Re-Rush at the Forum

I met Rush in the fall of 1975.  Rush was supposed to open for a Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow show in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre.  Rush was kicked off the show because their drum riser was too big, according to Ritchie Blackmore.  Ritchie was a prick then and remained so for the rest of his career.  There was “payback” coming for Mr. Blackmore. I had just arrived at Mercury Records as the new head of rock promotion.  There was a group of 4 young Mercury record company guys that were going to see the Rush show: me, Cliff Burnstein A&R, and Mike Gormley and George Kneymeyer from publicity.  It was a  Rainbow/Rush show…..that didn’t happen. We met the 3 Rush band members Alex, Geddy and Neil and their road manager Howard Ungerleider at their hotel dining room after our workday ended.  These guys were road warriors even then.  They could not have been nicer.  After a quick meal, they were very excited to show us their new touring vehicle.  It was a van, but the seats had been replaced with airline seats that TOTALLY reclined.  The band could sleep while Howard drove them to their next show.   In addition to being Rush’s road manager then, Howard was and still is the Rush lighting director, a job he has held for over 50 years.  Rush is loyal to their crew.  I remember Howard had a headset that allowed him to listen to music while the band slept.   The inside of the van had been insulated with thick padding for sound and temperature control.  I thought it interesting that Rush, who played LOUD on stage, was concerned about road noise in their van. Rush had released 3 albums when I met them: “Rush”, “Fly by Night”, and “Caress of Steel”.  These albums had not done well in the US.  The 3rd album “Caress of Steel” did not make any forward movement.  There was some talk amongst the Mercury senior executives about dropping the band.   The next Rush album to be released was “2112” which came out in March 1976.  The Rush managers, Ray Daniels and Vic Wilson brought the finished about to the Mercury offices in early 1976.  We all met in the conference room to listen to the album together.  I am sure that Cliff Burnstein had been listening as the recording process happened, but this was the official presentation of the album.   I remember the presentation of the album well, because I tipped my chair over backwards in the conference room.  “You only get one chance to be a first impression” and mine was “the guy that didn’t know how to sit in a chair”.  Embarrassing. Clearly the “2112” album was a cut above the 3 previous Rush albums.  The album charted in the top 100 for Billboard magazine, peaking at 61, a first for Rush.  “2112” began a decade long run of platinum albums for Rush.  As a matter of fact, at one point Rush’s sales history placed them third behind the Beatles and the Rolling Stones for the most consecutive gold or platinum albums by a rock band.   It was TOUGH getting Rush records on the radio.  Geddy Lee’s voice was a bridge too far for a lot of programmers, but when the band came to town, the band’s appeal could not be denied.  We picked off stations one by one.  Once a station programmed Rush, they got immediate big positive response.   I guess someone made the right decision to not drop Rush after their “Caress of Steel” album.  At one point, the Rush catalogue was the most important catalogue in all of PolyGram. Seeing Rush in 2026, was different but not different.  First, the show started at 7:45 SHARP.  There was a great self-deprecating video that showed that Rush, the nice guys, were still in there.  It was hilarious, particularly their reference to the “silk robes” that were featured on their “2112” album cover. There are lots of drummer jokes.  One of my favorites is: Q: “What is the last thing the drummer said to his band?” A: “Hey guys, let’s learn to play one of my songs!” This was NOT the case with Rush.  Their drummer Neil Peart wrote A LOT of the songs that made them famous.   Sadly, Neil left us several years ago.  There is a new drummer. A German woman named Anika Nilles.  She is fantastic. Rush, to their credit did two video tributes to Neil during their show.  Both were spot on.  There is no hiding the fact that Neil was/is a BIG part of Rush. There is a keyboard playing on stage now, but to be honest, I didn’t see the contribution in any significant way. Sunday night it was so great to hear the opening rifts of familiar Rush songs like Xanadu, Limelight, The Spirit of the Radio, 2112 Overture, Tom Sawyer and Working Man.  It felt comfortable. Howard Ungerleider, the road manager/lighting designer I met 50 years ago has been working OVERTIME on this production.  I cannot think of any show I have ever seen that would be better than the opening night of the Rush tour.  Howard even had the old school Super Trooper spotlights from the rear of the arena operational.  I can see him calling cues to the spotlight operators from his lighting control post in the orchestra.  Lighting, pyro, props, floating effects, all added to the show. Lastly, I wanted to recount the Ritchie Blackmore “payback” story.   San Antonio was an “early adopter” for Rush and Ritchie Blackmore, mainly because of the radio stations KISS/KMAC and two DJ’s there, Joe Anthony and Lou Roney and a GREAT local promoter, Stone City.  