After wrapping up their final 4-show residency in the hometown of Toronto last night in epic fashion, Rush is now at the quarter pole of the tour - 22 shows down, 66 to go. Rush's homecoming shows are always something special, and the hometown crowd never disappoints, as this past week demonstrates. So the band decided to record the YYZ shows this go-around for an inevitable live concert DVD that we'll likely see late next year. They brought back Aimee Mann for night 1 to be sure to get that performance on film, but that's all she was able to commit too. The last concert DVD that was recorded in Toronto was 1984's Grace Under Pressure Tour video, which was recorded at Maple Leaf Gardens. This first portion of the tour saw Rush play 4-show residencies in 5 cities; LA, Fort Worth, Chicago, NYC and Toronto. For those 4-show stints, the band was fairly consistent in playing essentially the same setlist for each of the 4 nights in each city. These setlists were dubbed by the band as Alpha/A, Beta/B, Charlie/C and Delta/D with each corresponding to the 4 nights in order, with few exceptions. The A and B sets have 2 versions each, but the only difference being a song swap between the 2 (swapping Caravan and Headlong Flight. The setlist that's seen the most changes is the night 4 Delta/D setlist with 3 separate versions, while the night 3 Charlie/C set hasn't seen any. The standard Delta set was played for nights 4 in LA and Chicago, while they brought out a special we're sorry for canceling setlist for the 4th show in Fort Worth, which was so different from D that the band dubbed it as Gorgo/G. Then for night 4 in NYC they played a truncated version of the D set (D-2) where they dropped Distant Early Warning and shuffled the order. Last night in Toronto they brought out that D-2 set again, but swapped out Finding My Way for By-tor and the Snow Dog, giving us yet another version (D-3). But from this point forward on the North American leg of the tour, they'll only be playing 2 shows per city, which means this 4-show rotation pattern will likely change. The only info we have to go on at this point are the 2 Echo/E and Foxtrot/F setlists that were played in Mexico City. I'm anticipating that the 2-night rotation will look something like those, but it's really anyone's guess. They might pull out some totally new setlists, or they might just continue with the 4-setlist rotation and just spread it over 2 cities. We'll find out in a week from today when Rush plays Philadelphia after a much-deserved week-long break. Rest those vocal chords Geddy! At the end of every show, Anika Nilles has started a new tradition where she plays up waiting for Ged/Al to finish their noodling at the end of Working Man - things such as reading the paper, looking at her watch, etc. For last night's show, she threw the infamous Bag on over her head as seen in this video, and this IG post from Rush:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rush (@rush)

Toronto was abuzz with Rush fans this past week, and they had plenty to keep them occupied between shows. The first of these was RushFest Canada, which took place last Thursday evening at The El Macambo with host Cathy Rankin and featuring special guests Terry Brown, Hugh Syme, Nancy and Judy Peart, and Bob "Starman" King. Next up was the return of RushCon - which kicked off Friday night and ran through the entire weekend. Some highlights included appearances from Hugh Syme and Kevin J. Anderson. CTV News ran a nice news story on Rush's return to Toronto which included several clips of fans at RushCon. Henderson Brewing hosted their annual Rush Day on Saturday, between Rush's first pair of YYZ shows, and they also hosted the official Rush Fifty Something Pop-Up Merch Shop. Henderson also introduced three new exclusive releases to celebrate Rush's return. And last but not least, Toronto's iconic Long & McQuade music store hosted Rush drummer Anika Nilles for a signing event on Saturday. The Rush 101 YouTube channel was there and captured it all on film, which you can check out below or on YouTube.

A group of Toronto kid musicians went viral after playing and nailing a difficult Rush song during a concert outside an Oakville nail salon a couple of weeks ago. A passerby took some video and shared it on social media, and it took off. From the Toronto Star:

... "It was very, very cool," said 11-year-old drummer Kai Rivers of the positive online reaction. Rivers earned praise for his Neil Peart-inspired drumming, while others were quick to highlight vocalist Kalia Stapleton, 10, for her Geddy Lee-like vocals. Guitarist Luca Navarretta, 13, and bassist Alban Halladay, 14, were credited by one viewer for capturing the "vibe, the rhythm, the quintessential sound" of Rush. Turns out Rivers has been a Rush fan since he was four years old. He introduced "The Spirit of Radio" to Stapleton, who became obsessed with singing the song while on a recent trip to Asia with her family. When she returned, they decided to learn every beat - a task he admits was far from easy. "It's so mentally challenging with all the time switches, speed ups and slowdowns ... you have to play exactly how Neil played," he said. "It's such a fast song - one mess-up and it's hard to recover." According to Kai's father, Neil Rivers, "The Spirit of Radio" was one of six rock songs Twisted Fate learned when the band formed earlier this year. ....

