Okee dokee folks… I was fortunate to be in attendance for the sold-out Rush concert, night two, at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday, November 1. It had been forty+ years since I’d seen the band live. I first saw them in the mid '70s, as an opening act, for what band I don’t recall. They were one of my arena rock favs when I was a teenager and I’m glad I was able to catch them a few times back then. The Rush show at Mohegan Sun was light years ahead of the ones that I witnessed as a teen. Back then it was all about the music -- 3 guys on stage under the colored lights rocking the auditorium. The Mohegan show was a musical and visual extravaganza that I have never seen the likes of before. Wow!
The massive stage and array was shrouded initially by a mesh video screen that was see through when there wasn’t content playing. The number “50” was repeated across the screen as this was the “fifty-something tour.” At 7:45 a video began where three Rush fans were searching for the band in a fantasy land. They encountered several characters, some were Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson in disguise. At one point they entered a room where Paul Rudd and Jason Segel were reprising their roles from the film I Love You, Man. Rush music was a big part of that film. Finally the three entered a room where very, very old Geddy and Alex were sitting. There was something to do with a closet and then bright light. The real Geddy and Neil were already behind the video screen, armed with double neck instruments, and playing “Xanadu” as the lights grew brighter. The front screen rose and exposed the stage set which looked like a building roof with air vents, water tanks, satellite dishes, as well as an enormous backdrop video screen. The songs, “Dreamline,” “Subdivisions,” and “Headlong Flight” followed, and then there was the first of a few remembrance videos for the late Neil Peart.
Geddy talked about his bandmate, Neil, and how he grew as a lyricist and wrote about subjects from dogs in space to loss and recovering from loss. He told the story of the band coming off tour in 1977 and going right into a studio in the UK. He described a rural setting with sheep and cows and the three of them sitting in a courtyard playing acoustic instruments and writing “A Farewell to Kings.” Alex started this one on a stand-mounted classical guitar before going electric. “Spirit of the Radio” closed out the first set and the screen timer started counting down from 25 minutes for intermission.
Before I left for the show I had printed out Friday night’s setlist as a reference. They played a somewhat different show than the previous night. During the Friday show they focused on the album 2112, whereas Sunday’s show included all of Moving Pictures.
When the countdown finished, a video of the South Park cartoon characters started. Cartman was trying to play the song “Tom Sawyer.” It was the perfect intro for Rush to launch into that one and start set 2. As Geddy sang the words, “He gets high on you,” Alex mimed smoking a joint and made stoned facial expressions. If you watched Alex during the show he often did goofy things related to the song lyrics. “Red Barchetta” ended with a “Beep, Beep” from the Road Runner cartoon. Geddy told the audience he was going to turn it over to, “My main sausage, Alex,” to talk about the next song. Alex was flummoxed and babbled, “It has something to do with fruit.” The song was “Limelight.” After performing a couple more songs from Moving Pictures, Geddy commented that when recording it they needed four more minutes of music to finish the album and so they came up with “Vital Signs.”
“Time Stands Still” featured a video of Aimee Mann singing her part from the song as well as a riderless motorcycle animation that was another nod to Neil Peart. “Closer to the Heart" and “2112 parts I, II, and VII,” with the voice over part -- “Attention all planets of the solar federation: We have assumed control,” ending the set. The encore, of course there was an encore, was “By-Tor & the Snow Dog,” and “Working Man.” The band -- Geddy, Alex, Anika Nilles (drums), and Loren Gold (who played background keyboards with very little fanfare in the back of the stage) lined up and took a bow. The video screen lit up and Jason Segel and Paul Rudd were back doing their I Love You, Man routine.
This show was one of the most spectacular concerts that I have ever attended. The audience certainly got a bang for their buck: literally. There were explosions, erupting fire, lasers, smoke, and more. The music was more of an amazing soundtrack to the stunning spectacle. It was almost a sensory overload. Alex and Geddy are in their early 70s but were still very energetic during the 2 ½-hour show. Geddy’s voice held out fairly well though there were cracks and some of the higher notes were dropped down. Regardless, they played well and delivered an extremely entertaining show.
It was obvious to anyone watching the band on stage that they still have fun playing music and enjoy what they do. I had recently seen a documentary about Rush that was made after the band retired. Neil’s health was the primary factor in the decision to end Rush. It was unfortunate that Neil Peart passed away in 2020, but it seemed to allow Geddy and Alex the opportunity to think about performing once again. With the addition of Anika Nilles on drums they were able to come back. She had quite the throne to fill and she did just that, exceptionally well. The band’s return made a lot of fans very happy, including this one!
That’s it for now. You can listen to my podcasts at motifri.com/rootsreportpodcast. You can find my concert photographs (including the Rush show) at motifri.com/fuzeksfotos. Thanks for reading and listening.
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