>> and by the end of the decade there was Rush, a Yes-obsessed trio of Canadians who received even worse reviews than their British forebears
Ehehe. Pretty big fan Rush here (and Yes as well).
I see Rush as the ultimate power trio in rock: well thought lyrics (usually) accompanied by top notch musicianship but somehow still accessible by mere mortals. Want something weirder? Try King Crimson or Zappa.
Somehow those 3 dudes don't possess the usual rock star aura like Led Zep or The Who. They just look your neighbors' dads who have been friends for many many years.
Yes, they retired few years ago and with Neil's passing, it's completely impossible for me to see them play. Perhaps Muse it the closest thing we have to Rush...
Poor Rush... a great band that managed to entirely re-invent itself at least twice maintaining its quality, forever relegated to the backwoods as "nerd rock." Wearing your rush T-shirt in high school pretty much guaranteed you wouldn't get laid, but I didn't care: everyone except me is wrong. Alex Lifeson is the worlds most criminally underrated guitarist and I'll take that to my grave.
It doesn’t help that their entire catalog is reduced to three songs continually recycled on Classic rock stations.
I’ve seen every tour since Power Windows (‘86). All of them have been clever, funny, very professional, and respectful to their fans. I remember Geddy practically trapped by being almost buried in keyboards during the “Hold Your Fire” tour. The South Park “Lil Rush” short is on point about what this band is about live. (I laugh just thinking about it.) And I’m glad they were able to salvage the recording to capture the energy that was the “Rush in Rio” album. I will say none of the crowds at my concerts sang along to “YYZ”.
Their final album tour was extraordinary, particularly with the string section. It was one of my top concert experiences, along with Pink Floyd’s Division Bell (PULSE) tour (boy was that a spectacle). That said, the execution of their final tour was perfect as they counted down almost their entire catalog against a constantly shifting stage piece.
These guys constantly produced and performed for 40 years, never resting on their laurels. Total pros.
I went to a Coheed and Cambria concert where my girlfriend was seemingly the only woman there, at least in the standing area. Very high energy and great fans despite the smell.
And so many middling-band metal shows that were essentially free to get into. The shows were great but “crossover popular appeal” was an impossibility.
Coheed and Cambria is also cool.
Back when lockdown was globally started in 2020, Coheed's Claudio collabed with Les Claypool (Primus), Danny Carey (Tool), Bill Kelliher (Mastodon) to cover Rush's classic track Anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fULwDbZ4iSU
Ehehe. Pretty big fan Rush here (and Yes as well). I see Rush as the ultimate power trio in rock: well thought lyrics (usually) accompanied by top notch musicianship but somehow still accessible by mere mortals. Want something weirder? Try King Crimson or Zappa.
Somehow those 3 dudes don't possess the usual rock star aura like Led Zep or The Who. They just look your neighbors' dads who have been friends for many many years.
Yes, they retired few years ago and with Neil's passing, it's completely impossible for me to see them play. Perhaps Muse it the closest thing we have to Rush...