On September 18, I found myself lucky enough to be attending a performance in Manassas, VA (near Washington, D.C.) by one of rock and roll’s most legendary acts – the legendary power trio Rush.
The band’s members are as follows:
Alex Lifeson, master guitarist and inventor of incredibly complex musical patterns – he’s a underrated guitar hero who can shred with the likes of Slash and Jimmy Page;
Geddy Lee, incredibly talented bassist and the only musician I can name that can skillfully play scorching basslines and keyboards while handling lead vocals;
Neil Peart, quite possibly the world’s best rock drummer – and simultaneously, the writer of meaningful and complex lyrics that define the intellectual nature of Rush music.
These three super-humans make up the Canadian rock band that ranks third (behind the Beatles and the Rolling Stones) in number of consecutive platinum and gold studio albums.
I found the performance to be humorous and energetic, and every song – even those I had never heard before – to be better even than the studio version. The band performed the entire album Moving Pictures (1981), arguably my favorite Rush work, and it was easily more incredible in concert. The trio of sexagenarians can still rock, and will keep on rockin’ into the foreseeable future.
“It was a fantastic event,” agreed concert attendee Eric Blevins, senior, via Facebook interview.
Overall, Rush performed for most of three hours, cramming into that time 25 songs spanning from the band’s 1974 debut album Rush to the new singles from upcoming album Clockwork Angels “Caravan” and “Brought Up to Believe” – for this reason, the tour was billed as the “Time Machine Tour 2010”.
“My favorite songs performed were ‘Caravan’, ‘Freewill’, and ‘Closer to the Heart’,” said Blevins.
The combination of the new album, the tour, and the release of a popular new documentary about the band entitled Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage introduces a new era of appreciation for the rock legends, who enjoyed limited (some would use the word “cult”) popularity in their 1970s-80s classic rock period.
The impressive comeback of a long-unpopular group in the new decade is a legitimate possibility; many now see the genius behind the music that for so long has sat in obscurity. I invite everyone to give Rush a listen, and be part of a surge towards the best that rock and roll has to offer, in times where pure rock is exceedingly difficult to find.
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