn't really matter. Rush puts out an awesome wall of sound for just three men. Alex Lifeson has a masterful control of his guitars and it never feels like he's "screaming" the notes out for the hell of it. He blazes his solos with precision and every note, whether it's achingly drawn out, menacingly crunching, or furiously buzzing up and down the strings with all the others is a joy to the ears. Neal Peart was surrounded by a percussion cage that spun around when he wanted to play the gear behind him and he demonstrated more than once that he's one of the greats. Geddy Lee's heart pounding bass lines rumble along underneath all of it, pulling it together in ways you don't even realize if you, like me, aren't a musician.
The stage was a pseudo carnival that cashes in on the recent Steampunk craze. Geddy's keyboard stand was decorated with gears. The drum set looked like it was sitting on a carrousel type stand, there were lights and dials and gears scattered around. The big video screen often showed the band members playing as if on a 50s style sci-fi video type screen with controls and levers and various other types of framing. The video show through much of the gig was great, with animation, cut out style graphics, and even a fun video of the band dressed up as g-nomes harassing a tax collector who had to find his way through the corridors of what looked like an old steam plant.
They even took Steampunk literally at one point, when the dry ice laid a cloud around the feet of Alex Lifeson, bathed him in blue light before Geddy came back to the microphone. There were pyrotechnics with flames blasting high at the back of the stage along with a thunderous bang and explosions of sparks. We could feel the heat from where we were!
During the Clockwork Angel songs, they were backed by a fantastic string ensemble (More about them here) but don't think of theses eight men and women as sedate, classical background noise. They rocked and rolled and filled in the back of the tracks with awesomeness gleaned out of their cellos and violins.
They ended the concert with Spirit of Radio which I love. While the crowd was loving every minute of it all, when they launched into the more familiar, the energy level of the audience lifted into the rafters and you could tell that the energy of the band suddenly matched it. It was as if, during the newer material, they enjoyed themselves but now, it felt like they were letting loose and having more fun. The encore was a fan-favourite mix of Tom Sawyer and my personal all-time favourite, a mixture of bits from 2112 including the Overture, Temples of Syrinx and bits of the rest of that 1976 concept album. It really made my night having heard that done live.
It's actually Bastille Day and I was hoping they'd play that hit. They really missed one by not doing it, I think! Someone commented to me that they didn't think Geddy could hit those ultra high notes anymore and that may be so.
I enjoyed the show in spite of not knowing most of the music and liked enough of the new material that I think I will investigate Clockwork Angels, as well. It's got a lot of good, solid rock that Rush do so well. One review I read said they played their new material with "conviction and courage" and because they did, the audience was quickly won over, even if they, like me, were hoping for a few more of the older hits.
A Flickr set of photos is here. There are more on my Facebook page
A couple of asides:
The new album is also supporting a Steampunk novel, Clockwork Angels, that Neal Peart and author Kevin J. Anderson wrote. Amazon describes the story as: The newest album by Rush, Clockwork Angels, sets forth a story in Neil Peart’s lyrics that has been expanded by him and Anderson into this epic novel. In a young man’s quest to follow his dreams, he is caught between the grandiose forces of order and chaos. He travels across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy with lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life. Hmmm....I may have to check that out!
Rush are the good guys. They always were and their next tour date, July 24 has been turned into a benefit concert for the Calgary flood relief. They had to cancel due to venue safety but are putting it on in nearby Red Deer, Alberta and donating all the profits from it for the benefit of people that lost so much in the recent floods. They have long been one of Canada's most respected bands and this is a very good example why.
More good news, Rush was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and about time!
