Review
Rush plays for hardcore fans in Irvine, possibly for the last time
OC Register, 31.07.2015
Rush knows how to laugh at itself, packing its R40 tour with video parodies, cartoon band members and even a polka version of one of its greatest hits.
But there was nothing funny Thursday about Rush’s musicianship at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre. These guys are hardcore. And their three-hour set was aimed at hardcore fans, with few of the radio hits.
This wasn’t Rush for beginners. Yet even for the uninitiated, it would be hard not to appreciate guitarist Alex Lifeson’s lightening-fast fingers, Geddy Lee’s intricate bass lines and Neil Peart’s thunderous drums.
There’s so much going on at a Rush concert even the unfamiliar is captivating.
You get a sense of how rabid the fans are when they cheered wildly when roadies pulled the tarp off of Peart’s drum set.
The R40 tour commemorates the 40th anniversary of Peart joining the Canadian band. Besides playing drums, Peart is also the lyricist, taking fans on soaring science fiction-based trips that fit perfectly with the band’s synthesized progressive rock sound. (That’s Lee playing the Moog synthesizer as well as the bass, and vocals.)
One of the night’s ironies was listening to Rush play “Subdivisions” – an ode to non-conformity – in Irvine, the home of the beige housing tract.
“Be cool or be cast out,” Lee belted.
The show began with blistering takes on “The Anarchist,” “Clockwork Angels” and “Headlong Flight,” with a drum solo by Peart that was short but satisfying.
Starting on such an energized note, Rush had the packed amphitheater on its feet, with little time to rest for fan or band. Air drums pounded the night. Fans plucked away on imaginary bass guitars.
On stage, Lee stalked and played through long interludes, not so much “slapping the bass,” as spanking it. He plays bass like a lead guitar and dances a little shimmy.
At some points, his high voice seemed to break and he sought refuge in the lower notes. But Rush is coming to the end of a long tour – one rumored to be their last.
The overall sound mix seemed mushy at times, with the vocals and bass inaudible over the guitar and drums.
Pity, because these are some of the most imaginative and witty lyrics you will find in rock.
“Polarize me, sensitize me, criticize me, civilize me, compensate me, animate me,” Lee sings, performing “Animate.”
As for Lifeson, some guitarists play fast simply to play fast. But there is a point to each note Lifeson hits, an artistry to match his speed.
And Peart’s drumming is so nuanced, from the tom toms to the bells. It’s a workout just watching him.
Of course the band played “Tom Sawyer,” a powerful staple of every Rush concert, followed shortly by “The Spirit of Radio.”
And there was a singalong to “Closer to the Heart.”
Then it was back to the deep cuts spanning 40 years, including the Zeppelinesque “What You’re Doing.”
If this is truly its last tour, than Rush will have left it all on the stage, with nothing held back.
“Exit the warrior, today’s Tom Sawyer.”
Tony Saavedra