"The Greatest that can be..."

Nissan Pavilion, July 9, 2002 - An evening with Rush.

Not only am I a "Joe Woodworker", I also might be considered a "Joe Rush Fan". Yeah, I have all of their CD's and some vinyl too and I do have all of my old Rush concert ticket stubs. Rush is the only music I genuinely enjoy listening to, but I don't have hordes of memorabilia and locks of Geddy's hair displayed around my house. Does this qualify me differently as a Rush fan? I don't think it does. The gratification you get from listening to any band can't be measured by anyone other than the listener. Only the listener knows his/her own level of excitement. This is qualified by your own willingness to sacrifice time and effort to listen (not necessarily hear) to their music. I partly measure my own excitement by the goose bumps I get when I listen at home, in the car, and of course, at the show.

As Rush fans, we count ourselves among the lucky. If you have ever looked at a painted masterpiece and wished that you could see the beauty that everyone else is so enchanted by, you might... well... feel left out. Rush songs are masterpieces and many people would argue this intensely. They don't see the hidden beauty, subtle details, and personal touch in every work Rush has performed, just as I do not see the same in a painted masterpiece.

Last night, Rush performed a most incredible, 3 hour set in Bristow, Virginia and I felt it necessary to write a brief review of this great night.

We arrived early. Too early. Ok then... not early enough. What the hell am I talking about? We arrived at the parking lot at 5:30pm, which was considerably earlier than expected and was due to uncommonly light traffic. With nothing else to do, we decided to walk to the gate entrance to chat with our fellow Rush fans. There was an unusually low volume of chit-chat, which I surmised as a result of lack of energy from standing in the hot sun. Within moments, I realized that we were all being quiet because we were listening to Geddy, Alex, and Neil warm up. They played "Distant Early Warning" and "Tom Sawyer". Evidently, they had played "The Trees" before we had arrived at the gate. Like I said... as it were, we arrived not early enough. The interesting part is that "The Trees" was not on the night's set list.

Highlights in brief...

• Geddy, Alex and Neil were uncommonly relaxed, playful, and energetic which only makes the audience even happier to have the chance to spend an evening with the band. We love seeing them perform these demanding songs with such a great approach. It only serves to show their mastery of the craft.
• At one point, Geddy was playing next to Neil as Alex approached the microphone with his normal antics in position and ready for launch. Alex asked if the "bass player could do this..." and Alex mouth played this awesome 4-second bass beat. Geddy wistfully returned a flawless rendition and Alex wasn't impressed. Next, Alex asked, "if the drummer could do this..." and he mouthed a complex, yet cool drum fill. Neil happily obliged. It was incredible yet Alex blew it off like cracker crumbs. Lastly, Alex asked, "if the guitar player could do this..." and he spoke a simple and quick "waaaaa-aaa-aaa" and then he played it on the guitar. Quickly returning to the microphone, Alex announced, "Now that was good!" Well... the crowd went nuts. There was a huge uproar as Neil and Geddy heartily laughed. It did this Rush fan a world of good to see Neil smile.
  Neil's percussion solo introduced a small compilation of big band rhythms during one section and it was superb. A very nice addition, Mr. Peart.
• The acoustic version of Resist, which has never been among my favorite Rush tunes, was heartfelt, endearing, and emotional. When Alex shook Geddy's hand at the end, I think we all wanted to shed tears. Wow!
• During "The Spirit of Radio" I watched as Neil glanced at Geddy and then at Alex. He then looked down and vaguely smiled as if saying to himself how happy he was to be there, with friends, and doing what he does so well.
• Of course, the crowd was exhilarated and not too drunk either.

Lowlights in brief...

• The only exception to the otherwise excellent sound was Neil's snare drum which was almost painfully loud - like a shot gun.
• The set list was so-so. I could definitely do without Tom Sawyer. The absence of "Vapor Trail" absolutely stunned me.
• I know nothing whatsoever about guitars, but it seemed a bit eccentric that Alex changed guitars for just about every song. Given the lesser magnitude of the sound, I was surprised by the lack of clarity in some of the songs. In light of this, I doubt any of us would have recognized a change in the sound of Alex's guitar from one song to another. Just my two cents.
• Just before the drum solo was about to begin, Alex was wearing down his final chord of "Leave That Thing Alone" as he walked off stage. His exit was unmistakably premature. During the solo, he sat on the stage side reading a magazine. I guess there isn't much else to do during the drum solo but I thought he could have remained on stage until Geddy's chord was complete. Petty, I know.

During the intermission, I had the opportunity to speak briefly to a local DJ and Rush fan himself. He interviewed Geddy before the show. He told me that Geddy and Alex arrived by plane to this and many of the shows and come out of New York. He said that Neil had arrived this evening by motorcycle. I found this surprising but understandable. I thought to myself... How's does he know where to go when he arrives at the concert? Does he carry some sort of card that proves he is part of the show? Imagine being on the security staff and having some schmoe pull up on a BMW motorcycle and claim, "I'm the drummer for tonight's show". Yeah right!

My original seat for the evening was 7th row, center. However, $100 and a friendly conversation got me bumped to 3rd row, center. A big "Thank you" to the guy who switched with me. It was worth every penny. I know that I made eye-contact with each member of the band at least once during the show. I thought that was pretty cool.

And to think that 2 seats to my left would have put me squarely in the path of Alex's guitar pick. D'oh!

On the way home from the show, I felt rejuvenated, recharged, ready to rejoin to the world, and to take my place within it as a husband, woodworker, and still a Rush fan.

This morning, as I write this article, I feel strangely alone. The kind of alone you feel when a distant family member visits for the day and then must go home. The way you feel at the airport when you watch your wife or son or uncle take off. And I suspect that today will turn into tomorrow like greased lightning.

I am sure I will spend the day remembering last night as I perform my normal responsibilities and before I know it, it will be time to go to bed. It reminds me of the day after you return from a vacation. It goes by quick because you spend the day catching up and remembering good times.

I can't wait to start my day and get outside to be with people (which is unusual for me). I can't help but wonder what Geddy, Alex, and Neil are doing right now. I'd love to have each of them to my house for "an evening with Joe". In fact, if you are Geddy, Alex or Neil, consider this an official invitation to my home whenever you are in the Forest Hill, MD area.

Maybe I could turn Neil a pair of drum sticks or make Geddy a table or sell some veneer to Alex. Yeah...that's the ticket!

I thank my most-understanding wife for staying up with me last night as I rattled off every detail of the evening and I look forward to her arrival home tonight from work so we can continue our conversation.

And just as importantly, I thank Neil Peart, Alex Lifeson, and Geddy Lee for an evening filled with goose bumps. I can't wait to see you again!

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