The irony of you saying "look at all those people' is that this was a concert held in Toronto because of, and during the SARS outbreak....AC/DC was on after them, then the Stones....AC/DC destroyed the Stones though. Haha. Angus was ON FIRE that night. And no one died from SARS by being there.....interesting :)
You should check out Woody Guthrie's "1913 Massacre". His son Arlo Guthrie covered it. It's a true retelling of an awful incident in Michigan's history, similar to "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot, which I think you already covered.
Here’s the inside scoop. Neil wrote this tune about a Toronto (Brampton, actually) radio station called CFNY 102.1 FM. They called themselves The Spirit Of Radio as they were a very early alternative music station. They played whatever they wanted and pissed off the record companies doing it. Neil was a fan of their rebel stance and wrote about it. When the album came out they couldn’t talk about the connection because their manager was afraid that no other station would play the song. A justifiable concern. But they paid one more small nod to CFNY by engraving 102.1 on the inner edge of side one of the early vinyl releases. Now my connection. I ended up working at CFNY for a bit and got to play this song. Playing The Spirit Of Radio ON The Spirit Of Radio was an honour and I’ll never stop telling that story. What a privilege.
@@michaeldehart8620 The Ontario Place Forum? I was long gone by the time they did those but I knew we had fans south of the border. There was nothing like that station anywhere else that we could pick up. Glad you could listen.
Jamel - two years ago when you started this journey you had so much to discover. Now you recognize a cover of 'Paint it Black', out of context, just from the guitar chords! Love it.
Rush is my favorite band too. Lost count of how many time I saw them live. There's a power trio of young women from Mexico whose drummer cites Neil Peart as her biggest influence and the mindset of the band is very similar to Rush. They are called The Warning. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TlOy0XbFVlM.html
That concert, SARSTOCK, was one of the craziest events of my life. Rush, the Stones, AC/DC, Justin Timberlake, Flaming Lips, Blue Rodeo, Dan Akyroyd, the Guess Who, the Isley Brothers and more got together to celebrate Toronto after we got through the 2003 SARS epidemic.
Rush does this for the love of music, money was just a bonus. This is a good example of a band sounding as good if not better than the studio version, mind-blowing to say the least. Rush will always be my favorite band.
True, they had decided that 2112 was going to be thier last hurrah if it was to come to pass. Critics from Rolling Stone called them nazi's for it (Geddy's parents are Nazi holocaust survivors), but as one with eyes can see and ears can hear, thier fans new what was good. And there's alot of them.
@@somethingsomeonesaid6455 Yeah, The Rolling Stone magazine was full of crap opinions and observations then and, if anything, it’s even worse now. When they reviewed A Farewell to Kings on its release in 1977 and said it was an album that should never have been made, I was done with Jan Wenner’s rag and have never looked at another issue since. F ‘em. Rush is the greatest band and all three among best musicians it’s ever been my pleasure to hear.
@@knarf_on_a_bike Alex had the best job in the world by far. Geddy a close second. Not to knock either of them of course but imagine getting paid (in money or straight up fun) to front for Neil. Incredible band.
@@missbelled6700 I’ve never heard it put better. Imagine hiring “the new guy” who just happened to turn out to be the best drummer in the world. Wow eh lol
The day after I found out that Neil passed away, I got into my car first thing in the morning. I turned over the key and as the car started and the radio came on this song started from the beginning. What a moment.
To this day I still can't accept I will never see them live again. That is a loss that nothing will ever quite compensate for but the memories of the concerts I did see will stay forever. This is more than music, this is direct human connection through art and is deeply moving.
Rush was never the kind of band to air dirty laundry. The dryer was to kind of take up stage space, just like most band's use a wall of amps and stuff like that. It was more for fun. In some videos, I've seen a rotating roasting oven with chickens and stuff like that.
@@matthewdrake4385 I've heard that between sets they would have roadies come up and swap out one load of shirts and put another one in. Some of the shirts would be thrown into the crowd as souvenirs.
As a long time Rush fan i was fortunate enough to see them 20 times in concert.Now i am fortunate enough to relive them again through you.You are indeed a sincere good human being.
6 times for me, starting with Vapor Trails. It was worth every penny, every inconvenience. I was lucky, but I'll always be sad that I couldn't see them more.
