GEDDY Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart have been touring as Rush for 39 years, and they can still appear to be three men in their twenties as they belt out their songs to a crowd of over ten thousand.

As years go by and more albums are released, a lot of the old original ‘classics’ have had to make way for newer songs, hence no room in the set for tracks like Fly By Night, Xanadu or even Closer to the Heart.

The first ten songs were all ‘oldies’, and included Subdivisions, Big Money, (both of which kept popping into my head for days after),The Analog Kid and the first of no less than three Neil Peart drum solos.

It never fails to amaze me how just three men manage to create so much music, but when you see the banks of instruments and pedals, it becomes a bit clearer.

With just guitars, bass and drums, the Canadian trio can make an orchestra sound minimal.

The second half was a celebration of the band’s new album Clockwork Angels with no less than nine of the twelve album tracks being performed.

For these, and the following four songs, the band was accompanied by the Clockwork Angels String Ensemble – a group of violinists and cellists utilised because a number of tracks off the album include a string arrangement.

As they were placed at the back of the stage – which contained the Gedison, a machine which, amongst other things, made popcorn – some of the explosions and pyrotechnics must have scared them witless.

Mention has to be made of the sublime guitar solo intro to Wish Them Well by Alex Lifeson; emotion oozed from every string.

As with all Rush shows, there is a lot of humour involved. Specially-made films in which the band played gnomes and the steam-punk influenced artwork.

Also, the bass-work and voice of Geddy Lee is always on the button and is a highlight of any show.

After the Clockwork Angels section and the third drum solo (always a joy), the band launched into a trio of old crowd-pleasers: Red Sector A, the instrumental YYZ and the hit the Spirit of Radio.

As they were cutting loose on these tracks, the three band members really seemed to be enjoying themselves more. It was probably a bit of tension-relief after concentrating on a lot of new material, they were now playing songs they had been performing for a number of years.

The encores were two of the best-known and loved Rush tracks.

Tom Sawyer is always an amazing track to listen to – the synthesisers really stand out.

Then we were treated to three parts of the 2112 story: Overture, The Temples of Syrinx and the Grand Finale.

And that proved to be the grand finale of the whole evening.

Apart from the interval, they had been on stage for three hours and we had been treated to the best of Rush.

Can’t wait for the DVD!