With the re-release of Rush's classic album 2112 in a Deluxe remastered package last week, the album has re-entered the Billboard Top 200 Album List , coming in at position #138. The Deluxe Remastered edition of 2112 includes: • 2112 remastered in 5.1 and released on CD, DVD and Blu-Ray disc. • 40-page comic book by story artist Tom Hodges (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” The Simpson’s “Treehouse of Horrors #17”). • Expanded artwork, liner notes, lyrics and unreleased photos. • Brand new liner notes by David Fricke, Rolling Stone. There are three versions of the Deluxe edition of 2112 available for pre-order on Amazon.com: 2112 [CD + Audio DVD Deluxe Edition] - $19.88 2112 [CD + Audio Blu-Ray Deluxe Edition] - $28.27 2112 [CD + Audio Blu-Ray SUPER Deluxe Edition] - $56.82 To view the complete liner notes, images and comics from the Super Deluxe Edition of 2112, click HERE . Related News Stories [ Rush to Release iBook for 2112 - December 14th, 2012] [ Deluxe R

Eddie Trunk and Mike Portnoy hosted the first-ever Holiday Rush Radio Special during the Friday Night Rocks segment from New York City's Q104.3. The special, which aired live last night for three hours from 11pm, was created to commemorate "Rush Day". In addition to discussions between Eddie and Mike, and numerous Rush songs being played, the highlight of the radio special was a 35+ minute phone interview with Alex Lifeson. During the interview, Alex talked about the Clockwork Angels album and tour, the new 2112 Deluxe Edition package, and Rush's future including their upcoming 40th anniversary. While Alex didn't reveal any specifics, it appears that the band has already made tentative plans well into 2014. You can listen to most of the 3-hour special via this LINK or the embedded player below. Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for the links.

2012. Clearly a year that will go down in Rush history. Between the release of their critically acclaimed concept album Clockwork Angels to the beginnings of their sold-out world tour to their nomination and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - 2012 has certainly been a good year for Rush and Rush fans alike. To help ring in the 2012 Holiday Season, I've created a Rush-infused Sled Race video; fitting for three boys from the Great White North, wouldn't you agree? ☺ If the video does not appear in the player below, you can also view it at this LINK . May the new year bring you peace, joy and happiness.  Happy Holidays, everyone!  -John

In their annual ranking of the top albums of the year, T-MAK World, Toronto's site for music, movies and culture has named Rush's Clockwork Angels as the top album of 2012. Here's what the site had to say about Rush's latest release: Hometown heroes Rush keep on going strong - not only did they get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 they also released one of the best records of their career. Clockwork Angels is the band at its hard rocking best. The record is a concept album based on a steampunk world full of alchemy and magic. Society is ruled by the loving Watchmaker that dictates every move of his citizens. The Watchmaker has an opponent known as The Anarchist who likes to disrupt the perfect order of the world. In essence the album (and subsequent book) is based on a classic struggle of order and chaos and questions which one is better for humanity. Bassist/Vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart are widely regarde

December 21st is upon us and, outside of the coming apocalypse, 21/12 has always been celebrated as 'International Rush Day'. This year, there is a special celebration worthy of mentioning. A group of Rush fans have created a special "Rush Day" YouTube Channel which contains tribute covers of numerous Rush songs; all performed on their instruments of choice. There are over twenty amateur artists who have submitted their videos which were created specifically for this "Rush Day" channel. The videos will online on December 21st. You can tune in via this LINK . Below is an introductory video for the channel. Thanks to Martin Ford and Ben King for passing along the news.

Update: (01/07/2013): The votes are in and Rush won in both categories they were nominated in. Click HERE for all the results. Thanks Rich Rhodes for the info! New York City's Rock Station Q104.3 has launched their first-annual Q104.3's The Year that Rocked Awards for 2012. Rush has been nominated in two categories - Classic Rock Album of the Year for Clockwork Angels and Best Live Performance for their Clockwork Angels World Tour. Voting for each category is open to the online public and available at this LINK . Voting will continue through the morning of 12/31. The winners will then be announced later that day. Many thanks to Alexis Greenan, the Interactive Producer for Q104.3 for passing along the news.