This FM/AM combo would play a lot of hard rock artists albums, and the bands would be able to do sellout business in San Antonio.  It was critical at the time because the bands would be breaking even financially in most markets, but they got PAID in San Antonio….big time.  San Antonio enabled a lot of bands like Rush to stay on the road. There was a famous picture of some Rush fans holding a homemade sign that said, “San Antonio loves Rush”.  Blackmore photo shopped the sign to change it to “San Antonio loves Blackmore”.  When I saw this, I put together a mailer and sent it to all the rock stations in America pointing out the original photo and the one that had been changed.   I was “called on the carpet” for this because Blackmore was signed to Polydor, a sister label…..but the mailer had already shipped.   54,000 fans in Los Angeles.  54,000!!    Mike Bone ___________________________________ I was awaiting your opinion on the Rush shows and you NAILED IT.  I'll be seeing them in October, though in some ways it already feels like I have. Between live recordings, interviews, and concert footage, I've probably logged six+ hours of content online, and none of it has felt like enough. There's something genuinely joyful about them that takes me right back to the hundreds of rock shows I attended in junior high and high school — they bring a whole era back to life. All the best, Alan Stewart ___________________________________ I'm happy to read this. I was there the first night in LA, and it was spectacular. It was respectful of Neil; the tracks played were representative of the 50 years (they played By-Tor and I almost fell backward!), and you are spot on. There are bands touring today who came to be in the 90s that can't do it anymore. Rush? A 70s band that still sounds amazing. Geddy's voice was a touch deeper, but he made it work. And Anika. WOW. She made those amazing sounds with what looked like a very different kit from the one Peart played. My first album was Bastille Day in 1975. Growing up in Upstate NY, these guys were practically a local act. They'd hit Rochester and Buffalo at least once a year, and I was always there. For 3 hours, I went back in time. I'm gonna catch them in San Jose later in the year as well. Rock. John Butler ___________________________________ Don’t forget Loren Gold back there on keys and synths!! Loren is no slouch, and is doing more than just triggering sounds back there!! This is a 4-piece live band now! Loren is a veteran of incredible bands/tours including The Who, Chicago and many more! Tom Cusimano Sr Manager, Artist Relations Korg USA ___________________________________ Signals came out when I was 12. Changed my life. Felt like the lyrics were written for me personally at the time. The Analog Kid…epic! Marty Winsch ___________________________________ Yes Bob! We took our twenty-something boys the first night and we were all transfixed. It was like we finally had the privilege of sharing a peak-era rock concert from the ‘70s with them. And Anika is a force. The whole time I was wondering if you were there, appreciating the time machine they created for us. Tony Hawk ___________________________________ I was there last night. Incredible! Took my wife, 7 year old, and 4 year old. We had an adventure and they LOVED the show. Still buzzing. Cesar Contreras ___________________________________ Dear Bob, Great article on a great show.   I was hoping you would go and then write. My English Lit students in the early 90’s first urged me to catch their show. “New World Man”, with its Kraftwerk ethos, always makes me smile. dennis brent ___________________________________ Before their first album came out, I used to go to a long-gone club called the Piccadilly Tube at Yonge and Dundas in Toronto, here they played once a month in the late 70s (rooting with bands like Max Webster and Wireless). Cover was $5. In a million years I never would have guessed that almost 50 years later that band would be the subject of such a glowing review in a newsletter like yours! Like you, I wasn’t a fanatic, but man, it’s so great that they’re not only pulling this off, they’re KILLING it. Mike Campbell ___________________________________ Thanks so much for this post. I hope Rush will get a wave of new fans they never had before.. They are one of the bands who have received probably the most bad reviews by Rolling Stone and other media or just non interest from the industry over the years and they deserve a lot better. Thanks again, Bob. Mike Vancha ___________________________________ Totally Agree that it was invigorating indeed! I was there the 2nd night. 3rd row in front of Alex.  This was my band, my influence in a lot life things since I was 16 years old. I am 61 now and I love them just as much now as I ever have - and maybe more?  Why? Because they just seem to get better as they get older. Because every time you listen to their music, you hear something different. Because they are indeed one of those rare bands who never compromised and found a way to survive and stay relevant for 50+ years. And now a come back! Their last R40 tour was over the top incredible and after Neil passed we all believed that was probably it. But Alex and Geddy stayed active in various creative ways and then along come Anika.  What a gift she is to the Rush fans new and old and how cool that she is sitting on one of the most important drum thrones that ever existed and is showcasing to the world her incredible talent.  