MR

One of the perks of reaching middle age, for me anyway, is the time and freedom to check out old bands I only had fleeting name familiarity with during my youth, to see what all the fuss is about.

So, I just got through watching the dvd, Rush in Rio. Huge (looks to be a stadium full) screaming crowd, kids mostly, going crazy over 3 old geezers on stage. The lead singer looks like a minature Ozzy Osborne, with a high-pitched voice. The drummer sits in a circular set of drums that rotates around. Only 1 other guitarist (lead), along with the singer who plays bass and keyboards.

Who are these guys? How old are they? Pretty remarkable that 3 guys can make this much music, when you consider the Eagles use practically a stage full of musicians as back up. Where do these guys rank as musicians among their peers? Must be pretty high, I reckon, since they can play at such a quality level.

Needless to say, I didn't know any of the songs, but Rush didn't seem like a nostalgia act at all. Looking at the faces in the crowd, these kids were singing to all the songs, swinging and pumping to the music. Quite impressive. How long has this band been around, they looked to be in their 50's? Are they in the RnR HOF? I would guess they must be in.

And what is the significance of the 3 running washing machines on stage? Anyone know?

annie89509 wrote:One of the perks of reaching middle age, for me anyway, is the time and freedom to check out old bands I only had fleeting name familiarity with during my youth, to see what all the fuss is about.

So, I just got through watching the dvd, Rush in Rio. Huge (looks to be a stadium full) screaming crowd, kids mostly, going crazy over 3 old geezers on stage. The lead singer looks like a minature Ozzy Osborne, with a high-pitched voice. The drummer sits in a circular set of drums that rotates around. Only 1 other guitarist (lead), along with the singer who plays bass and keyboards.

Who are these guys? How old are they? Pretty remarkable that 3 guys can make this much music, when you consider the Eagles use practically a stage full of musicians as back up. Where do these guys rank as musicians among their peers? Must be pretty high, I reckon, since they can play at such a quality level.

Needless to say, I didn't know any of the songs, but Rush didn't seem like a nostalgia act at all. Looking at the faces in the crowd, these kids were singing to all the songs, swinging and pumping to the music. Quite impressive. How long has this band been around, they looked to be in their 50's? Are they in the RnR HOF? I would guess they must be in.

And what is the significance of the 3 running washing machines on stage? Anyone know?

First album came out in '74. Geddy Lee - Bass/Vox, Alex Lifeson - Guitar, John Rutsy (sp?) - Drums. Shortly after that...Neil Peart joined Rush on drums. Good thing too 'cause he's the best drummer in history and one of the best lyricists as well.
This is one of my favorite bands of all time. The musicianship is 2nd to none...and they just fucking ROCK.
I'm not gonna get into the complete history or anything...so if you want to read up on them, try this site....
www.2112.net/powerwindows
There's a shitload of info there on Rush.

Here's another great RUSH site. Lots of current info.

www.rushisaband.com

Oh where have you been aha, im 18 and i know rush

Niel Peart is one of my favourite drummers, i love his solo in that Rio DVD, he uses the TD20 drum kit well.

I like some of Rush alot, and other parts of Rush are just to fiddly for me and not enough melody.

Man for man, one of the most talented bands around without are doubt though.

annie89509 wrote:
And what is the significance of the 3 running washing machines on stage? Anyone know?

Forgot to comment on this. Oops. Anyway....Geddy plugs his bass directly into the PA system now so to even the stage out with Alex's rig, he got the dryers. "Gives me a nice warm tone". Nobody said that this band wasn't goofy as hell.

Liam wrote:

annie89509 wrote:
And what is the significance of the 3 running washing machines on stage? Anyone know?

Forgot to comment on this. Oops. Anyway....Geddy plugs his bass directly into the PA system now so to even the stage out with Alex's rig, he got the dryers. "Gives me a nice warm tone". Nobody said that this band wasn't goofy as hell.

This year they have three chicken rotisseries on stage, and a chef comes out and butters them twice during the show. It just cracks me up!

weatherman90 wrote:This year they have three chicken rotisseries on stage, and a chef comes out and butters them twice during the show. It just cracks me up!

One of the most intelligent bands out there, and also with the biggest and most off-beat sense of humor around. Been a huge fan since "2112", and still rocking to Rush today. Annie has a LOT of catching up to do!

weatherman90 wrote:

Liam wrote:

annie89509 wrote:
And what is the significance of the 3 running washing machines on stage? Anyone know?

