Category: Features

Def Leppard, Styx and Tesla Pack Darien Lake

There is no better time of year than right now. Summertime is always the time where bands take advantage of the warm beautiful weather and hit the road. This summer, classic rock legends Def Leppard are hitting the road with their friends Styx and Tesla. On Sunday, July 12, the trio rolled into the Buffalo area with a show at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.

Shows at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center usually draw people to the adjoined theme park before the show. Throughout the day while walking around the park, Def Leppard shirts could be spotted everywhere. Seeing all of the fans in the park was an early sign that it was going to be a packed house. Hundreds of people were waiting for the gates to open at 6 p.m. so they could be the first ones in. Before Tesla took the stage at 7 p.m., fans were lining up to get food, beer from concessions and shirts from the merchandise booth.

When the house music stopped shortly before 7 p.m., a look around the amphitheater proved that fans were there to see every band of the night and not just headliner Def Leppard. Tesla took the stage with a loud applause from the crowd and started the show with “Edison’s Medicine (Man Out of Time).” The crowd seemed to enjoy every second of Tesla’s set. The excitement really came out of the crowd when guitarist Frank Hannon played the opening chords of “Signs” and then continued with another classic of theirs, “Love Song.” Opening bands don’t normally fill an entire amphitheater because most people use it as extra time to mingle and get their beer. That wasn’t the case on Sunday night for Tesla. Lead singer, Jeff Keith, was spot on the entire night hitting notes from songs written over 20 years ago. The closing song of the set, “Modern Day Cowboy” capped off a high energy set that left fans definitely wanting more from them. After Tesla had finished their set, there was chatter all around the seats about how awesome the band had sounded and how amazed they were.

Styx was next up for the night and fans were definitely warmed up and ready. From the start of the set, fans joined the members of Styx by singing along to every song of the night. Opening the set with “The Grand Illusion,” Styx had an entire night planned with only their best songs. Changing backgrounds with each song to coincide with its album or theme, Styx kept the crowd on its feet. Styx looked like they were having more fun playing on stage together than anyone else in the crowd. The band’s energy and enthusiasm was through the roof and out of the amphitheater. While the rest of the band took a short break, singer and keyboard player Lawrence Gowan kept the crowd entertained with covers of “Rocket Man,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” The band came back out after and played “Come Sail Away” before walking off stage one more time prior to the encore. Some fans thought the band was finished and started leaving their seats to the concessions. Shortly after though, the fans came scurrying back as they heard the applause of the crowd as Styx played “Rockin’ the Paradise” and “Renegade.” Guitarist, Tommy Shaw and the rest of Styx were spot on the entire evening and left the crowd eager to see Def Leppard.

As the lights dimmed and a giant Def Leppard banner was dropped down in front of the stage, fans knew it was only a matter of time before the finale began. The show opened up with “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” and the giant banner getting sucked up into a vacuum instead of falling to the bottom of the stage. Def Leppard wasted no time after that, going immediately into songs “Animal,” “Let It Go” and “Foolin’.” Whenever the house lights lit up the crowd, anyone could see it was a packed house. There wasn’t an empty inside seat visible and fans filled the lawn all the way to the back. Lead singer, Joe Elliott, sounded great all night long as well as the rest of the band. Vivian Campbell, who’s been battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma on and off, showed no signs of slowing down. Both Campbell and Phil Collen were spot on with their guitar parts while frequently going out on the catwalk into the crowd together. The production for Def Leppard was done perfectly and synced with each song; whether it was neon signs or a wall of TVs. The set included “Two Steps Behind,” which Joe Elliott did solo with an acoustic guitar. Rick Allen and Rick Savage kept the band tight on the drums and bass. The band ended the night with “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph” which features a history timeline of photos on a giant LED screen behind them.

This massive tour has already had a few stops in New York and is due for 2 more later this month in Wantagh and Saratoga Springs. Check out the rest of the tour dates here.

