RUSH - TIME STAND STILL AMC 25 - 11/3/16 New York City

Hot on the heels of the Rush documentary "Beyond the Lighted Stage" comes ,... hew waittaminnit has it really been six years already ?!!!

Anyways what I was trying to say was I certainly have no complaints about another quality Rush doc and this one is completely different from the previous one.

"Time Stand Still" focuses on the R40 tour of which the band had heavily hinted would be their last Full On tour but this unique film is also a love letter from the fans and crew about the ride we all took together and hammered home the fact that this was Indeed the Final Tour, I found this dichotomy rather heartwarming and heartbreaking simultaneously.

I was also fortunate to attend a one night only viewing of the film thanks to my bro Frank (A.O.F.) who procured us a pair of tickets.

The mini marquee outside of theater 18 letting patrons know where the heck to go. 

Said marquee, was not displaying this info before the film so kinda defeats the purpose doesn't it ?!!!

I snapped the "marquee" photo after the film.

Pre-film, Fathom Entertainment who specialize in hosting these one night only DVD pre-release concert events were wise (as they are wont to do) to display advertisements for future Rush Releases (Time Stand Still Blu-Ray, Rush 2112 40th anniversary bundles,"Masters of Resonance" documentary (DW Drums) and Rush movie house friendly quizzes etc. as opposed to upcoming hollywood feature films).

Those in attendance were also treated to a wonderful animated Neil Peart short (see below) and a 26 minute reel of band and peer interviews ("A Salute to Kings") of which I still have not been able to locate as an "extra" on my home viewing release. My wise friend Frank commented during this segment "I don't think this is going to be on the Blu-Ray" and I replied "it has to be" after all these were insightful and often hysterical interviews, but then Ray Daniels espoused "please enjoy the film everyone". 

Kinda puts you in a private club huh ? well no complaints here.

Incidentally Gene Simmons (KISS) was hysterical in the film (my opinion).

Post-film and two happy and very pleased Rush campers.

It had been a long 36 year ride as Rush fans for ourselves as well which shall continue because "RUSH AINT OVER YET"

And of course prior to the screening and only eight blocks down the road.

We had GYRO ll

RUSH - R40 TOUR - Madison Square Garden 6/29/15 New York City

7/2/2016 - A year and a day have passed since this event and I finally get to put down words regarding my memory reminiscing on the glory that hindsight can achingly paint and yearning for previous greatness of which a void may be falsely filled due to wishfully galvanizing the remembrance of  a positive picture in the minds eye of an event of the most highly statured nature.

Yet my mind does not play tricks on me.

THIS CONCERT KICKED ASS.

The iPhone 4 screensaver.

Captured on the day and being my long standing screenshot for several months.

Of this text my memory is dim but it appears to concern the fact that FRANK WAS DILLIGENTLY AT WORK TO SECURE US RUSH TICKETS !!!

On the night and in the building.

Two happier campers you would be hard pressed to find. We were amongst the crowd of twenty thousand to celebrate our boys victory year of 40.

Yep they made it folks against much critical adversity and changing musical climates, we were and shall remain Proud Fans of RUSH.

Pre concert is when I prefer to purchase my takeout food item souvenirs as there can be a larger mob post concert and the goal is to get back out into Manhattan's gasoline drenched, germ permeated air in haste.

Aside from an R40 t-shirt I also scored a program of which I collect and as a "trinket" a five dollar R40 lanyard (or was it ten dollars).

This was the "Night of the Soaked Program" mystery debacle wherein I found myself exiting the arena only to find my program which was in the supplied shopping bag drenched in Beer or some such liquid, yet being keen observers Frank and I noted no beverage drinkers in our proximity during the performance. My latest theorem is someone on the escalator accidentally dripped liquid into my bag by accident.

Anyways, I tried a few vendors after the fact for a fair exchange of said drenched item to no avail and the "old timer" at the last stand was downright rude, he exclaimed "We Dont Sell Them Like That, You Probably Found It !!!"

The customer is always right and he basically called me a liar but I just took it like a Rush Fan/Man and purchased another program, They weren't going to let me leave empty handed, I will show them,...

hey waitaminnit.

In the arena perched in our front row seats (section 226).

