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----------------------------------------------------------------------
The National Midnight Star, Number 1041
Tuesday, 20 December 1994
Today's Topics:
GIFT ANNOUNCEMENT
Hartford Rush review, April 24, 1994
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 94 10:13:20 HST
From: puanani@wana.pbrc.Hawaii.Edu (Puanani Akaka)
Subject: GIFT ANNOUNCEMENT
Alright gang! The announcement is finally here!
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
The National Midnight Star's Gift to Rush in Celebration of their
their 20th Anniversary
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
(just in time for the anniversary to end... :-)
Yes! It's finally a reality! After speaking with Kim Garner at Anthem
Records about the gift, she spoke to the band on our behalf. The guys
were very pleasantly surprised and quite enthused about the idea of a gift!
They (not surprisingly) immediately jumped at the idea of raising money
for a charity. Neil and Alex both (from what I gather) suggested the
money go to an AIDS research facility.
But it was Geddy's suggestion that got us all excited --
***** Our gift to Rush will be to donate money to a hospice *****
which helps AIDS patients on home care
We're still researching which hospice it will be, but that will be our
gift to Rush!!! [And once we narrow down and decide on the hospice,
you'll all be informed so you know exactly where your money is going]
So this is it, folks!! And in order to raise the money, we ARE selling
shirts [see note below]. We'd like to raise at least ** $1000 ** for this
project. We feel this is a very reasonable amount and WELL within our
ability to reach, considering how many of us are on this list! :-)
So be a part of it today!! It's for Rush!! It's for a good cause!!
It's cool and hip!! This is meant to be from EVERYONE on this list, so
c'mon and be a part of *your own gift* to Rush!! Let's give Rush the BEST
damn gift any band's ever gotten from their *own fans*!!!
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
The NMS BOOK TO RUSH
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Yes! A supplement to our gift. This will be a collection of messages
from us to the band. From everyone. All members of the National Midnight
Star. Everyone from the U.S., Canada, and around the world. These messages
will be compiled and published into a book and copies given to Rush.
Kim jumped at this and thought the band would really appreciate something
like this. And they can peruse through it at their own leisure. She also
thought it'd be a great addition to the history of Rush (she wants to keep
a copy in the Anthem office).
So -- if you'd like to be a part of Rush History, send in an entry for
the book! This is not mandatory for contributing to the gift. However,
we do STRONGLY encourage that folks contributing to the book do so also
for the gift. (After all, it'd be awfully embarrasing if we had 2000
messages for the book, but only $50 for the charity...) Below is a list
of guidelines for the entries. We will have several people screening the
messages to help the publishing process. People submitting messages
will remain anonymous to the "screeners" in an effort to keep it fair
for everyone (tho names will accompany the messages for printing). I must
add that these guidelines will be STRICTLY enforced, so keep them in mind
when composing your message.
Submission guidelines:
- Maximum length is 150 words (1/4 page)
- Pairs or groups of people may team up for one message, but
maximum length remains 150 words
- May NOT submit more than one (1) entry per person/group
- All entries MUST be in English OR be accompanied by English
translation (in the case of translations, both the
non-English entry and the translation will be included
in the book)
- PLEASE spell/grammar check all entries. Any entries radically
out of compliance with English spelling/grammar rules may be
rejected on Screener's discretion. The only exceptions are:
* English translations
* Entries using non-Standard English for specific use (e.g.,
odd spellings to create humour)
- No proclamations of divinity or undying love will be accepted
- Contributors should not expect personal replies from band members
- Poems and humorous (not sarcastic!) entries are encouraged,
with the exception of song parodies
- Please include names of all authors of a message and home states
or countries
- Entries which are rejected will be returned to sender and must
be resubmitted. Resubmitted entries must indicate that they
are resubmissions or will be rejected as multiple entries.
There is no guarantee that resubmissions will make the book,
so follow the above guidelines *very* carefully.
- Entries by EVERYONE are encouraged!! So, make it unique, make
it from the heart, but most of all -- make it from *you*
And as things go, publication of the book will not be without a price!