Kevin J. Anderson, the author of Clockwork Angels: The Novel is auctioning off two "ultra-rare" copies of the novel. The copies for sale are #107 and #110 (out of 150). Neither copy were ever made available for sale to the public, are signed by both Kevin and Neil Peart, and come directly from Kevin J. Anderson himself. Also, similar to the 'Silver Edition' novels offered up a few months back, these novels come in beautiful slip-covers and arrive shrink-wrapped. Kevin is auctioning off these rare novels to help support his friend Sean who is battling Brittle Bone Disease. For complete information on this auction, please click HERE . In addition to the auction, those willing to donate to the cause may do so via PayPal by using this email address: [email protected] . Thanks to Tracy Mangum for providing the information.

The December 15th airing of NBC's long-running Saturday Night Live included a Rush reference during the Weekend Update segment of the show. "Anchorman" Seth Myers talked about the recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction announcement, indicating that Donna Summer, Rush and Public Enemy were part of the Class of 2013 inductees. A insert photo of the three artists was then displayed as Myers joked "Who are those other two?" said the fans of any one of them. We're still waiting to get a video of the segment. In the mean time, a screen capture is available at this LINK . Thanks to everyone who alerted me to this news and to Ed from RushIsABand for the screen capture.

Neil Peart has posted another updated to the "News, Weather, and Sports" section of his website. In this December 2012 entry, titled "Adventures in the Wild West", Neil discusses his motorcycle travels during the third leg of Rush's Clockwork Angels tour which primarily took place during the month of November. The dates during that leg, as the title of this entry suggests, took place in Seattle, California, Nevada, Arizona and finally Texas. On the subject of riding through Texas, Neil had this to say: Texas truly is a country unto itself, beyond all the clichés, and its people are equally varied and unique. For example, it still remains true that rural Texans are the most courteous drivers in the country, perhaps in the world. Riding the two-lanes (which Brian was also delighted to see posted at 70 mph), cars, pickups, and larger trucks will pull right onto the shoulder as you overtake them. Sometimes you’re not even thinking about passing them yet, but ar

Rush have just announced that, in addition to the Deluxe reissue of their classic album 2112 in 5.1, they will also be releasing their first-ever ibook. From the announcement: On December 18, 2012, RUSH will release their first ever iBook for 2112. The iBook will consist of unpublished pictures, black and white ink art and pencil sketches for every comic book cell, and preview music for the newly remastered Mastered for iTunes (mFit) audio of 2112 with 3 bonus live tracks. Originally released in 1976, 2112 was the creative and commercial breakthrough album. With lyrics written by Neil Peart, 2112 kicks off with the ambitious seven-suite title track (originally side one), set in a futuristic world run by the “Priests of the Temples of Syrinx” who regulate “every single facet of every life,” which includes books, music, work and play. “2112” conveys the story of humanity’s instinctual, inner need for one’s free will. iBook content includes: • 40-page comic book by story artist

Update (12/12/2012): Smashing Pumpkin's frontman Billy Corgan comments on Rush's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Click HERE to view the video. Thanks Steve Pavlopoulos ! Update (8:00pm EST): Click HERE for the video of the induction announcement. Update (4:45pm EST): Geddy Lee discusses the induction during a phone interview with Rolling Stone Magazine. Update (4:30pm EST): Alex Lifeson commented on the induction during a phone interview : "First of all, it's all water under the bridge and it was a very tiny bridge," he said in a phone interview from his home in Toronto. "I think our fans are more upset than we were because they feel a real bond to this band and it's been an important part of their lives in some form, and to be snubbed was snubbing them at the same time." “Perhaps there were times when I thought if this ever happens I'm not going to bother going, or who cares or whatever, but at the end of the day positive k

Episode #70 of the Drink Bravely with Mark Oldman web series features an inside look at Alex Lifeson's personal wine cellar. From Mark's site: Mere days before we learn if legendary rockers RUSH will finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Mark provides another exclusive glimpse into the diverse wine cellar of guru guitarist Alex Lifeson. Alex reveals his penchant for Syrah-based reds from Australia and France, Madeira from Portugal, and even Aquavit from Scandinavia. You can view the video entry at this LINK or via the player below: This isn't the first time Oldman featured Rush in one of his web series videos. Back in 2010, he also featured Alex in a video discussing Geddy & Alex's week-long winemaker internships they took in at the Joseph Phelps Winery and at Turley Wine Cellars. Thanks to reader Alf Philips for the news!

