Band's longevity might defy expectations, but its long-term success is indisputable

Rush

7:30 p.m. July 2 at Riverbend Music Center, 6295 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati. $27.50-$92.50. (513) 232-6220 or Ticketmaster, 1-800-745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com.

Even if you were a diehard fan soaking up albums like Moving Pictures and Signals in the early '80s, you probably gave little thought to where Rush would be in 30 years. But here we are in 2013, and the Canadian trio has a new album, a new mega-grossing tour and an unlikely new honor: induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Rush, once dismissed by the pop mainstream as playing a nerdy mix of prog, metal and narrative fancy, has endured in ways that fans and critics could not have foreseen. Its 2010-11 Time Machine Tour, essentially a career retrospective, sold out in nearly every city where it played and resulted in a critically lauded live album. The Hall of Fame selection followed last winter.

Now we have perhaps the most unusual Rush project ever: an album called Clockwork Angels that augments its thunderous guitar/bass/drums sound with a string section. Think that's wild? Then check out Rush's return to the region, when it will enlist string players to bring the Clockwork Angels material to life in a concert setting. Being heard over Neal Peart's titan drum sound surely will require a miracle of modern engineering, or at least, sound mixing.

Longstanding fans shouldn't fret at the prospect of a dinner-size serving of new material, though. Rush's concerts this year have been averaging more than three hours and have included the return of such forgotten '80s and '90s tunes as The Analog Kid, Force Ten and Bravado.

Rush hasn't played Lexington since a 1984 outing at Rupp Arena. But the band remains a regular in Cincinnati. It will get next week's holiday fun started two days early with a performance Tuesday at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati.

Ladies' nights

The women get the spotlight at Willie's Locally Known, 805 North Broadway, this weekend.

Originally posted here:
Walter Tunis: Rush's longevity might defy expectations, but success is indisputable