Contributions to help offset the cost of the book would be greatly
appreciated (we don't want to dip into the charity fund!). If you'd
like to make a contribution, please send it to A. Alex Mustard or Cheryl
Renshaw (see below for address). ** Be SURE you earmark the money as a
contribution for the book. ** If there are insufficient funds the book may
not be created, so it is in everyone's interest to make a small contribution.
(And any surplus will automatically be put into the charity fund)
E-mail all book entries to: book@tnms.com
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
20TH ANNIVERSARY GIFT SHIRTS...THE SEQUEL
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Once again, we're selling shirts to raise money for the 20th Anniversary
Gift! We'd also like to shamelessly plug our shirts by asking all those
who got shirts to write in and rave about them! :-) We think they're really
pretty neat, and the net profits all go toward the NMS gift to the band
to celebrate their 20th anniversary.
Buy early, buy often!!! Great birthday gifts! Martin Luther King Day!
Mother's Day! Valentine's Day! National Hog Week! ok, whatever...
We've changed admin. personnel, and we're offering a slightly different
set of options now, as well. Here're the details:
1) T-SHIRTS
All shirts are 100% cotton, Hanes Beefy-T or equivalent.
Cost: $15 for one, $25 for two, or $12 each for more than two, not
including postage and handling, which is $3 per shirt. International
orders, including Canada: add $3/shirt.
Design: A newspaper front page, with funny headlines. Look for the
hidden messages, admire the photo of "Neil" "Geddy" and "Alex" running
in the San Francisco Bay to Breakers race. Not just a shirt--this is
Entertainment! :) Available in white or natural (cream w/ tan flecks),
any size.
There are a few shirts left in Design #2: A space scene, with a newsbox
on one of Mars's moons (Mars is on the horizon of course), and the
other moon and the sun are in the background. The newsbox is of course
selling the National Midnight Star, which has a drawing of Rush and the
headline "Press members celebrate 20th anniversary of favorite band."
Available in white, L or XL sizes.
Both shirts have on the back:
The National Midnight Star
Internet Mailing List
rush@syrinx.umd.edu
Celebrates 20 years of
* Rush *
"It's true!!"
2) SWEATSHIRTS <--------------NEW ITEM!!!
Design is the same as the newspaper shirt. Available in white and
natural. Good heavy-duty sweatshirt, only $22 + $4 postage/handling.
CHEAPER THAN CONCERT SWEATSHIRTS! Money goes to a good cause!!!!
3) PINS
Postage/handling for pins alone are as follows: 1-2 pins: 29 cents,
3-5 pins: 52 cents, 6-9 pins: $1 (email for info on postage for 10+
pins).
Pin #1: Red with NMS star logo in black. $1.50 each.
(Only 10 left; get them while they last!)
Pin #2: NMS star logo with each arm of the star colored (from top,
clockwise: yellow, green, blue, purple and red). $2.00 each.
(only 14 left; get them while they last!)
HOW TO ORDER:
Email your order to:
Alex Mustard at alex.mustard@forsythe.stanford.edu
then mail your check or money order (US $ only) to:
Cheryl Renshaw
933 Blossom Drive
Santa Clara, CA 95050
Checks should be made out to A. Alex Mustard or Cheryl Renshaw. Your order
will be filled when your money is received.
This offer is for a limited time only, and will cease FOREVER when we
reach our goal of $1000. So act quickly! Don't miss out! Don't make us
resort to infomercials! (scary thought)
4) And for those unable to buy a shirt or pin, a simple donation to the
charity fund is certainly welcome! Again, you can make your checks or
money orders to A. Alex Mustard or Cheryl Renshaw and send it to above
address. Every little bit helps!!
Thanks,
your Gift Committee members, particularly:
Alex Mustard (alex.mustard@forsythe.stanford.edu) and
Cheryl Renshaw (crenshaw@paloalto.epri.com)
Okay, folks! Order your shirts today! And send in those book entries!
This is your chance to say 'thank you' to Rush for 20 years of music, and
to launch them into the *next* 20 years! And it's all for a good cause!!!
This offer WILL extend into the beginning of next year (and sometime
thereafter), but it won't last for long!
This project won't work without YOU!!! Let's show Rush just how special
their fans really are -- so buy a shirt today, and help someone out there
who is in real need of our help!!!