For the event schedule for Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, click here.

July 17, 2015
FOLD Festival Announces Diverse Lineup

New York City, the latest festival announcement is imploring you, “Freak out! Let’s dance!” Nile Rodgers, Grammy-winning composer, guitarist, and producer, is putting on FOLD Festival and is offering up one of the most diverse lineups this summer to get fans to do just that.

FOLD Festival is taking place in Martha Clara Vineyards in Riverhead on Aug. 4-5. The mixed lineup mentioned includes musical acts from many walks of life, including hip hop, alternative rock, country, R&B, funk and soul. Rodgers and his band CHIC are one of the many headliners of the two-day all-star event. Other top acts include Beck, Pharrell Williams, Chaka Khan, Keith Urban and many more.

One of the more interesting features of the festival is that Rodgers will be conducting recording sessions with certain artists at a private studio outside of the festival grounds. Details have been scant, but it’s an interesting twist with some potential follow-up to the festival-goers and even those that don’t attend.

All tickets can be purchased at the festival’s website, with general admission tickets costing $137, VIP $399, and Ultra VIP $999.

The lineup for each night has been released, but more acts are expected to be announced. Both nights will be hosted by CHIC, featuring Nile Rodgers, with Grandmaster Melle Mel playing the role of emcee.

TUESDAY, AUG. 4, 2015

Beck
Pharrell Williams
Keith Urban
Chuck D
Eric B
Thomas Gold
Paloma Faith
The Martinez Brothers

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 5, 2015

Duran Duran
Chaka Khan
Janelle Monáe
Grandmaster Melle Mel
Q-Tip
Slander
GTA
Snoh Aalegra

July 17, 2015
An Evening With The Lone Bellow

On a warm Friday night in June, a fairly packed house at The Egg‘s smaller room, The Swyer Theatre, The Lone Bellow were just as excited to be in Albany as Albany was excited to see them.

With lots of smiles, jokes, and music, the five piece band based out of Brooklyn wowed the crowd for close to two hours. Starting the evening off Zach Williams, Kanene Donehey Pipkin, and Brian Elmquist came to the stage and surrounded a mic to deliver three songs with just acoustic guitars and beautiful harmonies. This would happen again near the end of the show in the crowd and for the encore. The way the three of their voices blend together is gorgeous and needs to be heard by people who love music.

After Jason Pipkin and Justin Glasco, Bass and drums respectively came out, the evening turned from a folk vibe to full on rock and roll. The band played much of the material from the two albums they have released so far and many in the audience knew every word. Zach has a lot of energy and engages the crowd at all times, almost like a preacher making sure his sermon is heard while Brian plays the guitar like there is nothing else in the world for him to do. Kanene, when she was not switching instruments be it keys, mandolin, or bass, soothed the souls of the crowd with her fantastic voice.

The band had to restart parts of songs a couple of times, but they took it in stride and joked with the crowd about it, giving the evening a relaxed feeling and that it’s all part of the show. The Lone Bellow was on fire all evening and when they come back to Albany, which hopefully will be sooner than later, it would not be surprising to see them playing to bigger audiences once word gets out about what people missed out on.

July 15, 2015
A Tragically Hip Fourth of July at CMAC

The Tragically Hip is no stranger to New York, although many New York residents may offer a puzzled look when told the band is in town. The Hip is a band who has drawn stadium sized crowds across its Canadian homeland for a couple of decades, yet Stateside fame has been elusive.

agically Formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1983, Canada’s ambassadors have continually drawn large crowds to major venues on either side of the border ever since. Tonight was just slightly different than in years past. Knowing that Fully Completely would be played in its entirety may have removed some of the element of surprise and the crowd wasn’t the sellout, push-to-the-front type from the 90s, but the music itself was as fresh sounding today as it was 23 years ago.

