UPDATE - 10/7@5:53PM: As I'd mentioned below, several folks have already gotten their hands on a copy of Neil Peart's Taking Center Stage instructional DVD. In one part of the DVD where Neil discusses the setlist, it's revealed that an early draft of the setlist did indeed include Jacob's Ladder but the song was ultimately removed from the final setlist (obviously). In this YouTube clip Neil explains why (thanks Power Windows).
Roadrunner Records posted the official trailer for Rush's upcoming Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland concert video to their YouTube channel earlier this week. You can check out the 1 minute trailer at this location. The trailer states at the end that both the DVD and Blu-ray will be available on November 8th, although Amazon still has the Blu-ray listed as releasing on December 20th, as does Barnes & Noble. Best Buy and the Rush Backstage Club still have it listed as November 8th. I'm hoping the December 20th date is wrong, but in my experience Amazon is usually one step ahead of the game when it comes to release dates. We received our first glimpse of the film last week when VH1 Classic aired an edited version of the concert as the showcase of their Rush Hashanah celebration. They left out about 8 tracks in order to fit the concert into a 2-and-a-half hour time slot, which yielded a running time close to 2 hours after commercials. They also included the Real History of Rush intro and intermission videos along with a new outro video featuring the 3 guys as their Gershon's characters playing a polka-ized version of Closer to the Heart. The entire show had been posted to YouTube shortly after airing but has since been pulled due to copyright. The film will also be getting a theatrical release beginning October 26th and it looks like the theatrical cut will be the same as was shown on VH1 Classic. For theaters and showtimes go to www.rushtimemachinepremiere.com. They periodically update the list of cities/theaters, so check back if your city hasn't been included yet. The CD companion to the concert video will also be released on November 8th, along with a package containing only the live tracks from the Moving Pictures album titled Moving Pictures: Live 2011, available only in vinyl or digital formats. Both the Time Machine 2-CD set and the Moving Pictures: Live 2011 vinyl release are now available for pre-order at Amazon.com (CD, Moving Pictures: Live 2011 vinyl).
We received some big news this morning regarding the Rush Sector box sets that I'd first mentioned last week. Eric at Power Windows got his hands on the Universal Music Group's Distribution infosheet which gives the following details regarding the box sets:
On November 21st, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) celebrates the legacy of Canadian rock trio Rush with the release of three separate six-disc box sets which together spans their entire historic Mercury Records recording career. Each 'Sector' contains five of their 15 Mercury albums in chronological order, all transferred to high resolution 96kHz/24-bit and digitally remastered for optimal quality. In addition, each volume includes an exclusive booklet packed with unpublished photos, original album lyrics and credits, and features one album from each set specially remixed on DVD in high resolution 96kHz/24-bit, 5.1 surround sound and stereo, compatible with both DVD-Audio players and DVD-Video players. Each album is packaged in a replica vinyl mini-jacket of the original album release with all three box sets forming a Rush CD road case.
SECTOR 1: Rush - All The World's A Stage, and on DVD in 5.1, Fly By Night
SECTOR 2: A Farewell To Kings - Exit Stage Left, and on DVD in 5.1, A Farewell To Kings
SECTOR 3: Signals - A Show Of Hands, and on DVD in 5.1, Signals
So we get Fly by Night, A Farewell to Kings and Signals in 5.1, all 15 albums digitally remastered in high resolution 96kHz/24-bit audio, each album packaged in a replica vinyl mini-jacket, and new liner notes. This was a lot more than I had expected. All 3 box sets are available for pre-order at Amazon for $45.02 (Sector 1, Sector 2, Sector 3). As if Rush fans didn't need even more swag for the Holidays! With these, the Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland concert video, the Time Machine 2-CD set, the Moving Pictures: Live 2011 vinyl release, the Far and Away wall calendar, and Neil's Taking Center Stage instructional DVD, our stockings will be stuffed to the gills!
