Greetings Rush fans! Vicki here, and I've got a little recap of another wonderful show with our awesome fans to share with you (set list below).
We love all of our shows, but this one was really special. When I arrived at Stillfire I saw a thriving venue with a lovely patio in the heart of Suwanee Town Center, complete with two food trucks and crowds of folks enjoying themselves. Then I noticed that they were doing a fundraiser. It turns out that one of their longtime patrons, Jim McAllister had died of glioblastoma, the same cancer that took Neil Peart. They didn’t plan our appearance the same night on purpose, but what a beautiful coincidence.
As show time got closer, I saw lots of friends and fans start pouring in, filling the wooden tables that surrounded the stage. As we approached 7pm, we nodded to our sound engineer Matt that we were ready to start. He gave us a thumbs up as he faded out the house music. Casey kicked off the Three Stooges theme and I smiled at the audience. They seemed ready for us! As the drum track ended we launched into Anthem. The crowd went wild and we could feel the energy.
When it came time for Closer to the Heart, I talked about Jim McAllister and encouraged the fans to donate on his behalf. Then I asked them to take out their phones and put on the flashlights. No matter how many times they do that it never stops looking magical! Folks held the lights and swayed them above their heads. The moon also cast its light down on us and I took a moment to look around me. I just couldn’t believe where I was, even after 11 years in this band!
We carried on with songs like The Analog Kid and Freewill, with Reese's solos earning lots of applause. Countdown brought big smiles from the fans; Ed and Casey had taken the time to get NASA sound effects just right. I loved seeing lots of little kids dancing and getting SO into the music! It made me more hopeful for the future. We ended the first set with 2112 and got a big dose of appreciation from the crowd.
We kicked off set two with Tom Sawyer, including the South Park intro, which never fails to make me laugh. Passion surged through me as we rocked through What You’re Doing, then the guys lit the place on fire with La Villa Strangiato. I got to stand off to the side and watch, and I swear I couldn’t figure out half of what Casey was doing! We then took them home with The Trees and Xanadu.
A standing ovation and an encore of Working Man brought the night to a close. As we stepped off stage, we got lots of hugs and kind words from the fans. I will never stop saying that we have the best fans in the world! Because that's the truth.
For me this was one of the most fun shows we've ever played. Forces combined to make it an inspiring evening, and I can't wait to do it again!
