I Can't Pretend A Stranger Is A Long Awaited Friend

Artist: Rush
Date: August 9th, 2010
Venue: Shoreline Amphitheatre Mountain View,CA

SETLIST

The Spirit Of Radio
Time Stand Still
Presto
Stick It Out
Workin' Them Angels
Leave That Thing Alone
Faithless
BU2B
Freewill
Marathon
Subdivisions
(-Intermission-)
Tom Sawyer
Red Barchetta
YYZ
Limelight
The Camera Eye
Witch Hunt
Vital Signs
Caravan
Drum Solo (Love For Sale)
Closer To The Heart
2112 (Overture/Temples Of Syrinx)
Far Cry
Encore: La Villa Strangiato
Working Man

I've had this concert review in the works since last month, but I've decided to condense this blog post into something that focuses mainly on the actual concert rather than the history of and my history with Rush. For that, I will have a separate post based on my recent viewing of Rush's brilliant new documentary Beyond The Lighted Stage.

"I can't pretend a stranger is a long awaited friend." One of Neil Peart's most famous lyrics from their classic song "Limelight". He wrote this in reference to the vast success Rush had achieved by the late 1970's and how, with his newly-found fame, he was having difficulty with so many people wanting to be his 'friend' along with the invasions in his personal space and time. Unlike most celebrities/musicians, Peart wasn't bashful about his distaste for so many 'strangers' coming from every direction looking to latch onto his success. You can say his lyric has grown into something that applies to Rush itself..either you are a longlife friend or a complete stranger. There really is no in-between.

Having said that, this concert was like the other two Rush concerts I've attended...ravenous, die-hard fans that came out in droves as this was Rush's only Nor Cal appearance for this tour (they usually play 2 or 3 venues here per tour). And surprise, surprise..the audience consisted of about 98% Caucasian males. Shocking, I know. What pumped-up the usually raucous legion of fans more than usually was Rush playing their most famous and celebrated album Moving Pictures in its entirety for the first time in almost thirty years.

One of the many things which makes Rush such a fantastic live act is that they are able to delve into almost four decades of material to incorporate into their sets. And each decade of their musical library has its own distinct sound, so you get an extremely varied smorgasboard of tunes. Even though you're going to get some of the same classic songs (Tom Sawyer, The Spirit of the Radio, Limelight) each tour, they have so many obscure or 'forgotten' tracks they can dust off and give a new polish. This setlist is no exception.

"The Spirit of the Radio" is the quintessential Rush opener. Hook after hook, great chorus, sing-along time, air drumming begins...one of the true great live songs by any musical artist. As mentioned, they will always have their so-called 'greatest hits'..."Freewill", "Subdivisions", "Limelight", "Tom Sawyer" were all played to perfection. A few long forgotten tracks such as "Presto", "Marathon", and "Time Stand Stil"l that had no been played on tour in quite some time were given new life. They debuted two new songs ("BU2B","Caravan") from their forthcoming album and, while no one was jumping out of their seats, they were both tolerable tunes. No other band could get away with playing four instrumentals during a concert, but Rush has and always will. "La Villa Strangiato", "YYZ", "Leave That Thing Along", and Peart's drum solo were all highlights as each song showcased the incredible musicianship of Peart, Lee, and Lifeson. The only negative I can speak of was their insistence to play "Working Man", especially as the final encore. I've never been a fan of it..a paint by the numbers 70's rock song they recorded before Neil Peart joined the band. Bleh.

Many things can be said about Geddy Lee's helium-induced vocals. Regardless of his prior vocal abilities (or lack-of), age has truly helped tame his octave and pitch. What were once border line shrieks have been tempered to a much milder, more mature tone. This was the absolute best I've heard him vocally...without question, which is a major achievement considering he is 57 years old. Definitely a pleasant surprise.
All three played top-notch...never a question there. We're talking about three of the greatest rock musicians ever. Even as they get older, there really isn't much of a drop-off in their musical abilities.

As I mentioned, this was the third Rush concert I've attended. The first was in 1994 during their 30th anniversary tour. That one I don't think will be beat. But this most recent show was better than the Snakes And Arrows tour in '97. I preferred this setlist a bit more along with Lee's improved vocals.

Highlights: 2112, Red Barchetta, Freewill, The Spirit of the Radio, Time Stand Still

Concert Rating: 8.5 out of 10