The strangiest and weirdiest SARS back in 2003 is a variant from a variant to...this COVID thing. Over a million people from this benefit concert which I saw live on TV but since last year, that same virus source, cerfew, masks, and keeping distance with each other, sounds strange.
@@martinduquette8749 SARS was more deadly than Covid-19 if you caught it. But Covid-19 is much more easy to spread, and THAT is the big difference, and why we have curfews, masks, social distancing, lockdowns and a much more significant contraction of the economy than back in 2003. Also, because SARS was not as contagious as Covid, it never got to the level of a global pandemic.
Sars. Get out and live..and rock.... Covid, hide and listen to a profiting government as they destroy your freedom. All in 2 decades.. What happened to people?
@@aspalovin It's not even in the same ballpark. SARS resulted in ~250 cases and 45 deaths in Ontario. Now we had 1100 cases and 19 deaths yesterday. Things will get back to normal but it's not there yet.
My Uncle, Uncle Bob, was instrumental in signing Rush to a record label. In Geddy Lee's autobiography he mentions Uncle Bob. He discovered Rush and pushed for the label to sign them. I was too young to remember, but my older cousins always talk about Rush being at the wedding Bob married my Aunt in the 70's.
Les Claypool of Primus played this at Rush’s induction into the Rock n Roll hall of fame. By the way Jamel you’re an official Canadian. Like the tragically hip and we will probably make you prime minister. Peace brother.
Yep, I know, BUT, I can't stand Geddy's voice or Jon Anderson's for that matter. Like fingernails on a blackboard. My favourite Rush album is Counterparts because Geddy sung in an audible register :). Yes I am a muso, a drummer, and a motorcyclist, so Mr Peart will always have a special place in my heart. His writing is pretty good too :)
@@waynethera2712 Hey friend! They are from about 45 minutes from me in Jacksonville, Florida. I'm a Southern girl. 😉 Yes, I've always rocked with L.S. When asked my favorite opening line to any song it's always been "Turn it up" from Sweet Home Alabama. Can't think of a better way to start a song. Turn it up! Classic! 🎵✌❤
Jennifer Hurlburt, well that’s pretty awesome. I’m about as far away as can be to Jacksonville. How are things down there, up here in Alberta we are still locked down pretty hard.
Geddy Lee gives a good interview as well, very thoughtful, and soft spoken. I've never heard an interview Alex, but I HAVE seen him on an episode of trailer park boys! Lol
This is how you do music kids.....if any of y'all had any questions. There are things that music classes that cannot teach on a blackboard or notebook.
I totally agree. Once in a while when I see a live video of them it brings a tear to my eye knowing will never get to experience this spectacle again. Fortunately here in St. Louis we have a good Rush tribute band the helps fill the void a little a couple of times a year but will never fill it completely.
I’m gonna keep saying it on every single Rush reaction until it happens. Cygnus X-1 book 1: the Voyage and Cygnus X-1 book 2: Hemispheres! Those absolutely need to be the next Rush songs. Brilliant moments from every member of the band. So epic
Jamel, youpicked as your favourite band a trio of good humans who's fans are also good humans. We love our boys. Welcome on in brother Jamel. You are most welcome here.
So i was listening to my local rock station in Philly the other morning and the topic of Crowded House came up and one of the morning guys mentioned you and your reaction to the Dont Dream its Over video you did. I thought that was pretty damn cool.
Love when you do rush ....if you can find it there’s a great story about Neil meeting Charlie Watts the drummer from the Rolling Stones right before the show
It was a mega concert in Toronto back in 2003 called "SARSfest". Rolling Stones organized it with invited big names acts. I was there, one of 400,000 people.
Yessir! What a concert that was. The Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto... The Rolling Stones wanted to do a benefit concert for SARS relief. There was Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, Sass Jordan, Blue Rodeo, The Guess Who, Rush, and AC/DC. Somewhere around 450,000 people were there. Largest outdoor ticketed event in Canadian history.
Sars stock 2003 in Toronto Canada ( rush and myself call this our hometown) this was a bennifit concert after the sars outbreak. Rush, acdc, rolling stones, the guess who, Justin Timberlake (who got horribly booed) played in front of 450,000 screaming fans. It was an epic day.