Ho-hoo!
puanani akaka puanani@wana.pbrc.hawaii.edu or
puanani@ahi.pbrc.hawaii.edu
ps. And for all those who have already bought shirts or pins, or donated
money -- THANK YOU!! And to Pete N. -- *thank you* for your patience...
It's finally here! :-)
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 4 Nov 1994 15:29:49 -0500 (EST)
From: PARMERTERB@hartwick.edu
Subject: Hartford Rush review, April 24, 1994
Rush - April 24, 1994 Civic Center, Hartford, CT
I left Oneonta at 12:20 pm, after being escorted by Dawn to
exit 16, en route to Hartford, Connecticut dolled up in purple
Nike shorts and my unlicensed Counterparts shirt from the
Worcester show, 12 March 1994. Without getting lost I arrived in
Hartford at 3:20 pm and begun my search for parking. After a few
times around the Civic Center (while scanning the radio for Rush,
I found "Entre Nous" and "Nobody's Hero" on a local station) and
I settled on a dirt lot a block away (Ann street I believe?).
There was no parking attendant so I gathered my materials:
Counterparts tourbook, Fly By Night lyric sleeve, ASOF flyer's,
memorabilia lists and my review from the March 12th Worcester
show, and proceeded to venture to the mall in which the arena is
located.
After a once around the outside of the mall I went inside
and walked around. I met up with a fan from Vooheesville and we
talked for a bit. He so nicely gave me a ticket stub from the
show that was in Nassau on the night before (23rd). We were
approached by a scalper (it seems like Hartford is crawling with
them - in 1991 there were a bunch and it seemed like there were a
million of them this year!) and he traded two tickets plus $30
for a floor seat. I stayed with the ticket I had (Sec 6, Row G,
Seat 10) which turned out to be good!
We went down to the food plaza and chatted. After a while we
broke off and I went around handing out flyer's and chatting with
people. After getting yelled at by Security to get out of an open
doorway, I gave up hearing the end of soundcheck - prior to
getting booted I heard the beginning of "Double Agent" through to
the middle without the vocals - I thought that Geddy was just
turned down but Howard Ungerleider (Lighting Director) filled me
in that Geddy only sang one and a half of the soundcheck songs
because his voice was in bad shape as both Ged and Alex had been
trading colds back and forth the past few days.
WHCN 106 was doing a remote from the lobby just outside the
arena. I headed for a quick bite to eat at Wendy's and
reminiscent of that cold day on December 13, 1991, I saw Steve
Streeter coming into the mall with his wife Mandy. Steve was
sporting a P/g tour shirt and Mandy a gorgeous Permanent Waves
tour shirt! We talked for a few minutes and Steve gave me the
latest ASOF issue (#9) and we parted company. I got a Jr
cheeseburger and a Biggie orange and sat skimming through the
ASOF issue. Nice articles by Jerry Brown (who I would meet later
on) and great photos by John Vinson (whom I've got to get back in
touch with!).
After this little excursion, I circled the lobby again and
again handing out flyer's. I wasn't supposed to meet Chris Kay
until 6:30 but on my way out of the mall to circle the building I
ran into Steve and Mandy again and they were with Chris, Jerry,
Steve S. (another Worcester show acquaintance), and Lisa
Rutkowski outside eating subs and fruit. Talking and relaying
stories from the shows in Nassau and the Meadowlands (making me
jealous!) was great! It was a full circle since Hartford in 1991
as Chris and I apparently met then while talking to Steve, but we
didn't come to know each other until a few months later. Finally
now we got to meet and jabber Rush! He had a bird's eye view of
the stage in Nassau and he studied Geddy and described a great
"robe scene." After many vibrant portrayals of Geddy running
offstage into his "GFOS" - Godfather's of Soul - robe, a familiar
face appeared and the Rush-mgr stood before me! Jimmy Lang was
now a part of the fun as more stories were swapped and relayed.
