For most bands, a body of work spanning three decades and 18 albums poses a dilemma. Do they try to keep everyone happy by just playing the hits, or do they try to satisfy themselves artistically? For Rush, the mission was to attempt both.
The first night of the European leg of the trio's Snakes and Arrows tour featured, as promised, nine songs from their new album in a show which, including a 20-minute break, lasted nearly three hours. With the epics that characterised their early work missing, Geddy Lee's announcement that they would play "gazillions" of songs was not far off the mark.
After a video introduction, featuring Lee as grumpy Scotsman Harry Satchel, they launched into Limelight. The production was superb, as usual, with lasers, floating lighting pods, flames, dragons and rotisserie chicken ovens. Part one featured a mix of older songs, such as Entre Nous and the magnificent Freewill with only two new tracks, The Larger Bowl and the instrumental The Main Monkey Business.
However, the pace of the set dipped after the break, with five new tracks played back-to-back. The songs themselves sounded excellent, in particular Far Cry and Working Them Angels. But the attention of the crowd wandered and it was only when Lifeson played the introduction to Spirit of Radio and Cartman, from South Park, counted in Tom Sawyer that the show took off again.
Peart's drum onslaught featured a sampled Buddy Rich Orchestra, the almost-epic Natural Science was given a rare outing and they finished with the instrumental YYZ, backed by a bouncing, delirious, throng. The hall cleared to the strains of Harry Satchel playing Limelight on the bagpipes. Mission accomplished.
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