The Tickets (photo courtesy A.O.F. archives)

The show was cleverly designed in linear reverse/backwards time machine format BLAHBLAHBLAH encapsulating the sense of humor that is RUSH BLAHBLAHBLAH and from the looks of the stage gear at this juncture here we find them somewhere in the early 80s or late 90s BLAHBLAHBLAH.

Since this entry concerns the R40 Tour let me say that it was one of the finest concerts I have ever been to (as of this writing and most likely of all time). 

Here we find the boys in mid-70s mode BLAHBLAHBLAH during a track from "Fly By Night" if I am not mistaken.

FOODS TO BE HAD. 

GYRO ll - A longstanding mainstay of GoingToAConcertAtMadisonSuareGardenAndGettingABiteToEatBeforehand.

Gyro ll is pretty much an Gastronomical institution of the lower midtown area. I can only imagine the brouhaha and zaniness that has occurred when the Grateful Dead has come to town across the street from this fine establishment.

Gyro to Infinity and Beyond. Perfection abounds and I doubt that can fall exclusively to their extra touch of a powdering of Paprika atop the White Sauce.

As difficult as it was to resist I kept my "in camera" video footage capturing to a minimum preferring to actually Enjoy The Concert and Be There. Here are the two clips I took home as souvenirs as I knew I would be "jonesing" to relive the experience awaiting the impending DVD release.

The aforementioned "impending" DVD release.

Frank & I are awaiting to get together at his sprawling palatial estate to enjoy this film together in glorious 5.1 Surround Sound.

Frank tempted me to peek at the setlist online and try as I might I gave in after a few hours. Hemispheres (prelude) and Cygnus X-1 had me entirely stoked and I inwardly predicted "Xanadu" of which I was correct and gratefully so as part of the song selections on this most Amazing Tour.

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That Metal Show - Ed Trunk, John Petrucci, Geddy Lee & Big Manny P - 2/17/15 - Nep/Metropolis Studios - New York City

My friend and comrade Manny had a last minute ticket to attend the taping (tape ?) of the premiere episode of the 14th season of the popular "That METAL Show" and was gracious and thoughtful enough to invite me knowing I am a fan of the band RUSH and Geddy Lee was the featured interview, also we are friends and comrades, I mean that Manny and myself are friends and comrades. Joe Elliot (Def Leppard) also had a segment on the program. 

What makes this show Great in most peoples opinion (Paul Stanley notwithstanding) is that its just a trio of guys sitting around kvetching about their favorite bands and favorite albums (remember those ?) just like sitting around in a teenage or adult bedroom discussing Music seriously with a hell bent for leather attitude which I must admit is also my favorite thing to do EVER so this show is certainly for all the Music geeks and even casual (or not) fans out there which are most of us.

Solidarity In Music.

In hindsight as I felt completely crappy that day I must say the VH1 "Metal Show" crew did a fantastic job frisking us for weapons and narcotics, taking our coats, getting us into our seats and making sure all was well. Instructions were given in an orderly fashion and everything went smoothly, If Ozzy had bitten off the head of a dove in the studio amidst taping I bet they would have handled it like troopers.

(L to R) - some Korean dude and The Manny.

This photo was taken after taping (umm capturing/filming) via Manny's cellphone since there was a strict NO PHOTOS or Recording policy "held within these walls" and I cannot blame that.

Eddie Trunk I hold in high regards as a fine interviewer, and why ?

He Is A Fan Himself.

And as dare I call them sidekicks he couldn't do it without Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson who are also Uber No Nonsense Fans of Rock Music also knowledgeable and Hysterical in their own right.

I actually learned a few things from this interview tonight (not claiming I know everything but they asked the right questions and got the right answers) that I did not know before.

I did ask her about the t-shirt, it went like this.

Q (me) - And where have you been all of my life ?

A (her) - Not Near You, You Creep !!!

(L to R) - John Petrucci, Manny

(L to R) - Satan Girl, Hell Hound of Satan, Satan (Ed Trunk), Angel Manny.

And the King of Purgatory. Geddy Lee.

Geddy Lee excerpt "That Metal Show" 2015

RUSH - Clockwork Angels DVD Screening 11/18/13 AMC 25 Theater - Times Square, New York City

On the eve of the DVD release of the "Clockwork Angels Tour" Fandango Tickets gave us an opportunity to attend a screening at select theaters across the country of the concert film. I arrived one minute late due to technical difficulties retrieving my ticket from the AMC ticket machine and the screening had already begun at seven p.m. sharp with no coming attractions. 