Chris, Jerry, Jimmy & I walked to Chris' car to retrieve Jimmy's
luggage to transfer to Lisa's car (He has gone to quite a few of
the east coast shows getting rides from show to show, and he was
going to catch the bus from Penn Station down to DC to see the
USAir show on the 26th). It turned out to be the same parking lot
that I was in and since there was an attendant there now I went
up to pay and he told me that I owed him $5. Well this didn't sit
to well with Chris who got stuck paying him $6 earlier! Jimmy
showed us his Rush banner signed by Geddy and Alex a few tours
back and he had his trusty lap-top computer which has provided us
with many an issue of The National Midnight Star!
Onward we marched to the outside of the mall again and hung
out while Jimmy and Lisa loaded up the car. Lisa showed us the
flowers and card she brought for Alex since he was sick - cute
card! Talk shifted to Kim Garner and the Rush-mgr's secret love
for her - Chris was asking everyone whether she was the woman
with Geddy at the Harvard Lampoon's ceremony last year, but
unfortunately Jimmy hadn't seen the video from this event and I
had only talked to her on the phone so were weren't much help!
Apparently though, she had just had a haircut and was quoted as
looking "really hot."
Jimmy and I went into the arena and were mildly frisked - I
went down to the mixing area and didn't see Howard and no one
knew when he was going to be back. Security was tight for the
show and they wanted me to "keep moving" so I went back up to
talk to Jimmy for a while - he was sitting just off the floor on
Geddy's side (sec 114) twenty feet from the edge of the stage.
This was great as he is a well of Rush knowledge and inside
scoop! We talked and talked and talked. I went back down and
talked to Howard very briefly and he mentioned that Ged & Alex
were sick. He signed my Fly By Night lyric sheet under his
picture and remarked "oh, when I had hair." I told him that he
still had hair, just not quite as much. Gordon, whom I met in
Worcester came by and we chatted. Howard had to split so I wasn't
able to ask about the possibility of an interview, but we'll see
what happens in Albany or Rochester!
Back up to talk to Jimmy and hang out for the Candlebox set.
I actually listened to them this time and with the help of
Jimmy's persuasion "these guys are really good" (he should know,
since he's seen them a number of times) I thought they were
pretty good. I'll try again at the next two shows I'll be at and
give a definite conclusion on them then. Jimmy bellowed "Fly By
Night" and "Working Man" as they had played teasers from each at
previous shows, but his call went unanswered. Their second to
last song, about a friend's death Jimmy said, was pretty good and
they ended with the single "You" as the lead singer sported a
Hartford hockey uniform.
More Tragically Hip in between sets - Jimmy said that Neil
picks the songs, but I still believe that Ged's influence put
"Fifty Mission Cap" & "Courage" in! A short intermission as Jimmy
and I were talking for most of it (after my potty break - didn't
want to save it for after the show, and I wouldn't miss part of
the show to go!) and he offered that I stay up there since the
woman who apparently had the seat next to him hadn't showed yet,
so I stayed up with him and never went to my seat (this was
better anyway and I also had someone to talk to!). Needless to
say, she showed up late, but we scrunched in and all was well.
"Also sprach Zarathustra" jumped from the speakers as we saw
Geddy & Alex emerge from the tunnel leading from the dressing
rooms. "Dreamline" started with a huge "whooooosh" from the rear
speakers and off. I had one earplug in, the right ear - facing
the stage, and the sound was pretty good for most of the show.
Ged had the typical vest and jeans outfit (after the show Chris
speculated that it was the Harvard Lampoon vest); Neil had on the
bandanna and I really didn't notice his clothes; Alex had on dark
pants with a dark jacket and a white shirt that was untucked and
hung lower than his jacket (this is how I recognized him as he
ran from the back of the stage to the tunnel taking him to the
backstage area).
"The Spirit of Radio" was a sea of hands clapping during the
chorus'. This seemed to pick up the crowd a little bit, although
the five guys beside me didn't stand up at all during the show, I
think they even crawled out of the arena so as not to show any
emotion! Geddy seemed animated during this song in particular and
he showed off a wonderful jump that I haven't seen in a few
years, where he jumps and keeps his knees together and his feet
kick out to the side - cute! The piano ending was sampled at a
decent volume and a treat to hear, but I wasn't able to hear the
run up the keyboard that closes it out.
