Any Rush tunes that work well in cover bands? (Non-tribute)

[FuturePrimitive]

I'm kind of a Rush fanatic, Geddy is the reason I picked up the bass. Anyway, I just joined a newly formed cover band thats looking to play out in the next few months. The guitarist/singer is looking for song ideas from everyone and I'd LOVE to play a Rush tune but I can't think of any that might actually work in a typical bar type cover band. The best/most popular tune I can think of is Limelight but even that is in an odd, ever changing time signature and drunks seem to have a tough time with anything other than straight 4/4.

Anyone here have any Rush tunes in their set lists that do well? Anyone tried any that flopped big time?

[bassjamn]

well i am in a rush tribute band, but probably the most common songs are the ones everyone hears on the classic rock radio stations:
Spirit of radio, Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, new world man.
limelight is a good choice as well.IMHO

[BadB]

YYZ

[Geddyfleaharris]

In the Mood from their first album.

[keb]

I'd probably go with Limelight.

Or something from their very early years, like Fly By Night.

[loend68]

We've been doing Limelight and it usually gets positive reaction from at least 1/4 of the crowd. We do it first set before the dancing begins.
As far as the rest of our tunes it's standard rock/pop stuff.

[Slater]

Working Man. The "blue collar" bar patrons tend to relate...

[Valerus]

Originally Posted by Slater

Working Man. The "blue collar" bar patrons tend to relate...

Good choice.

[tZer]

+1 on "In the Mood"
+1 on "Working Man"
+1 on "Spirit of the Radio"

I am a Rush fan, but I find that playing Rush songs in typical bar situations is a hit-or-miss sort of thing. "In the Mood", "Working Man" and "Spirit of the Radio" seem to appeal to a broader audience - not just the Rush fanatic.

[Hemispheres85]

Closer to the Heart is fairly easy to play and is a pretty rocking tune. It's all 4/4 as well.

[MarkCPA]

Here's one totally out of left field for you.............

Cinderalla Man off of Farewell to Kings.

For some reason, the melody seems to get the typical bar crowds attention even though no one in the place other than the band has ever heard it before.

[Humblerumble]

We do Spirit Of The Radio and Fly By Night and they are well received.

[FuturePrimitive]

Ok, so I've had a lot of suggestions here, let me see if I can get some clarification....

YYZ - Really? Does this song get a good response? I'd love to play this as an intro tune (I always thought an instrumental would make a great set opener) but I'm not sure it would work. I keep picturing Bob from Bob's Country Bunker, "That ain't no Hank Willians song!"

Spirit of Radio - Seems like a good choice, it's relatively well known for a Rush tune and is a pretty catchy tune even for non fans.

Working Man - Great song but I would probably have to dumb this one down a bit, Geddy's showing off quite a bit in this tune! It' also got kind of an extended solo section that might bore people that aren't familiar with it.

Closer To The Heart - I didn't even think of this one but great suggestion. Same with Cinderella Man, great song that non fans can probably listen to without losing interest.


So all of these suggestions you guys are giving me, you guys have all played in front of a typical rock cover situation?

[Lakland55]

I always wondered why Subdivisions wasn't a bigger hit...I would love to cover that song.

[van_gogh_bass]

We do Limelight, and it has always gone over well. Good in the first set, before people are ready to dance.

Years ago we did Freewill. What a blast to play!

Jim

[zazz]

bytor and the snowdog....its a great icebreaker after cocktails but before the beat kicks in!!

[seanm]

Originally Posted by Lakland55

I always wondered why Subdivisions wasn't a bigger hit...I would love to cover that song.

Subdivisions was a huge hit here in Ontario.

[Dave Siff]

I was in a band that did Rush-influenced originals and we threw in a few Rush covers for fun. "Limelight" got the best response. It's easy to play (as Rush tunes go) and most people have heard it on the radio. "Tom Sawyer" and "New World Man" would be my next two choices for a cover-band crowd. We also did "Freewill" and "Red Barchetta". Most non-Rush fans probably have heard those at least once.

[MoD_Scotty]

The entire 2112.

















































...would be sure to empty out whatever bar you're playing. So it would be a better idea to play Closer To The Heart, Freewill, or The Spirit of Radio.

[stratovani]

Hemispheres, all 18 minutes of it!