Rush Proves It Outreaches Its Heavy-Metal-Band Tag
by Ralph Kisiel

While many people in the music industry slap a heavy metal tag on the power rock band called Rush, this Canadian trio proved last night at the Toledo Sports Arena that it defies categorization.

Despite an ever-evolving sound, Rush is frequently burdened with the heavy metal label, a classification which irks band members Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart.

From the opening chords of "The Spirit of Radio," Rush delivered more than a 90-minute performance last night, clearly demonstrating its versatility rather than the one-dimensional characteristic of a heavy metal band.

But both heavy metal fans and aficionados of Rush's more recent sophisticated, synthesizer-laden sound surely left the hall satisfied.

The trio stepped on stage as a tape recorded theme song of the Three Stooges brought cheers and laughter from the capacity audience.

Crowd Quite Lively

As Lee began singing about the "invisible waves that crackle with life," a phrase from "The Spirit of Radio," the crowd proved to be quite lively itself, bursting into one of the more crazed greetings a band has received in the Sports Arena in the recent past.

Rush primarily focused on songs from its latest disk, "Grace Under Pressure." By far the strongest offering of the night, "The Enemy Within," came from that LP. With Lee standing amid a near fortress of synthesizers, the song featured the interplay of Lee's flourishes on the synthesizer and the fiery solo abilities of Lifeson on lead guitar.

While "Distant Early Warning" has been receiving the bulk of radio airplay from "Grace Under Pressure," "The Enemy Within" is the tastiest morsel on the album.

Dazzling Synthesizers

Few other groups can reproduce their studio sound on stage as faithfully and precisely as Rush did last night. Lee's mastery of the synthesizers was dazzling. His use of a PPG Digital Synthesizer produced a whirlwind of futuristic sounds throughout the night.

Not surprisingly, Rush has incorporated other entertaining technological advances into its performances. Green laser lights frequently, and effectively, pierced through the hazy Sports Arena atmosphere enhancing songs such as "Between The Wheels" and "The Body Electric," both from the new LP.

Rush really offered a multimedia event by augmenting its concert with a film backdrop to show cartoons, portions of its "Distant Early Warning" video, and comedian Joe Flaherty, of Second City TV, as Count Floyd to introduce a song.

While 1984 marks the band's 10th year as a recording unit, and some 15 years together as a band, the trio has downplayed that milestone. But for some 90 minutes last night, local Rush fans turned the arena into a real celebration.

A Power-Chord Band

Fastway, the British band featuring "Fast" Eddie Clarke, formerly a guitarist with the heavy metal band Motorhead, opened last night's show. In contrast to Rush, Fastway is a no-frills, power-chord band that is developing a solid base of support in Toledo with just two albums to its credit.

Frankly, I would have preferred to see another band open the show. Fastway just played here Sept. 7 during the Ratt concert.

But even their repeat performance was entertaining. Obviously, from their playful energy on stage, this foursome thrives on constant touring. Fastway ripped through a 45-minute set of rockers such as "Tell Me", "Say What You Will" and the crowd-pleasing "All Fired Up."