"The Analog Kid" was incredible but it seemed like some of
the audience was left behind by the relative obscurity of this
song - since it's not on 'Chronicles'. The strobe-effect right
before the solo is a great addition to the song and just long
enough to be effective, but not over-done. The line "and the boy
pulled down his baseball cap and covered up his eyes..." always
makes me smile!
Geddy introduced the next song as a country song, with a
great and long country lick from Alex. Ged's voice was so cool as
he said something to the effect of "I got a 'Cold Fire'" in a
deep and accented voice. A great song and each time I hear it
live I enjoy the song so much more! I totally missed the
'sunrise' lights because I was watching Neil so intensely as he
did his best Gumby impression for the verses. He plays the front
bass drum with his normal right foot and the hi-hat with his
right hand, and then he strectches to play the snare from the
'back-forty' with his left hand - not an easy position to play
in. Geddy waved his hands a little bit during the "this is not a
love song, this isn't fantasy-land" line. Alex sounded much
clearer and louder on his background lines in the chorus "I'll be
around..." and "don't cross the line..."
The new film footage for "Time Stand Still" (new for this
tour) is a very nice change. The watch cracking at the beginning
is a wonderful intro into the guitar - Alex is back to calling
the beginning (as opposed to Neil counting off). You can see Alex
and Neil working together and smoothing it out for the first few
bars. Alex was using the now traditional Tobacco Sunburst Paul
Reed Smith for this cut and he plays the bass pedals while
filling in on the keyboard, something I'd never caught before.
The rear-screen was off again I believe (that is, if it is
supposed to be in sync). Neil is great to watch during the bridge
"freeze this moment..." his work on the hi-hat is one of those
many smile moments where you can't help but love the guy's work
and give a goofy smile. His drum sound was really clear tonight
(more-so than in Worcester) and you could pick out every piece of
it clearly.
Mandy and the other photographer's were escorted out of the
photo pit after this the fifth song - two more songs than on the
previous shows I've seen (although I didn't notice in Worcester
as my seats were obstructing that view).
Geddy introduced the song from the new album about heros,
"Nobody's Hero"; my second favorite song of the night. Just an
emotive powerhouse this is, the sadness is immense yet the high
feeling from the great harmonies and guitars is great. Alex was
late on the transition back to the second verse on the acoustic
(although being such a quick switch, I'd be surprised if he's
ever hit it right on). Geddy's ending was better and stronger
than in Worcester (even with his cold!) and he held the 'e' in
"hero" longer. Purely beautiful, "nobody's heeeeroo..." while
bathed in white spots.
I got into "Roll The Bones" more tonight than the last time
I saw them, although the lights didn't seem as good but that was
most likely due to my perspective. The video was early compared
to the band so yet again it wasn't in sync - it was closer in
sync though than it was in Worcester. Jimmy brought up a good
point that they should turn Alex up so we can hear his guitar
work during the rap section because he does do some interesting
things. It seems to me that the stage is lighted more during that
section than it was on the RTB Tour - I for one like this, as I'm
not interested in the video anymore and I want to see the guys
playing.
Neil thumped right into "Animate" and Geddy & Alex joined
in, what a powerful song - heavy and yet not without feeling. The
lights were fantastic changing to every few lines in the chorus
making wild designs on the back wall of the intimate arena - they
rose up for "elevate me..." I absolutely love the softer section
in the middle of the song "my counterpart..." added to that the
rear-screen counterparts and it is just amazing! The spiral of
counterparts later on is fantastic as well! If I seemed to take a
while to get into the show, I was definitely into it now!
No introduction and rambling from Alex before "Stick It
Out." Both Jimmy and I were disappointed with this, but it's
understandable since they weren't feeling well. Geddy gave it a
low-key introduction and they rocked into it. Alex's Les Paul was
definitely really cranked up! I noticed that my prior
recollection of the flashing strobe-like lights for the "stick it
out" parts of the chorus needed some revision. From my seat at
Worcester I thought it flooded onto the crowd, but the flashing
lights just circled the front of the stage and didn't spill onto
the crowd at all. Geddy was playing the soft section right before
the end solely and Alex was at his pedals getting ready to play
the final chords and switch back to the PRS. Geddy had his red
Fender(?) bass for this cut and his pedals (or his bass) was
reverberating like mad! - it was annoying at times where it just
swelled and overpowered much of the other sound. I forgot about
the explosion at the end and it made me jump a little bit.
