Wow, I didn't realize Rush had such an elitist following on fark...

I know all about the honor of god, mary jane.

"focuses on the playing"? As opposed to their other DVDs, which focus on their rugged good looks and trend-setting fashions?

At least LaBrie and Maynard don't sound like a gerbil getting farked up the ass like Geddy Lee does. (OK LaBrie does a LITTLE).
Here's a little known fact... RUSH ISN'T THE ONLY PROGRESSIVE ROCK BAND ON THE PLANET!

That all being said. Rush, Dream Theater, and Tool are all great bands... not my cup of tea but all three are undeniably talented.

Great inflamatory headline, but you forgot Mathematic Gerbils With Their Balls Caught In A Vise/Or Spinning Excercise Wheel; I played bass for them briefly in the 70s until I realized my time was better spent pleasuring myself with bits of moist felt.

The article failed to mention that Geddy Lee is God.

I saw two shows of the S&A tour and it was loads of fun!

And chicken!

Tool doesn't have a live DVD because they don't need the money.

Rush isn't bad, but goddamn does the absolute adoration of the band completely perplex me.

nacker: Wow, I didn't realize Rush had such an elitist following on fark...

That's the Rush following everywhere.

I have never heard/thought that Tool was a rip of Rush. That is a new one by me.

Gunny Highway: I have never heard/thought that Tool was a rip of Rush. That is a new one by me.

I thought Tool was a rip-off of the '73-'74 version of King Crimson. The things you learn on the Internet....

I've been a fan of Rush since a buddy of mine brought the first album over when it first came out and we (my old band) all gave it a listen. I've also seen them live seven times. I do not consider myself a Rush fanatic by any means, I just like listening to (and watching them) play. They write decent material, they're great musicians, and they seem to really enjoy playing live. I think the absolute adoration that FeedTheCollapse mentions actually applies to lots of bands, not just Rush, but I see the same thing with people and their sports teams, or their vehicles, or their electronics.

/I can't stand the Dream Theater dude's voice, but I love Geddy
//weird, eh?

Henry Holland: I thought Tool was a rip-off of the '73-'74 version of King Crimson. The things you learn on the Internet....

I would like to shake the hands of whoever they ripped off because Tool rocks hard and have an origional sound. But wait they are a rip off....but....*explodes*

Kliffoth: At least LaBrie and Maynard don't sound like a gerbil getting farked up the ass like Geddy Lee does. (OK LaBrie does a LITTLE).

The only vowel LaBrie can sing is "a".

Henry Holland: Gunny Highway: I have never heard/thought that Tool was a rip of Rush. That is a new one by me.

I thought Tool was a rip-off of the '73-'74 version of King Crimson. The things you learn on the Internet....

I don't hear the Rush sound in TOOL either. I've heard comparisons to King Crimson, but In the Court..., The ConstruKction of Light, and The Power to Believe don't sound like TOOL at all. Which albums should I look into then?

New Rush DVD "focuses on the playing", gives Dream Theatre Dreame Theatre and Tool something new to copy

FTFY, Submitter.

/sorry, pet peeve

shadowself: The only vowel LaBrie can sing is "a".

Yeah I don't particularly care for his voice. Scenes From a Memory is a great album but that's the only one I can enjoy entirely.... even so I haven't listened to it in years.

man, I just don't get Rush. The music is not all that bad but the vocals are like nails on a chalkboard. The equivalent of Darion Malakian whiny ass farking voice. jeez.

I just discovered Porcupine Tree this year, so I have no need for your Rush any longer.

Rush is the best band ever. If you disagree, you are wrong.

DREAM THEATER, sub-tard!

/portnoy ftw

ON a side note, I saw NIN last Saturday and their entire show was based around the visuals. They had 3 separate screens dividing up the stage that would independently produce images so all 3 could project something different and interact with each other (the band could interact with them as well). Yes, concerts should focus on the music, but NIN played a great show and had some great music to go along with said visuals. It was one of the best concerts I've ever been to.

/last concert before them was Rush
//They rocked too

nacker: Wow, I didn't realize Rush had such an elitist following on fark...

How, exactly, did you not notice that?

As has been mentioned, they're like that pretty much everywhere.

mandingueiro: The equivalent of Darion Malakian whiny ass farking voice. jeez

The Scars on Broadway album is awesome. It is cool if you dont like it but the album rocks. What ever he is going through, which is the reason the tour was cancelled, I hope he gets better because I want some new stuff.

rush sucks, well not really, I dont like them though
/because they suck
//no YOU are wrong

I just discovered Porcupine Tree this year, so I have no need for your Rush any longer.

