When rock’n’roll judgement day arrives, Rush’s enduring dedication to the live album alone should enshrine them in that celestial afterlife.
Their first, All The World’s A Stage, came in 1976; Time Machine 2011 – Live In Cleveland [let’s spare them the ‘hello’ jokes] is their ninth.
It is a noble if anachronistic tradition, and in their hands the double-live record retains much of its original magic. There may be cavils about the setlist, at least in the first half of a show which might have benefited from some meaty sci-fi era intensity, but there can be none over the length. Over 26 songs, including, gloriously, all of an artfully-updated Moving Pictures, Rush offer something for everyone.
They have made their accommodations with age – Lee has developed a mellifluous vocal waft where once lay yelps – but their fire and their humour are fiercely present, and the years lend poignancy, especially here to Time Stand Still.
Of note to Rush-heads will be two new songs, BU2B and Caravan, both pleasingly retro bruisers.
