Rush Rocks Hampton Roads

Rush made a surprising appearance at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater on Friday. I've been a fan of theirs since I discovered the Chronicles set my junior year of high school. They were touring to support their new album Snakes & Arrows. I'd never seen them in concert before, and I was in for a treat. This was the best concert I've been to in the past five years. Though the boys are all in their fifties now, they can easily outperform bands half their age. Opening up with Limelight, they interspersed some classics with the new material, which is one of their better albums in recent years. After a brief intermission, which Geddy Lee contributed to "aging", they started the second set with Far Cry, the first single off Snakes & Arrows, which was a high powered kick in the face. All this was accompanied by a light and screen show rivaled only by Pink Floyd. Neil Peart reinforced my opinion that he is the best drummer in the world, hands down, after a blistering solo that could put anyone else to shame. Alex Leifson had some impressive guitar solos as well. Some of the classics played included Subdivisions (one of my favorites), Tom Sawyer, Freewill, Spirit of Radio, and A Passage To Bangkok. I paid $62.50 for my ticket, but those guys earned every penny. I hope I get to see them again someday.