Everyday Glory

This is a video I made for my students of Genres of Film at LDS Business College. It's set to the song "Everyday Glory" by Rush and is a song that is very personal to me. My students can choose to make a short film instead of a final paper, and I felt like I should make one too. I never got the chance to show it in class, so I am posting it here. It's not perfect, as I made it over 2 days, but I am still happy with how it turned out. Feel free to comment on it below if you wish. I hope you enjoy.

Rush - Snakes and Arrows Live on DVD

The J.D. Salinger of Canadian Prog Rock Music

RUSH was on the Colbert Report tonight. They had not been on U.S. television for over 30 years! My favorite band, on one of my favorite shows, so that was a nice thing to see. My favorite part was when Colbert was asking questions to the band that were written by his director Jimmy, and one of the questions was "Will you sign my host?" All three members signed Colbert's hand, and then Neil Peart said "I better not see that on EBAY." Classic.  

Another question was "Have you ever written a song so epic, that by the end of the song, you were actually being influenced by yourself in the beginning of the song?"

After the interview, they played Tom Sawyer, but Comedy Central went to commercial part way through.  When they came back from the break, Rush was finishing the song, and Colbert put on a night cap, fluffed his pillow and fell asleep at his desk.  UPDATE:  When the Thursday night show began, Colbert was still asleep at his desk as Rush finished playing.  He then woke up, and thanked the band.  After the opening credits, he was shaving and reading the paper.  Colbert rules.

Westboro Baptist Church will picket LDS President Hinckley's funeral

Members of the Topeka, Kan., Westboro Baptist Church have picketed several military funerals out of a belief that the war in Iraq is a punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality. The group issued a press release Monday saying members will picket LDS President Hinckley's funeral.

Well, isn't that mighty Christian of them.

What has the world come to? Evil is just evil, intolerance is intolerance, stupidity is stupidity no matter what religious cloak it wraps itself in. I personally don't care if you are Muslim, Catholic, Buddhist, Mormon, Agnostic, etc. What matters is how you treat others, and how you treat yourself. It's that simple. I feel sorry for the people that feel like they have to picket a funeral for a 97 year old man.

This is the group that wants to picket Heath Ledger's funeral too.

Pathetic is the only word I can come up with. Simply pathetic.

This is the post on their website: http://www.godhatesfags.com/schedule.html

02/02/2008 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM Salt Lake City,

UT LDS Conference Center 60 W. North Temple

This is for the funeral of LDS president Gordon B. Hinckley. This Mormon fool preaches lies, and he is in Hell, lifting his eyes in torments. He taught that God was a liar about His covenant between one man, one woman, one lifetime: Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. 7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Jesus Christ said, that "if you love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15). The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is not about the business of "proselytizing" or causing people to "come to Christ." Man doesn't have the prerogative- That is GOD'S (John 6:44). Matthew 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees [Mormons], hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. See www.signmovies.net, particularly "Fag Church," "Your Pastor is a Whore," "Billy is a Lying Whore," and "Pope in Hell." This false prophet is no different from the Billy Graham or the Pope. They are all different heads on the same monster: False Religous Systems (aka the "Great Whore of Babylon", see Revelation 17). God hates the Whorehouse called the "Church of Latter-Day Saints!" America is Doomed! Amen.

Neil Peart sums these people up much more eloquently than I ever could.

"Witch Hunt" - Rush

The night is black, without a moon.
The air is thick and still.
The vigilantes gather on
The lonely torchlit hill.

Features distorted in the flickering light,
Faces are twisted and grotesque.
Silent and stern in the sweltering night,
The mob moves like demons possesed.
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right,
Confident their ways are best.

The righteous rise
With burning eyes
Of hatred and ill-will.
Madmen fed on fear and lies
To beat and burn and kill.

They say there are strangers who threaten us,
Our immigrants and infidels.
They say there is strangeness to danger us
In our theatres and bookstore shelves,
That those who know whats best for us
Must rise and save us from ourselves.

Quick to judge,
Quick to anger,
Slow to understand
Ignorance and prejudice
And fear walk hand in hand.

Rush 2008 Tour Dates Announced

Rush - 2008 Tour Dates (Snakes and Arrows Tour cont.)

