Rush May 29th GM Place

This was my first Rush concert. Been listening to Rush for over 30 years but never had a chance to see them. Some friends invited me along and we headed out to GM Place. Had a fancy dinner at the Costco food outlet and headed inside for some beers. There was no opening band so the show got going right on time.

Rush is Alex Lifeson on Guitar, Geddy Lee on Bass and Vocals and Neil Peart on Drums. They are all around 55 years old. Neil is the lyricist and considered one of the best drummers in the world.

They played a lot off their Snakes and Arrows CD and then some of their hits over their long career. They originally formed in Toronto back in 1971. The crowd was right into them and knew most of the songs. We were up on the sides in the middle a few sections back. I had a different perspective from here, I’m usually in the front in some mosh pit fighting to keep my spot but this was civilized.

They had three huge screens behind them which were used to show videos and live action. They were so crisp and clear. Each screen at times would show each member individually. Even though we weren’t right up front we felt that way. Rush has quite a sense of humor as well. They’ve been on and off the road for over 30 years and they seem like they’re still having fun. They had a huge rotisserie of cooking chickens on stage as well. I thought it was a prop but a chef actually comes out and bastes them. I heard later that the band and crew eat them after each show.

They started if off with Limelight and I was hooked from that point forward. Seeing three old guys up there rocking it out and hitting every note to perfection was a sight to see. Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, 2112, Passage to Bangkok, YYZ, Trees and Freewill. It was seeing them play Spirit of The Radio which gave me goosebumps. I was totally impressed by the sound at GM Place as well. Some bands just don’t get it right but Rush sure did. Each member also had their own solos which were brilliant.

Rush played for 3 hours !! Who plays for 3 hours anymore, I was most impressed.

(The up close pics below are not mine - they are from concert but from the Rush Site)

Dream Theater Review

I’ve been a fan of Dream Theater for the last few years. My buddy Garrett introduced me to them and I really got into them. Garrett was very generous and invited me to the show with him at the Orpheum. I tried to get my camera in but security wouldn’t let me. One of the only few times where I’ve been denied my camera. The tour was a progressive rock tour with Opeth and Dream Theater headlining. Opeth was good – better than what I expected. They can be a pretty loud and noisy but they were good live.

Dream Theater was way better than I expected them to be. They were probably the best bunch of musicians I have seen on stage at once. Each band member had their own special moments which were brilliant. The Orpheum is a great venue for any band but this was an exceptional place for DT to play since acoustics are key to appreciating their every note. James LaBrie on Vocals was crisp and clear and and in fine form hitting and sustaining the long high notes in many of their songs. Guitarist John Petrucci was out of this world. Watching him play guitar gave me a whole new appreciation for the craft. Brilliant.
John Myung on Bass, Jordan Rudess on Keyboards and Mike Portnoy on drums were all fantastic. I loved just standing there listening to the music, it was different from smashing around in the mosh pit which is what I’m used to.

Some of the great songs they played included "War Inside my Head" , "Sacrificed Sons" , "The Spirit Carries On" and "Vacant", “Octavarium” and “Metropolis”. Would definitely see them again.

I ripped these pics off someone else who saw the tour