In 1991 while attending college at UW Stout I turned on a housemate/friend to Rush, he especially loved watching the concert film A Show Of Hands that I had on VHS. We went to see Rush live in Minneapolis with some of our other housemates on their latest Roll The Bones tour. This was an interesting album title, a phrase I heard from my older brother who was a serious gambler at the time, it referred to shooting the dice in a craps game. The concept of the album was about the chances we take in the game of life. The lyrics to a song called Bravado from that album made me think about times I’ve tried hard doing a difficult task but failed, like passing a very tough accounting or math course in college:
If we burn our wings, flying to close to the sun
If the moment of glory is over before it’s begun
If the dream is won, though paradise is lost, we will pay the price, but we will not count the cost.
When the dust has cleared, and victory denied, a summit too lofty, a river a little too wide.
If we keep our pride, though everything is lost, we will pay the price, but we will not count the cost.
I was in a state of loneliness during these years, but another song from the album, Ghost Of A Chance reminded me to keep hopeful about finding that special someone:
I don’t believe in destiny, or the guiding hand of fate.
I don’t believe in forever, or love as a mystical state.
I don’t believe in the stars or the planets, or angels watching from above.
But I believe there’s a ghost of a chance we can find someone to love…and make it last..
This live performance by Rush seemed even better than the first time I saw them. They played longer and went deeper into their archives of early songs, plus I enjoyed the background video of the title track for Roll The Bones which had skeleton speaking a goofy rap- like segment, with total nonsensical lyrics. Apparently Neil can write those kind as well as brilliant, reflective and deeply intellectual ones.
Jack relax
Get busy with the facts
No zodiacs or almanacs
or maniacs in polyester slacks
Just the facts
It’s a parallax you dig?
You move around
The small get big it’s a rig
The band was certainly unafraid to experiment with different types of music. My housemates all loved the show although one of them weirdly stated: “Yeah, Rush was great but I really loved Eric Johnson (guitarist who was the opening act) he just slayed it maaannn!“ Whatever, dude…I think I also saw Rush again while back home in Milwaukee on the second leg of that tour, but I can’t quite remember - memory loss being part of growing older, I certainly was as the band was. I got heavier, so did Alex Lifeson,
If we burn our wings, flying to close to the sun
If the moment of glory is over before it’s begun
If the dream is won, though paradise is lost, we will pay the price, but we will not count the cost.
When the dust has cleared, and victory denied, a summit too lofty, a river a little too wide.
If we keep our pride, though everything is lost, we will pay the price, but we will not count the cost.
I was in a state of loneliness during these years, but another song from the album, Ghost Of A Chance reminded me to keep hopeful about finding that special someone:
I don’t believe in destiny, or the guiding hand of fate.
I don’t believe in forever, or love as a mystical state.
I don’t believe in the stars or the planets, or angels watching from above.
But I believe there’s a ghost of a chance we can find someone to love…and make it last..
This live performance by Rush seemed even better than the first time I saw them. They played longer and went deeper into their archives of early songs, plus I enjoyed the background video of the title track for Roll The Bones which had skeleton speaking a goofy rap- like segment, with total nonsensical lyrics. Apparently Neil can write those kind as well as brilliant, reflective and deeply intellectual ones.
Jack relax
Get busy with the facts
No zodiacs or almanacs
or maniacs in polyester slacks
Just the facts
It’s a parallax you dig?
You move around
The small get big it’s a rig
The band was certainly unafraid to experiment with different types of music. My housemates all loved the show although one of them weirdly stated: “Yeah, Rush was great but I really loved Eric Johnson (guitarist who was the opening act) he just slayed it maaannn!“ Whatever, dude…I think I also saw Rush again while back home in Milwaukee on the second leg of that tour, but I can’t quite remember - memory loss being part of growing older, I certainly was as the band was. I got heavier, so did Alex Lifeson,
and balder, so did Neil Peart,
Geddy Lee still looked kinda like a witch but one sporting a goatee and pony tail.
His voice also softened a bit, no longer sounding like a hamster in overdrive. I did see Rush twice on their next tour behind their Test For Echo album both times in Milwaukee at the Marcus Amphitheater on a beautiful summer night and in winter at the Bradley Center (now torn down, sadly). I was working full time and making good money at my family’s concrete block plant so I could now afford good lower level seats for these shows. Not in the first ten rows like the true fanatics and contest winners but close enough to not have to look through binoculars to see the band members strumming guitars and hitting drums!
Rush went on a five year hiatus after Neil’s daughter died in car crash, then a year later he lost his wife to cancer (extremely sad); he healed and found a new wife on a motorcycle journey from Quebec to the Arctic then all the way down to Mexico. He wrote an excellent book about that experience which I enjoyed reading called Ghost Rider. In 2002, the band finally returned with a new album called Vapor Trails followed by another tour. Again I saw them twice, and I was actually married at this time. I took my wife (first one) to one of the shows at the Marcus Amphitheater, she was enough of a fan to join me. I figured out afterwards that it’s more fun to go with a fellow Rush loving buddy, she seemed to enjoy the music but I think her favorite parts of the show were the fireworks afterwards and the fact that there wasn’t a long line for the women’s bathroom. [I have heard this from Tiffy and our other college friend, who have been to Rush shows - Famous Hat.]
Two years later Rush returned with a 30th anniversary tour, which I also saw them twice on, by myself down in Illinois and with an old hometown friend, again at the amphitheater. Ticket prices were significantly higher than before but still affordable compared to today’s outrageously high prices (more on that later). The show was three hours long with the band playing many deep tracks unexpectedly along with their classic hits. There were also goofy, very random props on stage such as washing machines along with statues of gnomes, making the show an even more fun atmosphere for the fans as well as the band.
Three songs from the 1989 Hold Your Fire album made me think of happenings my life. One called Force Ten I can relate to thinking about facing challenges and overcoming adversities. I also love the video in which a tornado blows away cartoon mutant sheep:
Tough times demand tough hearts demand
tough songs demand.
Look in, to the eye of the storm
Look out, for the force without form
Look around at the sight and sound
Look in, look the storm in the eye
Look out, to the sea and the sky
Another one called Time Stand Still reminded me of how things had changed back in my hometown as the years went by, and how it’s nice to reminisce and hang on to memories of the good old days, although facing the reality that they’re long gone:
Something’s growing fast and it’s growing colder
Children growing up, old friends growing older
Freeze this moment a little bit longer
Make each sensation a little bit stronger
The innocence fades away
The innocence fades away
Time Stand Still
The video of this song is amazing, with the band playing in front of a mountain stream and featuring Amy Mann of Til’ Tuesday singing backing vocals.
The third song called Second Nature reminds me of my experience driving out to Glacier National Park in Montana to work at a hotel during the summer of 1991, gazing at the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming. I think about this great experience every time I play it. It was my first time seeing them from the ground up and being really exploring the world on my own. This was my one significant life-changing experience that gave me the urge to travel around the world, (discovering my wanderlust and sense of adventure) which I did during my forties and the decade of the 2000’s. Through many of my life experiences, an old classic Rush song would be running through my head. Why not? There’s certainly a lot of worse things that could be!
To be continued ( one more time)
Travalon
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