Rush tour

I'm surprised. I really thought they were going to jack it in.

Great news. And let's hope the show is properly recorded and produced so that the fans will have a better record of their possibly final tour than the Clockwork Angles disaster.

I last saw them in 1989 so hopefully another chance then. I couldn't believe how bad the Clockwork Angels tour album sounded either!  

Yeah. Still on their game, arguably performing at their peak, still capable of squeezing more creativity out of the bottle, and so badly let down by the CD and the DVD. I nearly cried. But they don't seem to care. I hope somebody manages to avoid snatching defeat from the jaws of victory this time.

If the band and management don't care then what's the harm in making it sound good?

Of course, this will be small beer compared to attending a concert or concerts. That's bound to be special.

i've been to every tour since Signals in 82 and they are always special live but, I have to be honest, I very rarely listen to their live albums because the sq, in general, is pretty awful.  The studio albums are pretty variable too although I've found the 24 bit stuff to be better in the main

There is such a great catalogue that even if you miss out on the last few albums due to SQ, you still masses of great music left.

I have sent e-mails to the band and management about awful concert sound, but didn't even get a auto reply.

+1, the only albums I don't listen to often are the live albums, which is a shame because I used to love Exit Stage Left when i was young, and Clockwork Angels which I just don't get despite the almost universal popularity it has, but there are some that are a little more difficult to enjoy just because they are so badly produced.  The 24 bit versions are almost all better in my opinion

The DR started to get a bit silly at Counterparts, was more or less buggered by Test For Echo and became unlistenable from VT on. To my ears at least. I guess we've each got our own pain threshold.

I've got VT remixed and Snakes in 24bit and they still sound awful to me. I didn't even bother with Angels in 24bit. But the brick walled CD sounds just fine on the middling in car system of Helen's car. All the old stuff that was remastered at 24bit for the Sector box sets and subsequently released in 24bit sounds good to me. In fact, all better than anything including the original CD releases.

I think Rush are remarkable and rare (not unique) in that they can still come up with fresh and powerful stuff after 30+ years of working together. Although there are many standards and crowd pleasers dating back as far as the 70s, they have consistently come up with good stuff and resisted pressing the repeat button on the sausage machine. I think that Snakes And Arrows and Clockwork Angels are remarkably fresh and interesting, not to mention cleverly crafted (if awfully produced) for a band of such an age. 

In the latter days of brick walled distortion, where sound effects have replaced notes and timbre, the concert footage has saved the day for me. The Snakes And Arrows BD is a lovely recording. You can actually hear what they are playing and singing. And you can hear HOW they are playing it. Unfortunately the sync can get a bit flaky on some players. The Time Machine BD takes a dive in sound quality but it is still good enough. The Clockwork Angels BD is a crime against music. On advice, I sent it back for a refund and bought the DVD, which is less detailed and borderline listenable in stereo. Ironic that the footage of the sound check is the best recording of the entire set.

I've also treated myself to the R40 box set (from Rush's website because it contains an extra DVD) and I'm about half way through the Additional Material BD. There's a Test For Echo era concert included with very good sound quality. I haven't looked at the other discs yet and I hope they haven't buggered anything up, although some of the concert recordings were a bit iffy to start with. But more than this I pray that the 2015 concert recordings will stand as a fitting testament. I don't think there will be many (any?) more opportunities. I guess it's theirs to lose. Pity they don't seem to care.

Got my tickets in the pre-sale for the local show this morning.  I've enjoyed the show for the last few tours (more so from memory than based upon the tour film - agree with the sentiments above).  I have high hopes that this one will be just as good.

Also looking forward to the monthly DMM AAA vinyl reissues due out monthly this year.  Fly By Night should be here next week...

It's looking very much like this will be their last large scale tour of its type.  I sincerely hope that they play Europe too. Congrats on your tickets,  something special to look forward to

Thanks.  If it truly is their last then I think they would be remiss in limiting the dates to North America.  Surely there would be plans for a few international legs and then another true farewell leg in some select North American cities with special significance (Toronto, Cleveland).

That isn't too much for a die-hard Rush fan to ask for, right?

Interesting to me that you mention Cleveland. I grew up in that area and Rush always seemed to sell-out two shows there while typically playing a single show in other US cities. At least that's my recollection from the 70s-80s era.

I saw Rush on their Grace Under Pressure tour in Cleveland (circa 1984) and again on their Snakes And Arrows tour in Vancouver, Washington (circa 2008). Outstanding seating for both, but much preferred the latter show. Geddy's voice couldn't extend as far but the band was much more technically accomplished for the recent concert. The band looked whipped for the GUP show and Neil was skimping on his drum rolls. I think experience has taught aging rock musicians to set a more practical and enjoyable tour schedule.

Should be a great show with a great setlist, and no doubt will have a strange stage backdrop and quirky video interludes. Might see Bob and Doug McKenzie on the screen. Take off, eh?

I hope they will also come buy in Europe - saw them quite some years ago at a concert which was not completely what I expected. But it might be well there last tour, so will try to get tickets...