Speaking of Neil's DVD, earlier this week Neil Peart updated the website for his upcoming Taking Center Stage instructional DVD with the third and final preview video that had been promised when the site first launched. In this 2 minute, 20 second video Neil discusses and performs Rush's Time Stand Still. You can check it out below or at this link. There's also this 4-and-a-half minute video where Neil discusses the intricacies of playing Rush's Limelight live; this video where Neil talks about how he and his bandmates went about choosing the setlist for the Time Machine Tour; and this video trailer for the DVD. In addition to the preview videos the site features a large photo gallery of behind-the-scenes pictures from the DVD filming, an informational page, and a four-part series of articles on the making of the DVD from lead editor and co-producer Joe Bergamini. The release date for Taking Center Stage: A Lifetime of Live Performance continues to shift around. It had originally been scheduled with a release date of October 14th, was then delayed until November 8th, and we are now once again looking at a mid-October release. Earlier this week John at Cygnus-X1.net spoke with a representative from Hudson Music and was informed that the DVD actually starting shipping to retailers this past week and that the official release date is now October 15th. Indeed, a few readers have reported that the DVD is already available at Guitar Center stores for $39.99, although they will match any price on the internet if you bring in a printout of the competitor's listing (thanks double-agent). Amazon has it listed on their normal Tuesday-only release schedule for October 18th but it's quite possible that they will ship them earlier than that. Sabian is running a promotion where they are giving away a free copy of the DVD with any purchase of a Paragon cymbal. You can get all the details at this link.
Speaking of Neil Peart, Neil along with his riding partner and good friend Brutus have put together some of their favorite images and excerpts from Neil's latest book - Far and Away: A Prize Every Time - for a 2012 wall calendar. Brutus tweeted the following about the calendar on Wednesday:
Bubba and I working with Hugh Syme to create a 2012 calendar based on Bubba's Far And Away..AKA Fn A..Just about ready and it looks bootiful
The calendar is slated for release on October 17th and is now available for pre-order at Bubbawares.com.
A couple of weeks ago Neil Peart, Mike Portnoy and Terry Bozzio were in Los Angeles to shoot some kind of video for Sabian cymbals. This MusicRadar.com article from earlier this week may shed some light on the purpose of the video:
Sabian is introducing four new cymbals at next year's NAMM show - and they want you to choose which metals they unveil.
From 17 October you can head over to www.CymbalVOTE.com and take your pick from the 12 new cymbal models Sabian has created as part of the Players' Choice scheme. At the site you'll be able to see Sabian artists such as Mike Portnoy, Dave Weckl, Neil Peart, Terry Bozzio, Dave Elitch and Stefanie Eulinberg playing the cymbals.
One cymbal will be eliminated each week until only four remain and these four will be unveiled at NAMM.
For more information, please visit www.CymbalVOTE.com.
And continuing with even more Neil Peart news - reader bscsmkr let me know that the current issue of Modern Drummer magazine (November, 2011) makes mention that their upcoming issue will feature a Neil Peart cover story.
We learned on Tuesday that Alex Lifeson will once again be participating in The Kidney Foundation of Canada's A Brush of Hope project. Alex Lifeson along with dozens of other Canadian celebrities have donated paintings to be auctioned off to raise money for the charity. Alex couldn't participate last year due to the Time Machine Tour, but had participated every year prior to that. The paintings will be auctioned off on eBay.ca between October 20th and 30th. You can check out Alex's painting on the Brush for Hope Facebook page at this link. Paul at The Canadian Music Scene posted a touching letter from Alex explaining why this charity is so important to him:
... Once again, it is that time of year when I sit down to paint for the Kidney Foundation's fundraiser, A Brush Of Hope. I and many others take the time to dabble with our acrylics in the hope that you will find something you just have to have, and bid for it on eBay from October 20th to the 30th. Of course, I'm hoping you just have to have mine!
