The concert will be streamed live globally by the Drum Channel, and recorded in Hi-def for worldwide release sometime next year. To purchase tickets go to this link.
The CBC's Hockey Night in Canada is running a contest to determine a new Hockey Night in Canada Anthem. Out of the 15,000 initial entries there are now only 5 left. These last 5 anthems were set to orchestra by award-winning producer Bob Rock who invited guitarists such as Kim Mitchell and Alex Lifeson to work with the contestants to add guitar tracks. These five finalists can be voted for online or via test and on Thursday night will be cut from five to two and the winner announced between periods during Saturday's Maple Leafs game. Alex Lifeson added a guitar track to Anthem #3 by elementary school music teacher Grahm McRae titled Eleventh Hour. You can listen to the track at this link or use the player below.
Speaking of Rush Hashanah, the Jewish weekly magazine Forward had a short article titled Holy Prog Rock! discussing the special in their latest edition. What's most notable about the article is that they mention rushisaband.com!
... Rolling Stone magazine proclaimed the broadcast "a victory for both Canadian prog rock and awesomely clever puns," while fans on rushisaband.com, a blog devoted to the group, greeted the tribute with "mazel tovs" and a suggestion that the band's next concert DVD be named "Lechaim."
You can check out a scan of the article here (thanks PhillyMike).
In my last poll I asked you all which feature of the Snakes & Arrows DVD you are most anticipating. The results are in and - not surprisingly - most of you are anticipating the Rotterdam (37%) and Atlanta (24%) concert footage (duh...). I probably should have just assumed that and left those options out but it is what it is. Other than the concert footage 16% of you are most anticipating the 2007 tour outtakes, 11% the What's That Smell video and outtakes, and 8% are most anticipating the Blu-ray version. For this week's poll I thought I'd ask you about the Rush Hashanah special and what you thought it could have used more of. Take the poll and let us know.
Reader Chris H let me know that in this week's Cavalcade of Whimsy article on CollegeFootballNews.com the author describes his top five underrated/overrated aspects of the world. Number four was the following:
We also learned earlier this week that Neil Peart's tour bus driver Dave and his tour bus - aka Camp Brutus - has been hired out by ABC News to hit the 2008 campaign trail. The bus was given a makeover and will be used for interviews with various candidates around the country over the next few weeks. Dave wrote all about it on his mySpace page.
Speaking of Andy Olson, he recently made a few notable updates to his Neil Peart fansite. He added three new postcards to his Postcards from Neil page and some more drumkits to the Replicas and drum kits inspired by Neil Peart page. He's also trying out some comment features on the main Replicas page, as well as each drumkit page. Now you can vote for your favorite Neil Peart replica kit, and leave comments at the bottom of the page. Cool. Thanks Andy!
Several readers emailed to let me know that Weezer recently played a show in Toronto and paid a little tribute to Rush. At one point in the show drummer Pat Wilson came out front to sing and play guitar and mentioned paying a tribute to the city. He then played the opening riff of Limelight and a bit of The Spirit of the Radio. At that point the bass player started in on Tom Sawyer and they played a bit of that. They finally played some of the opening of Red Barchetta and then broke into the Weezer song Automatic. Here's a YouTube video of part of it (thanks julio).
Triumph - the second best power trio from Canada - recently reunited after a 20-year breakup to play a few dates and are planning on embarking on a full tour next year. They played Rocklahoma over the summer and singer/guitarist Rik Emmett sat down with Glam-metal.com for a video interview which you can check out here. Rik mentions Rush at about the 11-minute mark saying:
... I mean - we love Rush. We all love Rush. Everyone loves Rush. But there's a lot of canoodling and fiddiddling that goes on in that band. It's a part of what they do. And they have to leave the space for that virtuosity of the drummer and the bass player and all that stuff. And Triumph doesn't really have that ...
Canoodling and fiddidling... heh hee. Thanks to Out of the Shock... at Counterparts for the heads up.
Tiles is a progressive rock band out of Detroit whose most recent album Fly Paper has a number of Rush connections. Alex Lifeson plays on the track Sacred and Mundane, the album was produced by Terry Brown, and Hugh Syme did the album art in addition to playing keyboards on 2 tracks. I interviewed guitarist Chris Herin and Terry Brown regarding the album back in February. Tiles will be embarking on a mini-tour of the Great Lakes region in a few weeks. So far they'll be hitting The Ritz in Warren, MI on October 24th and my neck of the woods at the Phantasy Concert Club in Lakewood, OH on November 8th (I'll be there).
Simply put, Rush's "Moving Pictures" album is an easy number three. This album is a brilliant display of the fundamental ideas of progressive rock innovation. As an example of their creativity, the instrumental song, "YYZ," was written as a tribute to a Canadian airport? In this album, Geddy Lee, Neil Pert and Alex Lifeson show the world just how good they can be.