While Rush was in the middle of their 4-night Toronto run last week, they took some time out to do some interviews to let everyone know how the tour is going so far, their surprise at the overwhelming response from fans, and how they are dealing with the grind of touring. In an interview with Chile's Radio Futuro, Alex Lifeson shared the following:

"I don't know that we were quite prepared for the reaction. We thought that coming back after 11 years, being away, there were a lot of RUSH fans that were maybe unhappy with the way things sort of ended, and never thought they'd see us again. And then we started the tour, and the response has been - you go online and it's crazy. People are so excited and so happy. And looking out at our audience night to night, everyone is so joyous. Everyone is having such a good time. There's such happiness in the air, and it's a beautiful thing to experience. People are crying, and they're laughing, and they're high-fiving, and they're just getting an escape for a few hours from this crazy world. I mean, things are so nuts in the world right now, and this affords them an opportunity just to get away from that and to be together, like a community. It's really more of a family reunion than it is a concert. And we're just having a riot. We feel so comfortable and happy, and we feel well-prepared. I think we're playing as well as we can, and we're also having a riot on stage and goofing around. And Anika is so open to our craziness and really has become a part of it. And Loren is the same; Loren has a great sense of humor. So the unit is very happy. The four of us are very happy, and I think the audience feels it and really, really appreciates it."

In an interview with the Toronto Star (bypass paywall here) Geddy Lee remarks on how well Anika Nilles and Loren Gold have fit in with the band:

... [touring again] feels amazing. Any preconceptions I had about going back on tour were not a tenth as powerful as the privilege of being up there every night with fans that have been so loyal and steadfast. ... Anika's a marvel behind the drums. Yes, of course, she's gaining a lot of popularity, but she's also living a dream where she's learning from the master by being faithful to him. At the same time, she has enough confidence to add her own flourishes. We've talked about this with her. I said, "Listen, once you know the material, there will be plenty of room for you to be you." Like us, she loves to play, and she's learned that when you tackle a complex song, there is no greater feeling. As well, the addition of Loren Gold on keyboards and vocals really freed Alex and I up to focus on our playing. He's been a huge bonus. We've got a nice little quartet going on right now. ...

Geddy also addressed the difficulty of keeping their emotions in check while honoring the late Neil Peart:

... It's been very emotional. We know the fans come out of respect for us and Neil, but they're also grieving more than a little bit. It hits you when you least expect it. Like, the fourth show at Madison Square Garden, I was introducing "The Garden" and it just got me. I had a hard time getting through the intro and singing the song became very difficult. I can't let it interfere, but sometimes it's just unavoidable. There are so many moments where I think that guy would be laughing his ass off at Al and I for doing this. I think he would approve. ...

In the Radio Futuro interview they were also asked if they are thinking about possibly working on new music with the current lineup, and Geddy responded as follows:

"No. We have enough to do. We're still trying to remember the old songs and play them."

The PRS Guitars website posted a new interview with featured artist Alex Lifeson earlier this week, where Alex talks about his long history of using PRS Guitars. He also touches a little on Rush's Fifty Something tour, saying the following when asked about how it's been going so far:

Most of all, it's been a joyous reconnection with our amazing audience. Two years of preparation that seemed endless at times was a self-imposed requirement for us to feel we were truly prepared to deliver the level of performance expected from us. After eleven years since the last tour, we strove to set an even higher standard.

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 will include Rush's debut album (Hybrid SACD, 2 LP), Fly by Night (Hybrid SACD, 2 LP) and A Farewell to Kings (Hybrid SACD, 2 LP), all of which are now available for pre-order. The specific release dates are not yet available, but MoFi did post some video of them packaging up the Fly By Night vinyl and saying that they will ship at the end of August. 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.

Speaking of vinyl reissues, Rush has announced the October release of new vinyl editions of 2112 (liquid vinyl) and The Spirit Of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987. 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. Both editions will be released October 2nd and are now available for pre-order (2112, TSoR Greatest Hits).

