Entertainment

June 30, 2007

Review: Rush fans rewarded for loyalty

A pounding and polished act from longtime Canadian band gets many standing ovations.

ALAN K. STOUT

SCRANTON – It’s hard to view a band like Rush as having a “cult” following, but that is how some people see the Canadian-based power trio.

Perhaps it’s because, during its 33-year history, the band has scored only a small handful of hits, and even those weren’t big chart busters. But considering the group has sold 35 million albums, and that some of its songs are still staples at classic rock radio, and that whenever it hits the road for a tour, thousands of people show up each night, “cult” just doesn’t seem like the right word.

Rush, without question, is still a very big rock band and a very good rock band, and proved it to the passionate crowd of more than 8,000 on Friday night at the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain with a pounding and polished performance.

The group, touring in support of its new CD, “Snakes & Arrows,” opened the set with 1981’s “Limelight,” one of the signature songs from its milestone LP, “Moving Pictures.” Immediately, the musical prowess of vocalist bassist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart was on display. Rush, more than anything, has always been known as being virtuoso musicians, and nothing has changed, as was evident by an excellent performance of the edgy yet funky “Digital Man.”

The group peppered its first set with several tacks from the new album, including “The Larger Bowl” and the jammy “The Main Monkey Business.” Both were well-received, but the crowd obviously roared a bit louder when the band dug a bit deeper into its catalog with a crisp performance of “Freewill” and a slightly trippy rendition of “Circumstances.”

The staging was simple, save for some nice use of video screens, traditional concert lighting, a touch of dry ice and an occasional shot of laser lights. For Rush, which puts music before visuals, it was the perfect touch. Entertaining, but not Spinal Tap.

The first set ended with “Dreamiline,” and after an intermission, the band returned with even more selections from the new album. For some artists with such a lengthy history, this might be a problem, but not this Toronto tandem. Blessed with an incredibly loyal fan base, its fans – unlike many that fall into a classic rock category – actually still go out and buy the group’s new albums. Still, the band’s fans also likely wanted to hear “Spirit Of Radio,” “Tom Sawyer,” “Subdivisions” and, of course, a dazzling drum solo from Peart.

They got that, too, and Rush got the standing ovations.

Every band wishes it had such a “cult” following.

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