Well said.
John at Cygnus-x1.net sent me this chock-full-of-Rush-references article from the Montgomery Advertiser called AUBURN FOOTBALL: Tigers in a rush to post one little victory. The author examines the week in Auburn Football using Rush references galore just because he's been listening to a lot of Rush lately. My kind of guy. I love it.
Toronto-based record store Sam the Record Man closed its doors last year. The store is a Toronto icon and was featured in the video for Subdivisions. It's now owned by Ryerson University. For several decades the store's two giant neon spinning record signs served as a beacon to music lovers shopping on Yonge Street. The iconic sign will be turned on one last time for the city's Scotiabank Nuit Blanche festival before being taken down and remounted in a new home on the Ryerson campus. Thanks to Sean for the heads up.
Reader JayBird had an interesting Rush experience recently while listening to a Washington DC radio show hosted by Kojo Nnamdi. Kojo sat down with Brian Greene, a professor of physics and author of a new book titled Icarus at the Edge of Time which is about a spaceship's encounter with a black hole. Jay knew right there that he had to call into the show. He has a complete write-up at his blog here.
And I'll leave you with this video of Neil Peart's drum tech Lorne Wheaton setting up Neil's kit prior to the show in Red Rocks this summer (thanks Agent Rush.v2).
KnuckleBonz is an online company that creates realistic hi-end sculptures of various rock musicians. They are now expanding their line to include statues based on album art. The first of these will be a limited edition Rush Starman statue. From the website's product description:
The Rush 'Starman' Rock Iconz statue is a limited edition collectible, created by KnuckleBonz. The Starman figure stands approximately 9" tall and is painted in a hi-gloss silver paint in front of the red/black star to deliver a 3D version of the iconic Rush logo.
The statue comes with a certificate of authenticity. The figure is officially licensed through Rush and Anthem Entertainment.
KnuckleBonz creates hi-end sculpture that features the most highly influential artist in rock music. The Rush 'Starman' figure is the first interpretation of album art in the KnuckleBonz Rock Iconz Limited Edition Sculpture series.
The statue can be pre-ordered through their website for $115 USD. Only 3000 will be created and limited quantities will be available for the 2008 holiday season. You can check out a bunch of high-res pics of the product at this link. Thanks to Peart#1 for the heads up.
UPDATE - 10/3@7:23AM: The Spirit of Radio has also been uploaded to YouTube. You can watch it here (also included below). Thanks to snowdog2113 for the heads up.
If you watched any of the Rush Hashanah special which aired on VH1 Classic yesterday then you may already be aware that they aired 2 video teasers from the upcoming Snakes & Arrows DVD release; The Spirit of Radio and Far Cry both in their entirety. The Far Cry video has already been uploaded to YouTube and can be seen here (also included below). The DVD will be released on both DVD and Blu-ray on November 25th and is available for pre-order from Amazon and other online vendors. For complete details and tracklisting check out the official press release in this post.
UPDATE - 10/1@9:55AM: They also played Far Cry from the DVD last evening. And thanks to the wonders of YouTube, here it is (thanks State of Grace):
----- snip -----
UPDATE - 9/30@2:54PM: According to several readers, they just played The Spirit of Radio from the upcoming Snakes & Arrows DVD! Cool.
UPDATE - 9/29@1:14PM: If you've never seen the Hangin' with Rush interview that they'll be airing tonight you can watch it here. It was an interview with Alex and Geddy conducted by Eddie Trunk from back in December of 2005 shortly after R30 was released.
Tonight and tomorrow VH1 Classic will be airing a special in celebration of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah dubbed Rush Hashanah. Beginning tonight at sunset and running for the next 24 hours VH1 Classic will play Rush concert videos, music videos and interviews. Here's the complete schedule:
Monday 9/29
7-10pm: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, Rush in Rio 10-10:30pm: Hangin' With Rush 10:30pm-1:30am: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, R30 1:30-2:30am: Rush Videos 2:30-3am: Hangin' With Rush 3-6am: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, Rush in Rio
Tuesday 9/30
6-7am: Rush Videos 7-10am: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, R30 10-11am: Rush Videos 11-11:30am: Hangin' With Rush 11:30-2:30pm: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, Rush in Rio 2:30-3:30pm: Rush Videos 3:30-4pm: Hangin' With Rush 4-7pm: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, R30
If you've read Neil Peart's book Roadshow you are no doubt familiar with his tour bus driver Dave. Dave drove the bus affectionately known as Camp Brutus that ferried Neil Peart and friends and their bikes from show to show on the last few Rush tours. Dave has a MySpace page and posted an interesting bit of news yesterday regarding this particular bus and the 2008 presidential election:
September 27, 2008 - Saturday
A real news flash
For those who are interested, starting this week 9/27/08 I will be heading to Orlando with Neil's bus, affectionately known as Camp Brutus to work with ABC NEWS! The bus will be used to cover the election traveling from the debates and appearances of the Presidential candidates. He has leased this particular bus from Hemphill Brothers Coach for two years During Snakes and Arrows 2007, plus Snakes and Arrows the Surge 2008.
