Way to go, you geordies! The Rush Time Machine Tour hit the Metro and it was even better than Manchester (which was better than Glasgow, and miles better than Sheffield) – and that was damned good itself.
Superb atmosphere from the moment the band appeared, with people jumping, dancing, and singing along loudly all the way through. It was a big crowd, too. It was obvious that Rush appreciated it and were playing up to it. Geddy even raised his vocals for this one (he tends not to hit the higher notes so much, but he was going for it tonight). There was also a fair bit of crowd interaction with Alex.
I’d got a good seat again – roughly the same place as at Manchester, but a couple of rows further back, so I managed to get a few shots of Neil this time. I’d have had him full on at the end when he stood up to wave if it hadn’t been for the sea of hands that went up.
I was a bit worried on my way up there this afternoon. The Metro website says that photography isn’t allowed, but I checked with the staff when I got there and they were great about it – as long as it isn’t a professional camera and you don’t overdo it with the flash you can take pictures.
(so doing a gig review was still on)
Once again, the band really seemed surprised at the reception. I can never understand why – Rush has a massive following (Lord knows where they were in Sheffield, though). Mind you, it always strikes me as odd that the people looking for reviews like this one were actually there themselves, so they know what it was like. I mean, I do it myself – look up reviews to see what others thought.
But there’s no denying Neil’s superb drum solo, and Geddy and Alex’s respective skills. I was talking to someone else who was doing the grand tour of UK gigs, and he said that he hadn’t realised until now just how good Geddy’s bass playing was. For myself, I’m always amazed at how they get the timing right with the triggers (though they nearly missed a few last night because they were having a laugh with each other and playing up to the audience).
So, the big question now is can the Brummies better it tomorrow night? Let’s see how it goes at the Birmingham NEC.
Edit: A reader has done an excellent write-up on her blog of this show. Take a look at According to Bex.