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Concert Reviews
Topic Started: May 25 2008, 11:38 PM (99 Views)
bweezy
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On Vacation
Rush - May 24, 2008, MTS Centre, Winnipeg MB

Rush came to Winnipeg for the first time in 26 years, and I was privileged enough to be at the show. I got there 45 minutes early, and that was a good thing - the line-up to get a t-shirt was 25 minutes long. (I picked up the tour guide as well).

The ambiance at the show was rather festive - those in attendance were quite excited.

The show started 15 minutes late - the opening multi-media presentation on one of the three large screens over the stage began at 7:45.

THe opening short movie was a funny vignette featuring Alex and Neil in bed together, with Geddy waking up from a dream only to be pestered by his Scottish alter-ego. Trust me, it was funny.

As the vignette ended, the stage lights came on, and the band was on stage, where they played the opening riffs to Limelight. They did a nice job with that song, and immediately followed up by playing Digital Man. This is a song that they rarely played live until recently - they absolutely hit that one out of the park.

My first thought about the concert was how loud it was. Three guys shouldn't be able to make that much noise.

The band slowed things down with songs like "Ghost of a Chance" and "Mission" before going head long into older upbeat songs like "Free Will" and "The Trees". They ended off their first set by playing material from their Snakes and Arrows album.

Behind Geddy were 54 rotisserie chickens slowly roasting in three large upright rotisserie ovens (18 chickens in each). Throughout the show, a man in a Chef's Hat or a man in a Giant Chicken costume would come by and "check" on the Chicken, adjusting the settings on the ovens while the band played on. Just the kind of weird, quirky activity you'd expect from a Rush concert.

The second half of the show started off with more material from Snakes and Arrows before moving headlong into Neil's unbelievable Drum Solo. 8 minutes of flailing limbs. The three different camera angles that were projected on the screen during the solo added to the experience big time - you don't realize how much he is doing to generate that sound.

After the solo, the band played more popular songs such as Subdivisions, Natural Science, Red Barchetta, Witch Hunt, The Spirit of Radio, and Tom Sawyer. The band left the stage, but came back for a three song encore that included One Little Victory, A Passage to Bangkok, and YYZ.

The only big hit they didn't play was Closer to the Heart, which surprised me a little. However, the concert was so good that I didn't feel cheated by not hearing it.

The show itself featured lots of multimedia, pyrotechnics, lasers, and special appearances on screen by the likes of Bob and Doug MacKenzie, Jerry Stiller and the cast of South Park.

All in all, it was a wonderful show. Geddy was in especially fine form. I own all of Rush's albums (Studio and live), and I'd never heard Geddy do some of the things he did at the concert. Truly astounding. The boys were definitely "on" that night. They played nearly 3 hours of music (the concert lasted nearly 3 and a half hours when you count the intermission).

Without question, this was easily the best concert I've ever seen (and likely ever will see). 5 stars out of 5 stars.
"Frosty's heart was so warm with love that he screamed in agony as he melted into a tepid little puddle."

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." John F. Kennedy

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Ess
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twirling hippy chick
Good stuff!! :rockon:

What happened to the chickens? :unsure:
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Omnivorous
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The AntiEss
Why after another massive solo Neil was hungry :lol:
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bweezy
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On Vacation
Ess,May 26 2008
01:11 AM
Good stuff!! :rockon:

What happened to the chickens? :unsure:

They feed the entire crew with them after the show. Apparently when the Chef and Chicken came out, they basted the birds for better flavour. I assumed the whole thing was a gag, but they apparently have a schedule where someone has to go on stage and ensure that the chickens are cooked to perfection...
"Frosty's heart was so warm with love that he screamed in agony as he melted into a tepid little puddle."

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." John F. Kennedy

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ParrrrTay
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...just a girl in the world.
Minister
Never did care for Rush. I think my dislike was made worse since driving from Michigan to California with Rush as the only tape to listen to, had my fill then and every time one of their songs comes on the radio I can't change the station fast enough.
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Long you live and high you fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be
~P.FLOYD


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Omnivorous
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I have a similar experience with Iron Maiden/Metallica - listen constantly for two years, then the music gets tired.


Maybe they had no room backstage for roasting chicken? :D
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Cameron of Lochiel
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bweezy,May 26 2008
05:38 AM
Without question, this was easily the best concert I've ever seen (and likely ever will see).  5 stars out of 5 stars.

It sounds like it was quite a Buzz :fonz:

My best ever LIVE experience was Led Zeppelin in Edinburgh .....
.... a LOT of years ago !!

I hadn't liked them before but went along as a doorman to help out a friend from Uni (Heriot-Watt) who'd organised it but ....
.... everyone was a convert that night - they were AWESOME !!
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bweezy
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Omnivorous,May 26 2008
09:42 AM

Maybe they had no room backstage for roasting chicken? :D

On Alex's side of the stage, there is a huge bank of Amps. Geddy doesn't use big amps, so his side is empty. To even things out, he puts something odd behind him. 5 years ago, it was Dryers that ran during the whole show (at the end of the show, they'd empty the dryers and toss concert shirts to the fans). A few years back, it was candy vending machines. This time it was chicken. I can only imagine what they'll bring out the next time 'round.
"Frosty's heart was so warm with love that he screamed in agony as he melted into a tepid little puddle."

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." John F. Kennedy

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Ess
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twirling hippy chick
Cameron of Lochiel,May 26 2008
07:44 AM
bweezy,May 26 2008
05:38 AM
Without question, this was easily the best concert I've ever seen (and likely ever will see).  5 stars out of 5 stars.

It sounds like it was quite a Buzz :fonz:


Speaking of a buzz - did you get one, bweezy?? :shifty:
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Ess is the Chuck Norris of NS Canada, so anything's possible.~Redundancies
The hippy chick is Canada's coolest! ~Fiddy
HappinEss ~Matilda
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bweezy
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On Vacation
No, I had a couple of beers throughout the night, but nothing approaching a buzz. I did have a headache the next morning - It felt like a hangover, but I didn't drink enough to be hungover. I suspect it was caused by the combination of the enormous noise level, lack of sleep and the beer.
"Frosty's heart was so warm with love that he screamed in agony as he melted into a tepid little puddle."

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." John F. Kennedy

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Jack Tarr
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ParrrrTay,May 26 2008
09:39 AM
Never did care for Rush. I think my dislike was made worse since driving from Michigan to California with Rush as the only tape to listen to, had my fill then and every time one of their songs comes on the radio I can't change the station fast enough.

How about Tom Rush? :fonz:
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