There have been a lot of cosmetic changes made to Camp Brutus it has been turned into a mobile news office. Anyone wanting to see the rear state room can now see it with a desk and couch, the bunk and closet area that housed the motorcycle gear with once again, more desks. The front lounge has stayed the same. The exterior is totally different being wrapped with new colors and ABC NEWS / VOTE 2008. Watch for interviews of candidates from inside of the bus. For all of you Rush fans this is a chance to see Neil's bus minus the trailer in a whole new light.
Be sure to watch ABC NEWS starting this week and for the next two weeks for your chance to see Camp Brutus in the national spotlight. I will post the schedule where we will be in an upcoming blog.
UPDATE - 9/26@11:30AM: In what is arguably the strangest poll of all time, Rush (live act) is up against Bruce Dickinson (frontman) for the title of Greatest of Everything at the Greatest of All Time Blog. As of this posting, they are tied at 50% each. So go vote for Rush! Thanks to ashpkt for the heads up.
Only 8 more weeks to go until the release of Rush's Snakes & Arrows DVD and shortly after that we'll be getting the new Retrospective 3 greatest hits package. So it stands to be a stellar holiday season for us Rush fans. Just last week we learned all the juicy details about the DVD and are now waiting for some more information regarding the greatest hits package. At this point all we know is that it's due out December 9th, will cover the Atlantic era, will have a CD+DVD version available (possibly with Atlantic-era videos?), and it's rumored to contain some unreleased live tracks.
In addition to the DVD and Retrospective 3 news, we have Rush Hashanah to look forward to this coming Monday and Tuesday. VH1 Classic will be airing 24 hours of Rush in celebration of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah starting Monday at 7PM EST. Here's the complete schedule:
Monday 9/29
7-10pm: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, Rush in Rio 10-10:30pm: Hangin' With Rush 10:30pm-1:30am: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, R30 1:30-2:30am: Rush Videos 2:30-3am: Hangin' With Rush 3-6am: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, Rush in Rio
Tuesday 9/30
6-7am: Rush Videos 7-10am: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, R30 10-11am: Rush Videos 11-11:30am: Hangin' With Rush 11:30-2:30pm: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, Rush in Rio 2:30-3:30pm: Rush Videos 3:30-4pm: Hangin' With Rush 4-7pm: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, R30
And here's the commercial promo that's been running on VH1 Classic (thanks Sean):
Samantha Dyar made us all shed a tear or two with her uplifting story of how Rush helped make her wish come true this summer. Samantha was diagnosed with cancer back in August of 2007. She was approached by the Make-A-Wish Foundation and asked how they could help to make her wish come true. Being an avid Rush fan she decided that meeting the band would be her wish. This marked the first time Rush had ever been approached for a Make-A-Wish request. If you haven't read Samantha's amazing story yet be sure to check out this post. And be sure to have a tissue handy. :)
Reader Ricbass4003 reports that the current issue of Rolling Stone magazine has a list of the top 10 highest grossing tours of the summer based on Pollstar averages. Rush came in at #7! Here's the entire top 10 list:
1. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (32.1 mil) 2. Dave Matthews Band (29.5 mil) 3. The Police (28.3 mil) 4. Neil Diamond (19.2 mil) 5. Coldplay (16.7 mil) 6. Journey (15.6 mil) 7. Rush (14.2 mil) 8. American Idols Live (13.8 mil) 9. Jonas Bros. (11.1 mil) 10. Motley Crue (10.5 mil)
Rush's sound engineer Richard Chycki recently checked in at his blog about all the cool stuff he's been mixing for Rush lately including the DVD and Rock Band mixes. You can check out the blog post here. Thanks to Oscar for the heads up.
Earlier this year I'd put up a post about an independent film which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival this year called Adventures of Power. The film is about air-drumming and is chock full of Rush references. It most notably includes a cameo from Neil Peart; his first speaking role in a live-action film. The movie has been making the rounds at film festivals across North America and Europe and getting rave reviews and winning many awards. It recently picked up the following film festival prizes: Grand Prize, San Antonio Film Festival; Best Feature Film, TriMedia Film Festival; and Best Comedy, Philadelphia Film Festival. Tonight the film has been selected as the Opening Night Gala film at the Sidewalk Festival in Birmingham Alabama and in two weeks the film will be screened at festivals in Memphis and Tucson. Neil Peart was treated to a screening of the film recently and emailed writer/producer/star Ari Gold with this reaction: In a word, Yeah! In two words, FUCK YEAH! Definitely see this movie if you get the chance. For details on Adventures of Power and to sign up for the mailing list you can visit its website at this location. You can also check it out on MySpace and Facebook.