April 11 San Juan, PR - Coliseo de Puerto Rico

April 13 Ft Lauderdale, FL - Bank Atlantic Center

April 15 Orlando, FL - Amway Center

April 17 Jacksonville, FL - Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena

April 19 New Orleans, LA - Arena

April 20 Houston, TX - Woodlands Pavilion

April 23 Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center

April 25 Dallas, TX - The Music Center at Fair Park

April 26 Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center

April 29 Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion

May 1 Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Pavilion

May 3 Reno, NV - Reno Events Center

May 4 Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion

May 6 Los Angeles, CA - Nokia Theatre

May 10 Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center

May 11 Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

May 20 Moline, IL - iWireless Center
May 22 St Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center

May 24 Winnipeg, MB - MTS Center

May 25 Regina, SK - Brandt Center

May 27 Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place

May 29 Vancouver, BC - GM Place

May 31 Seattle, WA- The Gorge Amphitheatre

June 1 Portland, OR - Clark County Amphitheatre

June 3 Boise, ID, - Idaho Center

June 5 Denver, CO - Red Rocks

June 7 Kansas City, MO- Starlight Theatre

June 9 Chicago, IL - United Center

June 10 Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena

June 12 Montreal, QC - Bell Center

June 14 Philadelphia, PA- Wachovia Center

June 15 Boston, MA - Tweeter Center

June 25 Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Amphitheatre

June 27 Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest

June 28 St Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

June 30 Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center

July 2 Pittsburgh, PA - Post Gazette Amphitheatre

July 4 Atlantic City, NJ - Marc Etess Arena

July 5 Saratoga, NY - SPAC

July 7 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun

July 9 Toronto, ON - The Molson Amphitheatre

July 11 Manchester, MA - Verizon Arena

July 12 Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center

July 14 Wantagh, NY - Jones Beach

July 17 Hershey, PA - Hershey Stadium

July 19 Washington, DC - Nissan Pavilion

July 20 Charlotte, NC - Amphitheatre

July 22 Atlanta, GA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park

"American Express Cardmembers will also have the opportunity to purchase advance tickets January 26th through February 1st for Rush performances in Boston; Chicago, Ft. Lauderdale, Holmdel, Wantagh and January 27th through February 2nd in Los Angeles and Irvine. In addition there will be a MUSICTODAY fan club presale for all Rush performances in conjunction with RUSH.COM starting January 22 through January 24."

Rush - Working Man

It's Monday and it seemed appropriate to post "Working Man" by Rush from the R30 tour.

Rush Ends 2007 World Tour with a Bang

Rush closed out the 2007 world tour with a literal bang when during the song "Far Cry" some pyro exploded behind the band, and took out Alex Lifeson's amp along with it. It happens at the 3:45 mark and couldn't have been timed better. The lyrics at that point "You can almost see the circuits blowing" and it's amazing that Geddy and Neil continue the song by themselves. I love Geddy's quote at the end "You have to excuse us. Alex's amplifier seems to have blown up here. So if you can give us just a few minutes here, we'll continue properly."

Rush has the #6 on the top ten concert tours of Summer '07

Usa Today listed the top 10 concert tours of this last summer and Rush has come in at #6. Their 38 U.S. shows grossed 21 million dollars and had 399,000 people attend. They are the biggest cult band in the world. I only got to see the Usana (Utah) show this time, but it was amazing as always. I have also seen them in Vegas and California, but it just didn't work out this year to see more than one show.

The top 10 summer concerts of 2007 are:

1. The Police
2. Kenny Chesney
3. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
4. Celine Dion
5. Dave Matthews Band
6. Rush
7. John Mayer
8. Beyonce
9. Roger Waters
10. Tool

Rush and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Jeb Wright is a writer on Classic Rock Revisted and wrote a good article as to why Rush is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

"The band (Rush) has sold over 35 million records worldwide. They have amassed 24 Gold or Platinum awards, 14 of which are platinum. They trail only the Beatles and Rolling Stones for consecutive Gold and Platinum selling albums. Two of their releases are multi-platinum sellers. Moving Pictures has shifted over four million copies while 2112 has moved over three million units. They consistently sell out tours and have even sold gold and platinum on DVD releases of recent concerts. Rush has also featured the same three-piece trio for over 30 years. Are there any bands in the HOF that can boast the same longevity with the same members? "

You can find his full article here:
http://classicrockrevisited.com/concerts/Rush%20Article.htm

Thanks to rushisaband.com for the story.