Geddy quickly informed us that they were going to play
"Double Agent" next, a scary and dark song from the new album.
His voice was a bit weak at the beginning and his bass was a
little low but was turned up quickly (just like in Worcester -
maybe it has something to do with the switching of basses?). Ged
also sang only the first line of the sample and was confident to
let it run its course for the rest of the song. Once again, as in
Worcester, the lights were fantastic! The mirrored effect is
great and the strong red for the verses really suits the song!
This song was really cooking - Ged seemed to really get off on
this one as he was hopping around. Alex's solo was great until he
came to the section where he transfers his pick to his mouth and
taps the fretboard, I couldn't distinguish much after than. Where
Jimmy and I were, the flames were maybe ten feet away and wow -
they were very very very warm! It seemed like I was air-drumming
at this show much more than usual - I hope I didn't hit Jimmy too
many times!
Instantly after the flames died Alex ripped into "Limelight"
which brought a huge scream from my lungs (gee, I was really
getting into the show tonight, usually I yell a few times and
punch my arms, but wow, tonight I was going all out!). Also
eliciting this same noise was when Alex came over to the far edge
of our side of the stage! I noticed that the ICON lights being
used on this tour can produced more than one color from the same
lamp at the same time! This effect was used throughout the night
and definitely added a very nice touch to many of the songs! An
addition to the light set was the appearance of colored spirals
and arcs on the rear screen during the chorus' of this cut. They
seemed reminiscent of the laser-swirls from the Hold Your Fire
Tour used at the same points. More great lighting work from
Howard with the group of lights panning across the stage to Alex
for his solo - one of his best ever!
The only addition to the set list came next (they added it
in Pittsburgh on the 20th so they could have a good version for
the live album), in "Bravado." From one of my favorites to
another! This was by far my favorite of the night! I was so
psyched to see this track again - it is such an emotional song!
Alex's solo is just mesmerisingly beautiful and Geddy's vocals
although straining a little bit, were simply gorgeous. Neil's
drumming is reserved but intense - the build-up from the bass
drum -> hi-hat and bass drum -> snare, hi-hat, and bass drum ->
floor toms, snare, hi-hat, and bass drum is fundamentally simple
but it adds something wonderful to the piece, a sense of
fullness. "and if the music stops..." - magic! Words can hardly
describe the ride-out - I was very close to tears and losing it
all. My arms were air-drumming and fist-punching at the same time
as well as air-guitaring with Alex. This section is the thing I'm
looking forward to most on the upcoming live album! "and if love
remains, though paradise is lost, we will pay the price but we
will not count the cost..." these harmonies at the end are
gorgeous!
With a twist of the drum kit, we start "Mystic Rhythms."
Neil's bass drum head matches the pac-man/triangle design that
graces the rug on the stage. A great mixture of lights and rear-
screen with a nice point when a rainbow comes from the center of
the screen and projects out to the edges of the screen and two
ICON lights continue it out over the heads of the crowd - Jimmy
pointed this out to me and I can't wait to see it head on in
Albany and Rochester! Alex's acoustic part is great on this, but
when he switched to the electric it seemed much crisper and
cleaner.
The familiar acoustic melody of "Closer To The Heart"
brought out the lighters from all around the arena. A very
energetic song! Alex didn't sing tonight and he seemed kind of
tired of the introductions but nonetheless got a roar from the
crowd! Geddy was introduced as Tom Arnold, Neil as Karen
Carpenter (a repeat of the Worcester show), and Alex himself was
Kevin Costner and you can buy his new album. Drum Tech Larry
Allen gave Alex a drumstick which he used to play both his guitar
with as well as Neil's ride cymbal before tossing it into a sea
of waiting hands.
Next up was "Show Don't Tell" and maybe it's just me or
where it is in the set list, but this song seems a little less
exciting as it has in previous years. I gawked at Neil during the
instrumental break as his hands went flurrying from the hi-hat to
the snare to the 10" splash and so forth - wow! I wish I could
distinctly hear Geddy's solo but I've never been satisfied with
the sound during his solo - maybe another factor is that I can't
see him playing it because he has duties behind the keyboard
which conceals him.
