UPDATE - 7/6@10:07AM: There's a nice multi-cam cut of song x below the fold.
UPDATE - 6/20@9:09AM: Here's a gallery of photos from Cygnus-X1.net.
UPDATE - 6/20@9:03AM: There are several videos of the new song they played last night on YouTube already, and you can check out one of the better ones below the fold.
UPDATE - 6/19@11:12PM: The show is over! We have a new setlist. Check it out here.
UPDATE - 6/19@9:38PM: Intermission time! They played it (the song they've been sound checking), complete with guest musician! Full setlist so far here.
UPDATE - 6/19@7:13PM: The show should get underway in about 1 hour. Follow along with the setlist here.
Date/Time: Friday, June 19th @ 8:00PM
Show Number: 18
Venue: Air Canada Centre
Place: Toronto, ON
Twitter: #R40YYZ | #R40Live
Instagram: #R40YYZ
YouTube: Toronto Rush R40 Live Tour
Setlist: Version D
Photos: Cygnus-X1.net
Rush will play the second of 2 back-to-back shows in their hometown of Toronto tonight at the Air Canada Centre. Just like Wednesday night's YYZ show, tonight's show is being filmed for a future R40 Live tour DVD release. The filming is once again being handled by Fadoo Productions, who are also putting together a feature-length documentary about the lives of Rush fans to accompany the DVD. They've been interviewing fans on the last several tour stops (you may have spotted a few guys with cameras talking to fans) and will continue to do so tonight. They will also be on hand for the RushCon mini-con that kicks off later today at the Hard Rock Cafe in Toronto. The Hard Rock pre-party will begin at 4PM and if you aren't pre-registered, you can still pay $20 at the door if you just want to hang out at the party. They will have vendors, a silent auction, and a cool contest! For all the details visit RushCon.org. 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 here 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. For Wednesday night's show, Rush played their standard A setlist without any additions or updates. That means that tonight's show will likely be some variation of their B set, hopefully with the inclusion of an extra special treat for fans. For more discussion on that along with a preview of the show, check out the pre-show SPOILER review below the fold, and you can follow along with the setlist here. Tonight's show has an 8PM start time listed, so Rush will likely hit the stage around 8:15-ish. For everyone going to the show, have fun, be safe, smile BIG for the cameras, wear your Rush t-shirts, and make sure to share your reports, reviews, photos and video with us. Rush on!!!!!
*** WARNING ***
*** SPOILERS BELOW ***
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*** SPOILER update *** Here's a nice multi-cam cut of Losing It:
*** post-show SPOILER update *** Rush's first ever live performance of Losing It was without question the high point of the tour thus far. The fact that Ben Mink performed the song with the band was the icing on the cake. Here's one of the better YouTube videos of the performance:
*** pre-show SPOILER review *** Since Rush played their A set Wednesday, we are expecting some version of the B setlist for tonight's crowd - maybe with some of the C set sprinkled in. They did not end up playing Losing It Wednesday night so if they are EVER going to play it, it should be tonight (it's assumed they'd want to get it on film). We are also expecting to see a guest violinist hopefully (Ben Mink? Clockwork Angels stringer?). Assuming that they do play it, it would likely replace Subdivisions in the set since they already played that Wednesday night. They could always play both though. 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:
