Rush
"40 & Fabulous"
The Forum,
Los Angeles, CA
August 1, 2015
Lineage: CA-14 (cardioids)
Taper: klingklang
Location: section 103
Set One:
01. intro film: "The World Is...The World Is"
02. The Anarchist
03. Headlong Flight
04. Far Cry
05. The Main Monkey Business
06. One Little Victory
07. Animate
08. Roll The Bones
09. Distant Early Warning
10. Losing It
11. Subdivisions
Set Two:
12. intro film: "No Country For Old Hens"
13. Tom Sawyer
14. Red Barchetta
15. The Spirit Of Radio
16. Jacob's Ladder
17. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres - Prelude
18. Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - Prologue
19. The Story So Far
20. Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage - Part 3
21. Closer To The Heart
22. Xanadu
23. 2112 Part I: Overture
24. 2112 Part II: The Temples Of Syrinx
24. 2112 Part IV: Presentation
26. 2112 Part VII: Grand Finale
encore
27. intro film: "Mel's Rockpile"
28. Lakeside Park
29. Anthem
30. What You're Doing
31. Working Man Garden Road (riff)
32. outro film: "Exit Stage Left"
33. "Closer To The Heart" (polka PA exit music)
Notes:
Final show of the R40 North American 2015 tour.
This was my 18th Rush show and I really loved this one. Geddy put a lot more into his vocals than I've heard
in quite some time, which was great to hear--especially during his higher register moments in everything from
"Headlong Flight" to "Lakeside Park." And I can't believe how amazing Alex keeps on getting (his solo in "Working
Man" was a jaw-dropper). The ending of the show was very touching, what with Peart actually coming out from
behind his kit and standing with Geddy and Alex (besides shocking Geddy, you can faintly hear Peart say "goodbye"
before taking his leave). And while I wish Geddy's farewells would have been a little more detailed in terms
of how significant this show was in the band's history, it was still an emotional moment to witness and I truly
hope this is not the end of the band's live performances.
I haven't been to the Forum since the last time Rush played there way back on the Test For Echo tour in 1996,
so it was fitting that Rush would be the band to get me back into that venue. The Forum is also the place where
I first saw Rush, since this used to be the main Los Angeles venue they played for most of the 80s and 90s. As
a result, I have a lot of sentimentality for this place despite its perpetually sketchy location. Some of the
major differences I noticed in today's era of the "Fabulous" Forum is that even though the restrooms still remind
me of the ones depicted in the film Get Crazy, they now seem to be barely lit (I guess we don't need to see what
we're doing in there). Also, the planes that fly overhead to/fro LAX no longer emit a residue that bathes you
while standing outside. So that made for a pleasant time on the exterior terrace, which has been turned into a
lounging-type area where one could people watch--something I found enjoyable due to the various types of Rush
shirts people wore. It was like the history of Rush shirts in one location (Test For Echo seemed to be the most
popular). It was also interesting watching men and women (!) change into their newly purchased R40 designs right
there at the merch table. And while some of those moments were disturbing, it was nice to see such an immediate
love for the band. That affection extended into the seating area, where people carried banners and had signs at
the ready for their moment on camera later on in the show. I hadn't seen Rush in an large, indoor venue in quite
some time, so it was a welcome reminder of how arena shows can actually be fun when the majority of the crowd are
fellow obsessives.
I wasn't completely successful at avoiding spoilers on this tour, but I was surprised and equally fascinated by
the setlist structure in how it was a chronological time travel from their most recent music all the way to the
beginning--not only in terms of songs, but also in the set design as it recreated stage set-ups from previous
tours (the crew's constant changing of the amps, cabs, kits and even the props was quite impressive). For me,
it was really great hearing songs like "Losing It" (with special guest Jonathan Dinklage from the Clockwork Angels
String Ensemble), "Animate" and "Cygnus X-1." But the fantastic thing was that this show featured my two most
favorite Rush songs ever: "Xanadu" and "Jacob's Ladder." It's been decades since I last saw those songs performed
live and I'm so thankful the band included them in the R40 repertoire. And the entire encore concept still makes
me laugh, what with the Eugene Levy intro, the backdrop, Geddy's dialogue and the dancing KISS standee.
