RUSH IS A BAND

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Rush 2008 Snakes & Arrows tour venue list

UPDATE - 1/7@3:09PM: Since this post is getting cluttered with updates, I've started a new one. I'll discontinue updating this post and make any further updates to the new post.

UPDATE - 1/7@9:28AM: According to this there is a date set for that Detroit show I mentioned; June 10th. Thanks to krlowe for the heads up.

UPDATE - 1/4@12:30PM: This article (registration required) seems to confirm an April 30th date for the Monterrey, Mexico show. I'll tag it as no longer pending. Thanks to Carlos for the heads up.

UPDATE - 1/4@9:51AM: Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids is out, Joe Louis Arena in Detroit is in, and the Idaho Center in Boise, Idaho is another Pending date (thanks Brian B). I've updated the list and should have more updates in the next few days.

UPDATE - 12/21@10:59PM: It's been a crazy day (last minute work stuff, Christmas stuff, etc.) so I won't have my regular Updates and other random Rush stuff post ready until tomorrow. I'll have a lot of cool stuff in the update so stay tuned.

UPDATE - 12/21@7:28AM: I'll have my regular Friday Updates post later today. But for now I have some new information regarding venues. The Rhode Island gig is out in favor of the New Hampshire show. And we have a new one ... the SPAC in Saratoga Springs.

UPDATE - 12/20@10:08AM: As several of you pointed out, the Bank of Kentucky Center is currently under construction and probably won't be finished until late July at the earliest. And since the band does not want to extend the tour past July into August/September they've crossed this one off the list. Sorry Kentuckians!

Also, The Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA is now in the mix. This may put the Seattle show in doubt now - so I've switched that to a pending.

Regarding the Philadelphia show mentioned in the Rush press release; I've received a lot of feedback and suggestions from readers about what show they might be referring to. My guess is that the Hershey, PA (just 60 miles outside Philly) show may be what they were referring to. This is just my best guess though.

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UPDATE - 12/19@11:02PM: The pending New Hampshire show would be at the Verizon Wireless Arena (added to the list) sometime in July. That brings us up to 48 possible venues! However, from what I know, there will probably be no more than 43 actual cities covered - so 5 or so of the pending venues will likely be dropped. This will all be based on geography and availability; for instance - if the Rhode Island gig falls through than the New Hampshire gig is more likely to happen and vice versa.

The Jones Beach show is set for July 14 (Bastille Day!).

The band is still penciled in to play the Quebec City 400th anniversary celebration in the week of July 4th - but nothing is definite yet. Also, the original plan was to close out the tour here but that doesn't seem to be the case any longer.

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UPDATE - 12/19@9:42PM: One more thing that I'd forgotten to emphasize in all the excitement; none of this information is in any way official. So I wouldn't bother trying to contact Anthem/SRO about it - it is unlikely to yield any results. :) We'll all get the official word in a few weeks.

UPDATE - 12/19@9:15PM: Yet more updates ... (sorry- I just keep getting new info!) The Rhode Island gig should actually be listed as pending (I updated the list). And good news for Boston fans - TD Banknorth Garden will host Rush in July (I added to the list). There's also a New Hampshire gig pending - not sure of the venue yet though, so I'll keep it off the list for now. Some of you also noted that Van Andel Arena is actually in Grand Rapids - not Detroit (I updated the list). However... don't count Detroit out just yet... :)

The Atlantic City date is supposed to happen on July 4th. Still no word on whether they'll still be playing the Quebec City 400th anniversary celebration; I'm trying to get some info on that.

And... this is REALLY cool... an IMAX crew will be filming one of the shows!!! Not sure which one yet. Wow.

Also a reminder that - as I reported in November - the official tour date announcement will occur in the 2nd week of January with tickets going on sale at the end of January and early February.

And finally - let's remember that this info is still all subject to changes/additions at this point. I will report anything I find out as soon as I can. One thing that several of you asked about was the Philadelphia show alluded to in the Rush press release and I'm not sure what's up with that. I'll see what I can find out.

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UPDATE - 12/19@7:23PM: Oops! Left out a couple ... see the bottom of the list. Looks like they are going back to Red Rocks too. 46 now!

Just last week Rush officially announced the 2008 extension of the Snakes & Arrows tour. They confirmed that they'd kick off the tour this Spring in Puerto Rico and teased us a little by revealing a few of the cities the tour would cover. I was hoping that I'd get some advance information on more cities/venues and specific dates before year's end. Well... I haven't managed to get any specific dates yet but I did get my hands on a complete list of the venues the band plans on hitting. The list is not in any particular order as the exact dates and routes are still being determined. Venues that are still pending a final decision are indicated with an asterisk (*), while all the other venues are essentially confirmed. The band is also leaving the option open for a second show in Puerto Rico if needed. Again - the list is not in order (except for the Puerto Rico show). Neil Peart drum roll...

Coliseo De Puerto Rico - San Juan, PR (April 11, 2 nights possibly)
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena - Jacksonville, FL
Amway Arena - Orlando, Florida
Honda Center - Anaheim, CA
Staples Center - Los Angeles, CA
Jones Beach - Wantagh, NY (July 14)
PNC Arts Center - Homdel, NJ
Oracle Arena - Oakland, CA
New Orleans Arena - New Orleans, LA
* Gwinnett Arena - Duluth, GA
Giant Center - Hershey, PA
Boardwalk Hall - Atlantic City, NJ (July 4th)
Scottrade Center - St.Louis, MO
Schottenstein Center - Columbus, OH
* Jobing.com Arena - Glendale, AZ
Ford Center - Oklahoma, OK
John Paul Jones Arena - Charlottesville, VA
Molson Amphitheater - Toronto, ON
Credit Union Centre - Saskatoon, SK
* Bank of Kentucky Center - Highland Heights, KY
* Carlson Center - Fairbanks, Alaska
Sears Centre - Hoffman Estates/Chicago, IL
Civic Center - Portland, ME
Van Andel Arena - Grand Rapids, MI
Tingley Coliseum - Albuquerque, NM
Frank Erwin Center - Austin, TX
* Everett Events Center - Seattle, WA
* U.S. Cellular Arena - Milwaukee, WI
* Toyota Center - Houston, TX
Verizon Wireless Pavilion - Charlotte, NC
Monterrey Arena - Monterrey, MEX (April 30)
New England Dodge Music Center - Hartford, CT
* Dunkin Donuts Center - Providence, RI
* Fed Ex Forum - Memphis, TN
Estadio do Maracana - Rio de Janiero, BRAZIL
Estadio do Morumbi - Sao Paulo , BRAZIL
Castelao - Fortaleza, BRAZIL
Estadio Beira-Rio - Porto Alegre, BRAZIL
Estadio de Nacional Chile - Santiago, Chile (May 1)
El Monumental - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Estadio de Nacional Peru - Lima, Peru (May 4)
MTS Centre - Winnipeg, MB
Halifax Metro Centre - Halifax, NS
Harbour Station - St.John, New Brunswick
Red Rocks Amphitheater - Morrison, Colorado
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino - Las Vegas, Nevada
TD Banknorth Garden - Boston, MA (July)
Verizon Wireless Arena - Manchester, NH (July)
The Gorge Amphitheater - George, WA
SPAC - Saratoga Springs, NY (June 30)
Joe Louis Arena - Detroit, MI (June 10)
*Idaho Center - Boise, ID

So there you have it; forty-seven forty-eight cities. Now we just need some dates... and the setlist! w00t!