Fresh off a Canada Day show in Toronto and another in Windsor, The Hip, as they are affectionately known by the faithful, ventured across the border to grace American (and traveling Canadian) fans with the gift of their music on our Independence Day at the beautiful Constellation Brands Melvin Sands Performing Arts Center in Canandaigua, New York.

This tour is a celebration of their breakthrough album Fully Completely, released in 1992. The Hip is playing this album in its entirety at each show of this tour and this reviewer couldn’t have been happier with this revelation as this album contains a couple of holy grail songs I have yet to see performed live. Some follow Phish; back in the mid to late 90s, I followed The Hip. This is a band that begs to be seen live to fully appreciate its musicianship and the showman who is lead singer Gord Downie.

Gord Downie assessing the situation in Canandaigua.

While Downie is the obvious focal point of the band’s performances, the rest of the musicians are what makes The Hip ‘The Hip.’ Gordon Sinclair and Johnny Fay are two of rock’s more formidable artists at keeping the beat and guitarists Paul Langlois and Rob Baker play well off each other with the balance of the solos tipping Baker’s way.

‘Grace, Too’ kicked off the evening as it often does. Following Gordon Sinclair’s lilting bass intro, the opening line states, ‘He said I’m fabulously rich, c’mon just let’s go,’ which Downie has changed to ‘He said I’m Tragically Hip, c’mon just let’s go,’ hereby welcoming you to the experience you are about to encounter.

The evening was heavy on the classics, with only two more recent tunes, 2006’s ‘In View’ and 2012’s ‘At Transformation’ making the setlist. ‘At Transformation’ evokes the ominous riffs of mid-aughts era Hip such as 2007’s ‘Vaccination Scar’ and fit well within tonight’s setlist.

The pre-Fully portion of the show closed with the standard ‘New Orleans is Sinking.’ In the past, the Hip used the mid-section of this song as a vehicle for working new songs into the set or Downie’s stream-of-consciousness poetry. The most famous version being the oft-bootlegged ‘Killer Whale Tank’ version:

Tonight’s version of NOIS was rather straight forward, which could indicate either that the Hip currently have nothing in the hopper to work into the song or that this one has been retired as such a vehicle. Either way, the song was rocking and a good prep for the main portion of the show.

Following a very brief intermission, dark curtains were lowered at the front of the stage, Downie switched from a bowler hat to a cowboy hat and it was time to become fully and completely immersed in Fully Completely.

The album was played in its entirety in its original playing order beginning with ‘Courage (for Hugh MacLennan).’ CMAC quickly turned into a group sing-along for the next forty minutes.

Downie scatted his way through the ‘get Ry Cooder to sing my eulogy’ section of ‘At the Hundredth Meridian’ with the aplomb of Cab Calloway, while the audience chimed in to provide the necessary emphasis of the refrain.

Views of Canadian landscapes and history appeared on the screens at the back of the stage to accompany the songs. It was here where I felt as if I were able to see my Toronto Maple Leafs finally win the Stanley Cup.

Growing up a Maple Leafs hockey fan, I’ve become accustomed to their failure to win a Stanley Cup in my lifetime. The song that really won me over as a fan of the Hip, ’50 Mission Cap,’ was one written about Bill Barilko, a former Toronto Maple Leaf who scored the Cup winning goal in 1951. The following summer he disappeared on a fishing trip in northern Ontario. As the song tells it, the Leafs didn’t win the Stanley Cup again until the year Barilko’s body was found in 1962. The video that accompanied the playing of ’50’ showed footage of Barilko’s winning goal as Downie sang, ‘The last goal he ever scored (in overtime), won the Leafs the Cup’ to the delighted roar of the fans. This site offers a nice tutorial behind the song.

As the band wound its way through the remainder of the album, Downie’s theatrics contrasted with his band mates’ stoicism. Whether using makeshift props to pretend he was a horse or shining his shoes, the theater of Downie is why you attend a Hip show. He is a poet as well as a showman.

