Rush (band)

LIve on August 1, 2015, on their R40 tour here at the Forum in lovely Los Angeles California, Rush performs "Xanadu" from A FAREWELL TO KINGS and is approximately eleven minutes long, beginning with a five-minute-long instrumental section, then transitioning to a narrative written by Neil Peart, inspired by the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem Kubla Khan. In Peart's lyrics, the narrator describes searching for something called "Xanadu" that will grant him immortality. After succeeding in this quest, a thousand years pass, and the narrator is left "waiting for the world to end," describing himself as "a mad immortal man." Although the song does not explicitly state what "Xanadu" is, references to Kubla Khan imply that it is a mythical place based on the historical summer capital of the Mongol Empire. "Xanadu" is the first Rush song in which synthesizers are an integral part. Unlike the previous albums 2112 and Caress of Steel, "Xanadu" used both guitar and synthesizer effects. The song also marks Rush's clear foray into program music, although previous albums had displayed some elements of this. Subsequent albums during the late 1970s and early 1980s would see the group explore program music more systematically. "Xanadu" requires each band member to utilize an array of instruments to effect the performance. Alex Lifeson used a double-necked Gibson electric guitar (one twelve-string, the other six-string) as well as synthesizer pedals; Geddy Lee made use of a double-necked Rickenbacker 4080/12 guitar (bass and twelve-string guitar) as well as extensive synthesizer arrangements (through both pedals and keyboards) in addition to singing; and Peart took on various percussion instruments (temple blocks, tubular bells, bell tree, glockenspiel and wind chimes) in addition to his drum kit. During R30, the ending of the song was changed so that Lee did not play the rhythm guitar part, as in the original arrangement. However, when it was played on the R40 Live Tour in 2015, Lee once again played rhythm guitar. After 35 shows, 34 cities and 3 unforgettable months, Rush's North American R40 Live tour will unfortunately come to a close tonight at the Forum in Los Angeles, California, August 1, 2015. Although highly anticipated, the concert is possibly a bittersweet finale to 41 years together. The R40 tour began May 8 in Tulsa, OK and will finish tonight August 1 in Los Angeles, CA, highlighting four decades of the band's music. To quote Dave Grohl from their momentous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, "Rush built their following the right way. No hype, no bullshit, they did it from the ground up. Their legacy is incredible and their influence undeniable." After 40 years together and 20 gold and platinum studio albums, and 40 MILLION RECORDS, Rush is celebrating with their most loyal fans in the world on their 21st tour, one which will most thought to be their last major tour of this magnitude. Equal parts Led Zeppelin, Cream and King Crimson, Rush burst out of Canada in the early 1970s with one of the most powerful and bombastic sounds of the decade. Their 1976 magnum opus 2112 represents progressive rock at its grandiose heights, but just a half decade later they had the guts to put epic songs aside in favor of shorter (but no less dynamic) tunes like "Tom Sawyer" and "The Spirit of Radio" that remain in constant rotation on radio to this day. Absolutely uncompromising in every conceivable way, the trio has spent the last 40 years cultivating the largest cult fan base in rock while still managing to sell out arenas around the globe. Rush Band Members: Geddy Lee: Bass, Keyboard, and Lead Vocals Alex Lifeson: Guitar Neil Peart: Drums, Percussion, Lyrics THE FORUM Set-list Version F (set-list A with Losing It replacing Clockwork Angels) Set 1:Video Intro (The World is ... The World is) The Anarchist Headlong Flight (with Drumbastica mini drum solo) Far Cry The Main Monkey Business One Little Victory Animate Roll The Bones (with celebrity rappers video) Distant Early Warning Losing It (with Jonathan Dinklage) Subdivisions Intermission (R40 drum kit replaced with throwback replica kit) Set 2: Video Intro (No Country for Old Hens) Tom Sawyer Red Barchetta The Spirit of Radio Jacob's Ladder Cygnus X-1 Book Two: Hemispheres - Prelude Cygnus X-1 Book One - The Voyage: Prologue Drum Solo Cygnus X-1 Book One - The Voyage: Part 3 Closer To The Heart Xanadu (double neck guitars) 2112 Overture/The Temples of Syrinx/Presentation/Grand Finale Encore:Video Intro (Mel's Rock Pile starring Eugene Levy) Lakeside Park Anthem What You're Doing Working Man (Garden Road riff at the end) Video Outro (Exit Stage Left) RUSH WEBSITE: www.rush.com FAN WEBSITES: www.rushisaband.com; http://www.cygnus-x1.net; http://www.rushcon.org; http://www.facebook.com/rushtheband MVI 1392

• published: 02 Aug 2016
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