Rush live!

Rush
First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre, Tinley Park
Saturday, September 8, 2007

Some people call Rush dinosaurs. After all, the three bandmates have been around for more than 30 years churning out the same quality pseudo prog-rock that fans know and love. Judging from the myriad plastic dinosaurs adorning guitarist Alex Lifeson’s amp rig, Rush knows how they’re perceived, and they couldn’t care less.

If the crowd was any indication, Rush are much more than there rep. Sure, there were more than enough middle-agers with 2112 T-shirts to go around, but these same folks brought their children with them. One youngster in the front row was particularly proud of the fact this was his first concert. Seems Rush has become a sort of heirloom — something destined to be passed down, generation to generation.

Most bands past their 30th year go out on the road solely to run through a greatest-hits package to keep fans placated. Not so with these three. Touring in support of Snakes And Arrows, their finest work in a decade, the nearly three-hour set was one-third hits, one-third rarities, and one-third Arrows.

After a shaky vocal start on “Limelight”, bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee found his stride. As the years have passed, Lee has thankfully lost the dog-call yelp of his early years and mellowed into a fine vocalist going for nuance instead of pitch. He can still hit the high notes, mind you, but songs from Arrows, such as “The Main Monkey Business” and “Working’ Them Angels,” benefit greatly from his evolution.

There are two different camps for drummer Neil Peart. Some will take to the grave the belief he is the greatest in the history of music, while others find his work to be too clinical and technical. Neither side could claim victory after Saturday’s show, but both schools of thought were picking their jaws off the ground after his solo during “Malnar.”

Often lost in the drum theatrics of Peart and the vocal gymnastics of Lee is the true weapon of Rush: Lifeson. Any band can play their music loud. Very few can make it big. The Who could do it, so can Rush. Songs like “Entre Nous” and “Between The Wheels” found Lifeson sliding effortlessly between rhythm and lead, holding the music together while relentlessly driving it forward.

The night wasn’t without its faults, however. A run through “Circumstances” from Hemispheres fell a bit flat, and the laser show has been done to death. Also, while three video screens in the back took on a life of their own, “SCTV” alums Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis reviving Bob and Doug Mackinzie to introduce “A Larger Bowl” seemed out of place, considering the tackling-world-problems nature of the song.

Still, by the time the band charged into “Spirit Of Radio” and “Tom Sawyer” to end the second set, Rush had proven that while they might be of the Jurassic era, they’re far from extinct, and definitely still relevant.

— Timothy Hiatt

For the photo gallery of Rush and Flaming Lips at Aragon, go to www.illinoisentertainerphoto.com

Category: Live Reviews, Weekly