Rush is a Band

A blog devoted to RUSH:
Neil Peart, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson

Fri, Mar 29, 2024

More updates from Ross Halfin

Fri, Nov 2, 2007@9:19AM | comments removed/disabled

Rock photographer Ross Halfin travelled to Helsinki with Rush to shoot their final show of the tour. As he's been doing throughout the European tour, he tells us all about it in his online diary. Here are some excerpts:

October 30

... As I have a coffee I see a smiling Neil Peart on his way to Los Angeles - it's 6am. We say goodbye. I sit and wait to board when an American (whose name was Pete, not Ian as I originally thought) tells me he's been to all the Rush shows in Europe, mainly driving. He's very proud of this and is heading home to Cleveland after flying to Stockholm then driving for fifteen hours to Amsterdam. 'You can never get enough Rush' he says. ...

October 29

... Arrive late afternoon to darkness and cold, winter is here. I don't mind, it suits the Baltics. Get there in time to shoot soundcheck. I'm not saying what they played as nobody believes me anyway. Shoot Geddy warming up, his voice is powerful in a room, unamplifed singing old Rush anthems. I give Neil a copy of Tom Wright's book, Roadwork, and my second Who book, Maximum Who. The band all sign my tour itinerary with amusing asides. And I get a photo taken (which I'm proud of) with Geddy and Neil waiting in the corridor to go on. Completely sold out in the Hartwall Areena with a good pit. Get good pictures which I'm VERY HAPPY with...

After the show say goodbye - Geddy says 'Next time you're wandering all over the stage, wear black shorts.' Mine were light grey. Had a good time touring with Rush. I appreciated them and they appreciated what I could do. And Canadians have a much better sense of humour than Americans.

So no setlist clues this time; Ross seems a bit annoyed that nobody believes his soundcheck reports. :)

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