Rush Tour #8 Among Rock and Pop Tours

Rolling Stone has published its Midyear Music Biz Report Card, showing Rush coming in at #8 among the year's rock and pop tours with $18.3 million in earnings, not too shabby for a second leg tour (last year Rush came in 6th with $21 million in earnings as reported by USA Today). The Top 10 Rock and Pop Tours for 2008 are: 1. Bon Jovi ($56.3 million), 2. Bruce Springsteen ($40.8 million), 3. Van Halen ($36.8 million), 4. Kanye West ($31.6 million), 5. Jay-Z/Mary J. Blige ($30.7 million), 6. Spice Girls ($23.3 million), 7. The Police ($23.3 million), 8. Rush ($18.3 million), 9. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ($17.8 million), 10. Hannah Montana ($17.1 million) - RollingStone.com, July 29, 2008

Rush On Colbert Report/Playing Rock Band

On Wednesday July 16th, Rush appeared on The Colbert Report. The complete episode is available on Colbert's website. Before taking the stage, however, Rush answered the challenge and performed "Tom Sawyer" as part of the video game Rock Band. How did it go? After playing the song, Geddy quips "I'm joining another band..."

"...The Canadian band Rush, which hasn’t performed on U.S. television in more than three decades, will play their classic 'Tom Sawyer' on the Comedy Central show Wednesday (11:30 p.m. EST). The Geddy Lee-led trio, which is currently on tour, hasn’t played on U.S. television since 1975..." - Associated Press, July 15, 2008

Working Man (Vault Edition) Single

Originally released for Rock Band on July 8th, today Rush has released the "Working Man" (Vault addition) on iTunes!

"The version features a never before heard guitar solo that Alex Lifeson did during the original recordings back in the 70’s. The song was re-mixed by Rich Chycki who is known for his work on R30 and Snakes & Arrows. A great addition to the Rush song library!" - Rush.com, July 21, 2008

Rush's Old Stage Costumes Unearthed

"Ever wondered where Rush's fondly remembered satin kimono costumes (pictured below) ended up? Be honest now – you have, haven't you? Well, now it can be revealed. Jap (sic) band Onmyo-Za have Geddy, Alex and Neil's old duds in their possession and are wearing them with plide! (Alright, so we know these sorta outfits are de rigeur in Japan's Visual Kei scene, but give us a break, will ya?!) Onmyo-Za have been described as a Japanese thrash-pop answer to Nightwish, and you can check them out playing their fine opus Kasha No Wadachi here." - ClassicRockMagazine.com, July 21, 2008 -Thanks to Brian Sullivan for the headsup!

More Rush From "The Rolling Stone"

Apparently surprised at the reaction by Rush fans to their recent article, "Rush Never Sleeps" (which appears in the July 10-24 issue), the the folks over at Rolling Stone have posted their defense on their website. When the issue hit news stands, many online Rush fans commented that while much of the article was positive, the overall tone seemed an attempt to justify why the magazine was sinking so low as to write about Rush, and that it included many negative connotations on both the band and its stereotypical "nerdy" fans.

The magazine also recently posted their "Rush: The Complete Album-by-Album Guide" and is now defending itself with a new online article titled "Rush vs. Rolling Stone: A Qualitative Analysis", where they write:

"In the 2004 edition of the Rolling Stone Album Guide, Rush's albums received an average of 2.7 stars. Technically, those ratings put them somewhere between 'fair' and 'good' in the RS canon, which, needless to say, will not satisfy the fans at RushMessageBoard.com."

Classic Rock's "Buyer's Guide To Rush"

The current issue of the UK's Classic Rock magazine includes a "Buyers Guide To Rush". The story, which is now offered on their website, sifts through Rush's catalog listing the "Essential: Classics" as Moving Pictures & 2112; albums which are "Superior" as Permanent Waves, A Farewell To Kings, Hemispheres & Signals; albums which are "Good: Worth Exploring" as Power Windows, Roll The Bones, & Snakes & Arrows; and lists Feedback as the one album to "Avoid". Journalist Neil Jeffries also succinctly breaks down their career and gives credit to each of the band members in turn:

"Rush’s continued existence is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside the enigma that is the famously fan/limelight-avoiding and well-read Peart. Yet Rush are a three-piece band of equal parts, and similar attention is long overdue for Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. Although frequently derided for his occasional choice of high-register singing, Lee has a fine, folky voice; he’s no slouch on a synth, either...Lifeson, too, is an underappreciated player, and deserves to be ranked alongside David Gilmour for his fluid soloing, and Jimmy Page for other-worldly riffs."