Can it REALLY be 30 years since I saw Rush live in concert for the Moving Pictures tour? I suppose it has been …
My love for Rush came not from Geddy Lee’s screeching voice, nor the prototypical sci-fi prog-rock lyrics, and certainly not the popularity of the group with the ‘post Zepplin & Floyd’ crowd in the late 70’s. It was all about the music – and more specifically about the musicianship of the trio. Their songs wove together complex riffs, changing time signatures, and plenty of room for all three musicians to make individual contributions.
For me – and many fans – Moving Pictures was the pinnacle for Rush. A time when their songwriting skills, group identity, and musicianship came together to make a few albums that defined an era of rock music better than just about anyone. It forced kids wanting to sound like them to focus on their playing chops, learn about keys and times and loads of other things that allowed appreciation of music outside of the typical hard rock of the day. For me, there was a brief moment, starting with Permanent Waves and ending by Signals, when Rush brought it all together: and at the top of the heap was Moving Pictures.
Two weeks ago Rush released the 30th anniversary edition of Moving Pictures (on my birthday no less), with CD-only and also editions with enhanced DVD audio and a few music videos. They are worth checking out for the great remastering of the original tracks at least.
Here is a video of Red Barchetta live from the 1981 Moving Pictures tour. Yeah, this is pretty much how I remember it …
Here is the trailer for the new 30th Anniversary release:
And if you are interested in more, you can check out the CD/DVD combo from Amazon