UPDATE - 6/23@6:44PM: Here's a review from Post City Toronto.
UPDATE - 6/18@1:18PM: *** SPOILER UPDATE *** I posted a video (thanks Kelly D) of a flub involving Geddy's bass below the fold. There were multiple technical issues last night, but the boys recovered like true professionals in each case. It's a good thing they are filming multiple shows!
UPDATE - 6/18@1:05PM: Here's a review from the Toronto Star.
UPDATE - 6/18@10:26AM: Here's a review from the Toronto Sun, and a gallery of photos from Cygnus-X1.net.
UPDATE - 6/17@11:19PM: The first YYZ show has wrapped up. Instead of the anticipated B setlist, Rush played the A setlist with no additions or changes. This makes it more likely that they'll change things up for the Friday night show and hopefully play that one song that we are all hoping to hear. Good night Toronto!
UPDATE - 6/17@10:09PM: It looks like set A. I'll let everyone know if anything changes.
UPDATE - 6/17@9:25PM: It's intermission time. They played either the A or C setlist for set 1 - nothing new unfortunately. See the complete setlist so far here.
UPDATE - 6/17@8:49PM: They have already changed things up and are not playing the anticipated B setlist. It looks like either A or C ... or D? We shall see. Setlist so far here.
UPDATE - 6/17@7:54PM: The show should get underway in about 20 minutes!
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 17th @ 8:00PM
Show Number: 17
Venue: Air Canada Centre
Place: Toronto, ON
Twitter: #R40YYZ | #R40Live
Instagram: #R40YYZ
YouTube: Toronto Rush R40 Live Tour
Setlist: Version ???
Photos: Cygnus-X1.net
Reviews: Toronto Sun | Toronto Star | Post City Toronto
Rush returns to their hometown of Toronto this week for back-to-back shows at the Air Canada Centre, both of which will be filmed for a future DVD release. The first of the 2 shows will take place tonight and will be the 17th date of the R40 Live tour, bringing us to about the half way point with 18 more shows remaining after today. They'll play another YYZ show on Friday, then head on up to Montreal before finishing off the 2nd leg with a string of shows on the US east coast next week. Although the band is on schedule to play their Version B setlist tonight (I've entered it into the Toronto setlist page for now), it's expected that they'll do something extra special for the show because of the DVD filming and the hometown crowd. Everyone is hoping to finally see the band pull out that one song they've been consistently soundchecking throughout the tour so far. For more discussion on that along with a preview of the show, check out the pre-show SPOILER review below the fold. RushCon's Toronto mini-con will take place this weekend, but there's also an unofficial RushCon pre-show get together this evening at Casey's Grill Bar. The RushCon folks are also asking fans to download/install this Zippo lighter app to hold up during the band's performance of one of the songs in the 2nd set (see below the fold for the specific song). Neil Peart's Commemorative Hockey Drum Kit will also be on display tonight and at all the other Canadian dates on the tour. Fans will have the opportunity to sit behind the kit with a $10 donation to the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. Here's a preview article of sorts from the Toronto Globe and Mail where they dig into their archive of past reviews of Rush shows in Toronto (thanks RushFanForever). Tonight's show has an 8PM start time listed, so Rush will probably hit the stage around 8:15-ish. For everyone going to tonight's show, have fun, stay safe, smile BIG for the cameras, wear your Rush t-shirts, and be sure to share your reports, reviews, photos and video with us. RUUSSSHHHH!!!!!
*** WARNING ***
*** SPOILERS BELOW ***
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*** post-show SPOILER update *** Geddy had a particularly bad mishap with his bass at the beginning of Headlong Flight as seen in this video, but he recovered like the true pro that he is. Also, word on the street is that Losing It is definitely in the plans for tomorrow's show. Let's hope so!
*** pre-show SPOILER review *** Rush is on schedule to play their Version B setlist for tonight's crowd, but it's expected that they'll do something special for the DVD filming. Rumor has it that we'll finally get to see Losing It - which they've been consistently soundchecking - tonight and/or Friday night, complete with a guest violinist hopefully (Ben Mink? Clockwork Angels stringer?). Assuming that they do play it, the only other question is whether it would replace Subdivisions in the set or be added in before or after it. As I'd mentioned above, The RushCon folks are asking fans to download/install this Zippo lighter app to hold up during the band's performance of Closer to the Heart. Here are some other quick notes about the anticipated setlist and the show:
* The opening video (The World Is ... The World Is ...) depicts cartoon versions of the band that evolve as time moves forward in a time lapse sort of progression - with outfits, hair styles, backdrops and music to match. It ends with silhouettes of the band being dumped onto the stage as the screen rises up to introduce the band playing the opening track.
* The entire setlist is played in reverse chronological order, beginning with Clockwork Angels, and ending in the encore with a short snippet of the unreleased, early '70s track Garden Road.
* As the show progresses back in time, the stage props and instruments also devolve to coincide with the songs being played. Props are swapped out by roadies in red, R40 mover outfits.
* Photos of fans (submitted by fans via Rush.com prior to the tour) are shown on the big screen at multiple points throughout the show.
* How It Is had never been played live prior to this tour.
* During the rap section of Roll The Bones a video is played with the following celebrities lip-syncing the rap: the Trailer Park Boys, Paul Rudd & Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel, Les Claypool, Tom Morello, and Peter Dinklage.
* The intermission video (No Country for Old Hens) shows outtakes from the intermission videos from all of the band's recent tours, ending with the South Park Tom Sawyer video that segues into the band playing Tom Sawyer to open the 2nd set.
* For the 2nd set, Neil Peart's R40 drum kit is replaced with a retro, late '70s-era replica kit dubbed El Darko featuring double bass drums.
* The Camera Eye is dedicated to the late Andrew MacNaughtan with an in loving memory photo shown at the end of the song.
* Every show/setlist so far has been identical from Jacob's Ladder on through the encore.
* Jacob's Ladder makes its first live appearance since 1980.
* Cygnus X-1 Book Two: Hemispheres - Prelude had not been played since 1994.
* Cygnus X-1 Book One - The Voyage: Part 3 was last played live in 1980, although Prologue was played in 2002.
* Xanadu includes both Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee using doubleneck guitars.
* The Mel's Rock Pile skit before the encore reprises Eugene Levy's character from an old SCTV skit as seen here.
* Lakeside Park was last played live in 1978, and this performance is truncated, leaving out the bridge/last verse.
* What You're Doing was last played live in 1977.
* The closing video (Exit Stage Left) shows video of the band exiting the stage taken from various live DVDs. It then shows the 3 band members trying to get into their dressing room and being thwarted by the puppet from A Farewell to Kings, who is having a party with all the other characters from Rush's album covers. He says Rush isn't on the list and sends them away. The band then walks off into the sunset down the hall, wondering what they should do now. ...
Photos from Instagram using hashtag #R40YYZ:
