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Rush at the JUNO Awards

#21
They are my all time favorite band and i enjoyed it. I was wondering if they would do a medley to be honest. Geds vocals have been a struggle for about 15 years. Hate to say that is a big reason why ive been hesitant about plunking down alot of dough for tickets. A couple hundred, sure. $400+? Idk.
 
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#22
john_g said:
They are my all time favorite band and i enjoyed it. I was wondering if they would do a medley to be honest. Geds vocals have been a struggle for about 15 years. Hate to say that is a big reason why ive been hesitant about plunking down alot of dough for tickets. A couple hundred, sure. $400+? Idk.
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That’s where my head is too.

I’ve seen Rush, a lot. I get the “one last opportunity” angle but I’m just not sure this would be the way to wrap it up.

Also - this went from something like 30 dates across six or seven locations. Now it’s something like 56 shows in 25 cities. I’m thinking if someone goes, the smart move would be to get a ticket to one of the first dozen shows or so.
 
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#24
I'll argue Geddy's vocals were actually a HIGHLIGHT!!! I challenge naysayers to FIRST watch some R40 videos, then revisit this performance!!! Does 72 year old Ged sound as good as 20 someodd year old Ged, obviously not! BUT, compared to R40, and any live videos from 2010-15 tbh, his vocals have MARGINALLY IMPROVED!!!! His words were actually articulated and you could tell what he was saying versus garbbled words trying to be in key.
 
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#25
Altitude said:
That’s where my head is too.

I’ve seen Rush, a lot. I get the “one last opportunity” angle but I’m just not sure this would be the way to wrap it up.

Also - this went from something like 30 dates across six or seven locations. Now it’s something like 56 shows in 25 cities. I’m thinking if someone goes, the smart move would be to get a ticket to one of the first dozen shows or so.
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From their standpoint, they are probably thinking...we are in our last 9th inning here, do we protect our image that was cemented decades ago or go out swinging?

Im surprised they added as many dates as they did, they might regret that at some point between his voice and Alex's arthritis, but who knows. I think the excitement, interest and...lets face it...money, probably contributed to that.
 
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#26
john_g said:
They are my all time favorite band and i enjoyed it. I was wondering if they would do a medley to be honest. Geds vocals have been a struggle for about 15 years. Hate to say that is a big reason why ive been hesitant about plunking down alot of dough for tickets. A couple hundred, sure. $400+? Idk.
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I already sold a Rickenbacker to get tix to three shows this tour lol. Then again, I'm 29 and had NO CHANCE of seeing them prior to this new tour! I'll take what I can over nothing!
 
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#27
Clark W said:
Thanks for sharing! Yes the band is tight, Alex and Geddy doing the guitar and bass thing were awesome as ever. And Anika, she nails that drum feel of the original song although that was a John Rutsey drum part and not Neil Peart's. Doesn't matter, she's an awesome drummer.

I loved the cowbell at the beginning of the lead guitar solo, not sure it was in the original, so I'm listening to the original right now. Either way, the cowbell belongs there. Most don't think cowbell when one thinks of Rush, but it was off the first off album which isn't your typical Rush album anyway. That album was a rocker for sure. You can't have 70s rock without a cowbell!

Now onto the elephant in the room, Geddy's vocals. The man is 72 years old. So to be able to do it at all is amazing, but yeah it's suffering from the hands of time for sure. Geddy's bass playing is still as impeccable as ever though.

Back to Anika and the cowbell, no it's not in the original, what a great part to add, it's classic rock and it belongs in there. She did an awesome job throughout the entire song. She looked like she was having a blast too. Who wouldn't be?

I'll watch the video again just to watch her drumming.

Here's the remastered original recording of that song. Geddy's vocals are so much better for sure. But he was only 20 yrs old at the time of the album's release.

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The cowbell was added by Neil when he rearranged the part for his first tour, fyi. You can hear it on the bootleg from one of the first shows they did. So that little part is a tribute.