The film began with the Watchmaker intro film and then onto "Caravan" as I thought to myself but "Subdivisions" was the opening number, I quickly surmised they were screening set 2 of the show which took place after intermission at the actual performances and made sense as the second portion of the concert and promised "tour documentary" would be a 2 hour experience all its own and give the attendees something to look forward to as we would be getting the complete DVDs on the very next day. I have read conflicting reports concerning the sound quality at these screenings but that is down to each theaters acoustics and speaker systems (more on that below). AMC 25 has a superb audio system and crystal clear projection system at least in theater 17, to get a little technical here there were High Highs and Low Lows and the decibel levels were just right, no audience members yelling "Louder Please" in this crowd.

The photos here were taken off the "movie screen" with an iPhone 4 (flash off), and here's a nice pic of Geddy. AMC 25 was nicely filled to about half capacity with the audience in rapt attention, we cheered at the end of most songs and laughed during the watchmaker films (the intro film opened the show and "Office of the Watchmaker" closed the concert portion) and at the appropriate moments in the tour documentary which was shown afterwards as a nice extra. There was certainly a friendly buzz and excitement in the air as will be common in a room full of RUSH fans and the adoration we all have for our favorite Canadian trio made for the most comfortable viewing experience.

There is currently an unrelated film called "Rush" out and whomever programmed the marquee for theater 17 dropped the ball on this one, I doubt if most even noticed and being the good natured goofballs (no offense to the serious minded fans) that make up a large portion of the RUSH community we would only find this humorous, I certainly did.

I was the last one out of the theater as I wanted this photo op, well here it is. Some theater seats and projector glow.

Earlier in this post I had mentioned the individuality of in-house audio and projection systems inherent to each movie house and room and this goes without saying. I did not notice if this was played back in 5.1 surround yet I am sure it was, the audience was too busy enjoying the intense performance and were not there for a "Dolby" demonstration. Some years back I attended a screening of the T. Rex concert film "Born To Boogie" which had been remastered into 5.1 and after its conclusion Producer Tony Visconti was on hand for a Q & A and began by stressing that "If you get a chance you must hear this in five one, I think what we just got was two one", this was completely good natured and most endearing but just goes to show that all theaters are not equal.

I think that these one-off DVD screenings are a great opportunity to see this footage for those of us without a private screening room in our homes and I applaud whomever came up with the idea. It has always struck me that these would be great events to sell the actual DVD at but most are premiered before release date and that might tip the "soundscan" video sales chart ever so slightly. Virgin Megastore did set up a merchandise table of CDs/DVDs and the "RIO" DVD at the screening for "RUSH IN RIO" in 2003 but that was in agreement with Atlantic Records. The WEA (Warner Elektra Atlantic) rep came to my job at around 7 that night and handed me a promo copy of the DVD, I was so grateful and said "Thank you so much" to which he replied "you never ask for anything".

Upon arrival in Times Square off the D train and headed for AMC 25. 

I think Mickey is going through that young woman's purse.

Elmo and Cookie Monster lament that they missed the Clockwork Angels screening, too bad they had to work, the watchmaker is also a taskmaster.

Filmed off the screen.

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RUSH - Barclays Center 10/22/12 Brooklyn, New York

Rush is not a "Hits" band but an entity in itself and to some like me feel like old friends, What differentiated the set list on this tour from previous tours is that a few "Hits" were saved for the end of the show but the entire first half of the show was comprised of deep cuts (as they say) and album tracks. It was a pleasure to hear songs like "The Manhattan Project", "Force Ten" and "Bravado" performed for the first time in many years.

My first concert ever was Rush on the "Moving Pictures" tour of 1981 at which they performed 6 of the 7 tunes on that record ("Witch Hunt" notwithstanding). Time was allotted during their sets on following tours for the "Hits" and a healthy dose of a track or two off every album from their growing back catalogue that only left room for maybe 4 or 5 songs from the latest release. On the Clockwork Angels tour the setlist is sequenced with 9 songs from their newest album (Only 2 tracks "BU2B" and "Wish Them Well" were left out) which is unprecedented in the most Awesome Way and appreciated since the new record is so strong. Joining the band onstage for this portion was the Clockwork Angels string section, a first.