Upate (12/07/2012): You can now read the entire article on Rush at this LINK . The United Kingdom's Classic Rock Magazine has just announced that their latest issue will be released with a "quintet of different front covers", one of which features Rush. This is in connection with their selection of the Band of the Year for 2012. From Classic Rock: Led Zeppelin… Rush… the Rolling Stones… Black Country Communion… Rivals Sons… But which is really Band Of The Year? The greatest albums, bands, gigs, bust-ups and more. This is what rocked our year… The new issue of Classic Rock is dedicated to The Best Of 2012: the ultimate review of the past 12 months. The Albums Of The Year. The Songs Of The Year. The Stories Of The Year. And, most importantly, The Bands Of The Year! We’ve produced five different front covers featuring Led Zeppelin, Rush, the Rolling Stones, Black Country Communion and Rival Sons. Each is a worthy candidate for the honour of Band Of The Year. But wh

It's official. Rush have formally announced the continuation of their Clockwork Angels tour through North America next year. The band just posted this on their website : Thanks to all the fans who came out to see the Clockwork Angels Tour 2012! It was an amazing run - from the Clockwork Angels String Ensemble, the filming in Dallas & Phoenix, and YOU. It proved, once again, how dedicated and loyal the Rush fans are and are such a part of the overall show. Europe, are you ready? Clockwork Angels 2013 in Europe is on sale now. And just because we had such a good time, we are now making plans for more dates in the spring and summer of 2013 in North America - so stay tuned for more announcements. Looking forward to seeing you out on the road again soon! Great news, indeed! Unfortunately no mention of dates in Latin/South America in 2013 were part of the announcement this time out, but hopefully the band will shed some light on possible dates in those areas soon. We'll have

Update: According to this article , the induction announcement will take place at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles this Tuesday at 11 a.m. PT. Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea will announce the respected performers who will make up the Rock Hall’s Class of 2013. It's been almost two months since fans across the globe were stunned when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2013 nominations which included, at long last, Rush along with fourteen other nominees. Along with the nomination, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame instituted another first; a fan ballot allowing people to vote via an online poll . The results of the online poll, which Rush dominated, would count as one single vote towards the overall count for induction. However that one vote, which Rush obtained, would be counted along with votes from approximately 600 members who make up the voting committee for the Hall of Fame. One of those members, music critic Michael Norman, indicated

A new article from Robe Lighting regarding the extensive lighting arrangements for Rush's Clockwork Angels tour was just published on the Robe website. The article discusses Rush's lighting and show designer Howard Ungerleider's concepts for the show and how it was accomplished by ROBE: Toronto-based Howard explains that they let him “Run wild” with the concepts and are extremely supportive of his ideas, as well as very appreciative of the ‘art’ in lighting. With this creative freedom, he has evolved many spectacular and surreal spaces in which they have performed, allowing – by now – several generations of fans to enjoy their music live. However, the most intriguing aspect of this news story is the apparent confirmation that there will be a North American tour in 2013. The article ends with the following statement: The tour continues in the U.S. into Spring 2013 and is then scheduled to visit Europe before returning to North America for the rest of the summer, when it

Brilliance Audio has just announced that a special "Watchmaker's" edition of Clockwork Angels: The Novel will be released on March 1st, 2013. From the website: Clockwork Angels: The Watchmaker’s Edition features the unabridged audiobook edition of Clockwork Angels, a novel by bestselling science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson, based on the new concept album by the legendary rock band Rush. This compelling steampunk adventure is read by Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart, who first conceived the story for the band’s latest release. This special edition features the complete, unabridged audiobook packaged in a unique, working upright clock tower designed by the band’s album cover artist, Hugh Syme. Intricately themed and largely handmade, this is a beautiful and functional design piece that will be a must-have for Rush fans and steampunkers alike. There was some confusion surrounding the release date of this item as several online stores indicated that the release d

Last night, before another sold-out crowd at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, Rush closed out the 2012 leg of their Clockwork Angels world tour. The tour began back on September 7th in Manchester, New Hampshire and spanned a total of 35 dates across the United States and Canada. As we've been reporting since the tour began, Rush continued to keep things fresh by shuffling the set list each night; adding and dropping songs along a somewhat predictable path. All of the set list changes are available HERE . Rush will now break for nearly five months before resuming the tour next year on May 22nd in Manchester, England. They are currently scheduled to play ten dates across Europe in 2013. There have been numerous rumors indicating that the band will also continue the tour during the Summer of 2013 across the U.S. and Canada as well, or perhaps play some dates prior to the trip across the pond. Talk of dates in Latin and/or South America continue to surface as well, but unt