And I leave with this moment of Rush-in-pop-culture history courtesy reader 1ouroboros. This is a clip from the 80s-era British comedy series The Young Ones. This episode aired Nov. 23, 1982 and was titled Boring. Check out the punk character Vivian's t-shirt.
Samantha is a 16-year-old Rush fan from Summerville, Georgia who was diagnosed with cancer back in August of 2007. 3 months into her treatment she was approached by the Make-A-Wish Foundation and asked how they could help to make her wish come true. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a nonprofit organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. They've granted wishes to 1000s of children since their inception in 1980 and are run entirely on donations. Samantha's wish was to meet her favorite band - Rush. This marked the first time Rush had ever been approached for a Make-A-Wish request. Here is Samantha's amazing story in her own words.
Wish Granted
I looked out to where, soon, 10,000 people would be standing to hear the band that I was about to meet. It was surreal. Ever since I was four, I had dreamed of meeting them. I had wanted to meet them for most of my life. As I grew, they became some of my heroes. Then when I was diagnosed with cancer in August of 2007, my world changed. The one thing that remained consistent was my family and their music. Three months into treatment, Make-a-Wish, a nonprofit organization, came to me and told me that I had a wish. I could do anything but get a car or a swimming pool. The things that I could do were numerous. I thought about it until the day they came to get my wish. Finally making my decision, I told them that I wanted to meet Rush.
The morning of July 20th, we went to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte, North Carolina. We met with the head of security the band liaison, Kevin Ripa, who gave my family and I a tour of the stage, backstage and the dressing rooms. I got to meet the techs for the band: Bucky, the guitar tech, Gump, the drum tech, and Russ, the bass and keyboard tech. I even got to sit at Neil Peart's drum kit and hold Alex Lifeson's 1976 Gibson es355. After that we went to the back to wait for the bands arrival. I sat in on a security meeting and then I went back onto the stage to meet them. I first saw Geddy Lee. I was in awe. He smiled and gave me a hug. We started to talk a little when I saw a man in a white shirt and baseball cap come up. I did not notice who it was at first, thought he was just some guy, then I looked again. It was Neil Peart, one of my heroes. My emotions overcame me and I started to cry. At that point Neil gave me a hug. The last to arrive on stage was Alex Lifeson. He was a good natured person and a fun person to talk to. I told him that I listened to the song "Hope" over and over during my chemo treatments and the song meant a lot to me. That made him smile. After a little talking, the band went to their respective parts of the stage for the sound check. I went off the stage and to the rail at the front row. They played a few songs including Subdivisions, The Trees, and Ghost of a Chance. I then took a moment to take in where I was and what I was doing. I engraved everything on my mind, forgetting all else. It was like being in a perfect world filled with music. I went back on stage and Alex played the song Hope for me, which made me cry because of what it meant to me during my treatment. When the sound check was over, the band signed a few things including my copy of "Roadshow". Neil signed it "To Samantha, You can get back on! Neil Peart" I told him that my illness was like the lyrics in Farcry that go "some days I feel I'm ahead of the wheel and the next it's rolling over me". Neil also gave me the sticks he used for the sound check. Alex and Geddy gave me a bunch of picks. Geddy also gave me a "Henhouse" t-shirt. All generous gifts. I was also able to tell the band what their music has meant to me and my family, and also thank them for it. Then, the meet was over. It was an amazing 2 hours for me and my family. But the night was just beginning.
We went to the concert we had 5th row seats. During the first couple of songs, Kevin Ripa called me up on stage. After the song Ghost Of A Chance, Geddy walked up to the mic to talk to the crowd for the first time of the night. After saying hello, he mentioned that they had "a ton of material" for the crowd. He then said "but first, we would like to dedicate this next song to my friend Sam, this is from Hold Your Fire it's called Mission". Mission is one of my very favorite songs and Geddy told me while we were talking that it was his favorite song to play. For the third time that day, I cried. Watching the band play that song from on stage was overwhelming especially since they were playing it for me. The rest concert was phenomenal, and the day was one that I will never forget. My Dad and I also attended the Atlanta show 2 days later (THANKS PHILLIP!). I met many people there that were also at the Charlotte show that asked me about the song dedication. I was nice meeting everyone. I just told them that Make-A-Wish and Rush made it all possible. It was an unreal couple of days! Thank you Rush and thank you Make-A-Wish!
Make-a-Wish is an organization that grants once an a lifetime "wishes" to children with diseases like Cancer, Spina Abifida, Sickle Cell Animea, and other illnesses. It is an amazing organization. They made this such a special day for me and did everything in their power to make an awesome experience. The organization runs entirely on donations. If you would like to donate, see inspiring stories, or volunteer go to www.wish.org.
