It was mind blowing!! Of course, it ALWAYS is. Rush fans have come to expect a level of expertly played rock...and they get it every time.

I thought that the last tour, R30, was the fans tour. They pulled out all the radio hits, every party song and the crowd air-drummed and guitared and sang their way through the entire show. I think I was 16 again for most of the show...it was that powerful. But this...this Snakes & Arrows tour...THIS was the REAL DIEHARD FAN tour.

I'll admit I love Rush; Never heard a song I didn't like. I enjoy listening to them and I will never turn down a chance to see them live. But I'm not a diehard fan like my husband who knows the words to every song. This tour brought out deep cuts like Witch Hunt from 1981's Moving Pictures. And a real crowd favorite was Entre Nous from 1980's Permanent Waves which had never been played live before. Don't forget "Bangkok"..you know they never play "Bangkok."

If you think Rush is only about long songs with deep lyrics...you don't know Rush. The most enjoyable thing is their sense of humor. We spent the week speculating what appliances Geddy would have on stage this time. The dryers? Vending machines? Nope. Rotisserie chicken ovens marked "Henhouse." Funnier still is that they tied to the show opener film which gave us Geddy as a Scotsman telling a sleeping Geddy to "wipe that chicken off yer face, un get up on tha' stage." As the film fades, the boys are running to their places on stage, Geddy still toting a chicken leg and wiping his face with a towel. Alex strikes the first chord of Limelight....and the three hour ride takes off.

Speaking of taking off: I was super excited when Bob and Doug McKenzie appeared on stage via film. For a second, I thought that *maybe* they would launch into "Great White North"......one of just 4 Rush songs that I know ALL the words to...but no. It was an introduction for "The Larger Bowl." Those guys...again with the humor!

We got schooled by The Professor. Peart's drum solo. 'Nuff said.

After 3 hours and one 15 minute intermission (see the set list) we still had not heard "Tom Sawyer" and I wondered if maybe after immersing the crowd in a record SEVEN songs from the new album....maybe, just maybe, could they possibly be leaving Tom Sawyer OFF the set list?? I mean, really, how many times in 32 years do we expect these guys to play that song?

And then it happened: Lil' Rush came on. Cartman..you know, the little round-headed SouthPark guy...Cartman showed up on screen for a short mockery of Tom Sawyer. It was all good fun mainly aimed at Geddy. Cartman proclaimed "Screw you! I'm Geddy Lee and I can sing whatever lyrics I want". And the crowd agreed. (**special note that the SouthPark film got a HUGE welcome here is Colorado. you see, this is the HOME of the REAL SouthPark, just south of Denver)

And we got our Tom Sawyer.

Can I say anything bad about this Rush show? Not much. My 7th row seat allowed me to get a close look at Neil's face and it seemed to me that he was simply "clocking in" for the gig, although you wouldn't have known it from the way he played. Flawless and hard. Geddy was as energetic on stage as ever. I think his voice sounded better than it did on the last 2 tours. He was hitting all the high notes with ease and I had to think "Geddy, where did you get the time machine?" Alex was beautiful. Looking very fit, he played with a lot of heart, passion and humor. He was a joy to watch.

It was a perfect mountain eve at Red Rocks; cool with a mild wind and the stars were visible in the sky and on the stage. It just couldn't have been better. My only complaint: I have yet to hear "Closer to the Heart" and "Fly by Night" live.

I guess that means I'll be buying tix to the next Rush show that comes to town. And the next, and the next, and the next......