{"id":2734,"date":"2015-06-14T16:38:30","date_gmt":"2015-06-14T21:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=2734"},"modified":"2015-06-16T08:59:54","modified_gmt":"2015-06-16T13:59:54","slug":"rush-r40-tour-comes-to-chicago-one-last-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=2734","title":{"rendered":"RUSH Plays Chicago, For The Last Time?"},"content":{"rendered":"

June 12, 2015<\/p>\n

RUSH, R40 Tour Hits United Center<\/p>\n

By James Currie<\/p>\n

What can you say about a band whose career spans 4 decades and has never fallen victim to the downfalls of critical mass. RUSH is admired by fans world wide and held with to the highest esteem with their peers. Never bowing to latest trends or producing what record labels want. Their 24 Gold and 14 Platinum albums prove that. So what can they possibly do on this tour to support or reflect that? Plenty.<\/p>\n

RUSH played Chicago tonight for possibly the last time, at least in this large scale tour format, with the R40 Tour. Heath conditions and family being sited as the major reasons for the end. This tour is celebrating the band\u2019s 40 years together in it\u2019s present lineup (with Neil Peart).<\/p>\n

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Seeing this tour live, is like seeing RUSH throughout the ages, only in reverse. It\u2019s a time machine of RUSH classics, deep cuts and fan favorites that doesn\u2019t disappoint. It\u2019s a performance that encapsules the bands history, not only of their music, but their life, times and stage acts as well. Once you see it, you\u2019ll get it.<\/p>\n

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One side note to highlight on this tour is the amazing lighting and effects they use. Sure, they\u2019ve always been a leader of live theatrics, but they really don\u2019t hold back on this one. It\u2019s truly cutting edge lighting and effects, but it\u2019s still RUSH. You\u2019ll see the classic laser lights cut through the fog filled venue yes, but they are just better than before. Crisper. Brighter. Larger scaled. They also include some pyrotechnics, holograms, choreographed dancing columns of light rigs, video screen set designs and so much more. When it\u2019s all put together in the order they do it, it really works. This is a true Rock stadium concert performance in every aspect.<\/p>\n

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The Setting. A sold out, packed house of RUSH fanatics filled United Center tonight, eagerly awaiting the curtains to drop and when it does, we\u2019re taken for a ride of a lifetime to Cygnus X-1 and back.<\/p>\n

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Act 1. The R40 logo takes center stage with two large video screens donning each side of the stage. The image subtly changes until the lights go dark and a video plays. The crowd goes wild. \u201cThe World Is\u2026 The World Is\u201d video plays out then the curtain raises revealing Geddy Lee on Vocals and bass, Alex Lifeson on guitar and Neil Peart behind the drums.<\/p>\n

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They rip through \u201cThe Anarchist\u201d followed up by \u201cClockwork Angels\u201d and \u201cHeadlong Flight\u201d. During \u201cHeadlong Flight\u201d, we get a mini drum solo from Peart, a tease at what will undoubtedly come later. It\u2019s a power trio of songs from their last album, Clockwork Angles.<\/p>\n

At this point in the show, this is the highest, most elaborate set, lighting, clothing and equipment we see. Clearly showing where the band has come after 40 years touring. It\u2019s pretty much the last stage show from the Clockwork Angels tour. A fan next to me was a little disappointed at first stating, \u201cHey, that\u2019s the same stage from the last tour! Geez you\u2019d think that they\u2019d have updated it a little since then.\u201d She went on to say, \u201cI\u2019ve been coming to RUSH concerts for as long as I can remember. They always do something different.\u201d I just smiled, nodded and said, \u201cHold on, I think you\u2019re in for a surprise\u201d.<\/p>\n

They continued playing tracks from Snakes and Arrows, \u201cFar Cry\u201d and \u201cMonkey Business\u201d. They continued to move down memory lane with hits from Vapor Trails, Counterparts, Roll The Bones (complete with an all star, celebrity studded \u201crap track\u201d video to \u201cRoll The Bones\u201d) followed by tracks from Presto and Power Windows.<\/p>\n

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During the bands performance, there were stagehand actors rearranging the set and equipment to match the era they were performing from. While your watching RUSH play the hits in reverse, you see the set morph and mimic to the time period from which it came from. These men, in red jumpsuits with the R40 logo on the back (reminiscent of the Moving Pictures moving men), brought out ladders and new props the entire show.<\/p>\n

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About one hour into the show, the intermission came. They ended with \u201cSubdivisions\u201d and the curtain dropped. It was during this time that the real stage crew redesigned the set and equipment even further. Peart\u2019s R40 drum set was replaced with an older kit resembling the late 70\u2019s early 80\u2019s kits with the \u201cstarman\u201d log in black.<\/p>\n