Jamel, if you haven't watched "Beyond the Lighted Stage" the Rush documentary yet, you must. If you can react to it-that would just be a bonus. But, either way... so good.
My favorite band too! :D ... and Rush was always amazing in the studio... but were always even *better* live... I'm so glad I got to see them as often as I did, but will forever wish I got to see them more...
All this machinery, making modern music can still be open hearted. Not so coldly charted, it's really just a question Of your honesty, yeah, your honesty Written in 1980. Prophetic.
This was a concert event to get Toronto going after SARS (illness similar to Covid) hit many people. I was there....and that close too!! The Rolling Stones headlined, prior to them was AC/DC, prior to them was RUSH, prior to them Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman (The Guess Who), and many, many great bands before them.
Ten years ago today, I worked as a production assistant on the Rotterdam show of Rush’s European Time Machine Tour. It was my third - and unfortunately last - time working for the band. The previous two occasions were during the Snakes & Arrows Tour, a two-nighter at the same venue. Great band, awesome performance, wonderful guys
The greatest band of all time! Incredible live! I seen them twice my first time was the Vapor Trails tour and the second time was Snakes and Arrows. There will never be another band like Rush. Permanent Waves is in my top 5 albums by Rush. If you haven't already you need to check out Entre Nous and Different Strings.
Just a reminder, Memorial Day is coming soon, please give a shoutout to those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice in a video or in the comments section.
If I had my own morning show on the radio, I'd play this song st the beginning of every show. I actually have my Amazon Echo set up to play this song and turn on my bedroom light when I say "Good morning". It's a great way to start the day.
I've watched this video a gazillion times and I always come away saying "What an Incredible Band" Show me another three piece band that performs like Rush - There isn't one!
I first saw Rush on Wednesday, December 15, 1982 at the Worcester Centrum. I was in the third row in front of the stage and they opened with Spirit od Radio. Forever changed me. Amazing.
this concert with the Stones headlining was a tourist boost for the City of Metropolitan Toronto and area as the area had been impacted by the SARS scare...an early Covid variant. Obviously Rush hits it out of the park.
@@SeanVedell Yes I remember that...they had a long connection with Toronto and would play there before the start of some of their tours...to warm up as it were.
People say Peart was the best drummer, and Geddy was the best bassist, but I rarely, if ever, hear people say Lifeson is the best guitarist, and I think the case could be made for him. The way he jumps from rhythm to lead and back again, all the while changing tempos, is amazing to me.
Alex's guitar work is only underrated by people who don't pay attention, but in a band this good it's hard to give all three their due. Especially when your bass player is carrying the melody and most of the accents. But Alex creates beautiful layered harmonies... and so many of his solos still create goosebumps (YYZ for instance... who does a solo in the Phrygian scale?). And the string bend at the 3:05 mark in 2112 is one of the most amazing sounds ever recorded.
I met a girl at Alex lifeson's Bar "the orbit room" in Toronto the night before this show and then we spent the weekend together going to this event with a bunch of other Rush fans I had never met. I married that girl.... Over the course of 15 years we had managed to pull off three meet-and-greets with the band. We've been blessed. We did a lot of shows together!
I was there. It was the SARS concert in Toronto Canada. Many bands played. Rolling Stones were the headliners. AC/DC was before them, and Rush before AC/DC.
I saw Rush in concert 17 years ago and they opened with "Spirit of Radio." One of the best concerts I've ever seen. Their live songs sound just like their studio songs.
"One likes to believe in the freedom of music, but glittering prizes and endless compromises shatter the illusion of integrity. " A perfect assessment of what's wrong with radio these days. They keep churning out the same tired, worn out, overplayed playlists while they distract us with free concert tickets, cash and the occasional programming gimmick. All we want is a BETTER VARIETY OF MUSIC!!! Not the same old "hits" that we've heard ad nauseum 'til it might as well be just white noise. Ironically this song, though I enjoy it, is one of the ones that is so overplayed.
You have to check out the episode of trailer park boys where ricky kidnaps alex cuz bubbles couldn't get Rush tickets his favorite band. Its hysterical!!!!😂✌❤
I was there, it was pretty great. It was a smoking hot day in the blazing sun. Odd watching a SARS benefit concert while we are going through COVID. Great channel. I love your energy and thoughtfulness.
