Rush @ The Halifax Metro Centre – July 12th, 2013

Jul 12 - Rush in Halifax 8308-34Before I ran home and churned out a tainted review of Rush’s long overdue return to the stages of Halifax,  I wanted to let my experience stew a bit and really wanted to let the show sink in and I think the show has finally percolated enough to write a semi-coherent review of the show.  When the announcement came down that Rush was coming to town, I loaded up the greatest hits album and took it for a spin and was astounded that I knew every single track on it.  I knew very few that were interested in seeing Rush, so I snagged a single ticket via an early Pre-Sale and got 10th Row seats, so I was stoked to be on the floor for Rush’s epic return (note the bar that I set with my expectations).

(Side Note: I’m not sure if that’s just an imprint that music geeks are born with, but Rush has always been a fixture of Canadian rock-radio for better or for worse.  I’ve heard the case be made a thousand times over as to exactly why Rush is the greatest Canadian Rock band, and for a long time I would have countered that argument with The Tragically Hip, but after Friday Night, I think Rush has won that title with ease.)

My relationship with Rush was quite indirect, I own copies of 2112 and Permanent Waves, and knew all of the greatest hits thanks to Can Con regulations, so through Osmosis, I was familiar enough, but far from an expert on the band, so I was going in a clean slate with little more than an expectation of seeing a very special night of rock n roll.  I also knew that the chances of seeing “Closer to the Heart” were almost non-existent and would like to have heard “Tom Sawyer”, “Limelight” and “Spirit of Radio” (all of which they played), but I knew nothing of Clockwork Angels.  I was going in cold, so I expected it to be an interesting night.

I got to the show and met up with my buddy Tristan who happened to order tickets through the same pre-sale and was sitting in the seat adjacent, so that was cool as he’s a fellow music geek/concert goer.  Then the cloud of smoke built on the stage and the giant LCD screen kicked in and distracted folks while the roadies ripped the covers off of the gear and away we went as Geddy, Alex and Neil tore into Subdivisions and before you knew it the opening set was in the books and it was good mix of fan favorites and deep cuts and took us roughly an hour to reach the intermission.   When the trio of Canadian rock dinosaurs returned to continue tearing the roof off of the Metro Centre, they were accompanied by their Clockwork Angels string ensemble and proceeded to treat the crowd to the majority of their latest concept album Clockwork Angels.  While I was there on the grounds of hearing the Greatest Hits, this may have been my favorite segment of the show, I really loved each and every cut from this disc especially their current single “The Wreckers”, it just showcased that they are by no means done making new relevant music and after leaving the show I went and tracked down a copy and was really astounded by how good and how current the record sounds.  

To wrap up the second segment of the set, the lads treated the crowd to “YYZ” and “The Spirit of Radio” and then they said their goodbyes to the crowd and disappeared backstage.  After a small pause, Geddy, Alex and Neil returned to the stage to snap into Tom Sawyer and closed the night out with 3 of the 7 parts of 2112 (1,2, and 7).  The final video rolled (which was quite entertaining, like the other clips which preceded it) and the house lights came up and the crowd was left to ponder what they just saw.  Down the row to my left were a trio of three sweaty head-bangers who sucked up every moment and rocked out like no one else for the better part of the 3 hour set.

People can say what they will about the set-list and the merits of playing/not playing the Greatest HIts, but after seeing three of the most technically proficient musicians rock out for 3 hours, I was in awe.  I just wish I felt like I left the Metro Centre having witnessed something special, rather than having just seen a Rush concert.  I’m gauging this on my concert going experience and how I felt during and after the show, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that they played badly or anything of that sort, it just didn’t rock my socks off as I expected it to.  Pre-concert, the energy was abuzz outside, but once I got inside it died off.  I’m not sure if it was due to the regimented nature of their set, or the fact that I didn’t have the familiarity with the material which caused the disconnect, but it was there regardless.  I walked out of the Metro Centre thinking that I had just witnessed a rock concert but on my a trio of talented musicians, but there was nothing overly exciting or noteworthy.  It’s not a case like with U2 where I vowed never to see Bono and Co again, because I would go see Geddy and Co again now that I know what to expect.

All in all, it was a great show, I was glad I snagged a ticket, it just isn’t a show that will break into my top 10 concerts of all time.

About the author

Trev

A proud and over-caffeinated husband, father, runner and writer. I've written for the local weekly The Coast for over a decade and have since taken to creating and writing for HAFILAX for even longer. I hope you enjoy the musings of a guy who has loved music for the better part of 4 decades, and has an album of concert tickets to show for it.

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