NOTE: The Manchester MEN Arena, 2013 review is here.
Just got back from the second instalment of Rush’s Clockwork Angels Tour, and it was another stormer.
In the tour programme I picked up at Manchester, Neil made reference to how they’re doing more improvisation this time around (he says that the album itself was less rehearsed than previous ones). Going along with that, I don’t think I have ever been to a series of Rush shows on a single tour and heard them deviate in any way from their tight set – until tonight. They lost The Pass (a personal favourite), but played Middletown Dreams, The Body Electric, and Bravado in Part 1 of the set. Wish Them Well (also a personal favourite) and Dreamline were missing from Part 2, but in came Seven Cities of Gold and Manhattan Project. I think it may have had something to do with the delay to the start of the show – the sound check ran over and they didn’t come on stage until nearly 8pm – but it didn’t matter. It was still performed as well as everything else. Here’s the full set list:
Part 1:
- Subdivisions
- The Big Money
- Force Ten
- Grand Designs
- The Body Electric
- Territories
- The Analog Kid
- Bravado
- Where’s My Thing? (with drum solo)
- Far Cry
Part 2:
- Caravan
- Clockwork Angels
- The Anarchist
- Carnies
- The Wreckers
- Headlong Flight (with drum solo)
- Halo Effect
- Seven Cities of Gold
- The Garden
- Manhattan Project
- Drum Solo
- Red Sector A
- YYZ
- The Spirit of Radio
Encore:
- Tom Sawyer
- 2112 Part I: Overture
- 2112 Part II: The Temples of Syrinx
- 2112 Part VII: Grand Finale
Once again, I couldn’t see an empty seat in the house, even in the top tiers at the back – and when you consider the size of the O2, that’s a damned good achievement. I was well placed on the floor (unlike last time at the O2, where I was in the rafters). I was on Alex’s side so the pictures were skewed towards him and Neil (the Manchester ones tended towards Geddy, as that’s where I was stood at that show).
As always, they put on an accomplished performance. They looked a little more relaxed right from the start this time, though that’s not to take anything away from the Manchester performance. If I was voting, I’d give the Manchester crowd the edge so far in terms of involvement and loudness – but only just.
It was a shitty day for the weather. It was almost constant heavy rain all the way down the A1/M11 (I passed the Borussia Dortmund team coach with big police escort, on its way to Wembley for the Champions League Final at Wembley). It was raining when I went into the venue, and raining when I came out. Damned cold, too. I was amazed to get out of the venue car park in less than 10 minutes – you have to know how and where to park!
The pictures all came out well again. They’re taller than some of the ones I posted for Manchester because I’m experimenting with the 16:9 format, which gives a wider field of view.
Next stop is Birmingham’s LG Arena on Sunday. I can’t wait.
NOTE: The Birmingham article is here.