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rush in charlotte: concert review

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Last night I made the trek to Charlotte to see Rush at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. I was not disappointed.

Having seen Rush at least four times, and at least once in each of the last three decades, I can honestly say that they are still on top of their game. Vocalist/basist/keyboardist Geddy Lee does so much on stage that I actually got tired while watching him. Guitarist Alex Lifeson, although slightly pudgy and balding demonstrated some amazing guitar riffs throughout the night.

Still amazing to me is the fact that this three-piece band is so dead-on in concert. A lot of four or five-piece bands when touring add several supporting musicians on stage to replicate the sound that we hear on their albums... not Rush. Along with Lee and Lifeson, drummer Neil Peart has been a legend in the rock world since Rush burst onto the scene in 1973 with the single Not Fade Away. Peart did a 15 minute drum solo that was truly one of the best that I have seen. With a rotating drum set, Peart was able to not just give his Canadian band mates a rest, but was actually able to entertain the crowd for what would have been a long solo for other drummers. The video crew did a great job of showing the crowd on several video screens just how hard he was working.

The concert began about 15 minutes late, at 7:45 with a funny video intro which featured all three band members, followed by Limelight, Digital Man, Ghost of a Chance, Mission, Freewill, and The Main Monkey Business. Next was a video featuring Doug and Bob McKenzie that led to the song The Larger Bowl. If you don't remember the McKenzie Brothers, they were the pair (played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas) from SCTV, famous for the line "Take Off, Eh", and calling each other "hosers". If you are under 30, ask your parents about them. Next was Red Barchetta, that is probably my favorite Rush song. While the band played this song, about an Italian sportscar, video screens showed moving road images that made the song even better. The trio then continued with The Trees, Between the Wheels, and Dreamline before Geddy Lee announced to the Charlotte crowd that they need a break because "As you can see, we are no longer spring chickens". The "chickens" comment might have been a subtle reference to the rows of chickens that could be seen "roasting" in several speakers behind Geddy Lee. As part of this bazaar stage display a "chef" would periodically walk out, open the doors to the speakers and baste the rotating chickens.

After a 35 minute break the band fired the show back up with another funny video that featured actor Jerry Stiller. The concert continued with Far Cry, Workin' The Angels, Armor and Sword, Spindrift, The Way the Wind Blows, Subdivisions, Natural Science, Witch Hunt, Malignant Narcissism, Hope, The Spirit of Radio, and 2112. Next up was a video of Comedy Central's cartoon South Park playing Tom Sawyer using the wrong lyrics, when one of the characters interrupts demanding that the song be sung correctly... which Rush then obliged.

The band played three encores including; One LIttle Victory, A Passage to Bangkok, and YYZ.

I can't say enough about how well Rush still sounds after all these years. I am not sure that you could find a more technically sound group of live performers, they were truly impressive last night in Charlotte.

CLICK HERE to check out some photos from the concert!

Filed under: Concerts