2007年 10月 4日 木曜日 06:36

Rush - SECC, Glasgow, 3rd October 2007

I could say this show was brilliant, awesome or incredible all these superlatives quite simply fail to relate the actual experience of seeing Rush live. Since they're one of the bands I feel everyone should have listened to I don't think I should have to explain to anyone the sheer brilliance in their work. I think for me the thing that works best is the way that all of the instruments have equal importance in the music and it's all about the interplay between them.

The only criticism I have of the gig is that it was all seated, which seems ridiculous since everyone's first action upon the band coming onstage is to stand up and remain standing for the whole gig. This would appear to disadvantage the smaller members of the audience who may get stuck behind a taller person and be unable to do anything about it.

Setlist is taken from here, and I'm pretty sure it's correct, yay for big bands playing one setlist for a whole tour.

Set One
Introduction Video - Dream Sequence with Alex and Neil followed by Geddy and his Scottish Counterpart

Limelight
Digital Man
Entre Nous
Mission
Freewill
The Main Monkey Business
The Larger Bowl (with Bob & Doug McKenzie introduction)
Secret Touch
Circumstances
Between The Wheels
Dreamline

Set Two
Introduction Video - The Alex/Leela Board Rant

Far Cry
Workin' Them Angels
Armor And Sword
Spindrift
The Way The Wind Blows
Subdivisions
Natural Science
Witch Hunt
Malignant Narcissism
Drum Solo
Hope
Distant Early Warning
The Spirit of Radio
Tom Sawyer (with South Park/Lil' Rush introduction)

Encore
One Little Victory
A Passage to Bangkok
YYZ

So very heavy with Snakes & Arrows which I suppose you may expect from a tour for that album, which is also quite nice since I do really like the new album. But also featuring 4 songs off of Permanent Waves which was nice. Saw some criticisms on Rush fan sites about having heard songs too much, but this being my first time seeing Rush I was unburdened of such feelings.

Highlights for me were Limelight, which I just love, and was very happy that they opened with it. Mission, which Geddy introduced as Hold Your Fire - I suppose you can call your songs what you want. The Main Monkey Business which I think worked better live with the visuals than it does on the album.

Far Cry which kicked off the second half with some real energy and got the crowd going, pyrotechnics aswell :-) I'm a Chemist we all generally have an unhealthy interest with fire. Subdivisions, just because it's a song that's always meant something to me, maybe it comes from always being on the fringes of cliques and never fitting or wanting to fit in. Natural Science was just brilliant and the visuals fitted it so well. Witch Hunt starting with more fire was also nice :-). The instrumental section of Malignant Narcissism, the drum solo and Hope was a reminder of what great musicians the guys really are, and being a very poor drummer who can barely drum myself, I was blown away by the drum solo. Distant Early Warning had me grinning inanely like a madman who's just noticed he's been handed the keys to the asylum. I'd seen that they'd mainly played Summertime Blues on the tour with DEW being played at certain gigs, I was so glad they chose Distant Early Warning for Glasgow. The Spirit of Radio is just a song that makes me very, very happy; I was therefore delighted to hear it live. Tom Sawyer the South Park intro was great, so was the song.

The fire in One Little Victory and the song just rocks aswell. Passage To Bangkok isn't my favourite song from 2112, but it was received well by the audience and was good to hear. YYZ, is just a great track, and once again highlights the quality of musicianship on display.

3 hours with break, a superlative defying show. Was also nice to hear Anesthetize opening the music at the break. Wish I didn't have to wait another few months before catching Porcupine Tree again.

So the message is if you don't listen to Rush, you should, go listen now. 2nd Message is that everyone should try and see this band live, they just have tremendous energy and joy and manage to put that into the crowd so well, phenomenal.