Here are some quick links to other information about me:
I've seen every tour at least once since then, including
nine times on the Test for Echo Tour,
where I probably paid an average of $50 U.S. per ticket
and spent $3,000 for nine months of shows. I saw five Vapor Trails
shows, including the opener in Hartford, CT., and the second date in Scranton, PA.
During the Presto Tour,
I decided that once was definitly not enough, and went on to see the
band three times, then three more times on each of the Roll the Bones
and Counterparts Tours.
If you like looking at other people's ticket stubs, then follow this
Hyperlink to scanned images of mine
from over the years. To sum up my Rush touring experiences,
I've been fortunate enough to have seen the band (so far!) in three countries,
six states and 13 different cities.
Although the music (lyrics, notes, instruments, et al) is a driving force
in my attraction to the band, Rush is a lot more than just music. To me,
it's almost like a lifestyle that has many benefits. Anticipation plays
into the equation quite a bit...a new video, a new album, a new tour.
I've loved all the travel I've done to see Rush, and Rush has taken me
places in my own mind emotionally as well as to physical locations. I
guess Rush just represents the penultimate band, both in performance,
consistency, desireability, lyrically, musically and in reliability.
The music and the tours have been here for me (and others) for a really
long time, and I'm really thankful for that.
The music and tours and everything about Rush has given me security
when I've needed it, like a best friend. Always there when you need it.
Also, the energy and excitement surrounding new releases and tours is
pretty much unbelievable.
I remember right at the beginning of the Test for Echo Tour, when I was
going crazy planning all the trips and how to get tickets for everything.
A lot of Rush fans are fans in every sense of the word, and being a fan
means you are a "fan"atic. During extended tours and seeing multiple
shows on a tour, people often questioned my sanity and logical reasoning
abilities! "Why are you spending so much money on just a bunch of
concerts?" "You're wasting your time!" "Grow up!" "You're obsessed!"
I answered these people simply by saying that everyone has a passion or
two or three. A hobby. I usually asked them if they collected
anything, or did anything on a regular basis. Play golf?
Tennis? Gardening? Most of the time, they said yes, they liked "X."
So I would say, there's no difference in somone who likes to jetski
every weekend and me. As a matter of fact, it was very different. Jetskiing
is more expensive overall than catching a couple of shows every couple of
years, right? Though they always claimed that I was still being "excessive."
Everyone needs a passion, a pursuit, a hobby, in life, to make life
fuller. To feel alive. I don't think there's too many other places that
I feel so alive than at a Rush concert, with a great seat, good friends,
and GREAT music!
THOUGH IT'S JUST A MEMORY, SOME MEMORIES LAST FOREVER...
I was completely hooked.
The first RUSH show I ever saw was on May 18th, 1983 at Wembley Arena
in London,England, where I was living and going to school at the
time. I was 18 years old. That was during the European leg of
Signals.
The cost of the show was six Pounds, or about $9 U.S.
A commonly asked question among fans is, "When did you first hear them,
and what song/album was it?" The answer to that question is clear to me
even today, almost 24 years after the fact. I first heard the first album,
a great way to start, when I was in my room living in Galveston, Texas.
I have to credit my sister Jennifer here, and her (at the time) best friend,
Becky. They came into my room, said I would probably like this new music
that they had found (it was on a cassette), and proceeded to blast
"Rush" and sing along with Geddy at the top of their young lungs
at the same time.
