Kevin's Watch

I am seeing them next month in KC, can't wait!

I saw the show in Milwaukee on the 4th. Absolutely incredible! They sounded fantastic, and the energy of the crowd was amazing. I was totally blown away with the string section. I agree that they were very enjoyable to watch. They way that the sound was mixed was perfect, too. Just enough strings to make it sound different, but not so much to over power the band. I was surprised that the string played on a couple of non-CA songs as well. Very cool arrangements.

Our set list:

Set one:
Subdivisions
Big Money
Force Ten
Grand Designs
The Body Electric
Territories
The Analog Kid
Bravado
Where's My Thing
Far Cry

Set two:
Caravan
Clockwork Angels
The Anarchist
Carnies
The Wreckers
Headlong Flight
Halo Effect
Seven Cities Of Gold
The Garden
Manhattan Project
Drum Solo
Red Sector A
YYZ
Spirit of Radio

Encore
Tom Sawyer
2112

They were so good, it almost made me want to jump in the car and drive to Canada to see one of the next shows.

I know that feeling, MR! I did just that on the R30 tour, driving much farther than I've ever driven for a show, to see them a second time before they were out of my reach. I kind of wish I'd done that this time, too. It's tragic how quickly the moment is over, even when the moment is 2+ hours.

Bring on the blu-ray!

In the encore, when they do 2112, are they doing all the parts? Or just the first couple like they have been doing the last few tours?

Overture and Temples of Syrinx are the only parts I remember them doing......did they do Finale too?

Yep, Finale too. They haven't done the whole 2112 since 1997's Test for Echo tour, which was an awesome show, btw!!! You can hear it on Different Stages CD.

I saw them twice on this tour, and I'd see them again. The thing that's amazed me the past few years, aside from how well they're playing,is how much fun they're obviously having. To see them playing a song like "Territories" or "Middletown Dreams" - which over half the audience didn't know - with such energy and enthusiasm.....You'd swear this was a hungry new band in their 20s.

That's always impressed me about every Rush show I've ever been too - the sense of fun they have. It's so great to see the guys playing kickass music and having a great time, as opposed to some shows I've been to where the band rarely speaks and it all feels very mechanical.

Rush is awesome!

Just an update. Now that I'm free to listen to whatever I want, I still find myself listening to T4E, CA and, to a lesser extent P/G.

Cail wrote: Now that I'm free to listen to whatever I want, I still find myself listening to T4E, CA and, to a lesser extent P/G.

When were you unable to listen to what you wanted to?

dANdeLION wrote:

Cail wrote: Now that I'm free to listen to whatever I want, I still find myself listening to T4E, CA and, to a lesser extent P/G.

When were you unable to listen to what you wanted to?

Well, the mad dash to review all the Rush albums. I was far more disciplined about listening that I think I'd like to admit.

Ah, okay. I was worried something happened to your Rush cds....

Rush is releasing a remixed Vapor Trails. Just listening to the mp3's, I can hear it sounds noticeably better.


www1.rollingstone.com/hearitnow/player/rush1.html

I'm listening to streaming version from Rolling Stone right now. Sounds amazing, even for a compressed version. I can't wait for the CD.

The VT remix is a revelation. I've had time to A/B it with the original, track by track, note by note. It's like someone removed layers of grit and grease from the original CD, bringing an unimaginable clarity to the overall sound. Not only is the entire production clearer, but individual instruments and tracks that were buried under the noise are lifted up to both subtle and sometimes even dramatic prominance. There are even some guitar solos that were originally recorded, but not included, now back in.

The biggest change, aside from over all clarity, is the presence of drums. I've always cringed at the "cracked cymbals" sound, but until now I've never noticed virtual absence of a bass drum in the original release. This is a VERY important drum! It sets the counterpoint to every other drum beat. Without it, the drums just don't speak the same language. But now it's not only back, but it's got punch ... or maybe I should say kick. It sounds much like his live bass drum sound. The rapid-fire beats are each individually distinguishable. And this is precision is applied to the toms as well. Before, you could hear a blur of toms in a drum roll, but now each tom has it's own individual tone (as a drum should), so that their own percusive "melody" is discernible as the goes up and down the set. And each is so distinct, it's almost like a "ripple" in my ears, tickling my eardrums. So freakin precise! And of course the cymbals shimmer, as they should. (With all the heavy bass and guitar, you need that shimmer riding on top to balance it out.)

The next biggest difference is the bass. There's just a ton of Geddy jam on this that was buried under a mountain of fuzz. Now you can hear his strings snapping with each note. But the balls haven't been cut off, by any means. The bass just growls and thunders beneath its newfound clarity. It actually sounds like there's even more bass now. It overpowers the guitar easily in many places, especially with all the bass chords he plays. Secret Touch, in particular, sounds more like the live version on the S&A Blu-ray.

The guitar is clearer, but in many places I think it has been reduced. Maybe some tracks must have been left out or turned down. This is a remix, not just a remaster. Every single track has been remixed, so that the engineer (Tool's engineer ... forgot the name) could use or emphasize whatever he wanted. That means inserting the solos in Ceiling Unlimited and One Little Victory where there were none before. But (unfortunately) it also means a much reduced guitar presence in the verses of Freeze, which I do miss. I like the bass-heavy sound of that song now, but missed those great echoing Alex riffs. There are, however, added nuances of guitar noodling all over the place. I'm sure they were there in the original, but way too subtle to hear under the fuzz.

The "chorus of Geddys" is diminished a bit, thankfully. And his vocals sound like they're not coming out of a tin can now. You'll notice subtle harmonies you never heard before. There might even be some vocal tracks not used in the originals, at some points. Alternate takes. It's definitely different.

I do, however, miss the ride cymbals in several songs. I think it's How It Is that's missing ride cymbal during slower parts, as well as Sweet Miracle. Also, I miss the rimshots in the beginning of Secret Touch. I have no idea why those are turned down so low in the mix. And the snare sound bugs me a bit ... almost artificial.

If there were songs on this CD you didn't like as much (How It Is, Stars Look Down), I suggest giving them another chance. They have been transformed. There's mandolin now audible in the acoustic parts, for instance. The compositional changes in each song really shine through.

This is a MUST HAVE for any Rush fan. A classic album, born of grief and uncertainty, thunders and shimmers back to life as it should have been from the beginning. It has been reborn, to match the rebirth of the band who spawned it. Well done.

I've been meaning to run by Best Buy and pick this up. The songs have grown on me since my initial review, so I'm looking forward to actually being able to hear them.

They did a really good job. I'm impressed.

www.fathomevents.com

Would this be worth seeing?

If you missed the tour, then probably. They did a heck of a show, and the addition of the string section was really great.

I'd assume that it's just the DVD performance that they're showing. I'll get the DVD but pass on the big screen just because I saw the tour. Had I not seen the tour, I'd be all over it.