If you are diggin Porcupine Tree you should also give Opeth a listen, the singer and lead guitarist Steven Wilson has produced several Opeth albums. BlackWater Park is one and its very nice indeed.

Someone once wrote that Dream Theatre is like listening to math.

They were correct.

/the band spelled their name wrong, not me
//loves me some Rush though
///probably not as much if they weren't Canadian

I'm a huge Rush fan but not one who can't give criticism where it's due. The S&A album and tour(s) were a letdown after Vapor Trails. In fact, the last two summer tours have essentially been repeats of each other, visiting many of the same venues. Which wouldn't be bad if the S&A material were stronger and as interesting as the Vapor Trails stuff was. This summer I found myself wondering when it was going to be over for the first time of the dozen shows I've been to.

Geddy Lee! Best bass player! Ever! Come on!



Approves.

I cant say that I am a seasoned fan of Dream Theater, but I am failing to see where they're a rip off of Rush. Can you see an influence? Sure can. But a rip off...don't see it. However, if you look at Zeppelin rip offs...and consider Kingdom Come, or maybe to a lesser extent, Whitesnake. Then you have a totally different argument.

Fearofablankplanet: I just discovered Porcupine Tree this year, so I have no need for your Rush any longer.

If you are diggin Porcupine Tree you should also give Opeth a listen, the singer and lead guitarist Steven Wilson has produced several Opeth albums. BlackWater Park is one and its very nice indeed.

Thx. I also discovered PT this year (old-school Yes, Crimson fan, liked Rush enough). Debating whether to invest in some Spock's Beard.

Just ordered Blackfield II, a Steven Wilson/Aviv Geffen project, looking forward to it.

A good online prog radio station is stellar-attraction.com -- I discovered a few other related bands there. Found an okay band called IQ there as well, sorta like a cross between Rush and Yes (including one song that's a 100% ripoff of Close to the Edge, complete with organ solo).

Interestingly, Rush is never played on that station, probably too mainstream for the DJ or something. I like Rush fine, but never found it "deep" after age 13. I personally feel the emotional content just isn't there.

I never thought of Tool as prog. A somewhat more sophisticated metal band, like DT (to which I'm also lukewarm.)

/my opinions, feel free to ignore them

Adebisi: Someone once wrote that Dream Theatre music is like listening to math.




Funny how you look down your nose at a very similar band while telling us how much you love Rush.

kinokosama: Geddy Lee! Best bass player! Ever! Come on!


Couldn't care less about Rush, but best bass player ever?

Tool doesn't have a live DVD because they hate producers. No one seems willing to do anything without taking all the money. It's the same reason that they haven't made a movie either. There's a lot of stuff they have always wanted to do that no one will pay them to do and we get screwed because the industry sucks.

I really don't see Tool as copying Rush. They just came after and share some of the same musical elements. Both of them have totally individual sounds. Copying is like how Jet tries to sound exactly like AC/DC or the Beatles.

Dream Theater's singer is way too awful for me to get over and like that band. Everything else is great, WTF happened?

ToxicAvenger: I'm a huge Rush fan but not one who can't give criticism where it's due. The S&A album and tour(s) were a letdown after Vapor Trails. In fact, the last two summer tours have essentially been repeats of each other, visiting many of the same venues. Which wouldn't be bad if the S&A material were stronger and as interesting as the Vapor Trails stuff was. This summer I found myself wondering when it was going to be over for the first time of the dozen shows I've been to.

Well, they were called the Snakes & Arrows Tour 2007 and Snakes & Arrows Tour 2008 for a reason. Both tours (basically two legs of one long tour) supported the same album, and if the fans will show up twice, why shouldn't they play the same venue on both legs? Besides, S&A was widely regarded to be their strongest material in years, and it's nice to see a band that could easily be nothing more than an nostalgia act (like Kiss, the Stones, etc.) still making solid material after all these years.

I enjoyed the show the second time around a lot more, mainly because I was more familiar with the S&A material. I was a bit disappointed, though, when the advertised "new set list" only consisted of switching out four older songs. Of course, the fact they added songs I liked more than the ones they jettisoned help too.

I thought S&A was a better album than Vapor Trails. I like Far Cry much better than One Little Victory. Coming after the long hiatus stemming from Neal's personal tragedies, I felt VT had too much baggage. Plus, the Vapor Trails mastering was terrible.

frostus: /I can't stand the Dream Theater dude's voice, but I love Geddy
//weird, eh?

