August 16, 2007 Rush :: Snakes & Arrows Tour 2007 at The Hollywood Bowl / All Access Magazine
By Maya Dawn Henderson Photos by Viewimages.com
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On July 23rd 2007, on a perfect So-Cal Summer evening, legions of Rush fans piled in to the foresty Hollywood Bowl to hear and see the stellar Canadian prog-rock power trio. Going on 40 years in existence, the band originally formed in 1968, although they didn’t release their first album until 1974. Since then, they have more than twenty gold albums and over a dozen platinum albums in their extensive library. They clearly have the longevity thing nailed.
So what makes RUSH so special? Is it Geddy Lee’s piercing vocals, pitched so many octaves higher than any other male rock vocalist, perhaps only with the exception of Jon Anderson of YES or that another Canadian power trio, Triumph? Is it Alex Lifeson’s mad fret skills? Or maybe it’s Neil Peart ~ the true drummer’s drummer who has won award after award for his amazing playing ability, specifically his signature timing. Putting fills and cymbal crashes where you’d least expect them; he is worshipped so immensely that his drum kit tours without him! Peart also writes all their lyrics but sings none. Rush has always kept a certain off-kilter cool. They manage to entertain with odd time signatures,“now-you-hear-them, now-you-don’t” melodies, and lyrics so obtuse, a Nasa scientist could go mad trying to figure them out. The band still thrives on these kinds of eccentrics, and what’s ultimately confounding is the fact that, even with the off-kilter time signatures, melodies and lyrics, they still rock hard.
Supporting their newest album, Snakes and Arrow’s, they opened with Limelight and kicked it into Entre Nous from Permanent Waves, a rarity to hear live. They played Digital Man, which was just awesome. The sound at the Bowl was as big and beautiful as I expected it would be. The 27-song set list focused heavily on 1980's Permanent Waves, 1981's Moving Pictures, and new album Snakes & Arrows. In fact, only two 70’s songs played were Passage to Bangkok and Circumstances. The Rush staple Closer to the Heart was left out, which was no surprise as the band has stated they are tired of playing it. They did a pair of songs from Snakes & Arrows, "Far Cry" and "Workin’ Them Angels."
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Their show featured large video screens, lasers, smoke, and a couple of hysterical song introductions by the characters from South Park. The appliance of choice for this tour was the rotisserie oven. The band had three of them set up on stage with chickens roasting inside. On the last couple tours they had clothes dryers. So now it's chicken ovens? You can't say these Canucks don't have a sense of humor! For those unaware, this began as an inside joke about the appliance-sized speaker cabinets that are often used on stage. Since Geddy started relying on ear monitors to hear himself, not bass cabinets, he wanted to balance out Alex's wall of guitar amps with his own "appliances." As for the light show, it was one of the most impressive I have ever seen. The stage was backed with three giant video screens, and four suspended lighting rigs, each holding a myriad of rotating colored spotlights and strobes, some that would occasionally descend down dangerously close to the band.
After an intermission they did The Main Monkey Business. The intro sounded like the beginning of the old Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy TV show, but it became very intriguing and featured some eccentric elements ~ excellent Rush fare! That was exciting, but what really made this show different was the older cuts or, rather, the ones that were (and weren’t) played. True geeks. . .err, I mean, true Rush fans picked up on the other rare treats, including Circumstances and Entre Nous. Malignant Narcissism was a kick-ass new instrumental that had the driving heavy bass line, the kind that leads the song. They played Without Notion and Pain On The Earth. They also performed The Spirit of the Radio and Free Will. I think everyone was hoping for more of the older stuff. I was satisfied hearing Tom Sawyer and YYZ. Other songs on the set list included Mission, Subdivisions and Natural Science.
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Rush is really one of those rare bands that really gives you your money’s worth. There was no opening act, the show started relatively on time, it lasted three hours, and 27 songs were performed. Virtuoso Neil Peart’s drumming was phenomenal. His 10-minute “take your breath away” drum solo featured a medley of styles of music; from African to Jazz, with splashy, animated videos to accompany. Alex Lifeson’s guitar work was exceptional, balancing intricate playing with pure shredding. Geddy Lee’s voice was completely stellar and his bass playing solid on old songs and new. Snakes and Arrows recently debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at # 3. Fans have obviously been greatly awaiting this release.
Beneath the humor sprinkled throughout the show, Rush is still a serious band, one intent on giving their fans a massive musical and visual presentation. They cater to the hidden geek in all of us and for that, we can only be thankful ~ even if we do deny our allegiance when asked by others. Regardless of whether or not Rush is your cup of tea, they are by far one of the most generous bands on the road these days in terms of their set length, affording fans the opportunity to see and hear a seemingly endless array of material. www.rush.com
~ Maya Dawn Henderson ~