Modern Day Warriors By Anthony Sica, Music Entertainment, April 2008, transcribed by John Patuto In 1968, Geddy Lee

and Alex Lifeson first appeared onstage together as their new band RUSH performed at a Toronto coffeehouse called the Coff-In, ironically own ed and operated by a neighborhood church. Not able to afford decent equipment, t hey played two identical sets of Cream covers both plugged into the same amp and using floor lamps with duct tape as makeshift mic stands. When the night ended, the duo [sic - Rutsey was there as well] were a whopping $10 wealthier. After b lowing the night's earnings at a deli down the street, they sat and planned worl d domination both elated and overjoyed ... they were professional musicians doin g what they wanted to do. 40 years later, Geddy and Alex along with drummer/lyri cist Neil Peart, who joined the band in 1974, prepare to embark on their 25th to ur of the United States. 25 albums later and 40 million in record sales worldwid e, RUSH is not supporting a greatest hits package or a reunion tour. On the cont rary, they are touring in support of 2007's Snakes & Arrows, their most focused full-length release since ... well ... since 2002's Vapor Trails. Y'see boys and girls, despite never having a pop hit, despite never being accepted as a mainst ream act, despite never appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone, despite all the trends that have come and gone over the last four decades, RUSH has endured. Hi gh-pitched vocals, sci-fi, fantasy themed lyrics, heavy bass, incendiary guitar licks and unfathomable drums have been the progressive formula since day one, al l executed by three lone gunmen who are above the law of music industry and some times even common business sense. And it's this blatant disregard for commercial success and image that has garnered the band its mass appear. Paving the way fo r bands such as Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins and Dream Theater and a new crop of prog-powered bands like The Mars Volta and Coheed & Cambria, RUSH was the defin ition of progressive. After releasing their debut album in 1973 recorded in four days and Fly By Night in 1974 [sic], recorded in just five days, RUSH abandoned their Zeppelin-inspir ed rock riffs for epic, orchestral compositions in the vein of King Crimson, Pin k Floyd and YES and produced Caress of Steel in two weeks. The album was a comme rcial failure and was panned by every music critic in North America. However, RU SH stuck it out on the road opening for Uriah Heep, KISS, Mahogany Rush, ZZ Top, The New York Dolls, Bill Preston, The Marshall Tucker Band and many more while headlining small theaters when they could. Playing over 250 shows across North A merica on what was first dubbed the "Down The Tubes" Tour then later the "Drive Till' You Die" Tour [sic - this latter one would be the A Farewell To Kings tour ], the band lost most of their road crew because of outstanding debts to Mercury Records and took shifts driving themselves from venue to venue. Despite the lac k of radio airplay, RUSH established itself as one of the best live acts in the world, wowing people with unique musical prowess and technical ability. Taking a ll the confidence they built up on the road, RUSH headed back into the studio an d instead of backing away from progressive tendencies heard on Caress, they uppe d the ante with an even more progressive selection of suites which would define the rest of their career. 2112 released in 1976, was a sci-fi epic which focused on the theme of individualism and man's fight against the masses. Ironically, i t was RUSH's biggest "F#%k You" to the music industry, the music fans and Mercur y Records ... and yet it was their first Gold Record. It seems that this self-sa crificing dedication to their art, helped them truly endure the endless criticis m, financial disasters and rigors of the road. On 2112, "Something for Nothing" aptly describes the band's ethos ... "You don't get something for nothing / you don't get freedom for free / you don't get wise / with the sleep in your eyes / no matter what your dreams might be." Manager Ray Danniels, who has guided RUSH's career since day one likens the band 's success to that of a baseball team. "They've built up millions of fans by nev er coming off the road for the first twenty years of their career. They put out 19 albums and did 19 tours in support ... and like a baseball team, you can coun

t on them every season ... and they may not win the World Series every year, but they always make the playoffs." Indeed, after the success of 2112, RUSH continued on its progressive path with t he mind-blowing Hemispheres which had even more epic arrangements than 2112 and dealt lyrically with the theme of the hero Cygnus breaking up the struggle betwe en Apollo and Dionysus. But as they entered the 80s, RUSH decided to embrace the new wave of rhythm being architected by bands such as The Police and Talking He ads ... the result was a more-radio friendly Permanent Waves in 1980 and 1981's classic Moving Pictures. Powered by "Tom Sawyer," again a representation of an i ndividual going against the norm, Moving Pictures has elements of rock, reggae a nd new wave ... all played exquisitely by these maestros. And being one of the f irst digitally mastered and mixed records ever, Moving Pictures was the epitome of sonic clarity. Going multi-platinum overnight, Moving Pictures transformed RU SH from a cult band to an American FM staple. Reluctant to step far into "The Li melight" chronicled on Moving Pictures in song, RUSH abandoned the sound of thei r guitar driven early records for synth-laden new wave excursions. But no matter how much they attempted to alienate their audience and write only for themselve s, the more successful they became. Signals was one of the most boring, muddy so unding records RUSH recorded, and yet "New World Man" hit the top of the rock ch arts and propelled the album to platinum status. As RUSH progressed into the 90s, Peart's lyrics went from fantastic to inspirati onal. From "Marathon" off of Power Windows theme of endurance one needs to reali ze their dreams to alienation and free will mantras of "Show Don't Tell" and "Th e Pass" off of Presto, to the recurring theme of endurance in "Stick It Out" off Counterparts and the title track off of Roll The Bones, Peart has provided the inspiration and motivation to both the band and their legions of die-hard fans. In 1997, Peart lost his daughter in a car accident, only to lose his wife to Can cer six months later. Although he took much needed time off, he endured his pain and returned to the studio to record RUSH's Vapor Trails. After that, RUSH agai n hit the road playing bigger arenas than ever ... Oh, and they haven't had an o pening act since the mid 90s. They play two sets/three hours a night year after year. On their latest, Snakes & Arrows, Peart writes in "We Hold On" ... Keep Go ing Till Dawn / How Many Times Must Another Line Be Drawn / We Could Be Down And Gone / But We Hold On." I've personally seen RUSH half-a-dozen times in concert ... I have every CD they've ever released and I can honestly say that their mus ic & lyrics have inspired me many times in my life to indeed "hold on" ... but i f you've never had the pleasure to see the most endearing and enduring group in all of rock ... don't take my word for it ... they'll be live at The Bank Atlant ic Center in Sunrise on April 13th; The Amway Arena in Orlando on April 15th and at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville on April 17th. And by t he way, that's three shows out of a planned 50. After 40 years, these "modern da y warriors" have nothing to prove by playing 50 cities ... except that they stil l can! And if the old saying "God is in the details," is indeed true, they on to ur, RUSH will make you see God every night!