The main set closed with a rare appearance of the Fully album closer ‘Eldorado.’ Prior to this tour, the song has only been performed live a handful of times.

After a brief break, the boys came out for the first of a five song encore, their most recent single ‘At Transformation.’ The pavilion seating gradually filled as the night wore on and by the encore, it was packed with standing fans singing along with Downie and high-fiving their neighbors.

‘Poets’ followed, which has a special relevance to my wife and I. A song from the album Phantom Power released in 1998, this song had a prominent location on the set list for The Hip’s Thruway theater tour of New York to support the album. My wife and I attended the Albany, Syracuse and Rochester shows on consecutive nights during that tour, fighting to keep our seats in the first few rows as scores of eager fans rushed to the front to get closer to the band. It’s a memory that stays with both of us to this day and something that cemented our love for the band.

‘Nautical Disaster’ was a highlight of the night. As the title suggests, it tells the story of a ship wreck, the origins of which are left to the listener’s imagination. Is it about the Titanic? The sinking of the Bismarck? The setting is ‘off the coast of France.’ It’s a song that takes you on a journey of hopelessness and the desperation of man in the face of disaster. One thing about The Hip, you’ll often get a history lesson while listening; perhaps another reason for this history geek’s love of the band.

Downie spun his tale of nautical woe, using the microphone as a prop to pantomime pulling ‘overboard’ audience members back into the ‘ship.’ It was pure Downie, pure Hip.

The finale, ‘Blow at High Dough,’ a hard charging, blues-inspired rocker from the band’s second release ‘Up to Here,’ sent the adoring crowd into a frenzy. Baker’s slide guitar during the solo sent echoes of Duane Allman through the lakeside air in Canandaigua. A fan shot video from earlier in the tour gives a taste of what was experienced. Sinclair takes on a more prominent role with the bass in this version than what was played this night but a tasty nugget of Hip nonetheless.

For a tour that was designed as a nostalgia trip, it served its purpose well in that regard. However, its also obvious that this band still loves what they do and the songs don’t sound dated nor trite. Downie is still a performer at the top of his game and while I would have liked to have seen guitarist Langlois take a more prominent role in this set, this reviewer walked away impressed with yet another Hip show.

Canada’s treasure gave the Americans a show for the 4th and it was pretty Hip.

Setlist: Grace, Too, My Music at Work, In View, Ahead By a Century, New Orleans is Sinking, Courage (for Hugh MacLennan), Looking for a Place to Happen, At the Hundredth Meridian, Pigeon Camera, Lionized, Locked in the Trunk of a Car, We’ll Go Too, Fully Completely, 50 Mission Cap, Wheat Kings, The Wherewithal, Eldorado, E: At Transformation, Poets, Bobcaygeon, Nautical Disaster, Blow at High Dough.

July 14, 2015
Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, Gem of the Finger Lakes

The Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, taking place this weekend in Trumansburg, NY, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. What started as an event to raise funds for charity has evolved into the gem of the New York festival circuit.

Set within the Finger Lakes region, near Cayuga Lake and surrounded by the Taughannock Falls State Park, just 10 miles north of Ithaca the charitable, eco-conscious, music and art celebration will be held July 16-19.

Not only does Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance offer a stellar lineup year after year, and an interactive kids area, community based arts and crafts programs, and ties to charities — they work hard each year to move towards being a zero-waste festival. Every piece of table wear is compostable. Compost bins are located throughout the festival making it simple for festival goers to participate.

The charities that receive funding from Grassroots change from time to time but some of the most recent recipients include: Doctors Without Borders, State Theater of Ithaca, Ithaca Youth Bureau, Food Studies Institute, Sustainable Tompkins, Center for the Arts of Homer, Hospicare, Taughannock Soccer Club, and so many more. Grassroots is more than an annual festival to the Trumansburg community, its part of and an active participant of it.

