Rush: The Fifty Something Tour

Video, some pics, and another item checked off the bucket list

I missed the chance to see Rush at the Forum 11 years ago, only to discover later that it had been their final show, their last with Neil Peart.

I’d managed to see almost all of my childhood progressive rock heroes — Yes, Genesis, King Crimson. The only exceptions were Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Rush. ELP was never going to happen; two-thirds of the band are gone. And for a long time, I assumed Rush would remain the one that got away.

Then came the surprise announcement: Rush was hitting the road again with a new drummer and a keyboard player.

Thanks to my wife Ronnie, who wasted no time grabbing tickets, I can finally cross the last attainable childhood prog dream off the list.

Anika Nilles is the real deal. She has the technique, the feel, and the groove to make it work. Any doubts about whether she could pull it off were erased on opening night, the first of four sold-out shows at the Kia Forum.

Geddy and Alex sound fantastic. They’re obviously having fun. There’s an energy and enthusiasm onstage that comes through from the first song to the last. The production is massive — lights, video, pyro — everything you’d expect from a Rush show.

They delivered nearly all the classics, with the notable exception of Closer to the Heart, and opened with Xanadu, which immediately told the audience this wasn’t going to be a greatest-hits-by-numbers night.

Here are a few clips from the show, followed by photos from our almost-nosebleed seats.

If you get the chance, go. Some concerts are just concerts. This one felt like getting back something a lot of us thought was gone for good. And the gods know we need that right now.