 

Geddy.



Neil.



Alex.



RUSH AT BARCLAYS CENTER 10/22/12, SETLIST - Subdivisions /The Big Money /Force Ten /Grand Designs /The Body Electric /Territories /The Analog Kid /Bravado /Where's My Thing? /Far Cry /INTERMISSION /Caravan /Clockwork Angels /The Anarchist /Carnies /The Wreckers /Headlong Flight (with drum solo) /Halo Effect /Seven Cities of Gold /The Garden /Manhattan Project /Drum Solo /Red Sector A /YYZ /The Spirit of Radio /ENCORE /Tom Sawyer /2112 Part I: Overture /2112 Part II: The Temples of Syrinx /2112 Part VII: Grand Finale




Last 2 pics by Jamie.



Overture/Temples Of Syrinx.

THE VIDEOS



I peeked at the setlist so knew when to roll it for "Clockwork Angels"



I'm watching this thinking "WOW, Grace Under Pressure" then thought FILM IT You EEEDIOT !!!



In the 'Clockwork Angels' novel Owen Hardy witnesses a windup Drummer as one of the sideshows in Chronos Square that mechanically flounders ending its solo prematurely, I was pleased to see Neil playing with a CGI windup drummer behind him bringing this scene from the book to life, Neil did not flounder but the backdrop film did. This clip and the next two were taken by Jamie.



YYZ.



The Spirit Of Radio.



Jamies Pics

Barclays Center/RUSH 12/22/12 Brooklyn, New York

Then there was the case of the 2 extra tickets that I had taken insurance out on only to find that this was "Real" insurance and that I would need proof of cancellation reasons of which I had none. I placed ads on Facebook, Stubhub, Craigslist and various Facebook fan sites (Thanks for reminding me Jamie) to no avail over that weekend. Concerned about possibly eating an four hundred and fifty dollar investment I only got about three hours sleep at Jamie's but found out that morning that my friend Concetta from 25 years ago wanted a ticket. Later that day around 3 p.m. the other ticket was sold on Stubhub. I would have slept but there was a show to get to, actually I did nap a little.



The RUSH concessions stand.



Jamie and Concetta on line at Calexico. I had the Nachos, Jamie had the Quesadilla and Concetta Double Fisted it with 2 Beers.



I enjoyed my Nacho's from my seat under slight duress as Rush do start on time considering this is a 3 hour show with no opening act, They came on maybe 10 minutes late giving me due time to enjoy my Crunchy Goodness.



and this is what was behind me.



And afterwards a reunion of sorts. Kenny and Carrie just happened to by chance get seats right next to Jamie and Charlie who knew I was in the same arena. Kenny called me right before the band went on and during intermission and we planned to meet up, thing is Kenny didn't know I was with Concetta so we had the element of a 25 years in the making surprise. Photo taken by Jamie.

(L to R) - Spike, Concetta, Kenny, Al (Everybody's Pal), Jamie, Carrie.
(second row) Charlie.

White Wedding - Those Special Requests

Every so often we are asked to learn a song or two NOT in our repertoire for a private function or wedding and it has always been much fun for us all (Limelight by Rush notwithstanding) being a challenge and often humorous when it does not fall into the 1980s category. Here are a few of those times.



The White Wedding Band working on the Maroon 5 song "Moves Like Jagger" at rehearsal tonight (5/16/12).



Rocking two Misfit's Classics, "Where Eagles Dare" and "Astro Zombies" at a wild wedding party held in Neptune, New Jersey (10/8/11).



Performing "Limelight" by Rush (10/15/11) at Le Pomme on 23rd street in Manhattan for a private 80s party. Due to the complexity of the music we were under rehearsed and never on steady footing with this number so when the night came we barreled through as best as we could. Details of this performance factor in that Mike (Doc Brown) could not hear his own guitar and during the guitar solo in 5/4 time David literally switched to "sheet music" whilst me an Mike were on feel alone, it train wrecked but we ended it before too late. Just One Of Those Thankfully Rare Moments.

I am so glad in hindsight that I pressed "record" for these one of a kind moments within these one of a kind situations.

It was 30 years ago today - RUSH - Moving Pictures Tour Brendan Byrne Arena 12/21/81