With nearly 60 bands on four stages, this year’s lineup will have something for everyone, one of the characteristics of this festivals that ranks it so high on the list of ‘must see’ events in our area. The 25th anniversary headliners include: Donna The Buffalo, Steve Earle, and Trombone Shorty & New Orleans Avenue. Also appearing this year will be: Cabinet, Jimkata, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, John Brown’s Body, Sim Redmond Band, The Horse Flies, Thunderbody, Sophistafunk, and many more.

Tickets, both 4-day and single day options are still available online and at select ticket outlets, and at the gate for you late comers. Sadly, as it always does, inside camping is sold out, but there are still off-site camping options still available. Check the festival website for camping ticket details and availability.

NYS Music will be on site all weekend with live updates and highlights, follow us on social media for everything Grassroots. We are so excited to be a part of this beautiful event with all the other eco-conscious music lovers. See you there!

July 14, 2015
Headstones come to Rapids Theatre

On Friday July 10, Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls was introduced to one of Canada’s best punk rock bands, the Headstones. The Headstones were a staple in the music scene since the late 80s. They disbanded in 2003 and decided to regroup and restart in 2011. Now they are back with vengeance and ready to make a name for themselves again, and they did just that when they came to town.

First act up of the night was a last minute wild card that I had never heard of before, Radio 9. Front women Patsy Silver had tons of energy on stage and was all smiles the entire time. I had to take a double look on stage because I could have sworn Mick Mars was their bassist; nope it was just doppelganger Joey Cristofanilli.

I have heard nothing but wonderful things about local legends Klear and finally had the opportunity to experience them live. Lead guitarist Bruce Wojick just left you with your jaw dropped to the floor and singer Fred Shafer wowed the crowd with his strong vocal presence and captivating lyrics. They have become one of my favorite local bands, hands down.

Next up was the Headstones and they brought such a powerful dramatic performance. They started off the set with “Bin This Way for Years,” then a little more than a quarter into the show vocalist Hugh Dillion stopped the show to call out all the irresponsible crowd surfers. He wanted anyone who was crowd surfing to be completely kicked out of the show for the remainder of the night. His reason was he didn’t want anyone to get hurt. The crowd roared with agreement and the show continued.

What I noticed all night long was Hugh constantly kept lifting his mic stand in the air and slamming it down onto the stage. I was not familiar with such a gimmick, it more or less gave off a sense of attitude. As the show was coming to a close they decided to play a brand new song called “Fuck It.” I could certainly see where the title came from. The only song I knew by them was one of their last encores called “I Smile and Wave,” and this seemed to be the crowd favorite by far. Every time the chorus was sung the entire crowd waved towards the front of the stage. I must say Headstones are back and they are here to stay this time. The show put on by them was a forced to be reckoned with.

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July 14, 2015
“Weird Al” Yankovic To Make Mandatory Stop At The Capitol Theatre July 30

“Weird Al” Yankovic’s “The Mandatory World Tour” will be making a mandatory stop at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY July 30. If that’s not mandatory enough, there will be a plethora of Mandatory Fun to go along with his Port Chester visit.

Weird Al’s performances, aside from being musically fulfilling, are robust with humor for every quirk accentuated by his superb showmanship on stage. Not to mention the costumes he dons throughout his shows to round out the experience.

Al’s shows are ones to never be missed, particularly on this tour as he has some new witty and hilarious Grammy-winning material under his belt with his 14th studio album, Mandatory Fun. Check out Michael Hallisey’s review of the album on NYS Music here.

The Mandatory World Tour hits The Capitol Theatre Thursday July 30 with doors at 7pm and show at 8pm, without a bad seat in the house (unless you get put in the time-out chair for not having fun). Tickets for the all-ages show are available online at The Cap.

