Monday, June 18, 2012
Rush's Clockwork Angels tour to include a string section
Back in April we first heard rumors that Rush was considering bringing an orchestra or string section in some capacity on their Clockwork Angels tour. These rumors were met with a lot of skepticism from fans initially, but when the album was released and it became apparent that strings were included on several of the tracks, the rumor started to gain some traction. And now Alex Lifeson has confirmed the rumor in a new Billboard interview:
... "Our intention is to take strings out on the road," guitarist Alex Lifeson tells Billboard.com. Orchestrations, arranged by David Campbell, feature on several of "Clockwork Angels' " tracks, and Lifeson says Rush will employ a small string ensemble, likely eight to 10 pieces, to recreate those pieces and to be added to some of Rush's older material. "It's just something different for us, and I can't wait to hear what it sounds like."
Lifeson says Campbell will be writing arrangements for the tour, which kicks off Sept. 7 in Manchester, N.H., and will likely appear at some of the shows as well. "Certainly in the beginning he'll be out for a bit," the guitarist says. "I think his intention is to use these musicians he's been working with for a long time, who he trusts, and once they're settled in he doesn't have to be around all the time and he can come out whenever he feels like it."
Lifeson says the production is "still in a planning stage" but promises that "it's a whole new show. It's new staging, new lighting, everything is new and fresh about it. I would say that it's an evolutionary extension of what the (2010-11) Time Machine Tour was, but we are definitely freshening it up and bringing and there'll be a lot of new video stuff going on." And, of course, Lifeson and his mates expect to dedicate a considerable amount of stage time to "Clockwork Angels," a concept album that will be followed by a novel co-written by drummer/lyricist Neil Peart and Kevin J. Anderson.
"The set list is quite fluid these days," Lifeson reports. "We're dropping and replacing songs constantly, and that's the way it always goes before we get into rehearsals. There's a great deal of pressure on us now to do the whole record, which we don't anticipate. I think our intention is probably to prepare the whole thing; whether we'll do it or not we're still not sure, especially on the first leg of the tour. There's still a lot of older stuff we want to do, and we've got some great songs lined up from the past. We'd be loathe to drop them to add more of 'Clockwork Angels,' at least on the first leg. It's always nice to switch up on the second leg and make it a little different." ...
You can read the entire interview at this link.
Related Posts:
[New Alex Lifeson interview at RollingStone.com; talks Clockwork Angels, tour setlist and more]
[Rush 2012/2013 Clockwork Angels tour updates; Helsinki pre-sales, Toronto on-sale, band interviews]
[Rush Clockwork Angels tour: 3 new European dates added]
[Rush 2012/2013 Clockwork Angels tour updates]
[Rush Clockwork Angels tour UK/Europe pre-sale info; 2nd Toronto show added]
[Rush Clockwork Angels tour official UK/Europe dates announced]
[Rush 2012 Clockwork Angels tour updates: pre-sale update, UK/European tour, DVD/BD news]
[Rush 2012 Clockwork Angels tour: third round of pre-sales begins today at 12PM]
[Rush 2012 Clockwork Angels tour updates]
[Rush 2012 Clockwork Angels tour: second round of pre-sales begins tomorrow at 12PM]
[Rush 2012 Clockwork Angels tour updates]
[Rush 2012 Clockwork Angels tour official pre-sale details]
[Official Rush 2012 Clockwork Angels tour announcement and dates!]
[Rush 2012 Clockwork Angels tour rumor update]
Comments
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Can I say I'm a hardcore fan if I have all their albums, call Rush a genre in themselves, but are only 16 years old and therefore was born when T4E came out?
If so, I think these strings will be awesome. Seriously.
Jacob's Ladder + strings = grown men crying.
Besides. Don't we already know Tom Sawyer, Closer to the Heart, Spirit of Radio, and Freewill well enough w/o strings?
Oh and @196 A fourth member? Rush can ONLY sound better with a fourth member. Ever thought of that? Rush does REALLY WELL on their own, but would probably sound EVEN BETTER with a fourth. (albeit higher possibility of trainwreck, but that still happens rarely)
(I'm secretly hoping the live album will be from the Houston concert on dec 2, last of the first leg. You never know :D)
#196 I'm a hardcode fan since 1980 and I want to hear strings, on, you know, all the CA songs that were recorded with strings. Open your mind, man. It's gonna be groovy.
Adding strings is like adding a fourth member to Rush. The only strings I would like to see is if they play Losing It. I can see the newer fans getting a kick from this but the hardcore fans want guitar, bass and drums.
#192 - It's only cheap if it sucks ;-)
Howdy and welcome!
Newbie to the board!! Howdy!
So psyched to hear they're bringing a string section. Not only is is necessary to bring out the majesty of the CA stuff, but certain songs I've looked forward to that treatment for a long time - Jacob's Ladder, Witch Hunt and Losing It just to name a few. Jacob's Ladder I even tricked myself into hearing in the periphery when I was listening to Ruch Radio at work. I'm excited on treatments of other songs as well...this morning in the shower I suddenly imagined them doing "A Day In The Life" for some reason - talk about great use of strings! - and Geddy's voice lent itself perfectly to Lennon's melody. Guys, I know you're not a cover band (except for in 2004:-) ) but...hey, think about it. :-D
And, #172, you're not alone. Vapor Trails is probably my favorite as well, or at least second.
AND, let me just say that I think remixing VT is a bad idea. Takes away from the chaos and urgency of the album, if the latest Chycki remixes are any indication.
Also, FavHeadache09, you reminded me to promote my YouTube channel a little bit too haha.
Everybody go to my channel palidrummer11, or search Jackson Price Drums. I just put up a new drum cover of "The Big Money."
link
Sorry I know that it's really cheap to do this here, but I figured that if anybody's going to appreciate my Rush covers, it would be you guys on this site
pali
later
Ya, Meshuggah and the likes are technical as hell but makes my brain hurt.That Romain guy is great! Many people don't respect that extreme metal guys CAN be very talented, just expressing it in a heavy way.
Just checked out some Devil Driver. Good stuff. Label mates to Rush too. Later Jupe, good conversing with you.
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