At last I would like to give a list of my favorite Rush songs
* Resist * Mission * Test for Echo * Summertime Blues * Working Them Angels * Totem * Hope * Far Cry * Malignant Narcissism * Second Nature * Marathon * Force Ten * Everyday Glory
My favorite albums are Test for Echo and Snakes and Arrows.
Thank you for letting me tell my story.
Samantha Dyar
I'm happy to say that Sam celebrated her 6th month of remission on August 16th and is doing great! Her father John also supplied some more details about the meeting which lasted for about 2 hours including sound check. They toured the dressing rooms and all around the stage and their family were the only people there during the sound check. Sam had an all access pass for the show and Rush's tour photographer John Arrowsmith followed her and her family around, taking several pictures many of which you can check out here. They also got to spend some time with Rush's lighting director Howard Ungerleider. Except for the few songs she was on stage, Sam watched the entire show from the rail (she liked the sound better out front). Sam's first Rush concert was during the Test for Echo tour when she was only 5 and she has seen Rush live a total of 10 times. Her very first concert was the Grateful Dead at age 4. Be sure to check out all the pictures from the meeting at this location. The expressions on Sam's face really speak for how magical of an experience this was for her. Many thanks to her, her family, Rush and the Make-A-Wish Foundation for allowing me to share this with everyone.
After a 4-week delay, Harmonix Music Systems has finally worked out all the bugs and today released Rush's Moving Pictures album for download for the Rock Band video game. Moving Pictures is the fifth complete album to be made available for download for the game and all 7 tracks are the original recordings. Moving Pictures joins the five other Rush tracks in the Rock Band catalog including the recently releasedmaster track vault edition of Working Man and cover versions of Closer To The Heart, Tom Sawyer, Limelight and Working Man. The full album will be available for $10.99 (880 Microsoft Points) or $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) per track individually.
We only just learned a few days ago that the release date for the upcoming Snakes & Arrows DVDwould be November 18th and already it's been pushed back to November 25th. The official press release announcing the DVD just came out today and confirms the details I posted on Friday but with the new release date and a couple of corrections/clarifications to report. It looks like the extras will be included on the first disc and the Atlanta footage will have a disc all to itself. Also, it looks like the additional versions of Far Cry and The Way the Wind Blows are simply alternate cuts and not completely different versions (such as from Atlanta). Without further adieu, here's the press release in its entirety:
ZOË VISION/ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE RUSH DVD SNAKES & ARROWS LIVE ON NOVEMBER 25 MUSICIANSHIP HIGHLIGHTED, EXTRAS ABUNDANT
"Thanks to epic songs, fantastical lyrics and extravagant drum solos, [Rush] rocks on through the 21st century...the scope of [their] achievements is undeniable..." Rolling Stone
September 22, 2008 o Burlington, MA - Zoë Vision/Anthem Entertainment is pleased to announce the release of the Snakes & Arrows Live DVD on November 25 from the legendary rock trio RUSH. This 3 disc DVD set, also available as a Blu-ray Disc, follows their Zoë Vision DVD releases Rush-R30 (2005) and Rush in Rio (2003).
The Snakes & Arrows Live DVD (full track listing below) was filmed with 21 High Definition cameras in 16x9 widescreen format, over two nights in October 2007 at the Netherlands' Ahoy Rotterdam arena during the renowned rock trio's lengthy world tour. Additional SD footage was filmed in Atlanta this past July. The five month trek supporting Rush's critically acclaimed 2007 studio release, Snakes & Arrows, which includes the Grammy® Award-nominated track, "Malignant Narcissism," topped Pollstar's Top 100 2007 Tours list at #12.
While previous DVD releases showcase different sides of the band , this DVD offers fans a rare and close up look at the prodigious musicianship for which the band is renown. Cameras follow bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart, closely, capturing not only their playing, note for note, but also the intimacy they share on stage. The diverse track list includes many new songs from Snakes & Arrows as well as old favorites like "Tom Sawyer" and "Freewill" plus an explosive rendition of "Between the Wheels."" Among the hidden gems and numerous special tour moments included as extras is the fan coveted "What's That Smell" vignette and outtakes, a skit used to intro the second set, which capitalizes on the still emerging comedic talents of both Alex and Geddy who excel (and revel) in their roles as wild characters. Featuring collector's quality packaging and a choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound or PCM Stereo for a superior audio experience, the DVD was mixed by frequent collaborator Richard Chycki (Aerosmith, Mick Jagger). Total running time is 221 minutes.
Snakes & Arrows made a triumphant debut on the Billboard 200 upon its release May 2007, entering the chart in the #3 spot. The album's popular success marked Rush's highest chart debut since 1993, as well as the group's eleventh top ten album in the U.S. Snakes & Arrows also debuted at #3 in the band's native Canada and at #13 in the UK - the band's highest British chart ranking in 16 years. In addition, the album premiered in the top ten in Sweden and Finland, and in the top twenty in Norway, the Netherlands, and Japan.
