It's official, Rush will be heading out on the road once again this year in support of, apparently, Snakes And Arrows Live, the confirmed upcoming live album slated for sometime in April. The 48-date tour will kick off in San Juan, Puerto Rico on April 11 before hitting the US in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida April 13 and continuing through the end of July. A number of these shows will see ticket sales beginning as early as January 21, so keep an eye on Ticketmaster for a venue near you.
Long time Rush fans may want to prepare for this one. There is speculation that the band may play the 18 minute epic from 1978's Hemispheres album, "Cygnus X-1 Book II," which will be celebrating its 30 anniversary this year. Drummer Neil Peart's site plays a snippet of the song just after the entry page loads. Seems a rather random thing to focus on given that the band is supporting their latest album, no? If you, like I, have always wanted to hear this one live, well, now might be your chance.
Tour dates as follows (stolen shamelessly from from the great RushIsABand):
APRIL 2008
11: San Juan, PR - Coliseo de Puerto Rico
13: Ft Lauderdale, FL - Bank Atlantic Center
15: Orlando, FL - Amway Center
17: Jacksonville, FL - Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
19: New Orleans, LA - Arena
20: Houston, TX - Woodlands Pavilion
23: Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
25: Dallas, TX - The Music Center at Fair Park
26: Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center
29: Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
May 2008
1: Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Pavilion
3: Reno, NV - Reno Events Center
4: Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion
6: Los Angeles, CA - Nokia Theatre
10: Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center
11: Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
20: Moline, IL - iWireless Center
22: St Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
24: Winnipeg, MB - MTS Center
25: Regina, SK - Brandt Center
27: Edmonton AB - Rexall Place
29: Vancouver, BC - GM Place
31: Seattle, WA - The Gorge Amphitheatre
Article comments
1 - El Bicho
They are playing on my birthday, but it's Mother's Day. Guess we are taking Mom out for Brunch only.
2 - Pablo
I can't wait to see the groupies backstage from the Dominican Republic!! Talk about charisma. From what I understand Rush has invented a new drug cocktail along the lines of a speedball, it is called the
Stupor-Stiff, an exquisite elixar made from Viagra and Oxycontin. When taken together you can bone while you sleep, right up Rush's proverbial alley so to speak. :)
3 - Getz
I stopped listening to new stuff from Rush after Vapor Trails, whose track mostly suck and which in my opinion is one of the worst engineered albums ever made. Snakes and Arrows is only slightly better, IMO. Their live sound also suck compared to the one they had in the 70's and 80's, but that could be a requirement because doing otherwise probably Geddy wouldn't be able to sing a lot of their old material.
4 - Tom Johnson
Well, Getz, what can I say? There's a legion of fans that disagrees with you on every point you've made (other than the sound quality issues with Vapor Trails, which mar an otherwise incredible album.) I can tell you that the show I saw last year was the best I've seen from them since I first saw them on the Presto tour, but I suppose that doesn't mean much to you since you're stuck in a very small time period with the band. I'm not really sure what compelled you to leave this comment, actually. Was there a point you were trying to make?
5 - Mark Saleski
it's the same generic comment you see about any band with longevity: "i like their old stuff...now they suck"
6 - mraleigh
What happened to the 4 studio albums then 1 live album formula? It worked so well right up until different stages.....now it seems they release a live album every other year and it's 4 or 5 years between "proper" albums....rewarding long time fans? or making several quick grabs of cash? debate.
7 - Tom Johnson
Why debate? I'm thrilled to see live albums this often. It's what fans have wanted for ages. Hello? Have you seen the bootlegs that are available? Fans LOVE getting great live recordings from tours. Why shouldn't the band put them out themselves? Look at how many songs get left off of live albums when going by the 4, then 1 strategy. Lots of great songs have been lost to time because of that (except on bootlegs, some of which are nearly official-release quality.) As the saying goes, "You don't want it, you don't buy it." Plain and simple.
8 - Dave
There are TRUE Rush fans...and then there are "fans" who liked 1 or 2 albums 25 years ago and decide to comment on more recent or current albums that they listened to once. Go listen to your Bon Jovi albums and leave the REAL Rush fans alone. You don't "get" Rush and you never will.
9 - ByTor
I sort of slagged this new cd, S & A, when it first came out but after having it a few month it has it high points that I'm starting to enjoy. They were awsome this summer in Detroit. But I do love the Terry Brown era. I love the older, rarer stuff in concert. But I would encourage everyone to see Rush live--it's impressive.
10 - marv
If you have not seen Rush on the S&A tour -- you need to. It is one of their best shows yet. Geddy can easily sing (and still does) a lot of the old material. Arguably, his vocal style today is better than what it was in the 70s. Neil and Alex are at the top of their game as well.