One thing I regret from my concert going days was never seeing Rush live. I have learned to play a few of their songs on guitar (the trees, working man, spirit of the radio) and I love their music, but I didn't get to a live show. A true shame.
"Attention all planets of the solar federation, attention all planets of the solar federation, we have assumed control..."
I am biased when it comes to Rush, but I do agree that it's a shame you didn't get to see them live. I lost count of the times I saw them, but it was worth it every single time. My son, one of my stepkids, and I saw them in Vancouver, Canada for their R40 show; we all just had a feeling it would be their last tour, so we made it work out.
They were phenomenal live, and their love of playing was clear. Any of their live recordings—whatever era of theirs suits your taste the most—is a reasonable approximation.
Jul 15, 2023·edited Jul 15, 2023Liked by Jackie R.
I have TONS of their CD's so I have heard their live playing across the eras. I am completely in awe of bands who can pull off their complex arrangements live, and Rush is top of the heap in that respect. The fact that Lifeson can get those sounds out of a semi-hollow body guitar (his go to is a Gibson ES-335) is just awe inspiring.
Sorry; I should have known that you'd have their music already. I mostly stuck with Rush, as I was in graduate school back then and didn't have loads of money or time. Saw some great people opening for them, though: Eric Johnson (holy carp is he good); Mr. Big; Primus; and a few others. My brother (who was my concert-going buddy) saw loads of shows back in the day.
Got to see Pink Floyd and Genesis (not together) at Ohio State... both impressive shows in a huge venue. Wish I could have seen ELP, Yes, Ronny James Dio, and Queen live.
I saw Pink Floyd. 1987, Oakland Colosseum, outdoors, it was raining, it was AMAZING.
Mr Big. Paul Gilbert is my favorite guitar player. He made his bones in the shred era with Racer X (check out their cover of Godzilla), and then really went mass market with Mr Big. An absolute GOAT.
Eric Johnson sounded JUST as crisp live as he was on his albums. He just tore it up.
I also saw Pat Metheny at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. It was a mellow jazz show, but man, can he play. I'd like to say he was an influence, but nah, he is just in a whole other universe.
There was a short-lived "supergroup" called GTR. It was focused around Steve Hackett and Steve Howe. I saw them at a cozy venue in San Francisco, and that night was magic.
I have been to two Peter Gabriel concerts. I missed the chance to see him with Genesis (one of the reasons I wish I was born earlier TBH). He is just an amazing stage presence.
I got to see Keith Emerson with Emerson, Lake and Powell. Seeing Keith abuse that Hammond B3 was magical. Saw that with my sister, and we still kvetch about it.
The last concerts I have seen was in the aughts, Queensryche came to Tucson a couple of times, and once they played the entirety of Operation: Mindcrime. A true bucket-list item.
That's the Pink Floyd tour we saw! They opened with "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," and it was magical.
Our reminiscing reminded me of a few other notable acts I've seen: Elton John; Billy Joel; Jackson Browne; and a Led Zep reincarnation in the early '90s (?). Would have loved to see Queensrÿche, too; I had to content myself with the Operation: Livecrime disc and video my brother gave me. What a band.
I first saw Queensryche in the early 80's before the Empire album and they took off. They played a handful of small venues here in the Bay Area, and they were young, raw, and had so much potential. It was great to get an early view before they went big. Honestly, that is the only Seattle band that I care for at all.
Thank you; you are too kind. I intend to keep at it as long as I can.
Also, I'm so grateful you accidentally posted a personal item on your Product Bistro 'stack; I doubt I'd have checked out your other one otherwise. Really enjoying all your content, too.
Just found your 'Stack, so thought I'd start at the beginning. As Rush was my favorite band from approximately the age of 12 until the age of 18 (and near the top ever since, really), I was happy to see they were your first MOTD.
I did get to see them live, probably 7 or 8 times. The last time was the 30th anniversary tour of Moving Pictures, which was a fitting last show; it also was my very first Rush concert. I don't have clear memories of that one, but I do recall going with my best friend and his dad (we were 14) and I want to say it was at the Los Angeles Forum.
I thought their later albums got better after being pretty hit-and-miss in the '90s, and "One Little Victory" was definitely a highlight on Vapor Trails.
Rush has been my favorite band for decades; my younger brother introduced me to them via "Closer to the Heart." Starting with the *Hold Your Fire* tour, we'd see them usually at least two times on a tour. We did this through the *Test for Echo* tour, if memory serves. My last show was in Vancouver, CA for their R40 tour, with my son and one of my stepkids. There was a sense at the show that it would be their last tour ... toward the end of the concert, there were more than a few leaky eyes among the older gents sitting around us.
One thing I regret from my concert going days was never seeing Rush live. I have learned to play a few of their songs on guitar (the trees, working man, spirit of the radio) and I love their music, but I didn't get to a live show. A true shame.
"Attention all planets of the solar federation, attention all planets of the solar federation, we have assumed control..."
I am biased when it comes to Rush, but I do agree that it's a shame you didn't get to see them live. I lost count of the times I saw them, but it was worth it every single time. My son, one of my stepkids, and I saw them in Vancouver, Canada for their R40 show; we all just had a feeling it would be their last tour, so we made it work out.