Indeed. When Geddy sings I have the urge to rip the limbs off of kittens to drown out the sound.

Marla Singer's Laundry: Adebisi: Someone once wrote that Dream Theatre music is like listening to math.

Funny how you look down your nose at a very similar band while telling us how much you love Rush.

Hilarious. I must've forgot the rule "If you like band X and band Y sounds similar, you must like band Y as well".

Fonaibung: I don't hear the Rush sound in TOOL either. I've heard comparisons to King Crimson

I have no doubt Rush has influenced Tool, but I would say 73-74-era King Crimson is definitely more prominent. Try Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black, and Red. An even more recent album, Thrak, sounds pretty Tool-oriented in places. I see Tool has harking back to KC, but also through an 80s/90s alternative lens as well.

The Rush adoration thing that I mentioned earlier is that, even though I don't dislike Rush, I've always thought they were pretty hit or miss. And I really can't imagine most bands making more or less the same album for a decade (see: 80s Rush,) really being able to sustain that kind of popularity. I like Rush's post-80s work better, but they're also pretty bland and unremarkable as well.

Sadly, Rush falls into a similar category as a few other bands. Excellent musicians, great songs, I wish someone else was singing the vocals.

...Smashing Pumpkins, Led Zepplin, Dream Theater...

kungfu jesus with a side of lime: rush sucks, well not really, I dont like them though
/because they suck
//no YOU are wrong

Rush DO suck.

About the only thing Tool and Rush have in common are they use odd time signatures. There are literally no other comparisons to be had there. They're two entirely different bands artistically so hopefully no one is taking submittard's headline to heart.

The thing about Rush is that they're all great musicians, masters of their instruments. There probably isn't a better living rock bassist than Geddy Lee; he can really put down a mean bassline.

Alex has been doing some really creative things as of late. He never really does the same thing every album, he always tries to change things up and do something different.

As for Neil...he's always been a really good drummer, if not the best. Over the past few years, he's started getting more and more involved with fans. He has an interesting article at his personal website where he tells about how, after deciding to take part in a new Buddy Rich tribute, he had to go back and take lessons to learn how to properly play big band drums.
(Link (pops)

/of salesmen!

Great_Milenko:

I enjoyed the show the second time around a lot more, mainly because I was more familiar with the S&A material. I was a bit disappointed, though, when the advertised "new set list" only consisted of switching out four older songs. Of course, the fact they added songs I liked more than the ones they jettisoned help too.

I thought S&A was a better album than Vapor Trails. I like Far Cry much better than One Little Victory. Coming after the long hiatus stemming from Neal's personal tragedies, I felt VT had too much baggage. Plus, the Vapor Trails mastering was terrible.

Neil, you Philistine!
And you call yourself a fan!

Now, go sit in the corner and write out all of the lyrics to By-Tor and the Snow Dog twenty times.

/And, no, I don't know what "Tobes of Hades" are either.

Loves me some Rush, Dream Theater, and Tool, no reason one can't love it all...is there?

Why can't we all just get a bong?

Henry Holland: I thought Tool was a rip-off of the '73-'74 version of King Crimson.

huh... that's funny...
I also thought that Tool was a rip-off of The Mighty Crimso, but from the "Discipline" era instead.
Listen to the "Discipline" album and then "Lateralus".
There's a few similar riffs/guitar melodies/figures between the two.

Ugh, Dream Theater? I don't see it. Rush aren't bland, awful, and tiresome all over.

Adebisi: Someone once wrote that Dream Theatre is like listening to math.

They were correct.

/the band spelled their name wrong, not me
//loves me some Rush though
///probably not as much if they weren't Canadian


First: If you want a band that sounds like Math look at Behold... The Arctopus

Second: Dream Theater did not spell their name wrong. They are named after a building, not after the thespian art. The band was originally called Majesty after they were listening to "Bastille Day" by Rush and Myung commented on how majestic the music was.

Yeah, I'll admit I am a DT Fan boy, right down to the 4 days of Dream Theater music I have plus the tat.

Third_Uncle_Eno: Henry Holland: I thought Tool was a rip-off of the '73-'74 version of King Crimson.

huh... that's funny...
I also thought that Tool was a rip-off of The Mighty Crimso, but from the "Discipline" era instead.
Listen to the "Discipline" album and then "Lateralus".
There's a few similar riffs/guitar melodies/figures between the two.

but then again, the live USA version of 21st Century Schizoid Man is almost a crystal ball as for what Tool would sound like.