Saturday, April 28, 2007

Rush still sucks...too bad their fans kick ass.

It's too bad I like Rush fans. I enjoy trading barbs, entering into deep discussions concerning the merits of various bands and artists, and exchanging opinions about all kinds of things, both musical and otherwise. If Rush fans were by and large obnoxiouis, like Leaf fans, it would be much easier to dislike all things about the band. As it stands, their fans seem to be, for the most part, well versed and very knowledgeable about music in general. This means that all I can do is agree to disagree concerning Rush, and most of the other music Rush fans tend to like. But I do like the Rush fans.

I got a chance to meet several of them Thursday night, when I was forced to conduct the listening party for their new album, Snakes and Arrows. The Rush fans seemed to like it, I did my best not to listen at all. There's something amazing about Rush, and that is the kind of fanaticism they seem to engender. Rush fans are Rush fanatics. They live and breathe this band. One of our winners that night was a man who had once been in a coma for 43 days. And then in the hospital for a further three months. When he got out of the hospital, he went home, showered, changed, and attended the Rush concert in a wheelchair that same night. You don't catch too many Styx fans doing stuff like that.

Overall, it was a fairly enjoyable evening. The people were great, we all had a good time, and I was able to ignore the album as best I could. The big prize was actually really good, for the Rush fans. It was a giant book full of every program from every tour Rush has been on since they first formed in the 70s. It went to a big Rush fan, as it should have. Too bad they're decent folks.