July 14, 2015
Yonder Mountain String Band Performs at Albany’s Alive at 5

The Blind Owl Band played a great opening set, highlighted by a bluegrass take on The Allman Brothers Band classic “Whipping Post.” The Saranac Lake based band had a small contingent of devotees in the front at the beginning of the set, but by set’s end the whole crowd was won over. Yonder Mountain took the stage to a packed Alive at 5 house under the overpass of I-787 and presented classic YMSB numbers, covers and tracks off their new album Black Sheep.

“On the Run” opened the night, part of the celebrated ‘Bolton Stretch’ saga that weaves in and out of Yonder’s setlists. A pair of tracks from Black Sheep, “Insult and an Elbow,” and the Colorado inspired “Drawing a Melody.” The highlight of the high energy 90 minute set was a pair of sandwiches. The first combined Springsteen and Dylan with “Saint in the City” > “Spanish Harlem Incident” > “Saint in the City,” perking the ears of many Bruce fans in the audience, as Albany has more than a fair share. The second appeared in the encore, taking Yonder’s “Troubled Mind” and seguing into the punk number “20 Eyes” by The Misfits, making the tune seemingly inocuous in the process, before moving back into the end of “Troubled Mind,” capping another successful Alive at Five in Albany.

A photo posted by NYS Music (@nystatemusic) on Jul 9, 2015 at 4:18pm PDT

Next week, stay tuned for Rival Galaxies and Atlas Genius as Albany’s Alive at Five summer concert series continues.

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July 13, 2015
YYZ to NYC: Rush Travels Backward Down The Number Line At Back-to-Back NJ and NYC Shows On R40 Tour

Recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Rush has been at it for 41 years now since their 1974 self-titled release. Well, 41+ years including their earlier years playing local bars, high school dances, and their first 45 with A/B side singles in 1973. Their recent shows at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ and at Madison Square Garden in NYC as part of the R40 40th anniversary tour made a statement about the band who has persevered and grown a profound loyal fan base through the years while never flying close the mainstream limelight.

Though the Saturday show in Newark saw a windy deluge going to and from the arena, Monday’s sunny evening drew like moths a sea of people clad in Rush shirts to the sidewalks at 34th and 7th. A typical scene before a concert perhaps, though something was different in the air about this crowd. It was something more genuine than simply a visitation to nostalgia for long-time fans while anticipation welled in younger fans queuing up with tickets in hand.

Rush’s pair of New York area shows – June 27 at the Prudential Center and June 29 at Madison Square Garden – was a special treat on the R40 40th anniversary tour for many, making it easy to catch the band twice in the span of a weekend. It was an even greater special treat for these two shows, which brought an unexpected surprise in the first set.

R40 was all about a few key things which set this tour apart from some of the band’s recent tours – the set list, the fans, and at parting a feeling of mystery about what is next for Rush. It should also be called out that Rush devised a deft plot for the show – yes, plot – which keys in with the set list to bring things full circle.

Rush’s show format has been consistent for a while as they have not had an opening act in years: two full sets and an encore consisting of a mix-and-match of songs from various albums favoring the latest album. That did not change this time around but cue the first clever device – the set list. It started with their most recent works from Clockwork Angels (2012) and progressed backward through their releases without skipping back-and-forth in time. Rush has so far employed a rotation of set lists on this tour and not played from one list repeatedly, which made attending both NJ and NYC shows in a span of three days special.

Anyone familiar with Rush’s live act knows they have a boisterous sense of humor, from their intro videos and projections to the stage setup (when Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson began using direct inputs, they’d put other props in place of their amps, such as clothes dryers and chicken rotisseries). A newcomer to a live Rush performance may have been perplexed by what was happening in the backdrop but seasoned fans quickly caught on to the ensuing cavalcade of guys in Rush jumpsuits milling about to rearrange the stage in bits and pieces. Remember the plot we mentioned earlier? As the show went on the setup devolved in tandem with the timeline of the songs, starting with the steampunk props to the dryers, a wall of amps, a stack of amps and finally, in line with the band’s earliest shows, one amp each for Geddy and Alex propped on a chair. Neil Peart’s kit setup followed this progression too, at least as much as it practically could with his modern rotating platform kit appearing in the first set and a fixed double-kick kit reminiscent of the 2112 era taking center stage in the second set. Pay close attention as the insignia on the kick drum head in the first set is Peart’s subtle nod to the great jazz drummer Buddy Rich.