A little over 8 years ago, my father passed away after 2 very difficult years of failing health. Both his kidneys ceased to operate and he was on dialysis for over 2 years. Many times, he was nearly lost during his dialysis and it was heartbreaking to watch his demise, and that's why this is especially important to me. ...
... Thanks very much for your support. -- Alex
Speaking of Alex Lifeson, Lerxst was the featured guitarist on syndicated radio show Chop Shop Classic last week. They spoke a bit about Alex and played Closer to the Heart and Subdivisions.
The Rush EuCon 2011 European Rush fan convention took place this past Saturday, October 1st at The Ferry in Glasgow, Scotland. The convention was a huge success and they managed to raise £873.60 for the MS Society. You can check out all the photos from the event on the Rush EUCon webite or Facebook page.
Speaking of Rush conventions, the 2011 Midwest Rush TabCon will take place next weekend (October 14-16) at St. Francis High School's Little Theater in St. Francis, WI. For more information be sure to visit the Rush TabCon website and to view videos of past performances, check out the Rush TabCon page on YouTube.
Rocksmith is an upcoming music video game from Ubisoft slated for release on October 18th that is similar to Guitar Hero and Rock Band but allows the player to plug in an actual electric guitar to use with the game. Unfortunately there are no Rush tracks included with the game, but the author of this article at The Gaming Vault thinks there should be:
Well, duh. As the ultimate trio, Rush would be an incredible addition to the Rocksmith lineup, not only being one of the most legendary progressive bands to ever exist, but being absolute masters of their respective instruments. Again, this is one of those DLC artists that would absolutely thrive with bass support in the game, as Geddy Lee is such a viciously awesome bassist. Plus, who wouldn't want to play like Alex Lifeson? Come on.
Classic Rush songs like "Spirit of Radio" would provide challenge for both guitarists and bassists alike, as would "Freewill" from the same album. Still others that would require just a bit less musicianship than these two listed, "Red Barchetta" would be another good one, having a relatively simple bass part with a fun guitar part as well.
HoustonRushFan let me know that another Canadian power trio - Triumph - was on Rockline Radio last week to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Allied Forces. In one regular feature on the show, a guest will leave a recorded question for a future guest. In Triumph's case, it was Alice Cooper asking the band if they would consider touring with Rush. The answer to the question was a simple no but the ensuing conversation is very amusing. You can listen to it online at this link - it's about one minute into the third clip.
Ready Player One is a new, critically-acclaimed sci-fi book from author, self-described seventies/eighties protonerd and Rush fan Ernest Cline. Ready Player One makes reference to several bands/songs of the '70s/'80s including Rush, and he even made a soundtrack for the book which contains 2 Rush songs; Temples of Syrinx and Subdivisions. Cline has been doing the book tour circuit traveling from place to place in his souped up Delorean - the ECTO88 - which contains many rare '80s pop-culture artifacts. He gives us a tour of the car in this video that was recently posted at kut.org (thanks RushFanForever). At about the 1:15 mark of the vid, he shows off the cassette tape collection in the car which consists of only Rush tapes. This is the same tape collection from the film Fanboys which Ernie Cline co-wrote. More info on the tape collection here.
This past week the satirical online newspaper The Onion has been playing up a story on how an asteroid will soon hit the Earth, destroying all mankind. Reader Mattybro sent me this video snippet from their coverage of the event where they report how Congress was bankrolling an epic prog-rock album to commemorate the event called Death of a Dark Star: Chaos Unbound featuring members of Dream Theater, Rush and King Crimson. You can check out the video at this link. Funny stuff. :)
Just a reminder that Rush's 2011 Time Machine Tour is in the running for the Eventful 2011 Fans' Choice Award for Best Tour of the Year at the 2011 Billboard Touring Awards. To vote for Rush just go to this link and demand Rush. Rush was awarded the Legend of Live award at last year's Billboard Touring Awards.
Here's the video trailer for Rush's upcoming Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland concert video:
That's it for this week. Rush is slated to begin recording Clockwork Angels sometime in the next couple of weeks. Have a great weekend!
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