They’ve still got it

It’s hard to recall that the Canadian rock group Rush was formed in 1968 – that’s 49 years ago!!!  Where did the time go . . . ?  Here they are in 2012, performing an introduction to their act that rocked hard.

I understand they’re no longer touring, but they’ll always be one of the perennials of the rock era.

Peter

16 comments

  1. Neil Pert is the best rock drummer ever. I was lucky enough to see them at Summerfest in Milwaukee back in 2013

  2. Tumble dryers –

    They took up the spot that used to be the bass stacks (speakers and amps for bass guitar) after Geddy Lee switched to using a direct feed from his bass to the audio mixer. The stage didn't "look right" without something big there.

    At regular intervals in the performance roadies or other crew would have to run out on stage with (Canadian) quarters to keep them going, tumbling colorful tour commemorative t-shirts that would be tossed out to the crowd (warm and dry!) near the end of the show.

  3. I had the good fortune to see Rush perform in Montreal during their "Moving Pictures" tour. Although I have been a fan since the '80's, this was the first time I saw them perform, live.

    The wait to see them actually perform in their native Canada was worth it.

    Awesome.

    So were the mutliple time I saw Maynard Ferguson, another Canadian, perform. And let's not forget Shatner, the "NON" Luc Picard.

    More than enough to undo Beiber…

  4. I play drums.

    Neil Peart is a virtuoso.
    He's not God, but I'm pretty sure they talk to each other.
    And there has probably never been a better, tighter, more awesome three-man rock act in history.

    The day Rush officially hangs it up they should be inducted into the R&R Hall Of Fame, and will be.

    The day I can almost cover Tom Sawyer or Limelight on drums credibly and without looking like a monkey on crack will be the day I put the sticks down, because that's as close to musical perfection as I'm ever going to get in this life.

  5. Oh,and the actual Rush math:
    6 hands.
    10 strings.
    13 cymbals, 19 drums, and 25 trigger pads.
    49 years.
    A million-dollar performance in every song.
    ($1,276,684.91 Canadian.)

  6. Saith Aesop:

    "The day Rush officially hangs it up they should be inducted into the R&R Hall Of Fame, and will be."

    You needn't wait that long. They were inducted in 2013.

  7. Absolutely delighted to see that band amounted to shite. Never bothered to listen and know why. Honestly, that sucked.

  8. I always appreciated the musical ability of Rush and Pert in particular but just was never a fan. Rush is and was one of the bands that when they came on the radio I was slapping the knob or hitting the seek button. Just never got them as a whole.

    Rush are on my "no list" when we're driving. It's a list of bands that I once enjoyed but are absolutely sick of because of over exposure (ac/dc is case in point) or that I've always detested (rolling stones, the doors, lynyrd skynyrd). The latter, like my love of the symphony and opera, would if known publicly get me tossed out of the redneck hillbilly club and my membership card torn into itty bitty pieces.

  9. 49 years – wow ! Awesome band. I think my brother's 1st LP record was Led Zepellin's 2nd album, the 2nd was Rush 'Farewell To Kings'. I remember some great teenage parties with the entire '2112' album played at nosebleed levels.

  10. Rush was certainly really good.

    But I want to disagree with Aesop's, "And there has probably never been a better, tighter, more awesome three-man rock act in history."

    Cream.

    They weren't around as long, certainly. But, while they were, ….

  11. I don't mind that people don't like Rush. But why do people feel they have to say "that sucked" when they don't like. Obviously a lot of people disagree with you HMS Defiant. You could have just said, "Honestly, I really don't like it…"

    I have a friend who doesn't like Rush. And to prove a point he decided to show me his favorite artist had sold more albums/CD's than Rush. Ummm…not even close. Rush is way up there on the Gold/Platinum list. Does that mean everyone should like them. No…there's lots of other music out there to choose from. But why do people feel they have to show their "superiority" by trashing music they don't like???

  12. Because they can thus prove that their preference for strawberry ice cream proves the flaws of lovers of chocolate and vanilla.

    @CGHill
    Serves me right for not looking it up, nor getting regular news feeds from Cleveland.

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