I saw these guys live only once... back around 84 in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl at the annual summer concert called the 7Texas Jam. Ozzy was there, 38 Special, Bryan Adams, and another band or two. Rush was the headline act and they played just after dark. The sound those three guys created was just unreal, and yes they played this one too.
I was blessed enough to see them live in one of the best acoustical arenas a band can play in.... Red Rocks ampitheatre in Red Rocks,CO....it was misting that night and made their light show even more incredible as if God were sprinkling glitter out of the sky on the crown! Jamal if you ever get a chance...go to a Red rocks show!
I was there. It was an amazing event to help keep the economy moving in the 2003 SARS pandemic. AC/DC rocked the house and so did the Stones, Alanis and a host of others. Even Justin Timberlake came out to show his support. The musicians played this event for free. The tickets were about $23 Canadian as I recall at the time which would have been about $20 USD. Thanks for sharing this. I haven’t seen this since the concert.
🇨🇦🇨🇦What a day. I WAS THERE! Downsiew Park north of Toronto. 100,000 people, naw, more like 500,000. It was a benefit for the Toronto tourism board after the city was hit hard by the SARS outbreak. Official name was Toronto Rock but known around here as SarsFest Tickets were $20. Great music all day including Justin Timberlake, Flaming Lips, Sass Jordan, Blues Brothers and the last 4 acts, each playing full sets: Burton Cummings and the Guess Who, Rush, ACDC and the Rolling Stones. Ya, not bad
I was there, With about 400,000 friends. Crazy hot day, July 30 2003. Unforgettable show. It was Rush's first appearance in public after Neil's wife and daughter died.
Had the privilege of sitting in the 6th row for the first show of the R40 tour and it was amazing. The best show I've ever been to and was in awe watching Neil work his voodoo in person. These guys go above and beyond. My ears are still ringing too.
This is AWESOME! I was there to experience it all! The SARS concert in Toronto with many great acts! Highlights were The Guess Who, ACDC, The Rolling Stones. & RUSH Who were INCREDIBLE! 😎🎼🎶🎵🍔🇨🇦
This is the reason I became a Jamel fan. The man understands great music no matter what the genre. Rush is my favorite rock band as well. RIP brother Neil.
SARSTOCK 2003 I was there with about a half million of my closest friends!!! Amazing lineup included of course Rush, ACDC, The Stones, Justin Timberlake, Sass Jordan, Blue Rodeo, The Guess Who, The Isley Brothers, Sam Roberts, The Flaming Lips and more! What an amazing day I'll never forget! Tickets were $25!!!!!
This was SARSfest in July 2003 in Toronto, Ontario. It was to bring awareness and support for the SARS pandemic that had hit Toronto. The festival was broadcast live across Canada! I totally recommend if you get the chance to check out any of their Live DVD's. I just watched their "Time Machine Tour 2011 - Live in Cleveland" DVD for the umpteenth time and I love it! It brought back great memories as I had seen this tour in Ottawa, Ontario for Bluesfest!
About damn time someone reacted to this performance! I commented on a few Queen Live Aid reactions where people commented on Freddie getting all of Wembley Stadium to clap in unison, just to point out that Geddy Lee did the same thing with a whole damn freaking AIRPORT!
I was at that show! “Molson Canadian rocks for Toronto“ it was a benefit concert 2003. The Guess Who, Rush, AC/DC, the Isley brothers, and the Rolling Stones plus a ton of other bands… Even Justin Timberlake came out and did three songs.. I got super sunburned and it was the longest drive home from Toronto.. three hours to New York State… I didn’t get home till five in the morning. But what an amazing day! Oh yeah, I only paid $21 for the ticket. Great memories..
Man I just found your channel yesterday and Rush is my damn fave of all time too-- when Alex busted in the solo I got the same goosebumps you did. Felt like I was bouncing right along next to you, just wanted to hug you thru my screen(again!)! RIP to Professor Peart
Not sure if someone already shared, but this performance was from “SARSStock” in Toronto July 30th 2003. TO had a major outbreak of SARS and the city threw a concert to bring the city back to life. Headliners we’re Rush, AAC/DC and the Rolling Stones.
