Rush

Rush Brings Hard Rock at its Finest to the Erwin Center!

Over the course of their decades-spanning career, the Canadian trio Rush surfaced as one of hard rock’s most prominent and highly regarded bands. The trio’s journey began with the release of their self- titled debut album in 1974. Rush has continuously churned out solid rock albums, full of instant hits, to solidify their legendary standing in the music industry.

Rush formed in 1968 in Toronto, Ontario, and is comprised of three band members, guitarist Alex Lifeson, vocalist and bassist Geddy Lee, and drummer Neil Peart. Peart, not the original drummer for the band, replaced John Rutsey early in Rush’s history. Prior to joining Rush, Peart was ironically in a band called Hush, and had been doing random jobs, like selling trinkets to tourists, to support himself. He showed up to his audition for Rush in a beat up car carrying his drums in a trash can, but after a short jam session with the band, Geddy Lee knew he had found the band a new drummer.

Rush has become known for their instrumental virtuosity, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs that draw inspiration from fantasy, science fiction, and libertarian philosophy, as well as tackling humanitarian, social, emotional, and environmental concerns. Rush’s latest album, Snakes & Arrows, its first in five years since Vapor Trails, was released in May of 2007. Snakes & Arrows debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, and certified gold in Canada in September 2007. The track “Malignant Narcissism” was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Rock Instrumental Performance. The album and the tour have seen an overwhelming response by critics and the millions of Rush fans around the country. As stated in a review by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Not only is Snakes and Arrows popular, it’s good. No, great. Having been at this for nearly 40 years now, Rush remains an instrumental powerhouse, and the record is smartly themed to these times where faith and religion have driven people to war.” The Snakes & Arrows tour is Rush’s highest grossing tour to date and best attended in many years, causing the band to extend their tour well into 2008. Peart, the main songwriter for the band, said that some of the lyrics for the new album were inspired by the motorcycle trips through the U.S. that he wrote about in his book, Roadshow: Landscape With Drums. “Just seeing the power of evangelical Christianity and contrasting that with the power of fundamentalist religion all over the world in its different forms had a big effect on me,” said Peart.

Rush has achieved what many bands only dream about…24 gold and 14 platinum records place the band fifth only behind The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kiss and Aerosmith. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to see this legendary rock band live at the Frank Erwin Center on April 23!