300th Hub: Rush in Concert New Jersey 2010 - Time Machine Tour review

It’s ironic that as I begin writing my 300^th hub that I realize that my 100^th hub was about my favorite band Rush. Whether it is providence, coincidence or luck I don’t know but as I approached 300 I had the privilege of attending a Rush concert and it seems entirely appropriate to write a review of the concert and share some of the photos I was able to take with my cell phone – I apologize for the quality, but hopefully the rawness of them will give you a feel for the atmosphere.

I was fortunate to get VIP passes as well as tickets a mere 14 rows from the stage and therefore you can imagine my excitement as the concert approached – I was nervous about Hurricane Earl, but after watching Rush previously in driving rain I had no doubt that they would put on a great show even if there were heavy winds – as it happened, Hurricane Earl perhaps daunted at the prospect of going up against one of the best live bands in the world turned out to be a fizzle and the evening was absolutely gorgeous.

We arrived at the arena about an hour before the show and waited calmly in the VIP line, behind a gentleman wearing a 1976-77 tour shirt – I was only 10 in 1976 so I was suitably impressed and jealous. As the discussions around me turned to Rush and I began to take in the crowd I noticed that the audience was varied ranging from the low teens, to people in their 60s (my dad included). The ability of Rush to cross generations is amazing and undoubtedly a lot of this is down to parents sharing the music with their children, but also thanks to the influence of Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

As we entered the arena and purchased an adequate $6.25 cheese burger we headed over to our seats and I simply marveled at how close I was to the stage – two weeks earlier I had attended a Green Day concert and been just as close, but this was RUSH!

As the minutes ticked by I could feel the atmosphere building, and the excitement I felt was mirrored around me as people reminisced about previous Rush concerts. Looking around the arena I was amazed to see how many people were there – it simply was packed!

Finally everything went dark after the national anthem had been sung and a video began playing – it was a tongue in cheek video that essentially set the concert up, but also played some Rush songs in different styles – disco being my particular favorite – the crowd buzzed as you knew that Rush were about to play and when the first bars of The Spirit of Radio began to play the crowd erupted and instantly stood.

From the opening note to the final note the crowd were vibrant and moving constantly - the atmosphere was probably the best for any concert I’ve attended to and this was mainly due to the band.

Geddy Lee’s vocals were incredible – I’ve seen Rush four times now and he’s always been great, but this concert was the best yet – he managed to reach the high notes of many songs, and also with songs like Closer to the Heart re-invented the vocals providing us with a brilliant performance.

Alex Lifeson was stunning too – despite having a few problems with guitar strings breaking and guitars simply not working he was at his best not missing a note and really rocking the arena.

Neil Peart, as always, was perfection – his sheer energy catapults the sound from excellent to out of this world and yet again he stunned the audience with his 10 minute solo. He wasn’t flawless though – my Dad swears he saw him drop a drum stick once when he threw it up in the air – nah, I said, not possible!!!

I have to say that as a life long Rush fan I didn’t expect any less, but they really did surpass my expectations with this performance. The full rendition of the Moving Pictures album was incredible and brought a standing ovation – their skill and energy combined with the fun they had on stage simply made this a stunning night.

My Dad, who isn’t the greatest Rush fan, said he really like 50% of the first set and most of the second set – and for a non Rush fan, that is a testament to the band – he liked them so much that he actually bought a t-shirt and then went out and purchased the Moving Pictures album.

I cannot praise Rush enough and feel that they deserve far more accolades than they get – they are one of the best live bands of all time, and one of the most successful Rock Bands who are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of fame.

If you get the chance – you MUST attend a Rush concert.

Set 1

• The Spirit Of Radio
• Time Stand Still
• Presto
• Stick It Out
• Workin' Them Angels
• Leave That Thing Alone
• Faithless
• BU2B
• Freewill
• Marathon
• Subdivisions

Set 2

• Tom Sawyer
• Red Barchetta
• YYZ
• Limelight
• The Camera Eye
• Witch Hunt
• Vital Signs
• Caravan
• Drum Solo
• Closer To The Heart
• 2112 Part I: Overture
• 2112 Part II: The Temples Of Syrinx
• Far Cry

Encore

• La Villa Strangiato
• Working Man