The bunny film break was interesting tonight (although I
didn't watch the film) because I watched Geddy and Neil to see
what they were doing during the break. Neil exited his kit and
toweled off. Geddy was more interesting to watch though; he
discarded his bass and sat down behind his monitors in a chair
and a roadie brought him a cup with liquid in it presumably (no
'GFOS' robe this time though); he looked beat and tired! After a
great big wink from the heaven-bound bunny we jump into...
"Leave That Thing Alone." It began a bit rough but soon
gelled into a great performance! It is growing on me live, one
reason undoubtedly is the use of the ICON lights. Their beams
that separate into many beams from the same light switching from
this to a solid beam is very effective and gives the song a
circular feel - it matches Alex's guitar part perfectly and seems
to make the song rotate into itself. Great drum fills from the
Professor and Alex's extended licks at the end, matched with
Geddy's phenomenal runs on the bass make this a wonderful
showcase for the band's tremendous talent.
Neil's Drum Solo was another showcase for him! The lights
seemed fantastic tonight! I was so wrapped up in them and his
intense drumming that I forgot about the big boom at the end and
almost hit my head on the ceiling (hey, I would've been in the
same place I had seats for in 1991!). Jimmy noticed a mistake
during the third (and last) trip to the Marimba but I didn't! The
end of the solo was very impressive - both Neil and the lights
were perfect.
Alex started the very beginning of "The Trees" and then
stopped for a second and started it up again. This last section
of the concert was the best part of the show - just non-stop
great songs! This is another showcase during the instrumental
section - each part is singularly incredible, but when combined,
it is simply one of the best sections performed by the band.
As the curtain covered the rear-screen they went into a
strong beginning to "Xanadu" with great atmosphere. The first
three rows of the crowd disappeared in the rolling fog coming of
the stage in waves (reminiscent of the 'Exit...' video) - the
atmosphere was so great I didn't even miss the lasers. Alex came
over to our side of the stage after his 6-string riff - this now
seems like tradition to visit at that time. One thing that I did
notice though much to my dismay is that to a degree the rumours
are true and he is looking a little of the heavy side. His
double-neck looked fantastic - I thought I was back in the
seventies (or early eighties) we just need the robes and hair
now!
"Hemispheres: Prelude" - need I say more? It was fantastic -
the lights and power of this song were tremendous! The huge
inside light rig was lowered (during "Xanadu") and illuminated
the stage and crowd. A very intense song! Geddy came over to the
edge of the stage and gave us a good look at him.
That led straight into the beginning of "Tom Sawyer" but as
I have complained about numerous times before, it lacked a strong
first note - gone is the "bwwaaaooorrnnggg" of earlier years that
was the trademark of the song. Either way though it was still a
great song which I spent most of my time watching Neil perform
his wonders! Huge lights (constructed like the ones at the front
bottom of the stage for the HYF Tour) were lined up behind the
rear-screen and shone onto the back illuminating it at various
times during the show - in Worcester I thought the screen was lit
from in front but I was wrong! A security guy was standing by the
edge of the stage, just inside the barricade, at the end of this
song as sparks were raining down all around him and he didn't
even notice until a fellow guardsman pulled him away! Geddy's
voice by this time in the show was cracking quite regularly and
when he said "Thank You" he sounded extremely hoarse - he was
really hurting. After they sprinted off the stage - Neil bounded
down the stairs followed by Alex and a very slow walking Geddy
Lee. They immediately held out Ged's 'GFOS' robe for him to
stroll into and he disappeared down the tunnel.
They were a while in returning, the crowd was treated to few
nut & bolt scenes, and when they did return the lights started to
flash around Neil's kit, the flames spat their fire and they
bounded into "Yyz" - they cut "Force Ten" from the set to save
Geddy's voice and to have a relatively easy, vocal-less encore
(this change has been preserved as of the first show in
Philadelphia on the 29th of April with "Yyz" starting off the
encore).