Since releasing their self-titled debut album in 1974, Rush has been universally regarded as one of the most inventive and compelling groups in rock, famed for virtuoso musicianship. Celebrated, critically acclaimed and respected worldwide, Rush is the most successful Canadian rock band of all time and they remain one of the biggest grossing arena rock bands ever. Their extraordinary body of work - which includes such acclaimed works as 1976's 2112, 1981's Moving Pictures, 1996's Test for Echo, and 2002's Vapor Trails - has achieved worldwide sales exceeding 35 million units.
Disk 1:
1. Limelight 2. Digital Man 3. Entre Nous 4. Mission 5. Freewill 6. The Main Monkey Business 7. The Larger Bowl 8. Secret Touch 9. Circumstances 10. Between the Wheels 11. Dreamline
Extras:
1. What's Thats Smell (DVD Content) 2. 2007 Tour Outtakes 3. What's That Smell Outtakes 4. FarCry (Alternate cut featuring rear screen footage) 5. The Way the Wind Blows (Alternate cut featuring rear screen footage) 6. Red Sector A from the R30 Tour
Disk 2:
1. FarCry 2. Workin' Them Angels 3. Armour and Sword 4. Spindrift 5. The Way the Wind Blows 6. Subdivisions 7. Natural Science 8. Witch Hunt 9. Malignant Narcissism - De Slagwerker 10. Hope 11. Distant Early Warning 12. The Spirit of Radio 13. Tom Sawyer Encore:
14. One Little Passage 15. A Passage to Bangkok 16. YYZ
Disk 3: Oh, Atlanta - The Authorized Bootlegs
1. Ghost of a Chance 2. Red Barchette 3. The Trees 4. 2112/The Temples of Syrinx
UPDATE - 9/22@9:28AM: There's been another development on the Retrospective 3 Atlantic-era greatest hits package front. In addition to listing a CD version due out December 9th, Amazon now also has a CD-DVD version listed as well. Perhaps the DVD will contain the videos from the Atlantic era? Thanks to Chad for the heads up.
UPDATE - 9/21@6:20PM:Eddie Trunk has a poll up on his site asking readers who they think had the best summer tour. Rush is one of the options so go vote for Rush! (thanks Sean)
Looks like the technicals have been taken care of. Rush's "Moving Pictures" comes out for real next week! In addition we have tracks from Bad Religion, The Cult, Hot Hot Heat, Kasabian, Sleater-Kinney, and Stone Roses!
Rush's Moving Pictures Full Album
Tom Sawyer (orig version) Red Barchetta YYZ Limelight (orig version) The Camera Eye Witch Hunt Vital Signs
The full album will be available for $10.99 (880 Microsoft Points) or $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) per track individually. ...
Thanks to Corruption for the heads up.
Also on the Rock Band front, CBS news ran a story Thursday night on the increasing popularity of music video games and how it is affecting the music industry. Rush was mentioned along with a short bit of concert footage, kids with Rush t-shirts playing Rock Band and Geddy Lee was interviewed. Here's what he had to say:
We're sharing our music to new fans. So that's great for us. And new fans are learning more about the nature of how songs are constructed which I think is kind of a cool thing
You can watch video of the story including Geddy's interview at this link. Thanks to Andrew S for the news.
As I'd mentioned last week, VH1 Classic's Rush Hashanah special will air on Monday, September 29th and Tuesday, September 30th. Here's the complete program schedule:
Monday 9/29
7-10pm: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, Rush in Rio 10-10:30pm: Hangin' With Rush 10:30pm-1:30am: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, R30 1:30-2:30am: Rush Videos 2:30-3am: Hangin' With Rush 3-6am: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, Rush in Rio
Tuesday 9/30
6-7am: Rush Videos 7-10am: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, R30 10-11am: Rush Videos 11-11:30am: Hangin' With Rush 11:30-2:30pm: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, Rush in Rio 2:30-3:30pm: Rush Videos 3:30-4pm: Hangin' With Rush 4-7pm: VH1 Classic in Concert- Rush, R30
Not that it means anything, but Rush is winning that USA Today poll I'd linked to last week regarding 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame contenders. They've got 31% of the vote compared to Bon Jovi's 29%. Nobody else is even close. In last week's poll I'd asked you what you thought Rush's chances of being inducted into the Rock Hall in 2009 were. Most of you - 31% - said who cares!. 22% think they have 50/50 shot, 16% say not likely, 12% say it's very likely, 10% say it's an absolute certainty and 9% say no chance in hell. For this week's poll I thought I'd ask everyone what feature of the upcoming Snakes & Arrows DVD they are anticipating the most. Take the poll and let us know.
