While Jacques makes melancholy with his famous “All The World’s A Stage” speech in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, I’ll dabble, with joyous splendor, in the role of Touchstone. By this, dear friends, I mean that I’ll try to share, with a dash of humor, a recap of my experience with my new friends Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, Anika Nilles, and Loren Gold during the Rush Fifty Something concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
My quick take on seeing Rush at Madison Square Garden on July 30th is that it was magical. This word “magical” explains not only my overwhelmed senses, but the otherworldly awe I experienced. To see the flawless performances by these immensely talented musicians and feel the smiling joy radiating both on and off the stage, it was enchanting. How else can I explain what Rush did to me during this show?
I pretty much blew the budget buying what will be my birthday and Christmas presents for the rest of my life when I sprung for the Closer To The Heart VIP package. It included a special gift (Rush embossed duffle bags), entry into the Xanadu VIP lounge for pre-gaming, and two tickets in the center section, row B. I booked this with the Rush Travel package, which included a room at the Kimpton Eventi Hotel, a short walk from Madison Square Garden.
The pregame festivities in the Xanadu lounge were pretty cool. It included some heavy appetizers, a cash bar with Rush Golden Ale, and one hell of a collection of Rush memorabilia. Rush super-fan Ray Wawrzyniak curated the collection and also acted as MC during the pregame activities.
After a few beers, some munchies, and failing to win the “Count the Guitar Picks” contest, we made our way out to our seats. Let me tell you, when the usher showed us our seats, I probably looked like a cartoon character with my eyes bugging out and jaw on the floor.
I had thought that the seats would be good given they were in the second row. The reality was that these seats were the best. Row one had a total of four chairs: two on the right of a crescent moon extension of the stage, and two to the left. In our spot, there were no chairs in front of us. It was just us and then the barrier in front of the stage. We were just 8 feet from where Geddy would be hanging out on stage.
You wouldn’t think it could get better, but it did. Security told Brenda we should stand up against the barricade, lest someone stand in front of us. So that is exactly what we did. I didn’t realize at the time this would end up being an astral door that joins heart and mind into a single perfect sphere.
The show opened with a goofball movie known as Xanadudes featuring three kids who are in search of Rush. The three kids, caricatures of Geddy, Alex, and Anika, end up at the haunted castle known as Xanahaus in search of their heroes. It was packed with Rush Easter eggs and lots of nerdy fun.
The video ends with a flashing montage of photos of Rush through time, ending with the stage veiled in fog as the pedal-droning E, single-note guitar swells, and temple blocks with a splash of chimes marking the beginning of “Xanadu.”
As I write this, the hairs on my arms are once again on high alert. The video screen in front of the stage rose to reveal our friends Alex and his white double-neck Gibson SG and Geddy with his red sunburst double-neck Rickenbacker. Lost behind a mountain of drums, we caught glimpses of Anika. Looking off of Geddy’s right shoulder, Loren Gold was all smiles, adding additional keyboards.
Back in a Sunday Sip in 2024, I shared how I came to become a fan of Rush thanks to a high school friend loaning me their copy of 2112. My first concert was Rush at Cobo Hall in Detroit on the Moving Pictures tour in 1981. My memories of that show are now faded and well-worn denim. However, I do remember rocking out to “Spirit of Radio” and “Freewill” from my favorite Rush album, Permanent Waves. As it was, so it shall be as the music moved through me once again.
When I tried to sing along to these songs at the show, small hands of joy gripped my heart and throat. I wasn’t alone as Brenda leaned in to point out that one of the photographers was crying. They wore a bright smile while wiping away a stray tear as Rush exclaimed the power of music with a cynical eye at the corporate machine on “Spirit Of Radio.”
When I had the opportunity to photograph Rush during their R40 tour, I thought I’d never get another chance to be this close to Rush. Little did I know that I’d be back again and nearly in the pit. For a nanosecond I envied the photographers in the pit at Madison Square Garden as it was clear from the looks on Alex and Geddy’s faces that they were having so much fun.