As Rush is not touring in support of any new music it felt like there was a synergy between the fans and the band – the loyal fan base making their presence known in gratitude for the years of music and the band feeding back to them a stellar performance, showing their gratitude for the support as well. While the aesthetics of the show certainly brought memories of listing to “2112” while procrastinating on some high school English assignment front and center for many long-time fans, it was the genuine loyalty that runs both ways that kept the energy high. Although, it seemed as though it took a few songs for the audience to really warmed up to that sustained energy perhaps due to less familiarity with their newer material.

Rush is well-known for their prowess as a trio for the sound they produce which they lived up to at these shows. Now in their early 60’s, the band members might be feeling a need to take it easy but Neil’s drumming was consistent as ever, Alex’s guitar lines executed with precision, and Geddy’s crunchy bass sound did its job. Geddy’s vocal performance seemed better this time than in a few of the recent tours, being able to cleanly hit the sustained high notes first evidenced early on during “Headlong Flight.” The band even did well emulating their stage mannerisms and recreating their sound from the beginning years while playing their earliest songs in the encore, namely by Geddy’s enthusiastic introductions his fellow band mates and the songs and minimal guitar effects. There were only a few infrequent blemishes on notes throughout the two nights which did not tarnish the performances.

My first Rush concert was at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on the R30 tour in 2004 as I was getting ready for my senior year of high school in Upstate NY. In all the Rush shows I have experienced on each of their tours in the eleven years since that first show there has never been as large of a crowd of kids (high school and younger) at a Rush concert than there was at the Prudential Center and MSG. It possibly is a side-effect of life-long fans bringing their kids to the show but it was incredible to see 9 out of 10 of them excited about the show – before, during, and after. As one long-time Rush fan Debra Ross points out, Rush is the ideal band for a younger music fan to get wrapped around.

Aside from mixing up the set lists between shows, something really pulled the heartstrings of fans when Geddy paused between songs to remarking “We’d like to deviate from the norm right now…” and broke out “Losing It” which has been played live for the first time ever during this tour, debuting in Toronto June 19 with the Prudential Center and MSG shows marking the second and third performance of the song. Even more rare, Rush brought a guest on stage, NJ local Jonathan Dinklage who played violin on tour with Rush as part of the Clockwork Angels String Ensemble in 2012/2013. Dinklage delivered a jaw-dropping performance on the song making it one of the most talked about parts of the show afterward. This was perhaps the most revered moment by many, including David C. who remarked it was a dream come true after 32 years of wishing to hear it live. Several other moments throughout the show made it special for many, including the longer songs of the second set – “2112,” “Cygnus X-1” and “Xanadu” where Geddy and Alex donned double-neck guitars. A consistent part of recent tour sets and a sort of rallying song for Rush fans, “Subdivisions,” yet again rang back at the stage with some of the loudest applause with the song’s opening notes.

While both nights were excellent for the music and sound quality, the MSG show felt like it was a notch above. The recently renovated arena felt more comfortable and cozy, perhaps a little bit less disconnected due to the oval-shaped bowl seating versus a more square setup. While NJ doesn’t have to pump their own gas, our pizza is better, you might say (and get the joke if you were at both shows). To call both of these shows a trip through nostalgia could be construed as a slight to what Rush is and represents. There is a strong resonance about the music and lyrics that keeps the shows fresh and relevant each time around especially with a growing fan base of younger folks.

