Rush kick off their “Clockwork Angels” world tour this Friday in Manchester, NH.
The North American leg runs to December 2 when it wraps in Houston, following which the band takes a break before heading to Europe to begin a series of dates in May.
As the Canadian rockers prepare for the tour’s launch, bassist Geddy Lee spoke with Grammy.com about life on the road.
“I find it more stressful than when I was younger. I think the physical part of it takes its toll on me, and the other guys I know for sure,” says Geddy. “Staying healthy becomes a more difficult challenge, and as the tour winds on, nerves fray in a different way than they used to. Although, you have more confidence than when you were younger, and more command of your instrument [and], as a result, more command of your audience's attention, which makes it easier. There is kind of a physical price you pay as the tour winds on, whereas when I was younger I could be in almost any condition, get out there and bang it off. I'm grateful for the audiences that we have, wherever we go. But it's a difficult thing for me to do right now.”
"Clockwork Angels" is Rush’s 20th studio album; as for Rush’s longevity, Lee explains “It's a little mysterious to me. There's a particular obvious chemical reaction we have with each other as players. We all like making the same kind of music, which I think is the one thing that kills a lot of bands: the fact that their tastes start changing, and the thing they want to put in their music is not something the other guys agree with. We don't have that problem here.”
“The other thing that breaks up most bands is interpersonal relationships,” he continues. “We don't have that problem either, because we do get along well and we respect each other. Most of the time the biggest concern we have is, who is going to say something funnier? Where we get into one-upmanship is in the comedy department, not the music department. I think those things combined have really helped keep this band going.”
Read more with Geddy at Grammy.com here.
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