After the disappointment of losing a song and the saddened
looks Jimmy and I exchanged, I got back into the song. Geddy
seemed to be moving around quite a bit for this cut (maybe
relieved that the vocals were through for the night!). The guys
next to me still sat staring straight expressionless. They solo
section was pulled off really well and before long it was over -
too short of an encore if you ask me, but Geddy's sick and there
isn't much else to do. Still a fine song! "Cygnus X-1" hooked
onto the end of the instrumental and then the last four notes of
"Yyz" sounded and the show was over. They all hurried off the
stage and were most likely ready to relax after a straining show.
As the lights went up, I too was exhausted. I wasn't used to
all that air-drumming and arm-waving! What a show! My favorite
list piled up like so: 1)Bravado - the ride-out was so
incredible! 2) Nobody's Hero - a poignant, touching song. 3)
Hemispheres: Prelude - I almost broke my arms thrashing them
about so hard! 4) Double Agent - lights, guitars, bass, & drums!
Jimmy and I sat for a bit and then were hurried by Security,
so we filtered out. No luck finding discarded ticket stubs in the
arena so we headed out. We both stopped at the merchandise stand
and I splurged on a white Counterparts monkey t-shirt, Jimmy
picked up the long sleeve shirt. We proceeded out and I found the
only other stub from the night (sec 204, row H seat 7) - he
spotted Lisa and Steve S., his ride, so we split off and I
proceeded to do a circle around the arena looking for stubs and
headed for the parking lot.
I met back up with Chris, Jerry, Steve & Mandy again talking
by Chris' car. We talked for a good half an hour about the show
and upcoming shows. Jerry had a gorgeous authentic 'Chronicles'
jacket, black with gold lettering from the album! There was much
discussion of directions ("you can't really get lost in Hartford"
- Guess again Steve!), the lame crowd - "a bunch of 'one-show
geeks'" was Chris' explanation, Geddy's voice, Mandy's photo-
pass, the aura of Alpine Valley, the upcoming Providence show
(for them) and the possibility of road trip to Philadelphia for
the second show down there and then a blitz drive back to
Providence the next night (May 1st). I felt kind of bad as I
wasn't going to be able to make these shows (only the Albany and
Rochester ones, and Steve & Mandy weren't going to the latter)
and I was very envious and jealous.
After a last exchange of directions we all parted at about
11:15 pm. I left the lot five minutes later, but didn't leave the
Hartford vicinity for another twenty minutes (not because I got
stuck in traffic either!), I guess I misunderstood Steve and
forgot about 84 West. It was only inevitable though since when I
needed directions I asked Mandy how to get to 81 North and she
replied "You mean 91 North! And you're driving back alone?" After
that I made sure I got the number right, but if only I had
remembered the lead-in road!
Needless to say, it was a long ride home! Very long! But
after a few of stops by the side of the road to run around and
get loosed up, I finally made it to Schenevus where I crashed in
my old room at home for the night before heading out to class in
the morning. Thanks for the Saturn Mom & Dad!
This had to be one of the best all-around Rush experiences
I've had. Most of the of the 7 Rush shows I've seen have been by
myself or with my brother, etc. But this time I had the
opportunity to hang around with some great people and talk and
live Rush for a day. It was great to finally meet Chris and see
his constant level of excitement "so are we going to Phili? We've
gotta go to Phili"; hanging out with Jimmy was so much fun and I
finally had someone who was as big a fan as me (bigger really)
and more experienced in Rush shows and knowledge to share the
show with!; Steve & Mandy are always great to meet up with and
keep up the hard work with the fanzine (see you in Albany!);
Jerry, the guy who gave me the ticket stub, and all the others
who I talked to and shared Rush experiences with it, was a great
overall day and I had a lot of fun with all of them - I hope we
can keep in touch and become better friends. I think Chris summed
up my day (and their weekend) perfectly "the shows were great but
hanging out was incredible!" This was exactly right! The show was
incredible, but sharing it with so many great people was a truly
wonderful experience and one that I won't soon forget! Thanks to
everyone who made it as great as it was!
rush - civic center, hartford, connecticut - 24 april 1994
compiled by brad parmerter 30 apr->3 may 1994
brad parmerter
box 115
hartwick college
oneonta, ny 13820
parmerterb@hartwick.edu
----------------------------------------------------------
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End of The National Midnight Star Number 1041
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