Looking back at my R40 pictures, Geddy and Alex seemed to model the stoic intensity of Neil Peart behind the kit. They are focused, revealing the emotional intensity (at least during the first three songs) through a riff-induced grimace. Not the case this time around at the Garden. Sure, there was still the determined focus required to pull off the music that Rush plays, yet this time around it seemed more like play. I’m sure every musician on the stage was working their asses off, yet it looked and sounded effortless.
Now I don’t mean to portray “The Professor”, Neil Peart, as a stick in the mud. The loving tributes to Neil during the show make it clear that Neil was one of three goofy brothers who happened to be in a band together. The video montages with Neil’s voice-over were wonderful, heartfelt lead-ups to “Bravado” (off Roll The Bones) and “Time Stand Still” (from Hold Your Fire).
For her part, Anika Nilles was impeccable. As I mentioned, we couldn’t see her well from our vantage point, except for the flash of a hand, but the screen behind the band revealed that she seemed to have as much fun as Alex and Geddy. Her powerful performance along with the backing vocals and keyboards of Loren Gold brought bright color to the already vibrant music.
After just over an hour of music, Rush took a short intermission. Being up in the front row is great, but when you are trying to bust a move to the restrooms, it’s a bummer. By the time I got there, the line was longer than “2112”. Clearly a sausage fest at a Rush concert.
Speaking of “2112”, just as the last couple of seconds clicked by on the intermission timer screen, I made it back to Brenda to marvel at the majesty of this song played in its entirety. From the righteous fury of “Temples of Syrinx”, to the gentle illumination of “Discovery”, to the bitter betrayal of “Soliloquy”, I was mesmerized. The tumbling drums, the percussive bass, and the ecstatic guitar had that same transfixing quality that drew me in all those years ago when the needle first dropped on side A of that album.
I could go on and on about this show. The extraterrestrial light show, the videographers providing key moments of the show for those in the back, the reefer man during “A Passage To Bangkok”, but I’ve kept you all long enough. I will add that the I Love You, Man dudes, Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, were slapping some bass, and Lil’ Rush did their patented opening for “Tom Sawyer.” As you’d expect, there was an encore which took us all back to the high times of the first album.
This truly was a bucket list experience. When you add in that this all took place in the fabled Madison Square Garden and that Brenda enjoyed the show too, this one will be extremely hard to beat. As the saying goes, “Life is short, buy the concert tickets.”
Upcoming Events You Won’t Want to Miss
Our events calendar on Life In Michigan is a treasure trove of events we’ve scoured the interwebs to bring to you. There are a ton of great events coming up. From that list, here are a few highlights:
Gigan, Centenary, The Biscuit Merchant, Skeletomb at the Sanctuary in Detroit on Aug 19.
Blissfield On Tap at Clara Bachmayer Park in Blissfield on Aug 22.
FUZZ FEST 11 - 33 bands of heavy fuzz at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor on Aug 27 - Aug 29.
Annie and Rod Capps Album Release at The Ark in Ann Arbor on Aug 27.
Art Pop in the Hollow at Ogma Brewing in Jackson on Aug 29.
Dirk Kroll Band with The Wildflowers at Elaine’s Joint in Redford on Aug 30.
In Other News
Check out the recap of GIG 2026 and the Chelsea Sounds & Sights Festival.
The GIG - The Art of Michigan Music newsletter gives a rundown on what we learned from our first time at the Chelsea Sounds & Sights Festival, along with what we plan to improve for 2027.
In the last Sunday Sip, Brenda has a rundown on our New York City adventure.
Practically in Geddy Lee’s Back Pocket
When Rush announced their 50 Something Tour, I knew Chuck would go. I appreciate Rush and can even sing along to a few of their more popular songs, but 2112 is completely foreign to me. So I didn’t see myself going until Chuck suggested we go to their show at Madison Square Garden.
