Last night I was fortunate enough to see Rush for the third time this calendar year. Considering I thought the band was done with after their last tour in 2015, I see these shows as bonus gifts. Manna from heaven, you might say.

A frustrating part of my pre-show experience yesterday was heading up to the show without tickets. This is not my usual way of seeing shows. That said, despite enormous hassles with both Ticketmaster and my credit card company, my buddy and I ended up scoring great tickets on Alex’s side for about 45% off full face value.

The sound where we were at was amazing. We sat in a very similar spot night two in Toronto in August and the sound last night was much cleaner. For whatever reason, I was able to pick up on the full range of sounds Alex was able to make with this guitar. Geddy’s vocals were in top form, which is truly amazing considering his age and the high notes he is required to hit in several songs, including Freewill. The set list was also fantastic. It is such a breath of fresh air to see Rush mixing up their set lists from show to show. Indeed, each of the six sets I saw this year were different. Of the songs that are not played every night, I was stoked to see Analog Kid, La Villa Strangiato (a masterpiece of rock and roll instrumental music!), Caravan, The Trees, and A Passage to Bangkok,’ their ‘only love song.’

The one thing about Rush shows that is disappointing is the way the fans enjoy the show. I am used to the jamband scene (Dead and offshoots, Phish, Panic, and Goose) where people are mostly up and grooving from the first note through to the encore. Rush shows are not like that. The crowd is older, and being a North American crowd, there are a lot of people who are not looking super healthy. Plus, the music is not really dance music. I get it. That said, sitting down at a rock show, no matter the type, is anathema to me. Oh well, Sitting for ¾ of the show was a small price to pay for a masterclass in rock music. 10/10 as far as the music went.

I am hoping Rush announces shows at Sphere in Vegas next year. That might be my only realistic chance to see them again. We shall see…