Rush
28
October 2012: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
In the foreword to my book, Marvel legend
Tom DeFalco defines the Golden Age of Comics as whatever point at which the
reader first discovered comic books. I couldn’t agree more and have been known
to expand that same theory to musical discovery. Because he's a drummer and a fan of
sci-fi/fantasy/all things geeky, I introduced Jack to Rush’s music a few of
years ago, but it wasn’t until this year’s Clockwork
Angels album and accompanying steampunk novel came out, that Jack fully
claimed the band as his own.
My original intent was to take Jack to the
Time Machine Tour last year, but travel plans forced me delay his live
experience. As is often the case, hindsight proved that things turned out for
the best. I’ve seen and heard the DVD/CD from that Cleveland tour stop and was
disappointed with lead singer Geddy Lee’s vocals and, beyond the Moving Pictures set, the song selection didn’t
do much for me. Any fears I may have had about either Lee’s voice or setlist
decisions going into this show were quickly erased.
Jack and I have been excited about this
show for months. With our anticipation peaking, we headed out early, and arrived
downtown around 6:30 for the 7:30 curtain. The garage I had intended to park in
(attached to The Q) was already full and only accepting pre-purchased passes,
but I had a backup plan and hit the garage directly across from the main
entrance and box office of the arena. Leaving our jackets in the car, we dashed
across the street and between the raindrops to get to the show. After a bite at
Clevelander Michael Symon’s signature restaurant in The Q, we decided to scope
out our seats.
On the way, we heard a voice call out Jack’s
name. It was his drum instructor there with his son! We chatted with them for a
bit (including his instructor telling him they’d break down drummer Neil Peart’s
bells performance in their next lesson!) before heading off to check out the
concert swag. The vendors only had adult small sized shirts in two designs, but
thankfully one of them was one Jack really wanted. Decked out in his new shirt
and clutching a newly purchased pin set, we headed to our seats to settle in
for the show.
Walking into our row, a first-generation
fan jokingly quizzed Jack as he passed, asking “When did Rush release their
first album?” In a moment of introversion, the kiddo didn’t answer, but after
we got into our seats, Jack turned to me and said, “It was 1974, wasn’t it,
Dad?”
I’ve heard complaints about this tour’s
setlist choices, but as far as Jack and I were concerned, it was pretty damn
perfect. Focusing almost exclusively on their ‘80s output and the new album,
this felt tailor made for both of us. The three-hour show was divided into two
acts: The first leaning heavily on Power
Windows; The second consisting of three-fourths of the Clockwork Angels album, along with a string of classics to close
out the main set and encore.
Thematically, the song selection just
works. The philosophies behind the Kevin J. Anderson/Neil Peart Clockwork Angels novel mesh with the
ideas in “Grand Designs” and “Middletown Dreams” and “Territories” off of 1985’s
Power Windows. Cuts like Snakes & Arrows’ “Far Cry” (the lone
song from the early 2000s in the set) and Roll
the Bones’ “Dreamline” also fit perfectly in the setlist by bookending the
new material.
The first set highlights included the
show-opening “Subdivisions” and “Territories”, along with the Roll the Bones’ instrumental, “Where’s
My Thing?” – providing the kiddo his first exposure to a Peart solo! Jack was
truly transfixed by The Professor. He was completely in tune with what the
rhythmist was doing, clearly studying his every move when projected on the big
screen. Jack thrilled with every rotation of the drum riser and every flip of
the stick. On the drive home, Jack asked if I noticed how Peart wasn’t tossing
his sticks in the air or twirling them just for show, but that he was using
that as an opportunity to change up his grip on the sticks. (I hadn’t noticed
that.) Two additional, shorter drum solos followed in the second set, but that
first one cemented Jack’s appreciation of the master.
The band’s use of moving pictures (pun
intended) – projecting both live images from the stage and canned videos – was
great. I don’t know if the footage accompanying “Territories” was a holdover
from an ’80s tour or something new for this one, but we both enjoyed it and the
footage for “Far Cry”. And I had to laugh in surprise when the kiddo nudged me
and exclaimed “The Three Stooges!” during “Big Money”. I had no idea he even
knew who they were. But it was the videos for the Clockwork Angels material in the second set that really stood out.
When the band took the stage after a short
intermission, the Clockwork Angels String Ensemble joined them. It was this set
of songs that has endeared the band to Jack, and reignited my love of Rush. “Caravan”
is Jack’s favorite Rush song, and it delivered live – bombast, pyrotechnics,
everything an 11-year-old could ask for! While I dig that song, I was thrilled
when the band ripped into “Wish Them Well” (one of the few Clockwork Angels
songs they’ve been rotating in and out of the setlist), my favorite of the new
stuff. The surprise for us, though, was “The Wreckers”. A powerful song with an
accompanying video that ended up a live favorite of Jack’s and mine among the
second set.
I was surprised to see the entire upper
bowl curtained off, but I don’t know that it was necessarily a bad thing. The
band can still say they’re playing arenas, the fans get a more intimate show
and better seating options, and everyone’s happy.
The myth that Rush doesn’t have any female
fans is just that, a myth. The arena was easily split 50/50 between the sexes.
And the new material and amount of kids there with their families dispel the
idea that Rush is nothing more than a dinosaur band with an aging catalog and
matching fan base. We saw everyone from preteens to pensioners. The air
drumming cliché, however, holds true. I think if you’re a Rush fan of a certain
age (myself included), it’s simply impossible to not air drum to the likes of “YYZ”,
“The Spirit of Radio”, or “Tom Sawyer”. And from the vantage point of our
seats, it was actually very cool to see the entire floor section air drumming
along with Peart during those classic songs.
Clearly a Rush concert amateur, Jack
informed me at the intermission that his legs were going to be bruised for days
because of the hand drumming he was doing on his thighs as he drummed along.
(All photos by Adam
Besenyodi.)
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