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Wow.
The Show... That has to be the most V.F.M. stage show I have ever experienced, with five independent clusters of lights rising, lowering and tilting as required, to lazers and pyros you could feel the heat throughout possible the whole arena. And let's not forget the three video screens (more on that later ( >< ) )...
The Set... The set was skewed towards two themes - the new album, and material from the 80s onwards. The latter meant there were songs I wasn't familiar with, being a "lapsed" fan until recently (there, said it), but not enough to spoil the evening. Surprise opener Limelight kicked things off, earning a big crowd reaction, and it wasn't long before the Snakes And Arrows album was featured - The Main Monkey Business and The Bigger Bowl, but then along came the first surprise of the evening - Circumstances (from Hemispheres), a personal favourite. Dreamline, a Rush In Rio fave complete with lazers, closed the first half of the set, and the crowd caught their breath in the interval...
Next, a looooong stretch from the new album... Far Cry, my tip for show opener; Workin' Them Angels (the theme song for The Secret Adventures of Mane-of-Night); Armour And Sword; Spindrift (I knew that would work well live!); acoustic instrumental Hope, and The Way The Wind Blows.
Surprise number two: Witch Hunt, with flame throwers and a BIG crowd response, then the last taste from Snakes And Arrows, instrumental Malignant Narcissism - and it was time for The Professor on the drum-kit; rotating drum-kit, electronic marimba, big band swing accompaniment and the best living drummer in the world. Fantastic.
Spirit Of Radio had the whole place jumping, and most of it singing along - then... a crude animation on the central video screen; a close-up of a bass drum bearing the words "Lil Rush", which then pulls back to reveal the South Park gang, with Cartman in a long wig at the keyboards, Kenny on drums, Stan and Kyle on guitars...
"And a-one and a-two - A modern day warrior, mean mean stride / Today's Tom Sawyer built a raft and floated down the river with a black guy..."
"I'm Geddy Lee, and I can sing whatever the hell I like!", protests Cartman as the others correct him, then they try again. "And a-one and a-two..." and Messers Lee, Lifeson and Peart went into set closer Tom Sawyer. Priceless!
The encore was a literally firey affair, beginning with One Little Victory, featuring the Rush In Rio dragon and a backdrop of flame throwers, then continuing into Surprise #3 - A Passage To Bangkok, the oldest song in the set, and the song I was surprised they dropped the first time I saw them (1981!). YYZ rounded things off in dazzling style, but the last words were those of the comedy Scotsman from the opening video: "Now piss off!"
So we did - and there weren't any complaints.
What I Would've Done...
1) Replace The Bigger Bowl with Workin' Them Angels...
2) ...thus trimming that post-interval Snakes And Arrows stretch to four to allow for another classic, maybe The Trees, or perhaps a short-ish 2112 / By-Tor And The Snow-Dog medley.
3) Replace Secret Touch from Vapor Trails with Earthshine - love that track.
4) Replace ...Bangkok with Closer To The Heart - the big shock missing song!
Overall... Maybe taking Rush In Rio as a benchmark for tonight's show wasn't the best idea - that was a show from their first-ever tour of Brazil, and was bound to cover every era to some degree. Great show, and well worth the expedition - including the check-in queue at the hotel, the taxi stress and picking my way through the Japanese tourists when I got back!
Now back to work (tomorrow)...
The Show... That has to be the most V.F.M. stage show I have ever experienced, with five independent clusters of lights rising, lowering and tilting as required, to lazers and pyros you could feel the heat throughout possible the whole arena. And let's not forget the three video screens (more on that later ( >< ) )...
The Set... The set was skewed towards two themes - the new album, and material from the 80s onwards. The latter meant there were songs I wasn't familiar with, being a "lapsed" fan until recently (there, said it), but not enough to spoil the evening. Surprise opener Limelight kicked things off, earning a big crowd reaction, and it wasn't long before the Snakes And Arrows album was featured - The Main Monkey Business and The Bigger Bowl, but then along came the first surprise of the evening - Circumstances (from Hemispheres), a personal favourite. Dreamline, a Rush In Rio fave complete with lazers, closed the first half of the set, and the crowd caught their breath in the interval...
Next, a looooong stretch from the new album... Far Cry, my tip for show opener; Workin' Them Angels (the theme song for The Secret Adventures of Mane-of-Night); Armour And Sword; Spindrift (I knew that would work well live!); acoustic instrumental Hope, and The Way The Wind Blows.
Surprise number two: Witch Hunt, with flame throwers and a BIG crowd response, then the last taste from Snakes And Arrows, instrumental Malignant Narcissism - and it was time for The Professor on the drum-kit; rotating drum-kit, electronic marimba, big band swing accompaniment and the best living drummer in the world. Fantastic.
Spirit Of Radio had the whole place jumping, and most of it singing along - then... a crude animation on the central video screen; a close-up of a bass drum bearing the words "Lil Rush", which then pulls back to reveal the South Park gang, with Cartman in a long wig at the keyboards, Kenny on drums, Stan and Kyle on guitars...
"And a-one and a-two - A modern day warrior, mean mean stride / Today's Tom Sawyer built a raft and floated down the river with a black guy..."
"I'm Geddy Lee, and I can sing whatever the hell I like!", protests Cartman as the others correct him, then they try again. "And a-one and a-two..." and Messers Lee, Lifeson and Peart went into set closer Tom Sawyer. Priceless!
The encore was a literally firey affair, beginning with One Little Victory, featuring the Rush In Rio dragon and a backdrop of flame throwers, then continuing into Surprise #3 - A Passage To Bangkok, the oldest song in the set, and the song I was surprised they dropped the first time I saw them (1981!). YYZ rounded things off in dazzling style, but the last words were those of the comedy Scotsman from the opening video: "Now piss off!"
So we did - and there weren't any complaints.
What I Would've Done...
1) Replace The Bigger Bowl with Workin' Them Angels...
2) ...thus trimming that post-interval Snakes And Arrows stretch to four to allow for another classic, maybe The Trees, or perhaps a short-ish 2112 / By-Tor And The Snow-Dog medley.
3) Replace Secret Touch from Vapor Trails with Earthshine - love that track.
4) Replace ...Bangkok with Closer To The Heart - the big shock missing song!
Overall... Maybe taking Rush In Rio as a benchmark for tonight's show wasn't the best idea - that was a show from their first-ever tour of Brazil, and was bound to cover every era to some degree. Great show, and well worth the expedition - including the check-in queue at the hotel, the taxi stress and picking my way through the Japanese tourists when I got back!
Now back to work (tomorrow)...
