It’s another week without a proper Nine Circles ov list, (GOOD JOB, BLOG TEAM) so with Saturday night’s Rush show in Newark, New Jersey, having completely blown my mind, I decided the next morning to take up the slack and do something connected to the three gods of Maple Leaf prog rock. The trouble was, though, sorting through the band’s extensive discography to pick my list was a tricky proposition. Whittling down 20 albums and 160+ songs worth of material to just nine songs, in just a few hours’ time?

Yeah, no. Maybe (definitely) another time, though. But for now, I’ve decided to compile the Nine Circles ov the concert I just witnessed. Because with the R40 tour potentially being the band’s final extended tour run, you can bet they pulled out all the stops at the Prudential Center. Here are my nine favorite moments from it: 

—

“Far Cry”

In a set that saw the band pull out a whole mess of surprises, this was decidedly not one of them. I’ve seen Rush in concert three times, and they’ve played “Far Cry” at all three. But here’s the thing: it kicks ass, and it did in Newark as well. When I do eventually put together a proper Nine Circles ov Rush list, I’ve no doubt this thing’s gonna be on it.

—

Drum Solos

Yes, plural. The almighty Neil Peart treated us to two of them on Saturday: one during the early-set, Clockwork Angels highlight, “Headlong Flight,” and another between the first and third parts of “Cygnus X-1.” (Which, oh yeah, THEY PLAYED.) As I mentioned at the time…

They were mesmerizing. Neil is a god. #PeartForever

—

Stage Decorations

The R40 tour has seen the trio revisit their catalogue in reverse order—starting with Clockwork Angels and ending with the self-titled debut. And all the while, their stage set evolves (or rather, devolves) with them to tie into the different stages of their career—from lavish, steampunk-influenced decorations, to full-stacks and washing machines, to simple amp setups. It was a small thematic touch, but certainly appreciated.

—

Sumo Wrestlers

Oh yeah, the stage decorations also involved a pair of guys in sumo costumes, who emerged during the second-set-closing “2112” medley and started jumping into each other. I still can’t quite make sense of it, but it was hilarious.

—

“Losing It”

Rush has played this little gem exactly twice in the 33 years since it first appeared on Signals. The first came in their Toronto homecoming gig a week and a half ago, and the second was here at the Prudential Center. With Peter Dinklage’s brother on violin. Shit? Lost it.

—

“Roll the Bones” Celebrity Rap

Speaking of Dinklage, he was one of a handful of famous folks to appear in a hilarious, lip-synched video during the mid-section rap of “Roll the Bones.” (Oh yeah, they played THAT, too.) Others appearing? Paul Rudd and Jason Segel (duh), the Trailer Park Boys, Tom Morello and more. Here’s a nice clip of it from their show in Austin last month:

And no, I don’t particularly understand why Jay Baruchel’s wearing a Texas Tech football jersey either. Oh well.

—

“Xanadu”

They played it. With double necks. I turned into a puddle. It was wonderful.

—

The Encore

If possible, I think the encore may have been even more exciting than “Xanadu,” if only because it was COMPLETELY unexpected. “Lakeside Park” into “Anthem” into “What You’re Doing” into “Working Man.” We’re obviously used to hearing the last one, but the first three? Before this tour, they hadn’t been played live since 1978, 1980 and 1977, respectively. Like…holy shit, you guys.

—

Taking it all in

Think about all this. This is a band whose members are all in their sixties, touring to celebrate 40 years of playing together. And they just played 20+ songs—two full sets and an encore—and completely owned. that. room. for almost three hours. It was the kind of performance that makes you realize how much of a bummer it’ll be to not have them making these kinds of treks in the future. But if this is, in fact, their last large scale tour…goddamn, have they gone out on a high note.

—

That’ll do it for me. Check back later on for more—and if you still have the chance to catch this tour, find a way to make it happen. Trust me.

Keep it heavy,
Dan