So, is this it for Rush? Various articles and interviews point in the direction of this being the last major tour for the band but not the end. Hype-talk over the show grew into brooding as the Metro North train lurked out of Grand Central, almost an academic discussion over their future given Geddy’s closing remarks about hoping to see everyone down the road and the change of the projection of “R40” to “R40+” at the end of the show and some sentiment within the band about not touring anymore. That leaves one question as the R40 tour enters its second half: How do you say farewell to a band who’s music is the soundtrack to your life? Well, let’s hope to not have to think about that one just yet. Rush on!

Setlist: (differences between the Prudential Center and MSG shows noted by asterisk)

Set 1: The Anarchist, Headlong Flight, Far Cry, The Main Monkey Business, How It Is*/One Little Victory**, Animate, Roll The Bones, Between The Wheels*/Distant Early Warning**, Losing It (with Jonathan Dinklage), Subdivisions

Set 2: Tom Sawyer, The Camera Eye*/Red Barchetta**, The Spirit of Radio, Jacob’s Ladder, Cygnus X-1 Book Two: Hemispheres – Prelude, Cygnus X-1 Book One – The Voyage: Part 1, Drum Solo, Cygnus X-1 Book One – The Voyage: Part 3, Closer To The Heart, Xanadu, 2112 Overture/The Temples of Syrinx/Presentation/Grand Finale

Encore: Lakeside Park, Anthem, What You’re Doing, Working Man

*Played at the Prudential Center only
**Played at Madison Square Garden only

July 13, 2015
The Ataris at The Forvm in Buffalo, June 30

On Tuesday, June 30, The Forvm was treated to the spectacular show from The Ataris from Indiana. On tour promoting their 1999 classic album “Blue Skies, Broken Hearts…Next 12 Exits,” they will be singing the album in its entirety while on tour. The Ataris are currently finishing their long-awaited new album The Graveyard of the Atlantic, which will be their first since 2007′s Welcome the Night.

As I arrived to the Forvm approximately an hour before the show started I realized there were only a small handful of people waiting to get in. Upon arrival I realized that The Ataris were running a little late which is perfectly fine and normal considering they were coming from NYC which on a good traffic free day is a six hour drive at a minimum. As I looked to the stage I seen that The Home Crowd was already sound checked and ready to go. They waited patiently and I was anxious to see them because I have heard nothing but great things about these guys.

So as the time seemed to slowly pass I caught wind from the promoter that Ataris finally arrived approximately 15 minutes before the first band went on. So I went outside to say hello and introduce myself. In all honesty I didn’t know anything about the band besides the song called “Boys of Summer” which wasn’t even their own song. The first thing that caught my eye was the sound of a barking dog coming from the beat up eight passenger van. Being an animal lover I had to investigate. Kris Roe singer from The Ataris told me he brings his dog along on tour all the time.

Back inside it was time for The Home Crowd to take the stage. They are back after being on a hiatus and changing members, so I wanted to see how the new line up was. I was immediately impressed by their stage performance. They have a high energy on stage and its quite vivant that they put their heart and soul into the music. As they played I noticed they almost had a cult like following. People had homemade shirts of the Home Crowd and were singing along to every word of every song. They made quite an impression on me that night. I hope to see them headlining some big acts.

Then what the crowded room and gathered there for, The Ataris. In the beginning they gave off great vibes from the stage and the fans were holding on to every last word he sung. Though I was disappointed with some of the fans, Kris had clearly stated that they were singing their 1999 Album “Blue Skies, Broken Hearts…Next 12 Exits” in its entirety. disrespectful fans decided to continue shouting out songs for him to sing and he had to repeat himself a couple times. Just as quickly as it started it stopped, their momentum and stage performance that is, the show became quite dull and they seemed rather tired. To close the night out the sang with the only song I ever knew by them, “The Boys of Summer” by Eagles singer Don Henley. Overall I’d have to say is that while The Atari’s lacked a lot of energy in the set, I felt with the proper guidance and discipline they can make a strong worth while comeback.

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July 13, 2015