Man, she blew me away in so many ways.  What a monster drummer she is. She will most certainly become a global influence for more female drummers and how cool is that? You can tell that Alex and Geddy are so happy to have her on stage. She brings a new energy to a band that left the limelight at their peak. But NOW, have somehow come together to rise to a new peak, a new chapter and inspire us all again.For any band to do 88 dates across the globe, doing close to 3 hour shows, you have to be in peak form and prepared in every single way. And to do it at 72 years of age? Impressive and inspiring! Anika will indeed be the secret sauce to keep them going, blow us all away with the live performance and hopefully introduce a new legion of fans to their incredible catalog of songs.  Rush is indeed BACK!  Shawn Fowler ___________________________________ I was not a Rush fan. Sure, Tom Sawyer was great but it wasn’t my thing. Then a friend of mine invited me to tag along to a show.  I’m always game for live music and Rush - sure. First song on - every song. Songs I’d never heard before, songs that rang familiar - all - amazing. I was transfixed. How do these 3 people produce all this sound. How do they come together amidst all that complexity? And how does it all appear effortless and fun? That was it. I was a fan. I have every album and many in multiple formats. I saw the last tour and giddily made it a must to secure tickets to this one. Rush is a one of a kind act. They are each masters of their instruments. To watch them is to witness greatness. You are seeing incredible dedication and passion and love for something. Then there’s the friendship. These guys love each other. Anika will add a fresh take and reinvigorate them. I can already see the chemistry. Do not miss Rush! This is the kind of show you must be present for. Long live Rush. Marc McDonald in Boston. ___________________________________ I was hoping you went and to read your feedback. I sadly have been unable to attend the shows. I have have been watching endless clips and can say that it's simply extraordinary. Sort of a profound moment. My marker is having seen the band twice, 2112 & Hemispheres. I am a fan and play the records quite often. Watching the band with Anika for me was quite emotional, seeing the joy and satisfaction it brought to Alex & Geddy and obviously to the audience. Chemistry 101. Watching her do her thing and her reactions is priceless. The audience feedback for Anika is so beautiful and incredibly well deserved. Respect! Cheers, Mark Arevalo ___________________________________ Long time, deep Rush fan here, Bob… and you fucking nailed it!   I have tickets to see them next month in Chicago, on my 58th birthday, no less.  I’m bringing my 15yr old son, who is also a fan, but never got to see them live. I am so excited for the show! Thank you for the spot-on analysis (New World Man is my fave, as well!).  Cheers, sean michael dargan ___________________________________ Awesome, I love it. I was always more of a Zeppelin fan, than Rush.  In high school we would debate endlessly who was better Peart vs Bonham. But to have Rush out there with Anika is just so cool.  She’s the real deal, and she has soul.  Not many drummers have soul, but she does.  She plays with feel, which is hard considering Rush is not a ‘feel’ sort of band.  Maybe in some ways she is breathing life into those songs in her own way.  It’s inspiring. I wish Zeppelin would take a page out of the Rush playbook, and just do it.  For the sake of the songs, for the sake of the fans who never got an opportunity to see them. But Robert Plant takes things too seriously. and could learn a thing or two from Geddy and Alex. It’s supposed to be FUN. Jon Pleeter ___________________________________ Glad you got to go. They have always stayed true to themselves and somehow kept moving forward, with a great sense of humor.  So looking forward to seeing them at MSG on 8/1! Saw them a few times in my teens in the late 70s and 10 years ago on their 40th anniversary tour. Judging by the YouTube video of 2112 from the Forum, it should be an amazing show. My friend Greg got us into 2112 in 10th grade and we got to see them at the Palladium (NYC) in 1977 for the A Farewell To Kings tour. It was their last theater tour before moving to arenas and their first album to use keyboards heavily. Before that they were more of a traditional power trio. There were 3 bands on the bill in 1977,  Rush headlining, UFO with Michael Schenker in the middle, and the opening act was a new band with only their debut album out called...Cheap Trick. We did not like them at all, but they did already have their schtick. A few years later saw them at MSG and actually caught a drumstick. Not from Neil, but from Alex, who grabbed a drumstick in the middle of a solo, went up and down the neck with it, and tossed it into the crowd. I was the lucky recipient about 8-10 rows back. Unfortunately it got misplaced over the years  but I still have the memory. Just like you said, this time I am bringing my wife, who has never seen them before.  I even went to their online store and bought a t-shirt with a design from the 1977 tour to bring it full circle. Cannot wait! Best, Perry Resnick ___________________________________ Rush-what an amazing story!  