Wednesday, December 03, 2003
RUSH IN RIO. While visiting relatives over Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to watch the Armchair Rocket Scientist’s (who now is, apparently "learning to fly") new acquisition: Rush’s Live in Rio. Our wives shook their heads in bemusement as we watched 60,000 Brazilians rowdily rocking to the sounds of Geddy, Neil, and Alex, the (un?)holy trinity of Canadian rock. And they knew every word of every song (even songs that don’t have words), every guitar lick, every drum beat. A fascinating phenomenon on any number of levels. How and why did so many denizens of Rio become so enchanted with a Canadian rock band who, in my estimation, have left their best years long behind them (best Rush albums: Power Windows and Moving Pictures)? The performers have become either more craggy or plump with age. And, with the notable exception of Neil Peart’s dazzling drum solos, the concert performance is usually no different from the studio tracks (but minus some of the synthesized sounds and the skilled mixing). Still, there was something infectious in the energy of the audience and their rapt enjoyment of everything from “The Spirit of Radio” and “Tom Sawyer” to the latest tunes from Vapor Trails. Globalization at its finest.
The puritan in me wants to be critical of the whole rock concert phenomenon. Millions of dollars paid for the opportunity to jostle with a massive crowd and have one’s eardrums pushed to the limit. Idolization of people who are certainly accomplished musicians (especially Peart’s drumming and Lee’s bass-playing; Leifson’s guitar has always been, in my estimation, the weakest link in the band) and occasionally spout deep thoughts in songs like “Free Will” or “Ghost of a Chance.” But what if the audience devoted the same amount of money, time, and energy to combating hunger or poverty? Wouldn’t that be better? In a perfect world, I suppose so. But in our imperfect world, I can think of a lot of worse things that people can do than spend an evening playing air guitar with thousands of other like-minded fans.
The puritan in me wants to be critical of the whole rock concert phenomenon. Millions of dollars paid for the opportunity to jostle with a massive crowd and have one’s eardrums pushed to the limit. Idolization of people who are certainly accomplished musicians (especially Peart’s drumming and Lee’s bass-playing; Leifson’s guitar has always been, in my estimation, the weakest link in the band) and occasionally spout deep thoughts in songs like “Free Will” or “Ghost of a Chance.” But what if the audience devoted the same amount of money, time, and energy to combating hunger or poverty? Wouldn’t that be better? In a perfect world, I suppose so. But in our imperfect world, I can think of a lot of worse things that people can do than spend an evening playing air guitar with thousands of other like-minded fans.
