Rush

On Sunday, June 1, I was fortunate enough to attend the Rush concert at the Clark County Amphitheater, the band's second stop here as part of their Snakes & Arrows tour. What a great show! One of the things that really stands out for me is the amount of energy the guys had, especially during the 2nd half of the show. After nearly 35 years together, and on a tour that's lasted over a year, they still get up on stage night after night and give their fans an amazing three-hour show.

Besides the obvious--songs from the Snakes & Arrows album (I think they played nearly all of them)--the set list included several songs from Permanent Waves, which is probably my favorite Rush album overall. The song that probably got the biggest audience response was "2112," though the crowd--which was much bigger than when I saw Rush in 2004--sang along to many of the songs, including "The Trees," "Natural Science," "Limelight," "Freewill," "The Spirit of the Radio," and "Red Barchetta."

The stage effects for "Witch Hunt" were especially impressive, including lights and fire that really fit the tone of the music. The stage lights in general were just amazing, with five huge UFO-like light fixtures that went up and down, independently of each other, during the show, providing a wide range of effects. I can't begin to imagine the man power it takes to set up, take down and move all of the equipment from show to show.

And then, of course, there were the videos, a Rush tradition I think, which really show the band's sense of humor. Scottish kilts, Barbie dolls, Jerry Stiller, Lil' Rush, chicken...

What a great evening! My only regret is that I procrastinated so long in buying tickets that I ended up third row from the back, standing on tip-toes the entire evening so that I could see the stage. I still had a great time though!