As of 2010, Rush has released 37 albums including new material, compilations, and live shows. Working men Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart can ostensibly ride the wave of their talents until their arms fall off to the elation of fans worldwide. Apropos, you can now hear a couple of tracks from latest album Clockwork Angels, which will see the light of day later this year (via Classic Rock Magazine).
Titled “Brought Up To Believe” and “Caravan”, these two songs tread little new ground for the trio, but that’s hardly what Rush is about. They’ve reached the point in their careers where it’s clearly about their music and their fans, and it’s difficult to critique these songs with any sort of modern perspective. This is Rush doing what Rush loves to do. Take it or leave it.
“We take the music seriously,” Alex Lifeson said, in a Time Out NY interview earlier this year, “and we try to play the best that we can. But weve always been very lighthearted about the band itself. I laughed at I Love You, Man with the rest of the crowd.” How do you hate on a breath of fresh air like that?
If you want to coast through life without seeing Rush live, that’s fine. Different strokes, I suppose. But if you’ve been itching to see them, why don’t you check them out this tour, where they’ll be debuting many tracks from the new album, along with playing their critically acclaimed and fan favorite album Moving Pictures in its entirety. Expect near 3 hours of music from 3 guys who still sit at the peak of their talent. “By Tor And The Snow Dog” ages well while “Tom Sawyer” feels like it was written yesterday.
No live show? How about a documentary. If you want to know more about these lighthearted Canadian men who’ve inspired more air-guitar/drum/bass than arguably anyone, you can check a screening of Rush’s new rock-doc Beyond The Lighted Stage, which hopes to reveal the underlying theme of all these years of prog. The film won the Heineken Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival, so maybe Rush is reaching out to a new constituency. Browse on over to the movie’s website for information on screenings. Beyond The Lighted Stage opens in select theaters June 10th.
Check out the two new songs and the tour dates below. Tickets for the tour are available via Livenation.com.
“Brought Up To Believe”
“Caravan”
Rush 2010 Tour Dates:
06/29 Albuquerque, NM @ Hard Rock Casino
07/01 Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
07/02 Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
07/05 Chicago, IL @ Charter One Pavilion
07/09 Sarina, ON @ Rogers Sarina Bayfest
07/13 Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
07/15 Quebec City, QC @ Festival dété de Québec
07/17 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
07/19 Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun
07/21 Philadelphia, PA @ Susquehanna Bank Center
07/23 Saratoga Springs, NY @ SPAC
07/24 Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach
08/05 Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
08/07 Seattle, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
08/09 San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
08/11 Los Angeles, CA @ LA Forum
08/13 Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
08/14 Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
08/16 Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
08/20 Wichita, KS @ INTRUST Bank Arena
08/22 St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
08/25 Omaha, NE @ Qwest Center
08/27 St. Paul, MN @ Minnesota State Fair
08/29 Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
08/31 Allentown, PA @ Allentown Fair
09/02 Syracuse, NY @ New York State Fair
09/03 Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
09/14 Boston, MA @ TD Garden
09/16 Pittsburgh, PA @ Consol Energy Center
09/18 Washington, DC @ Jiffy Lube Live Amphitheater
09/21 Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
09/23 San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
09/25 Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
09/26 Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center
09/29 Atlanta, GA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
10/01 Tampa, FL @ Ford Amphitheatre
10/02 West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheatre