Rush
MEN Arena
Thursday, 19 May 2011

Well, there's not much I can say about Rush that hasn't already been said in my two previous reviews of their concerts (12.09.04 and 14.10.07). They are surely the hardest working of any band, playing from 7.45 to 11.00 (with a short intermission), they give the best value for money, they have a lifetime's worth of classic material to play, their sound is full and loud, and they have an outlook on life ....and dare I say it, politics....that fits in with me perfectly. They are the undisputed kings of Prog Rock, this is the third time I have been to see them , and I would very gladly go back a fourth, fifth and more times!

The centre piece of this tour was the classic album "Moving Pictures", from 1980 - probably recognised as being their best because it cimbines the best elements of their early Prog rock style with a bit more of a melodic, radio friendly style, vaguely approaching AOR at times. It isn't my favourite Rush album - I very much favour the earlier Prog stuff - but playing the whole album was a great selling point ("The Time Machine Tour") as well as being a great experience. It's just a pity that it isn't as much of a concept album like the earlier stuff, but it has been the basis of most of what they have produced since, and great as Rush are, none of their subsequent albums have reached these heights.

The rest of the material was of very high class standard indeed. My only fault was that some quite obscure stuff was played at the start, although I certainly don't agree with the wag who shouted out, in a loud Yorkshire accent "play us summat we know". Geddy Lee replied, asking us to forgive them their little indulgences, and I totally agreed: in the context of a very long night it's not really asking a lot to let them play something they might enjoy, is it?

Anyway, apart from "Moving Pictures", the highlights for me were "Spirit Of Radio" (which started things going), "Subdivisions" (not played last time), two tracks from the concept album "2112", an almost forgotten mega rock classic "Closer To The Heart", and possibly best of all, a searing and totally original version of "Working Man" from their first album (1973) which started out as reggae (yes!!) but segued into a blistering heavy metal version that totally out Zep's Led Zeppelin. Added to all those riches was a good selection of material from most other albums and periods of their career and a couple of tracks from their forthcoming album. A special word must be saved for the track "Limelight" from the Moving Pictures album - it was written thirty years ago, but is the ideal track for today's celebrity, X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, Twitter and super injunction obsessed era. It plainly shows the dangers of such an era and such attitudes, decades before they reached the standards/depths  that they are at now. I always thought Rush were ahead of their time, now I know it!!

Rush have always stood for a free thinking, Libertarian viewpoint, and as above, recent developments have shown how upto date and relevant their view is. When they wrote 2112 in 1977, I presume that it was aimed at the totalitarian regime in the Soviet Union which destroyed all individual thinking and liberty. This album attracted the wrath of the Socialist Workers Party and other Guardinastas who picketed their tour in 1977 and accused them of being fascists. All complete nonsense of course - but Rush were right then and they are right now. Part of the stage show tonight included two people dressed up as some sort of red dragons marching up and down the stage, which is surely a reference to our Guardianista type friends. To cap it off perfectly, Geddy Lee commented briefly after the song "It's still going" - which to me, after living through the control obsessed Stalinist authoritarian government of Gordon Brown can only mean one thing.

Time marches on though. Alex Lifeson is distinctly chubby these days, and Geddy Lee, previously an absolute beanpole, is showing distinct signs of roundness. I know exactly how they feel!!! Today I spent a day watching the cricket at Liverpool and drove to Manchester to watch the concert. I might not have thought much of it a few years ago, but it takes it out of me now - never mind, I was amply rewarded, Rush were in superb top form, they absolutely worked their socks off and I hope it isn't too long before I see them again.