Forgot to comment on this. Oops. Anyway....Geddy plugs his bass directly into the PA system now so to even the stage out with Alex's rig, he got the dryers. "Gives me a nice warm tone". Nobody said that this band wasn't goofy as hell.

This year they have three chicken rotisseries on stage, and a chef comes out and butters them twice during the show. It just cracks me up!

a few years ago i had terrible tickets to Rush with Mr. Big opening, i was on the side behind the stage.. after every few tunes.. Alex would come over to my side of the stage and putt a hole of golf

This year was actually the first year I saw the boys in concert ...and wow they did NOT disappoint they kicked so much ass and did it with complete class an showman ship.It was an honor to be there.

weatherman90 wrote:

Liam wrote:

annie89509 wrote:
And what is the significance of the 3 running washing machines on stage? Anyone know?

Forgot to comment on this. Oops. Anyway....Geddy plugs his bass directly into the PA system now so to even the stage out with Alex's rig, he got the dryers. "Gives me a nice warm tone". Nobody said that this band wasn't goofy as hell.

This year they have three chicken rotisseries on stage, and a chef comes out and butters them twice during the show. It just cracks me up!

Yup. Saw 'em in Houston. The guys came out during Malignant Narcissism to baste the chickens. Funny shit.

annie89509 wrote:One of the perks of reaching middle age, for me anyway, is the time and freedom to check out old bands I only had fleeting name familiarity with during my youth, to see what all the fuss is about.

So, I just got through watching the dvd, Rush in Rio. Huge (looks to be a stadium full) screaming crowd, kids mostly, going crazy over 3 old geezers on stage. The lead singer looks like a minature Ozzy Osborne, with a high-pitched voice. The drummer sits in a circular set of drums that rotates around. Only 1 other guitarist (lead), along with the singer who plays bass and keyboards.

Who are these guys? How old are they? Pretty remarkable that 3 guys can make this much music, when you consider the Eagles use practically a stage full of musicians as back up. Where do these guys rank as musicians among their peers? Must be pretty high, I reckon, since they can play at such a quality level.

Needless to say, I didn't know any of the songs, but Rush didn't seem like a nostalgia act at all. Looking at the faces in the crowd, these kids were singing to all the songs, swinging and pumping to the music. Quite impressive. How long has this band been around, they looked to be in their 50's? Are they in the RnR HOF? I would guess they must be in.

And what is the significance of the 3 running washing machines on stage? Anyone know?

There's a section for Rush on this forum. Scroll down and look. And yes you have over 30 years of material to research. An incredible band with a diverse history.

youkeepmewaiting wrote:Oh where have you been aha, im 18 and i know rush

Niel Peart is one of my favourite drummers, i love his solo in that Rio DVD, he uses the TD20 drum kit well.

I like some of Rush alot, and other parts of Rush are just to fiddly for me and not enough melody.

Man for man, one of the most talented bands around without are doubt though.

Haha, I'm old enough to be your grandmother, although my 3 boys are just teenagers themselves. My husband and I have been mistaken as their grandparents in school functions. As I said, I have heard of all these groups by name, but never had that fan devotion to any artist or band. I only "discovered" Journey in 2005 when I caught a glimpse of Steve Perry in the We Are the World 25th annniv. dvd. Then I got their GH dvd, and I was hooked, lined and sinkered. And then, finding out they have such a colorful history, with all the drama of a greek tragedy, keeps the interest up. You want to learn more and more.

Anyway, back to Rush, I thought they might have been post-Beatles era. Their music is a different genre than Journey, though, more hard rock, ala Van Halen? And, since they don't play mainstream pop/rock, I'm guessing their following is more on the cult side as opposed to mass appeal like the Eagles or Rolling Stones. Is this about right?

Oh, those are dryers, not washing machines. They are using it as power sources for their instruments? lol, I thought "what in the world? Are they washing their clothes up there as a gag? lol

annie89509 wrote:Anyway, back to Rush, I thought they might have been post-Beatles era. Their music is a different genre than Journey, though, more hard rock, ala Van Halen? And, since they don't play mainstream pop/rock, I'm guessing their following is more on the cult side as opposed to mass appeal like the Eagles or Rolling Stones. Is this about right?

