Rush Snakes & Arrows Tour Oberhausen, Germany
K̦nig Pilsen Arena РOberhausen, Germany РOctober 19, 2007
by Edwin van Hoof
With the long absence prior to the R30 tour in mind, we decide not to gamble and make the journey to Oberhausen in Germany for another (3 rd ) night of RUSH live. With the Rotterdam shows in mind, Oberhausen shows a slightly different setting.
Entering the König Pilsen Arena, we notice the stage is trimmed down on the sides, the special lightning rigs flooding the audience and sideways of the stage are gone. The stage is more compact, yet it bears all the technical effects and surplus of features making this third night a splendid one. The opening movie is subtitled in German, and brings the band to the stage with Alex Lifeson waving his companions to speed up. Like so many nights before on this tour, the set list is exactly the same and leaves no room for speculation. The songs drive by like a freight train with one big difference: The band is relieved from the pressure of all the cameras which have been on them two nights straight. It is great to see Geddy Lee and Lifeson being even more spontaneous than in Rotterdam . Neil Peart is completely focused on his drumming and participates only rarely in the pranks pulled by the others. Even rarer are three minor misses we managed to report in Oberhausen , and instantly prove his human side as a drummer. This man is the human drum computer himself managing to fulfill the hardest task of all drummers; performing with Rush. It is there for that we enjoyed seeing his ‘slips of the stick,' and a juggle that went wrong. Hardly heard, hardly noticed.
Rush as always delivers their usual poise and panache to their classics and newer tracks. The two separate sets are stretched but rush by full speed. This time we are also able to focus more on the mind blowing technical features like the descending lightning plateaus, the three huge video screens with their funny video feeds and clips supporting and empowering the lyrics. "the Larger bowl" has so many mind boggling animations featured, that we note new facts on every show. Half full glasses opposite to half empty ones, a mansion on the left hand side which is exactly the same as a jail on the right hand side of the stage. Little differences which are hardly spotted and with the band being as captivating as always, one has no time to observe this closely. The audience devours it like candy, and with Rush being this excellent, there is not a complaint heard. Whether it is "Freewill", "The spirit of Radio", "Witch Hunt", the more pompous late eighties carnation of "Subdivisions", "Between the Wheels", the eclectic "Mission" and "Digital Man", or newer tunes like "One little victory", "Working them Angels" and "Far Cry", the balance is next to perfect.
Three hour sets from one of the best bands walking the surface of our planet, and we still can't get enough. A band this captivating and inspiring is one of a kind, not even mentioning their musical craftsmanship. Rush is top notch... and human, after all!
Read More at UnRatedMagazine.com
by Edwin van Hoof
With the long absence prior to the R30 tour in mind, we decide not to gamble and make the journey to Oberhausen in Germany for another (3 rd ) night of RUSH live. With the Rotterdam shows in mind, Oberhausen shows a slightly different setting.Entering the König Pilsen Arena, we notice the stage is trimmed down on the sides, the special lightning rigs flooding the audience and sideways of the stage are gone. The stage is more compact, yet it bears all the technical effects and surplus of features making this third night a splendid one. The opening movie is subtitled in German, and brings the band to the stage with Alex Lifeson waving his companions to speed up. Like so many nights before on this tour, the set list is exactly the same and leaves no room for speculation. The songs drive by like a freight train with one big difference: The band is relieved from the pressure of all the cameras which have been on them two nights straight. It is great to see Geddy Lee and Lifeson being even more spontaneous than in Rotterdam . Neil Peart is completely focused on his drumming and participates only rarely in the pranks pulled by the others. Even rarer are three minor misses we managed to report in Oberhausen , and instantly prove his human side as a drummer. This man is the human drum computer himself managing to fulfill the hardest task of all drummers; performing with Rush. It is there for that we enjoyed seeing his ‘slips of the stick,' and a juggle that went wrong. Hardly heard, hardly noticed.
Rush as always delivers their usual poise and panache to their classics and newer tracks. The two separate sets are stretched but rush by full speed. This time we are also able to focus more on the mind blowing technical features like the descending lightning plateaus, the three huge video screens with their funny video feeds and clips supporting and empowering the lyrics. "the Larger bowl" has so many mind boggling animations featured, that we note new facts on every show. Half full glasses opposite to half empty ones, a mansion on the left hand side which is exactly the same as a jail on the right hand side of the stage. Little differences which are hardly spotted and with the band being as captivating as always, one has no time to observe this closely. The audience devours it like candy, and with Rush being this excellent, there is not a complaint heard. Whether it is "Freewill", "The spirit of Radio", "Witch Hunt", the more pompous late eighties carnation of "Subdivisions", "Between the Wheels", the eclectic "Mission" and "Digital Man", or newer tunes like "One little victory", "Working them Angels" and "Far Cry", the balance is next to perfect.
Three hour sets from one of the best bands walking the surface of our planet, and we still can't get enough. A band this captivating and inspiring is one of a kind, not even mentioning their musical craftsmanship. Rush is top notch... and human, after all!
Read More at UnRatedMagazine.com
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