'Old guys' deliver a real Rush

RUSH, USANA Amhitheatre, Monday

Geddy Lee made several quips Monday night that he and his Rush band mates were old.

True, the Canadian power trio has been making music and touring for over 30 years. But even today they bring a youthful energy, musicianship and polished showmanship to the stage that many of today's "younger" bands can't match.

Monday night was no exception as Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart were in top form, performing 28 songs during nearly three hours of music before a packed USANA crowd. The band appeared to be in good spirits (even the normally stone-faced Peart was seen cracking a smile) right from the show-opening guitar riff of "Limelight."

For bands like Rush whose career spans three decades, it's hard to narrow down a set list. For this tour, the band concentrated on a heavy dose of its new album, "Snakes and Arrows," as well as a healthy selection of songs from the late '70s to late '80s era. Lee's voice was in exceptionally good form, and he seemed extra enthusiastic as he hopped around the stage while singing rarely played gems such as "Entre Nous," "Mission" and "Witch Hunt." Those songs blended nicely with crowd favorites such as "Subdivisions," "Freewill" and "Dreamline."

Some of the new songs off "Snakes and Arrows" sounded better live than on the album, such as "The Way The Wind Blows" and "The Larger Bowl." Lee, Lifeson and Peart were a tight unit all night, showing off their masterful playing skills on the instrumental "The Main Monkey Business." Peart, "The Professor," added some new elements to his infamous show-stopping drum solo. And the air drummers in the audience waved their arms in unison during "Natural Science" and "Tom Sawyer," the song every aspiring rock drummer tries to play when they first buy a kit.

As is the standard with Rush shows, the lighting, lasers, pyrotechnics and large digital screens in the rear of the stage complemented the music, making for a full assault on both the ears and eyes on songs such as "Far Cry," the best off the new album and one of the highlights of the evening.

Rush also showed that, despite its deep lyrics, it also has a sense of humor. Lee was flanked onstage not by a stack of speakers but rotisserie chicken ovens. And an absolutely hilarious South Park clip led into "Tom Sawyer."

The crowd went ecstatic as the band finished its main set with some of its most popular songs, including "Distant Early Warning" and "The Spirit of Radio."

The encore was filled with the more recent "One Little Victory," followed by "A Passage to Bangkok" and the classic instrumental "YYZ."

Not bad for a bunch of old guys.

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E-mail: preavy@desnews.com