Rush plays YYZ in Rio

I don't like all the fast cuts, but this really shows the power of the band and the devotion of their fans. I think Rush is the biggest band in the world most people have never heard of. When your audience is SINGING to an instrumental, that is passion. Listen close and you can hear the crowd singing every note along with them. It doesn't get better than this.

Salt Lake Tribune Review of Rush at Usana

Review: Rush gives fans their money's worth
By Dan Nailen
The Salt Lake Tribune

WEST VALLEY CITY - No one can ever accuse Rush of not giving fans their money's worth.

Monday at Usana, the Canadian trio delivered a monster-sized set every bit as grand in scope and musically adventurous as the band's 30-year back catalog, playing nearly 30 songs in two sets spread across three hours.

The show included everything a long-time Rush fan has come to expect. Geddy Lee provided entrancing bass lines and that love it-or-hate it howl. Neil Peart brought his propulsive rhythms, deadpan demeanor and unnecessary-but-entertaining drum solo. And guitarist Alex Lifeson spent the evening with a grin permanently attached to his face, clearly pleased to be playing for a near-full amphitheater and with one of rock's best rhythm sections.

Rush opened the show, the sun still bright enough to wash out the lights and video images on stage, with a somewhat plodding "Limelight." The trio was up to speed soon enough, though, with Lee's hyperkinetic bass and Lifeson's reggae-tinged guitar tone leading the way on "Digital Man."

A memorable "Freewill" led to the first new song of the night, "The Main Monkey Business" from Rush's latest album, "Snakes & Arrows." "The Main Monkey Business" and its follow-up, "The Larger Bowl," both met with cheers nearly as loud as the older cuts that followed like "Circumstances" and "Between the Wheels."

After a brief intermission, and the arrival of complete darkness, Rush's stage show was able to take full effect. Three video screens above the band relayed images of animated videos for nearly every song. They also projected close-ups of the musicians working their respective instruments, a much-appreciated feature for the folks high on the hill. The overhead shot looking down on Peart during his drum solo was particularly inventive.

Between the videos, smoke and lasers erupting from the stage, it would be easy for many bands to disappear into the background of their own shows. Not so Monday, thanks to a second set dominated by new music from "Snakes & Arrows." The album is a solid set of hard-rock with touches of prog-rock, blues and reggae, like most of Rush's music, and the fans were unusually receptive to their heroes' new work.

Rush opened the second set with five new songs in a row, including "Far Cry," "Workin' Them Angels" and "The Way the Wind Blows" before stepping back into the '80s for "Subdivisions." By the end of the show, nine of "Snakes & Arrow's" 13 songs had made their way into the set.

By the time Rush hit its final push at show's end, hardly anyone had left even as the show hit the three-hour mark. "Distant Early Warning," "The Spirit of Radio" and classic-rock staple "Tom Sawyer" closed the second set, and the band followed with a brief encore before sending thousands of fans on their merry, exhausted way.

-----------------------
Who: Rush
When: Monday
Where: Usana Amphitheatre, West Valley City
The Bottom Line: The classic-rock trio overwhelmed a near-packed Usana with its musical dexterity and more than three hours of memorable hard-rock.

Rush - The Spirit of Radio (Live at Toronto Rocks)

Rush will be playing in SLC on Monday, Aug. 6th...so in honor of the coming show...

New Rush Video

Excellent new video for the Rush instrumental "Malignant Narcissism" or "MalNar" for short.

RUSH World Tour Starts Tonight

Rush's Snakes and Arrows starts tonight in Atlanta, GA. They will be in Salt Lake City, Utah on August 6th. Check out rush.com or rushisaband.com for more info!

Snakes and Arrows is some of their strongest work, especially lyrically. Songs deal with how the world is vs. how we would like it to be, war, fear, religion, faith, etc. Now in their 50's they sound like they are 20 years old. It's fresh and exciting, but the music is complex, mature and interesting. Definitely worth checking out.