Rush delivered an epic performance in Houston last night for their first one-off show of the Fifty Something tour, treating fans to the rare Gorgo setlist that includes BOTH 2112 AND Moving Pictures in full. The only other time they've played a version of this setlist was for the Fort Worth make-up show back in July, although Geddy mistakenly said during the show that it was their first time doing it. Granted, it wasn't exactly the same, with a good bit of variation in the first set. But set 2 was essentially identical to that Fort Worth show (the order was a little different). Setlist photos from the show have this labeled as Bravo, but it was anything but. It looks like Rush has given up on paying much attention to the codenames at this point, so we are sticking with calling it G(orgo)-2 since that's more accurate. If you want to dig deeper into the setlist stats for the tour, the Rush fans YouTube channel has created a cool web-based Rush Tour Stats tool that fans can use to dive into all the setlist data; check it out at rushtourstats.com. Rush will take a short, 4-day break before picking things up out west for a pair of shows at Denver's Ball Arena. Then starts a marathon stretch of dates through early December with no extended breaks, where they will generally have only 2 or 3 days between shows outside of a couple of 4-day respites. October will see the band play a dozen shows when they've only played 8 or 9 per month thus far. Things settle down a bit for the last few shows in December, then the tour machine shuts down for a month before picking things back up in South America in January.

Last week we received the excellent news that funding for the Neil Peart Memorial at Lakeside Park had reached its $1 million milestone thanks to a large donation from Rush. As expected, the St. Catharines council approved the project earlier this week and the city now anticipates that the memorial will open to the public in late 2027.

... A memorial to Rush drummer Neil Peart is now moving full speed ahead with St. Catharines city council supporting an implementation plan this week. Council's approval of the Neil Peart Commemorative Task Force's plan means the artist chosen in 2022 to construct the memorial can finally begin work. The project, including its design, installation and maintenance, is being entirely funded by donations, with the lion's share from Peart's bandmates. Last week, the city announced its $1-million memorial fundraising goal had been reached after Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson donated $785,000. ...

The installation itself will depict two bronze statues of Peart - one as a young artist and the other in his later years. A pathway will connect the two statues with interpretive panels about Peart's personal and professional legacy. A video depicting what the Neil Peart memorial will look like in Lakeside Park can be seen on YouTube.

The new documentary on the late Neil Peart titled No One's Disciple premiered on the CBC last Wednesday evening as part of the documentary series The Passionate Eye. It was also made available for streaming via the CBC Gem app and gem.cbc.ca for free in Canada (or if you're using a Canadian VPN). If you aren't in Canada, it's also been popping up on YouTube in multiple locations, although it's not clear how long that will last. In the wake of the release, several interviews with filmmakers Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen, including this one from POV Magazine, this one from Global News, and this extensive interview with Exclaim! There's also this glowing review from The Grind:

... The film ends with the opening night of the current tour. Anika has the last word, reflecting on her role in the band's renewal and on carrying Neil's legacy into the future. If the Fifty Something tour is a public memorial for the drummer, then Neil Peart: No One's Disciple is the wake none of us expected but so desperately needed. It was a cathartic experience and a grace note that ended a summer of making memories. To riff on the lyrics of "Limelight," The Princess of Wales became a room of long-awaited strangers who were friends for the running time of this heartfelt tribute to our musical hero.

Today is the official release of a pair of new vinyl editions of 2112 (liquid vinyl) and The Spirit Of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987, with both now available to order (2112, TSoR Greatest Hits). The 2112 edition was previously made available exclusively for the UMusic shop in NYC during Rush's Madison Square Garden run, and The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 19741987 will be available on vinyl for the first time as a two-LP set featuring all 16 of the original collections tracks, as well as an abbreviated one-LP, 10-track version.

Rush and Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs have an extensive Rush reissue series in the works, where they will be releasing audiophile versions of Rush's Mercury-era catalog over the next few years. The first batch of titles includes Rush's debut album (Hybrid SACD, 2 LP), Fly by Night (Hybrid SACD, 2 LP) and A Farewell to Kings (Hybrid SACD, 2 LP) with all 3 titles now available for purchase on vinyl (SACD is still pre-order) after A Farewell to Kings began shipping this past week. Rush plans to release a total of 11 albums over the next 2 years or so beginning this summer; the first time that the band's complete Mercury catalog has been issued as dedicated standalone audiophile editions. All titles will be available as hybrid SACDs and on vinyl, with many of the latter available in their UltraDisc One-Step format or as double LP sets. Following the first 3 titles, the remaining albums, beginning with 1975's Caress of Steel and concluding with 1985's Power Windows will arrive in 2027 and 2028.

Canadian radio icon David Marsden passed away last week at the age of 85. Marsden was the architect of the original CFNY in the late '70s, guiding the station through its Spirit of Radio years. Marsden came to CFNY FM from CHUM FM in 1977 and became the station's Program Director two years later. From Global News (thanks Chad H):

... Marsden was one of radio's most influential program directors. When he assumed the role of PD at CFNY in 1979, he turned a struggling album rock station broadcasting from a little yellow house in Brampton using an underpowered transmitter into a cultural juggernaut whose impact is still being felt. David guided the station through to 1988 when he left to pursue other things. Meanwhile, what he built has endured in the form of 102.1 the Edge. ...

The 2026 Toronto mayoral election will take place in a few weeks on October 26th between left-of-center incumbent Olivia Chow, right-of-center Toronto councilman Brad Bradford and conservative Chris Alexander. Rush's Geddy Lee lives in Toronto and is putting his support behind Bradford, posting the following endorsement to Instagram earlier this week:

I was born in Toronto and have built a life with my family here. It was always a place I've been proud to call home. But it's changing, and not for the better. I'm not one to make public statements about politicians, but I truly fear for the future of Toronto with its current leadership, and believe that Brad has energy, fresh ideas and really cares about ALL of this city's communities.

There was a Rush reference in one of the clues for this past Sunday's edition of the Washington Post crossword puzzle (thanks Brian H). For 65 across the clue was, Stacking figurines of a Canadian prog rock band? and the answer was RUSHNESTINGDOLL, as seen here.

On the latest episode of the Why Rush Matters podcast, hosts Jeff and Ray count off their top 10 Alex Lifeson guitar solos. You can check it out below or wherever you get your podcasts:

That's all for this week. Have a great weekend everybody!!