I remember being in high school and thinking their first few records were decent Led Zeppelin-influenced pieces, and that Geddy sang high, kinda like Robert Plant but not exactly the same.  When 2112 came out it seemed like a major turn, and again, I liked it, but during a time when Yes, The Who, Jethro Tull and others were turning out concept albums it didn’t seem special.  All The World’s A Stage was released fall of my senior year of high school and THAT record is what sold me. The best of their 1st 4 albums, played live to a rabid crowd (and all the sweet stage gear pictured on the album jacket!) made me a fan.  I finally got to see Rush live at the Indiana University Auditorium during the Hemispheres tour. It was LOUD, but it was also the clearest live sound I had experienced up to that point and the light show was incredible.  I saw the band several times in the 80’s. The thing about Rush during that time was that they always toured. It wasn’t a big announcement like Zeppelin, or Bowie, or the Stones where it happened every so often and you might not get tickets. It was, another album, another tour, and you always felt like you could get a ticket and see the band.  But the crowds kept getting bigger, and the music kept evolving, and somewhere along the way Rush became their own entity. A hardworking band with a sound like no one else who had grown a legion of devoted fans.  I was on the fence about this tour because, seriously, Rush without Neil?  But then I saw a clip of “Tom Sawyer” from the first night at the Forum and Anika absolutely owned that part. As soon as the clip finished I sprung for a ticket to their second Atlanta show.  As they have done throughout their whole career, Rush have found their way to yet another musical chapter and I am excited to experience it. Long live Rush! Jim Blaney Nashville ___________________________________ I first saw Rush in 1976 in my home town of Sydney, NS and I still say it's one of the best concerts I've ever seen. I saw them on their last tour through Halifax and it was spectacular. Rush was on a whole other level, 2112 blew us all away and All the World's a Stage was such an incredible live album. I saw the new drummer on YouTube she looks incredible.  Doug Gillis ___________________________________ Thanks for the write up on Rush. I was at the second show at The Forum. Geddy and Alex played with more energy and enthusiasm than the show in Irvine, CA that I saw in 2015. A highlight of the show was the live appearance of singer Aimee Mann on the 1987 song Time Stand Still. She sang the refrain on the original studio recording.  I was amazed to learn recently that Rush is third only to The Beatles and The Stones for consecutive platinum and gold albums. And yet…they are relatively unknown to the general public even though they were most popular during the so-called “mono culture”. My boomer parents have no clue who they are. My friends from Canada in the 90s knew their name but could not name a single Rush song. I assumed that Rush was to Canada what The Beatles are to the UK. David Evans ___________________________________ I’ve seen 2 Rush shows this week, and Anika Nilles is the lightning bolt rock and roll needed. She’s incredible.  I was just in a pre production meeting with a young all girl band, and they were so inspired by what they saw, and pleasantly surprised that a bunch of old men are worshipping Anika’s talent. It’s well deserved. I wish I was seeing a third show! The buzz around this is beautiful, and needed.  Jay Ruston ___________________________________ Not a Rush fan either but they're ok. But the Drummer!!! Talk about talent! In interviews with her, she mentions she's not as strong as male drummers. Who the hell cares.  This woman is possibly the music story of the year. She is amazing! I could watch just her playing! Wow! Tom Hedtke ___________________________________ She’s a bright light of hope in the surrounding gloom - of everything! Hugo Burnham ___________________________________ Thanks for nuthin’ Bob. I’d hoped that the Rush tour would settle under the radar after its kick-off so the ticket prices would come down from the stratosphere. Now you go and give them a boffo review and is others are going to check it out on your say-so. I guess I’ll have to shell out extra $$ now… Vikas Sharma Ottawa ___________________________________ I’ve never seen them and have always regretted it, especially as a drummer. The problem is the tickets are MSG are NUTS!! Such a bummer. Maybe you can get me on the list!!! Haha Rob DiFondi ___________________________________ Bob, I wonder how many people had difficulty at first tolerating Rush but later became fans, believing they’re one of the greatest rock bands in the world. In 1975, I went with a friend who paid my way to a Kiss concert because he just had to convince me that this Kiss band he loved were actually good musicians, an opinion I did not share. The opening act was Rush. I had never heard any songs off Rush's (then) two albums, so I knew nothing about them. The theater was in Fresno and had about 2,000 seats. An old, converted Cinerama movie theater where I had seen 2001: A Space Odyssey. This was almost exactly 52 years ago. To me, Geddy sounded like the proverbial castrated Robert Plant. The most embarrassing part was when Alex broke a string and a roadie came out with, not a replacement ES-335 (and what was that about for a self-respecting hard rock band? No Les Paul? No Strat?) but a string to replace the one that had broken. He handed it to Alex and dashed off stage. Alex spent the next few minutes putting the string on himself, while Geddy kept us occupied with an impromptu spiel about something forgettable.  