It isn’t often that a band gets a headlining spot on Bluesfest’s main stage, and turns out to be the only band playing there that day.
However, when you’re Canadian rock royalty like Rush is, this is perfectly normal.
Day five of Bluesfest saw the legendary power-trio and recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees make a return to the nation’s capital, having last played the festival in 2010.
The band made a stop in town in the late stages of their Clockwork Angels tour, promoting their 12th studio album of the same name. With the stage decked out in steampunk style decor (boilers, gears, and even a popcorn machine), the crowd went wild as the opening synthesizers of their ’80s hit “Subdivisions” rang through the air.
The first half of Rush’s setlist happened to contain many songs from their ’80s period, with the band putting songs like “The Big Money,” “Grand Designs,” and “The Analog Kid” back into rotation. This was an excellent opportunity to see these perhaps rarer songs get a live performance.
Frontman Geddy Lee did not miss a single high note, an incredible feat for a man whose vocal range has certainly changed over the course of the band’s career. Watching the man sing while executing powerful, active, and complicated bass guitar parts is always a treat for the eyes and ears.
The guitar geeks in the audience (myself included) were wowed by guitarist Alex Lifeson’s six-string skill.
A brief intermission saw the band bring out the Clockwork Angels String Ensemble, a small group of stringed instrument players brought along on tour to provide some extra definition to pieces.
Having recorded many of the songs on Clockwork Angels with a string section, the live addition of the instruments worked wonderfully.
The band performed a good number of the songs from the album, complete with pyrotechnics and fireworks displays onstage, catching a few audience members off guard.
Surprisingly absent was the concert tradition of watching an extended drum solo from drummer Neil Peart, who opted instead to perform two shorter ones between songs.
The band shifted back into playing some hits for the remainder of the set, treating the crowd to their instrumental prowess through classic fan favourites “YYZ” and “The Spirit of Radio.”
Every time Rush plays, they put on an absolute clinic, and at almost 40 years of playing together, they don’t show many signs of slowing. Rock royalty indeed.