They were phenomenal live, and their love of playing was clear. Any of their live recordings—whatever era of theirs suits your taste the most—is a reasonable approximation.
I have TONS of their CD's so I have heard their live playing across the eras. I am completely in awe of bands who can pull off their complex arrangements live, and Rush is top of the heap in that respect. The fact that Lifeson can get those sounds out of a semi-hollow body guitar (his go to is a Gibson ES-335) is just awe inspiring.
I love this video from 1976: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJPAjiSX7Rk
The video quality is so so (it was almost 50 years ago) but they are so tight, so on point, and so amazing.
As for what I did go see, I was huge into the Scorpions, AC/DC and others in that hard rock genre. Some of the best shows I saw:
Gary Moore in a club (Garden City in San Jose)
Michael Schenker Group at the Waldorf in SF
Ronnie Montrose (many times, he played a lot of small clubs, and every year he played at the Keystone Palo Alto)
Iron Maiden when they broke out
One that really surprised me was Loverboy. I saw them open for Bon Jovi, and frankly they KILLED
I saw Michael Schenker open for Yngwie Malmsteen (frankly Schenker killed it that day)
Eric Johnson opened for Joe Satriani, and really upstaged him.
I was super disappointed the one time I saw Van Halen. Eddie fell down during his solo, and DLR was so drunk he practically slurred most of the songs.
Journey (mis 80's) was disappointing.
Sorry; I should have known that you'd have their music already. I mostly stuck with Rush, as I was in graduate school back then and didn't have loads of money or time. Saw some great people opening for them, though: Eric Johnson (holy carp is he good); Mr. Big; Primus; and a few others. My brother (who was my concert-going buddy) saw loads of shows back in the day.
Got to see Pink Floyd and Genesis (not together) at Ohio State... both impressive shows in a huge venue. Wish I could have seen ELP, Yes, Ronny James Dio, and Queen live.
I saw Pink Floyd. 1987, Oakland Colosseum, outdoors, it was raining, it was AMAZING.
Mr Big. Paul Gilbert is my favorite guitar player. He made his bones in the shred era with Racer X (check out their cover of Godzilla), and then really went mass market with Mr Big. An absolute GOAT.
Eric Johnson sounded JUST as crisp live as he was on his albums. He just tore it up.
I also saw Pat Metheny at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. It was a mellow jazz show, but man, can he play. I'd like to say he was an influence, but nah, he is just in a whole other universe.
There was a short-lived "supergroup" called GTR. It was focused around Steve Hackett and Steve Howe. I saw them at a cozy venue in San Francisco, and that night was magic.
I have been to two Peter Gabriel concerts. I missed the chance to see him with Genesis (one of the reasons I wish I was born earlier TBH). He is just an amazing stage presence.
I got to see Keith Emerson with Emerson, Lake and Powell. Seeing Keith abuse that Hammond B3 was magical. Saw that with my sister, and we still kvetch about it.
The last concerts I have seen was in the aughts, Queensryche came to Tucson a couple of times, and once they played the entirety of Operation: Mindcrime. A true bucket-list item.
That's the Pink Floyd tour we saw! They opened with "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," and it was magical.
Our reminiscing reminded me of a few other notable acts I've seen: Elton John; Billy Joel; Jackson Browne; and a Led Zep reincarnation in the early '90s (?). Would have loved to see Queensrÿche, too; I had to content myself with the Operation: Livecrime disc and video my brother gave me. What a band.
I first saw Queensryche in the early 80's before the Empire album and they took off. They played a handful of small venues here in the Bay Area, and they were young, raw, and had so much potential. It was great to get an early view before they went big. Honestly, that is the only Seattle band that I care for at all.
Please keep writing. This is great stuff!
Thank you; you are too kind. I intend to keep at it as long as I can.
Also, I'm so grateful you accidentally posted a personal item on your Product Bistro 'stack; I doubt I'd have checked out your other one otherwise. Really enjoying all your content, too.
Just found your 'Stack, so thought I'd start at the beginning. As Rush was my favorite band from approximately the age of 12 until the age of 18 (and near the top ever since, really), I was happy to see they were your first MOTD.
I did get to see them live, probably 7 or 8 times. The last time was the 30th anniversary tour of Moving Pictures, which was a fitting last show; it also was my very first Rush concert. I don't have clear memories of that one, but I do recall going with my best friend and his dad (we were 14) and I want to say it was at the Los Angeles Forum.
I thought their later albums got better after being pretty hit-and-miss in the '90s, and "One Little Victory" was definitely a highlight on Vapor Trails.
Good luck with the project!
Thank you! It's a labor of love for me.
Rush has been my favorite band for decades; my younger brother introduced me to them via "Closer to the Heart." Starting with the *Hold Your Fire* tour, we'd see them usually at least two times on a tour. We did this through the *Test for Echo* tour, if memory serves. My last show was in Vancouver, CA for their R40 tour, with my son and one of my stepkids. There was a sense at the show that it would be their last tour ... toward the end of the concert, there were more than a few leaky eyes among the older gents sitting around us.
Such great times.