I think there are two kinds of people in the world: those who are absolutely fanatical about the band Rush and know every word to every song and see them play live every chance they get and then there are those who just don't get it. I am definitely one of the former but we are a select group. During some down time at a debate meet when I was in high school, a guy on my team who I didn't know very well mentioned that he had tickets to an upcoming Rush concert but didn't have anyone to go with. I immediately begged asked him to take me. He was surprised to learn that I liked Rush and we spent the rest of the debate meet talking about our favorite songs while everyone else on the team looked at us like we were crazy. He took me to the concert and we were inseparable for the rest of the year. (Tom Irvin if you are out there, that was one of the best concerts of my life!) That was the first time I saw them live and I have since seen them every time they've come to Salt Lake City. When I learned that the R40 Tour, celebrating forty years of performing with the same line-up of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart, would most likely be their last major tour, I definitely had to be there. I bought tickets as soon as they went on sale which was during one of my classes. None of my students even knew who Rush was except for one of the coolest kids in the class who practically begged me to buy him a ticket (for the record, I didn't because that would be weird). He and I spent a fair amount of class time talking about our favorite songs while the rest of the students shook their heads. A select group, indeed. Last night's show was amazing! They began in reverse chronological order with some of their newest songs from Clockwork Angels and continued through their eponymous first album. My favorite section was the middle when they played "Distant Early Warning," "Subdivisions," "Tom Sawyer," "Red Barchetta," and "The Spirit of Radio." I also really loved the phantasmagorical light and sound show during several sections of "Cygnus X-1" and "2112 Overture/The Temples of Syrinx," which are some of their more atmospheric and narrative compositions. All I can say is that it was amazing with an incredible laser show in syncopation with the music and at times I felt like I was floating in space. Some other fun moments included celebrity rappers on a giant screen during "Roll the Bones" and two double neck guitars on "Xanadu." The end of the concert was really nostalgic with "Closer to the Heart" and their traditional encore, "Working Man." I loved how the stage configuration changed from set to set to represent their history. At first it was a spectacular arena show with all of the bells and whistles, including jets of fire. Then stage hands dressed in jumpsuits began removing amplifiers and other set pieces as the show progressed. The second set looked more like a theater and by the encore it was just the three of them with a drum kit. I loved every minute of it!
Note: I really missed Tony when they played "One Little Victory" because it was one of his favorite songs. Tony and I went to a lot of Rush concerts together; in fact, that was how he got me to go out with him! He had asked me several times but I didn't want to go out with him because we worked together. When he mentioned going to a Rush concert, I couldn't resist (it also made Tony seem a lot more appealing knowing he belonged to the select few). He would have loved this concert!
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