Act 2. The show kicks off again after about a twenty-minute break. A new video plays on the center stage scrim. This time a video entitled, \u201cNo Country For Old Hens\u201d. It\u2019s a bloopers real filled with skits from the past couple decades of concert reels. Again, proving this band loves what they do. They have a great sense of humor. They truly get a long with each other not only on stage and as a band, but as best friends.<\/p>\n

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After the video ends, the Moog, synth sounds of \u201cTom Sawyer\u201d echoes from behind the screen as it lifts to reveal another version of the bands look and sound. The steam punk props and washing machines now a wall of amplifiers. Showcasing their monsters of rock stadium arena classic look and feel.<\/p>\n

They continue on performing tracks from Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves, Hemispheres, A Farewell To Kings and finally playing the entire opus and first half of the 2112 album, \u201c2112\u201d.<\/p>\n

The bands breaks for a short time before coming back to a virtual video hologram intro from Eugene Levy as Mel from Mel\u2019s Rock Pile. Dressed in a white leisure suit and looking like he\u2019s from an early 1970\u2019s discotheque, he introduces the band as, \u201c3 young lads from Canada who really seem to be going places.\u201d All though he makes comment that they should consider hiring more band members because, \u201cEveryone knows that a three piece can\u2019t make it in the music industry.\u201d He then informs the crowd that they just got off a tour opening for KISS and to give them a big warm welcome as they just released their first record.<\/p>\n

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The Encore. The curtain rises for the last time revealing a yet again, an even further stripped down stage and set that now resembles a high school gymnasium. A disco ball twirls. Simple white can style lights on trees are used. The drums are now the smallest Pearts ever played on since the garage days and Lee and Lifeson\u2019s towering wall of amps now reduced to a single amp on a chair with a microphone dangling over it. Lee plays his classic double neck Rickenbacker Bass and Lifeson on his legendary double neck Gibson guitar.<\/p>\n

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They were all in simple outfits as well. Geddy in a plaid shirt and jeans, Lifeson in a simple black collard shirt and slacks and Peart in a black t-shirt. Which is odd since at that time they were wearing the most flashy outfits. I really would have liked to seen Geddy and Alex in the old white silk kimono\u2019s, but at least Neil stuck on a mustache.<\/p>\n

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They end the night by playing through three more classics off Caress of Steel with \u201cLakeside Park\u201d, Fly By Night with \u201cAnthem\u201d and their self titled debut, RUSH completing the journey with \u201cWorking Man\u201d. A final video plays them out as they Exit Stage Left.<\/p>\n

If you are a true RUSH fan, you felt the emotions of this roller coaster of a ride. It was a somewhat sad feeling at the end. Like watching someone\u2019s life flash before their eyes. Especially for the age of fans that have been around since there start. They can relate as they were there. The woman next to me had tears in her eyes at the end explaining just that. She said, \u201cI remember being in high school in the 70\u2019s and seeing the band back then. This brought out a lot of flashback memories.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

If you get a chance to see this tour, I highly recommend doing so. You won\u2019t regret it, as a mater of fact, just the opposite. It will stay with you for a lot longer than just the 3 hour tour the boys from Canada gave.<\/p>\n

For more information on this tour and getting tickets:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.rush.com\/tour\/rush40-tour\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Complete Set List For United Center June 12th, 2015:<\/p>\n

Set 1:
\nVideo Intro (The World is … The World is)
\nThe Anarchist
\nClockwork Angels
\nHeadlong Flight (with mini drum solo)
\nFar Cry
\nThe Main Monkey Business
\nOne Little Victory
\nAnimate
\nRoll The Bones (with celebrity rappers video)
\nDistant Early Warning
\nSubdivisions<\/p>\n

Intermission<\/p>\n

Set 2:
\nVideo Intro (No Country for Old Hens)
\nTom Sawyer
\nYYZ
\nThe Spirit of Radio
\nNatural Science
\nJacob’s Ladder
\nCygnus X-1 Book Two: Hemispheres – Prelude
\nCygnus X-1 Book One – The Voyage: Prologue
\nDrum Solo
\nCygnus X-1 Book One – The Voyage: Part 3
\nCloser To The Heart
\nXanadu
\n2112 Overture\/The Temples of Syrinx\/Presentation\/Grand Finale<\/p>\n

Encore:
\nVideo Intro (Mel’s Rock Pile starring Eugene Levy)
\nLakeside Park
\nAnthem
\nWhat You’re Doing
\nWorking Man (Garden Road riff at the end)
\nVideo Outro (Exit Stage Left)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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