Michael of Neil Peart Drumsticks has made a few recent updates to his site including adding a picture of Neil's new Bubba Gump Hot Rod sticks that he'd been using in the Bubba Gump warm-up room on tour. There's speculation that he may be using these for the upcoming Buddy Rich Memorial Concert. He also added some old packaging wrappers to the sticks page, a couple more used sticks to the Peart 80s-90s section on the bio page, and some new fan photos as well.
Reader One humanoid escapee informed me that the new Nashville Symphony music director Giancarlo Guerrero is a huge Rush fan, calling them the best band in the universe in this Music City TV article, and claiming to know 55 Rush songs by heart in this article.
Last week I told you about photographer and Rush fan John Kane's opening of his Workin' Them Angels: Rush Through the Camera Eye photograph exhibit. John sent me a promo poster for the event which you can check out here. Just check out the poster or this post for all the details.
Reader Kerwin T let me know about a couple of Rush references in the recently released video game Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. If you hire a Russian jet pilot, you get an achievement called The Analog Kid and if you unlock all the game's weapons, you get one called Digital Man. The game's predecessor, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction had a mission called A Farewell to Kings.
Heath T and Sean alerted me to the fact that Fox and Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade spoke about Rush on the program yesterday, remarking on how much of a fan he is and even singing a little Limelight.
And before I go I'd like to just say rest in peace Richard Wright - you will be sorely missed. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Take care.
UPDATE - 9/19@5:06PM: It's been a very busy last few days so I probably won't have my weekly Updates and other random Rush stuff post up until sometime over the weekend.
Yesterday we learned that the upcoming Snake & Arrows Live DVD would be released this coming November 18th. I now have several more details about the release to report including confirmation that it will be available on Blu-ray! It will be a 3-disc package which will include 2 discs containing footage from the Rotterdam shows from the 2007 leg and a bonus DVD. The bonus DVD will contain footage from the Atlanta show on the 2008 leg (Red Barchetta, The Trees, Ghost of a Chance and 2112), alternate versions of Far Cry and The Way the Wind Blows either from the other Rotterdam show or the Atlanta show, the What's That Smell intermission video (along with outtakes and a trailer), outtakes from the 2007 tour and Red Sector A from the R30 Tour. Promos for the DVD will be running on VH1 Classic during their Rush Hashanah special this coming Monday, September 29th. This is all I know right now. More details as I learn them.
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UPDATE - 9/22@9:30AM: There's been another recent development with this. In addition to listing a CD version due out December 9th, Amazon now also has a CD-DVD version listed as well. Perhaps the DVD will contain the videos from the Atlantic era? Thanks to Chad for the heads up.
UPDATE - 9/19@10:18AM: One thing I'd forgotten to mention was that it's rumored that the album would include some previously unreleased live Atlantic tracks in addition to several studio hits from the last 20 years.
About a month ago I posted the rumor that Rush would be ending their 20-year relationship with Atlantic Records with the release of a new greatest hits package due out next year. There also was speculation that the band might sign with Rounder Records but a few weeks ago Rush management told Classic Rock Magazine that this rumor was not true stating the following:
A spokesperson for Rush has contacted Classic Rock to deny web reports that the band are quitting Atlantic Records for the independent Canadian company Rounder. In fact, Rush are still contracted to Atlantic for one more album. Rounder ... will be issuing the trio's upcoming Snakes & Arrows Live DVD, but that's as far as the arrangement goes.
As I'd stated before, this really doesn't contradict anything I had previously reported. My sources tell me that this one album they refer to will be an Atlantic-era greatest hits package. And that piece of the puzzle now seems to have been indirectly confirmed by Amazon.com, who lists a Rush: Retrospective 3 album due out December 9th. In following the pattern of their previous 2 Retrospective greatest hits albums, we can deduce that this Retrospective 3 package will include the Atlantic-Era from 1987-2007. The previous 2 Retrospectives were released by Mercury to close out their contract with Rush, so it's likely that this Retrospective 3 package will close out the Atlantic contract. Now the question of whether Rush ends up with Rounder Records or someone else is still up in the air. But the fact that the band already has a working relationship with Rounder makes it certainly plausible that they may extend that relationship. We shall see. Thanks to Chad for the heads up.
I've been getting a lot of questions from readers about the status of the upcoming Snakes & Arrows Live DVD. And up until now I hadn't much to report. The most recent Rush.com newsletter (sent out over the last couple days) contained a teaser saying:
Please stay tuned to RUSH.COM in the coming weeks for more details on the Snakes and Arrows LIVE DVD to be released late fall 2008!
So I'm sure there'll be a lot of info trickling in over the next several weeks. But for the time being, I do have an update on the release date. When last we heard, there was a tentative working release date of November 4th but from past experience it seemed likely that this would be pushed back. That indeed seems to have been the case; Amazon.com now lists the DVD with a release date of November 18th although you are as of yet unable to pre-order it. Thanks to yyz_6785 for the heads up.