Both bands put on what I thought was an embarrassing show. More likely, they were just not for me. I liked their performance of “Fly By Night”, but overall, I just didn’t get it. A couple of years later, I laughed when 2112 came out during my Air Force Basic Training in San Antonio, and I heard the lyrics from another airman’s boom box.   “We are the priests…”, etc. Who were they kidding? I laughed when I heard Geddy exclaim “Salesman!” when I heard "Spirit of Radio” on the radio a 3 years later.  I just didn’t get it. Now it’s 1990, I’m a computer scientist, working on the first tablet computer and living in San Francisco and a having dinner with Rasha, a new PhD Computer Scientist friend of mine we had brought over from Yugoslavia to use his work on handwriting recognition based on academic work done by a young Yann LeCun. Rasha is a brilliant computer scientist who was also a concert pianist. High IQ. Cultured. Refined. The son of cabinet member of the Yugoslavian President.  Our shared musical experience to date was seeing Evgeny Kissin at Davies Symphony Hall. We were comparing genres of music we liked and started talking about Rock.  With his fork in the air asked me, “Do you like Rush?”. Coming It was as if he had asked me if I believed in the supernatural. Rush was the last artist's name I expected him to come out of his mouth in this conversation.  I told him about my 1975 experience. He said that his first exposure to them was as a soldier in the Yugoslavian army while doing his mandatory military service there. He was on sentry duty in the middle of nowhere, during a rainy and miserable night. At about 3 AM, a fellow soldier turned on his cassette player and out came “Permanent Waves”. Rasha, a trained classical musician, proceeded to dissect that album’s greatness song by song.  Then he said they were coming to Shoreline and asked me if I wanted to go. I thought, why not - it’ll be a good laugh at least.  We brought our wives, had a lovely picnic, and sat there through Mr. Big, not paying attention to them. In fact, we sat through their first song. But when they played “Free Will” - the second song, I recall - Rasha leapt to his feet, and never got back down. Understand, I had never seen him exhibiting such wild abandon. He knew every riff, every lyric, and I realized that, living in Yugoslavia, this song meant a lot more to him than it ever could to me. No wonder he loved them. Now I got off my feet and paid attention. I realized that I already knew the “Red Barchetta” riff and loved playing it on guitar myself, without knowing where I had heard it. I realized I loved "Closer to the Heart”.  In these days, Rush sounded a lot like the Police, and I found liked that.  Peart, who had now been in the band more than one year, was completely captivating, especially during his drum solos. I found I really enjoyed 2112 and Spirit of Radio during the encore.  I could understand Rasha’s enjoyment of Rush, but I wasn’t thrilled enough to become a fan. I could certainly see why people liked them. But I wasn’t going to see them again or buy any of their albums. In 2004, Rush released the “Feedback” EP. Seeing that all the songs were songs I loved, I bought it. To say I was blown away would be an understatement. Their empathy for this music was infectious - anyone who would or could marry Blue Cheer’s “Summertime Blues” intro to The Who’s arrangement, with a “My Generation” quote in the middle was exactly my kind of band. Covering “The Seeker”? An homage to Cream’s “Crossroads”? These were my kind of people. I even played their arrangement of this on stage in Vegas with a band I hired for a developer conference later that year.   I bought the “Chronicles” CD, ripped it to the iPod, and listened to it many, many times.  In 2010 they released their “On the Lighted Stage” documentary. The documentary was interesting, but it was the DVD extra where they were sitting around a private room at a restaurant eating and drinking that really nailed me. A group of self-deprecating friends laughing at each other’s foibles. I decided that I liked - no loved! - these guys. Hagiography? Sure. Still great. And they were too drunk to fake it. That was it Over 2 months, I bought every CD. After this I went to every show when they came to town. As a Microsoft exec, I saw many of my peers at these shows. Alex’s RRHOF speech confirmed the documentary vibe. I’m one of those people who know every drum roll, every guitar solo, and every lyric. There you have it, from ennui to exhilaration, over 50 years.  I think this was their path - from ridicule by wannabe critics and snobs like me to exhilaration, etc. It is impossible for anyone to resist becoming a Rush fan, over time. Gary Lang ___________________________________ Quite honestly, in the annals of rock, it’s the Beatles, Stones, U2, Pink Floyd and Rush as the top 5 of all time. They’re in that class. Everyone else can fight for 6-100 placing. Bob Maggio -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25