Neil used cowbell a lot in his solos early on too, had a classic dedicated section in “The Rhythm Method.”
 
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#28
I gave up any hope of Alex and Geddy touring again 10 years ago. This tour is a gift that I'm going to cherish. What I saw in the Juno performance was pure joy coming from the entire band. Geddy can "sing" like William Shatner for all I care and I'll still be there for it. Like any human being, his voice has mellowed and deepened with age. Just like every singer ever. His vocal technique has evolved from tight, high-pitched throat singing (which was the predominant 1970s hard rock style) to diaphragm/breath support singing that's more full and resonant – and much better on the vocal chords. I'd be shocked if he wasn't working with a vocal coach to get the most out of his voice.
 
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#30
It was so good to see Geddy and Alex performing as Rush again. Yeah, Geddy's voice isn't what it once was, but at least he's not making the audience sing his parts for him! :laugh:

Anika looked like she was having a blast. I thought she did an excellent job of playing bits of both Neil and John Rutsey's parts, while adding a few of her own touches, but keeping the spirit and feel of the song intact. She incorporated a few Neil-isms, like inserting cymbal crash accents into long tom fills, which shows that she really paid attention to his playing while learning Rush's material. I also loved that she's not playing a Neil Peart replica kit. She's got all the Rush sounds she needs at hand (small concert toms, gong drum, multi-cowbell set, etc.), but it's still definitely her kit. Neil always had very consistent sound goals, even through changes in drum and cymbal companies. Anika's drum and cymbal choices are bringing fresh new timbres into the group. I'm excited to see what she does with the rest of the band's catalog.

Drum Geek Postscript: As a longtime drummer and Rush fan, it is cool to see Anika playing Tama drums, which were Neil's choice from about 1979-1985, arguably his most iconic period, equipment-wise.
 
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#32
Thanks for sharing that @Dr. Cheese! Rush are one of my all-time favorite bands, and a lot of my early learning on bass was playing along with Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves, and others Rush stuff with a friend who was learning the guitar parts. Started listening in 1985, didn't get to see them live until Power Windows. Saw them again a couple of times, including one of the R40 shows. I definitely realized that I didn't like Geddy's voice on the old stuff - I love Clockwork Angels, it's when he tries to sing too high (as others have mentioned).

But I liked this! Definitely an interesting song to start with - maybe because it's the first song from the first album, and The Professor didn't play on it, so easing into the next phase? I couldn't get tickets in that first round of shows - was hoping to get one of the LA nights, but the app crashed! Kind of used Geddy's voice as balm for not going, will still probably do that. If the opportunity to go see them arises, though, I will try and take advantage of it - as long as it's not too expensive and the seats aren't too crappy...
 
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#34
Clark W said:
If you can't say anything nice...
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Right, well, don't get me started on the whole Geddy's Voice thing... :)

But I do want to note that "Finding My Way" was the very first Rush song I ever heard, back in the 70s when I was a wee teen. They were on one of those late night music shows, either Don Kirschner's Rock Concert, or maybe The Midnight Special. And the only thing I remember about their appearance was
A) the opening lyric "Oooh said I, I'm comin' out to get ya!"
B) Geddy's entire repertoire of stage moves seemed to consist of running up to the mic stand, and then running backwards away from it; forward, back, forward, back, ad infinitum
C) the amplifiers. OH MY GOD, THE AMPLIFIERS!!!! Geddy had three complete Ampeg SVT rigs (with two 8x10 cabs each), two on his side of the stage and one on Alex's side. Alex had three complete Marshall 100-watt Plexi rigs (with two 4x12 cabs each), two on his side of the stage and one on Geddy's side. As a wee teen this may have been the most influential part of seeing Rush for the first time. I loved those massive amp rigs!!!

Hated the band ever since, but...
oh, wait, sorry, "If you can't say anything nice..."
:dancing banana:
 
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