UPDATE - 9/18@12:40PM: Eric over at Power Windows gave me another interesting tidbit regarding the setlist for this first gig. In a February, 2006 interview with Sound & Vision Magazine Alex Lifeson had this to say:
Wow. Let's see. We did Jimi Hendrix's 'Foxey Lady,' Cream's 'Spoonful' and 'Crossroads,' the Yardbirds' 'Shapes of Things,' and maybe a few others. We only knew about seven or eight songs back then.
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UPDATE - 9/18@10:10AM: Just to clear things up, Jeff Jones is not in the photograph below. I'm not clear on exactly when/where this was taken but it shows Alex, John Rutsey and Geddy Lee sometime in late 1968. I've actually never seen a photograph of the band which includes Jeff Jones. If you have one or know of one, please let me know.
Today is a very special day in the annals of Rush history. On this day back in 1968 - 40 years ago - the initial incarnation of Rush played their first paid gig at The Coff-In coffeehouse located in the basement of an Anglican Church in Toronto. This initial lineup consisted of guitarist Alex Lifeson, singer/bassist Jeff Jones, and drummer John Rutsey. From the Rush biography Visions:
... The first band formed by Alex and John [Rutsey] in the Spring of 1968 was called The Projection. By the end of the summer that band had broken up.
In August, Jeff Jones came in as bass player and lead singer and a formal line-up of John, Alex and Jeff was formed. They spent their evenings and weekends trying to learn the hard rock songs of the day and scheming for an opportunity to play outside their basements.
The boys were soon able to work out an agreement to play in another basement, but this time they would be paid. Their salary was $25. The gig consisted of playing on Friday nights at an oddly named coffee-house located in the basement of an Anglican Church. The Coff-In served coffee, doughnuts and music to local teens for 25 cents a head.
The band was excited, but they had a big problem. While they had been dreaming of playing, they had neglected to come up with a name for their group. So a few days before the gig they sat around in John's basement trying to come up with an appropriate monicker. They weren't having much luck when John's older brother Bill piped up, "Why don't you call the band Rush" and Rush it was. ...
And Rush it still is, 40 years later. Jeff Jones was replaced by Geddy Lee the following Friday after Jeff canceled because he wanted to go to a party. After several lineup reformations, Rush's official incarnation was formed in May of 1971 consisting of Lee, Lifeson, and Rutsey. This would be their lineup on through the release of their self-titled debut album in 1974, after which John Rutsey was replaced by one Neil Elwood Peart. You know the rest. :) Happy anniversary guys!
As I'd mentioned in last week's Happy Birthday Neil post, Hamilton, Ontario is the birthplace of our favorite drummer Neil Elwood Peart. Apparently Hamilton rock radio station Y108 has started a petition to have a stretch of Red Hill Expressway in Hamilton renamed to Neil Peart Way. You can read all the details and sign the petition at this link. The petition reads:
Given that Neil Peart was born in Hamilton, Ontario, is recognized as one of the best drummers in the world, is a brilliant lyricist, prolific writer, philosopher and humanitarian and a beloved member of Canada's most prolific rock export, Rush; and, given the fact his hometown has yet to honour neil in any significant way-.we, the undersigned, in an effort to keep Neil Peart's living legacy "closer to the heart" in Hamilton, petition the city of Hamilton to rename a section of the new Red Hill Expressway after Neil Peart or, failing that, renaming a city street in his honour.
This is the Rush 2009 Wall Calendar. This year we are featuring all live concert shots of the band from T4E and forward. This is a 16 month calendar, so you can put this on your wall starting in September of 08! Hurry up and grab one of these because we sold out before Christmas last year.
The calendar will also be available soon from other online vendors such as Amazon. Get 'em while they're hot!
We've known for some time now that Cathy Rich and Neil Peart will be hosting another Buddy Rich Memorial Concert this coming Saturday, October 18t at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. It will feature a number of drum virtuosos and musicians including Neil, Nick Rich with the Buddy Rich Band, John Blackwell, Terry Bozio, Chad Smith, Jeff Berlin, Will Lee and Tommy Igoe. You can check out the complete details in this Sabian.com press release and in this ad for the event. Michael of NeilPeartDrumsticks.com has obtained a photo of the drum kit that Neil Peart will be using for the concert (courtesy Neil's drum tech Lorne Wheaton). You can check out a full-res image by visiting Michael's website at this link. The concert will also be the debut of Buddy's 23 year old grandson Nick Rich playing for the first time in his grandfather's big band. Here's a picture of Nick and Neil from rehearsals:
Toronto-based record store Sam the Record Man 
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If you've read Neil Peart's book 
The 2009 Rush wall calendar is now 
Earlier this year I'd 
Samantha is a 16-year-old Rush fan from Summerville, Georgia who was diagnosed with cancer back in August of 2007. 3 months into her treatment she was approached by the 
It's time for the annual snubbing of Rush by the 