Life In Michigan Podcast
We’ve known Adam Beratta, head brewer at Kickstand Brewing, for a bit and finally got a chance to sit down with him to chat about Michigan beer and what it takes to make it in this industry.
Surviving and Thriving in Michigan’s Ever-Shifting Craft Beer Scene
What does it take to survive and thrive over nearly two decades in the ever-shifting Michigan craft beer scene? In this episode, we sit down with Michigan brewer Adam Beratta from Kickstand Brewing Company to try to answer that question.
Substack Restack Attack
Substack is where it’s at. Check out these other superb publications:
Now this is cool. I can’t wait to check out the half-grand stories as well as who Charlie Finch talks with next!
Carl Schell, on a college tour with his daughter, takes us on a spin around Boston.
Steve Bradley shares some thoughts on the Kinks tune “You Really Got Me.”
I love the concept of being a National Geographic photographer in your own backyard - Thanks, Todd Takes Pictures
Adventures Yet To Print
All last week and this weekend, we’ve been volunteering as lighthouse keepers at the Big Sable Point Lighthouse near Ludington. We’ll definitely have stories and photos to share from this expedition. Next weekend, we’ll be at the Blissfield On Tap festival and will return with even more stories.
Brenda is working on the recap of our visit to River Raisin National Battlefield Park in Monroe. I also need to get you all the skinny on our stop at Venture Brewing.
Sunday Sip Flashback
Now that we have a couple of years of Sunday Sips under our belt, I thought it was time to dip into the archives for a Sunday Sip Flashback.
Sunday Sip 🐔
“You are no spring chicken,” my doctor said after I complained to him about a new ache. That was over 15 years ago. A few years after being told I wasn’t a spring chicken, I ran the Monumental Marathon in Indianapolis and met Marilynn, the Marathon Chicken. Oh, how I yearned to send that snapshot to my doctor, a testament to my feathery defiance.
Sunday Sip🦄
Happy Sunday, Sip Day! Like how I’ve not coopted Sundays into being Sip days? I think of Sunday as the start of a new week, and the Sip is here to kick your week in the butt with a fun read to get your motor running (did you just think of Steppenwolf?). I hope you enjoy it as I take a second look at some writing and music that I thought sucked.
What Are You Reading? What Are You Spinning?
Once again, there was too much excitement this week as we are out at Big Sable Point Lighthouse working as volunteers. We just survived “bus day,” and I’m spent. I promise some music and reading notes next time
That’s A Wrap
As my buddy Sturgill once said:
“Keep your head out of the clouds
And remember to be kind
And just stay in school
Stay off the drugs
And keep between the lines.”
Thank you for reading. Seriously, thank you! I hope your week is excellent! Don’t forget to kick out the jams!
Now, here is your moment of zen:
First time I saw and also photographed RUSH was in 1975 at Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC. They opened for KISS. (I could not hear for three days after shooting from in front of the stage and in direct line with Ace Frehley's Marshal amp stacks.)
I used to work with Ted Veneman, who owned Veneman Music and Ted was a friend of Alex. Ted's luthier, John Warden designed the custom strat style guitar that Alex played on a couple of tours.
I met Alex twice. The last time was in 1982 when they finished a tour with Rory Gallagher at an arena on Long Island. Alex was very gracious and kind to me about photographing him from the side of the stage. His roadie kept an eye on me so that I did not go too far out of the wings.
Ted would take my photographs of various musicians and make large poster size prints for the walls of Veneman music in Rockville, Maryland.
I think I've seen the band four times. Lisner Auditorium (as I mentioned) the Warner Theater in DC in 77, Radio City Music Hall in the early eighties and of course the show in 82 on Long Island.
I still have my 1982 tour pass collecting dust in a drawer.
Glad you got to see them. Would love to catch this current tour.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Your excitement and passion shine through. Monumental decision, I’m very happy for both of you that this experience was such a rush.
Super jealous. Should’ve just bought one ticket to one night myself. But this piece, from the unique perspective of the front row, helps.
And thank you for sharing my latest. You guys rock and are too kind!