Chicago, IL-Charter One Pavillion
August 23, 2010
I’ve been on a Rush kick ever since seeing their documentary. (For my full detailed review go HERE or HERE) But last night, Rush endeared me more to them if that is even possible.
Back in July, 8,000 Chicago Rush fans waited anxiously for the band to take the stage amidst the rain when the announcement came; the show would be postponed to a new date later in the summer. Cancellations and delays are dreadful for anything, but concerts it’s a large pain in the you know what. People travel, rent hotel rooms, pay for parking, and sometimes get tickets from other sources than Ticketmaster which makes the new date sometimes impossible to attend. Cancellations seem to be reaching new highs as of late and when the gig finally takes place, there’s rarely a mention of the previous cancellation even though it has surely cost the fan some money in one form or another. However, last night, amidst a perfect summer night in Chicago off the lakefront Rush delivered and then some. Acknowledging the technical/weather snafu’s that plagued the last show, they made their way through a spirited 11-song first set that opened with the sprawling “The Spirit of Radio”, a wonderfully wistful “Time Stands Still”, a new song from their 2011 record “BU2B”, an airy “Presto”, a clamorous “Faithless” (not played before this tour) and a sinuous “Subdivisions”.
After they joked about their age and needing a break before continuing, a local radio DJ took to the stage. He announced the band and their management have made special one-of-a-kind baseball hats for the crowd as a “thank you” for coming back for the rescheduled show. On the back of it, stitched in was “The Rain Date Chicago-2010”, making this an immediate collectible.