They were quite popular back in the mid to late 70s through the mid to late 80s. Yes, they have a rather large cult following and still draw pretty big crowds wherever they go.

Oh, those are dryers, not washing machines. They are using it as power sources for their instruments? lol, I thought "what in the world? Are they washing their clothes up there as a gag? lol

They do some kind of gag on just about every tour. The driers were for the "Vapor Trails" tour. I saw them in Indianapolis and they had a roadie that would come out and pop some quarters into them and start them back up. The last time the roadie came out, when he bent over, he had no pants on. Hilarious!

Neil Peart is a top 5 drummer of all time, Geddy Lee is a top 10 bassist, and Alex Lifeson is a top 25 guitarist.

These guys are amazing musicians who are held in high regard in every single realm of rock music. They've put out nearly 20 studio albums, have toured constantly, and have what seems to be a bottomless well of creativity they draw from. They're my favorite band these days, a notch above my beloved Journey, because they play a similar "vibe" of music to Journey but at a much more artistic, intelligent, and experimental level.

I saw them on Signals, Grace Under Pressue, Hold Your Fire and Roll the Bones tours. Each better than the one before.
Alex is second favorite axeman
Peart favorite drummer
Geddy favorite BAssits and 3rd favorite keys man-ERIC

conversationpc wrote:The driers were for the "Vapor Trails" tour. I saw them in Indianapolis and they had a roadie that would come out and pop some quarters into them and start them back up. The last time the roadie came out, when he bent over, he had no pants on. Hilarious!

I saw the dryers on the R30 disc as well -- I believe every once in a while they will pull a T-shirt out of one of them and throw it to the audience.

Lerxst101 must be a Rush fan, too, as "Lerxst" is the nickname they call Alex. Dirk, Lerxst, and Pratt, I believe.

Rip Rokken wrote:

conversationpc wrote:The driers were for the "Vapor Trails" tour. I saw them in Indianapolis and they had a roadie that would come out and pop some quarters into them and start them back up. The last time the roadie came out, when he bent over, he had no pants on. Hilarious!

I saw the dryers on the R30 disc as well -- I believe every once in a while they will pull a T-shirt out of one of them and throw it to the audience.

Yeah, they did that at the show I saw as well. Also, the 30th anniversary show I saw may well be the loudest show I have ever been to. I was wishing I had a pair of ear plugs at the time.

conversationpc wrote:Yeah, they did that at the show I saw as well. Also, the 30th anniversary show I saw may well be the loudest show I have ever been to. I was wishing I had a pair of ear plugs at the time.

I'll have to keep that in mind... I'm not into ridiculously loud concerts anymore (never have been). I love them loud, but clear. I've been to a few like Van Halen during the 5150 tour which were ridiculous -- just loud and distorted, to the point you couldn't tell what they were playing.

Rip Rokken wrote:

conversationpc wrote:Yeah, they did that at the show I saw as well. Also, the 30th anniversary show I saw may well be the loudest show I have ever been to. I was wishing I had a pair of ear plugs at the time.

I'll have to keep that in mind... I'm not into ridiculously loud concerts anymore (never have been). I love them loud, but clear. I've been to a few like Van Halen during the 5150 tour which were ridiculous -- just loud and distorted, to the point you couldn't tell what they were playing.

This one wasn't quite that bad. Fortunately, the fact that Rush music has a lot of dynamics and that Alex doesn't play with a ton of distortion anyway really helps. Still, it was easily louder than the last Journey show I went to and I was in the 8th row from the stage for that one.

Are they in the RnR HOF?

Funny to log in and see a Rush topic as I just watched the R30 Frankfurt concert (for the 3rd time...lol).I can say it's one of the BEST shows I've ever seen from ANY band. Only Journey's Houston show is above this one (for obvious reasons).Anyhow,I like the Frankfurt show MORE than Rush In Rio,although that's was the epitome of a true live show.But Live in Frankfurt is a masterpiece.Can't get enough of it.

annie89509 wrote:Are they in the RnR HOF?

Of course not. They should be a no brainer, though.

conversationpc wrote:

annie89509 wrote:Are they in the RnR HOF?