The CBC will be releasing a documentary honoring the late Neil Peart titled No One's Disciple next month, and we learned this past week that the film will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 16th at the Princess of Wales Theatre ahead of its airing on the CBC September 23rd as part of the documentary series The Passionate Eye. The doc will include some recent footage of Geddy and Alex jamming some Rush tunes with drummers Stewart Copeland, Chad Smith, and Tool's Danny Carey.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in partnership with RushCon will be celebrating the return of Rush to Cleveland with a 4-day fan event. Rush the Rock Hall will take place during Rush's 2-show run at Cleveland's Rocket Arena from Thursday, September 17th through Sunday, September 20th. The event will include special appearances by Rush album artist Hugh Syme, and author Kevin J. Anderson, along with special panel discussions From Working Man to the Spirit of Radio: Rush, Radio, and Industry on Friday, and Rush Nerds Rush the Rock Hall Panel on Saturday. The Saturday panel will include yours truly (Ed Stenger), Jillian Maryonovich (RUSHCON), Matt Wardlaw (Ultimate Classic Rock), Annie Zaleski (author) and - just recently added - Rush superfan/archivist/historian Ray Wawrzyniak. Fans will need to purchase Rock Hall admission tickets to get in the museum, and then each panel is an additional $10. If you plan to attend more than one day, then it makes more sense to just purchase a year-long Rock Hall membership, which will get you in all 4 days (and beyond). The Hugh Syme panel is sold out, but tickets for the other 3 panels are still available. For all the details and to purchase tickets, visit rockhall.org.

Alex Lifeson's Envy of None bandmate Maiah Wynne has announced the release of her second solo album Into the Waves next month via Kscope Records, alongside a brand-new single titled See the Water. Alex Lifeson makes a guest appearance on the album, appearing on the tracks Don't Wait and Another Step. From the press release:

... Written, self-produced and largely recorded by Wynne during an exceptionally transformative period in her life, Into the Waves was created between her first international tour, a move across the world, returning to education, and building a new life after years of isolation. Many of the recordings were captured on the road in hotel rooms using nothing more than a laptop, with Wynne playing more than a dozen instruments across the album. The project was completed with mixing and additional production from Justin Abel (Noelle Johnson, The Talbott Brothers) before being mastered by Alan Douches (Sufjan Stevens, Motörhead, LCD Soundsystem).

Into The Waves features an impressive cast of collaborators, including cellist Bethany Joyce, violinist Avelyn Reynolds, guitarist Brooks Berg, drummers Adam Brzycki and Randy Cooke, flugelhorn player Henry Sheppard, and Rush legend Alex Lifeson, whose guest guitar appearance further strengthens the connection between Wynne's solo work and her role as vocalist with Envy of None.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, Lifeson remarked: "I've never had that kind of inspiration working with another musician."

The album is slated for release next month on September 25th and will be available in multiple formats including LP, digipack CD and streaming. For all the details and to pre-order a copy, visit this location.

Earlier this Spring prior to the start of the tour, German music instrument retailer Thomann conducted interviews with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, along with a separate interview with Anika Nilles, that they just released online this past week. Now that the tour's been underway for a few months, they are a tad outdated, but you can check them out on YouTube here (Ged/Al) and here (Anika). Here's Anika on the difficulty involved with playing Rush's material:

"I treat the music with great respect to the guys and Neil because Neil is a big part of the music. I try to make careful decisions with a great deal of sensitivity to what I'm playing (compared) to the original, and where there is room for me to play more free, more me, or improvising. But I go from song to song and make those decisions, and that's actually my preparation at home. Every song is kind of a blank page to me so I really have to start from zero. When we rehearse we have more attention on the energy and the feel of the song, and then we look back on if my decisions are working out or of there's anything to adjust."

Grunge.com posted an article earlier this week on The 5 Longest Drum Solos In Rock History, and Neil Peart's Der Trommler made the cut:

Finally, in 2004, Neil Peart evolved into his final form. The 10-second-long drum solo from Rush's "Tom Sawyer" might be his most well-known, most air-drummed solo, and his solo from "YYZ" might be one of the best drum solos in rock history, but it's "Der Trommler" that's one of his longest (tied more or less with live variations on "Clockwork Angels"). But as always, it's not just the length that matters. Peart could do more in nine minutes than other drummers could do in 85 hours. "Der Trommler" represents a distilled nine minutes of decades' worth of the world's finest musicianship, like a capstone to Peart's career up to that point and a monument to his unparalleled work. ...

The popular YouTube channel The Charismatic Voice with professional opera singer and vocal coach Elizabeth Zharoff featured a great analysis of Rush's Subdivisions this past week. Zharoff has tackled several Rush tracks on the channel including The Spirit of Radio, Tom Sawyer 2112, and Xanadu to name a few. In addition to her really enjoying the song (saying it might her favorite now), she provides a lot of interesting commentary on the music and Geddy's voice in particular. You can check it out below or on YouTube here.

Today marks the 52nd anniversary of Neil Peart's first show playing with Rush, which took place on August 14, 1974 at the Civic Center Arena in Pittsburgh opening for Uriah Heap and Manfred Mann. Here's some audio from that show where the band plays a short, 4-song set:

Whew! Busy times for Rush. Have a great weekend everyone!!