Of course not. They should be a no brainer, though.

wow, that's really unbelievable. The cheap shot against Journey is they're cheesy, corporate rock, blab blab. But Rush? Why the slight against them ? And Madonna gets in next year, WTH .

Forgot the emoticons, hehe.

annie89509 wrote:

conversationpc wrote:

annie89509 wrote:Are they in the RnR HOF?

Of course not. They should be a no brainer, though.

wow, that's really unbelievable. The cheap shot against Journey is they're cheesy, corporate rock, blab blab. But Rush? Why the slight against them? And Madonna gets in next year, WTH.

Come on now...no need to be so polite.

it's WTF?

Madonna into the RnRHoF truly tells me they are not interested in quality rock n roll. That is not to say that Madonna hasn't done quality work - I would just not categorize her as RnR. Just my 2 cents.

Yeah, the RRHOF has a grudge against "corporate, banal, manufactured, cheesy" bands (Journey, Boston, Styx, Foreigner, etc.)

But oddly enough, at the same time they have excluded the EXACT OPPOSITE type of bands too... (Rush, Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Blue Oyster Cult, Kansas)... mainly I guess because they're "pretentious, exaggerative, bombastic," and so on down the line.

I believe every band listed above should be in the RRHOF and it's a crime that they continue to be excluded to this day.

To say Madonna had a bigger impact on music as a whole than ANY band listed above is a flat-out lie.

Ms_M wrote:Madonna into the RnRHoF truly tells me they are not interested in quality rock n roll. That is not to say that Madonna hasn't done quality work - I would just not categorize her as RnR. Just my 2 cents.

That's what I meant. She's not RnR. They should change the name to the POP HOF.

Liam wrote:

annie89509 wrote:One of the perks of reaching middle age, for me anyway, is the time and freedom to check out old bands I only had fleeting name familiarity with during my youth, to see what all the fuss is about.

So, I just got through watching the dvd, Rush in Rio. Huge (looks to be a stadium full) screaming crowd, kids mostly, going crazy over 3 old geezers on stage. The lead singer looks like a minature Ozzy Osborne, with a high-pitched voice. The drummer sits in a circular set of drums that rotates around. Only 1 other guitarist (lead), along with the singer who plays bass and keyboards.

Who are these guys? How old are they? Pretty remarkable that 3 guys can make this much music, when you consider the Eagles use practically a stage full of musicians as back up. Where do these guys rank as musicians among their peers? Must be pretty high, I reckon, since they can play at such a quality level.

Needless to say, I didn't know any of the songs, but Rush didn't seem like a nostalgia act at all. Looking at the faces in the crowd, these kids were singing to all the songs, swinging and pumping to the music. Quite impressive. How long has this band been around, they looked to be in their 50's? Are they in the RnR HOF? I would guess they must be in.

And what is the significance of the 3 running washing machines on stage? Anyone know?

First album came out in '74. Geddy Lee - Bass/Vox, Alex Lifeson - Guitar, John Rutsy (sp?) - Drums. Shortly after that...Neil Peart joined Rush on drums. Good thing too 'cause he's the best drummer in history and one of the best lyricists as well.
This is one of my favorite bands of all time. The musicianship is 2nd to none...and they just fucking ROCK.
I'm not gonna get into the complete history or anything...so if you want to read up on them, try this site....
www.2112.net/powerwindows
There's a shitload of info there on Rush.

Rush is one of the bands I do like to listen to when I get in the mood for some good rock to stir up memory lane. Working Man is one of my favorites. And definitely Neil Peart is one of the best in my book. Hope I don't get too screamed at but I've always thought Phil Collins was pretty damn good on drums too, not as good as Peart, but none the less, very good. I find it amazing how Collins can sing lead and play drums at the same time. Charlie Watts is so good because he can do so much with so little in the way of a very simple drum kit. Alex Van Halen is pretty bitching as well when it comes to a mega huge drum kit and tons of great playing. John Bonham fits in there somewhere too.

CalJams wrote:I've always thought Phil Collins was pretty damn good on drums too, not as good as Peart, but none the less, very good. I find it amazing how Collins can sing lead and play drums at the same time. Charlie Watts is so good because he can do so much with so little in the way of a very simple drum kit.

very true to me too... playing an instrument and singing etc is TOUGH!! just playing alone is complicated.. i like the simple drummers with some fills.. they have a place in rock n roll history as well..don henley can play pretty good too..