Sunday night's episode of American Dad including several Rush references throughout the episode. The episode, titled Error Guitar (Season 8, Episode 5), opens with Steve and Snot air-guitaring to 2112: Overture in their garage. Later, Stan (Steve's father) and Snot are air-guitaring to 2112 once again. In addition, a house/apartment seen in the episode has the #2112 on it. You can view the opening air-guitar clip at this LINK or via the viewer below. While this is the first Rush reference in an episode of American Dad , it's not the first time one has appeared in a Seth MacFarlane series. Back in November of 2006, Tom Sawyer was playing in the background of a scene with Chester Cheetah while he proclaimed that "There is no *^&$#*@ better drummer than Neil Peart". See the clip HERE . Then in an episode that aired in January of 2007, a 2112 sighting was spotted on a billboard. Click HERE to view a screen capture from the episode. Thanks to ever

Jet City , the Seattle-based digital radio station, has posted a new interview with Neil Peart online at this location . The inteview was conducted by Michael Shrieve for his Notes from the Field program. This 40+ minute interview, which was originally conducted backstage at Seattle's Key Arena on November 13th during a stop on the band's Clockwork Angels Tour, centers around a number of topics including, of course, drumming, books and more. You can listen to the entire interview at this LINK . Thanks to RushFanForever for passing along the news.

Last night's episode of The Colbert Report included a Rush reference during a news segment discussing the existence of Santa Claus - in Canada. The humorous segment was based on a news story out of Canada about a 24-year-old Canadian "grinch" who apparently was arrested for harassing children by claiming that Santa Claus wasn't real. Colbert then interjected the following: ... but don't worry Canadian kids, you still have a Santa - it's just a Canadian Santa. Every year I believe it rotates to a different Canadian celebrity. Last year it was Nelly Furtado Claus (shows a picture of Nelly Furtado in a Santa hat), this year it's Rush (shows a picture of Rush with Santa hats on - see above). So that jing-jing-jingle you hear on the roof is just Neil Peart breaking into a 45-minute high hat solo... You can check out the video segment at this LINK or via the video player below: The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes , Political Humor &

Ultimate Classic Rock has just posted their list of the Top 10 Albums of 2012 . Rush's Clockwork Angels was ranked #2, behind Van Halen's A Different Kind of Truth . Here's what UCR had to say about Rush and Clockwork Angels : #2 CLOCKWORK ANGELS Rush are quite simply a band to whom the rules don't apply. There's absolutely no logical reason why an uber-geeky Canadian progressive rock trio ought to be able to release a conceptual album in 2012 and not only get away with it, but still tour at the arena level. But with 'Clockwork Angels,' Rush not only pulled it off, they did so with such style that — almost alone of any classic rock band in the world — they've actually increased their critical respect. The much-maligned rockers are not only selling out arenas, they are also (finally!) in the running for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Check out the entire Top 10 List at this LINK . Thanks to Rob Michaelson for the news.

The Canadian Men's Magazine Sharp has just posted a feature article on Rush titled Rush’s Rock Renaissance and sub-titled How three nerds from Ontario created a musical empire, and why 2012 was their greatest year yet . The exceptionally positive and retrospective article focuses on how Rush has become more popular than ever over the past few years which has, in part, culminated into their recent nomination into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2013: To fulfill their mythic destiny, Rush has one door left to unlock: that of the Hall of Fame. Though the Hall’s body of critics has appeared anti-Rush in the past, the media’s recent change of heart indicates the band won’t have to wait until 2112 to get canonized in the rock and roll firmament. “People now understand the importance of what they’ve done, the longevity and the fact that they’re still really good at what they do,” says Ghomeshi. “Even the most ardent critics have begrudgingly accepted this and have to give

Update: A short video from today's ceremony is now available. The video shows all three members of Rush having their pictures taken as well as imprinting their hands in cement. There's also a brief acceptance speech by Alex Lifeson. Thanks Deb Jeff Ouellette ! Also, according to some reports, the band was introduced by Jim Ladd , the famous DJ. Numerous photos from the event at also located at this LINK . Rush are being inducted into Guitar Center's famed RockWalk today in Los Angeles, California at 12:00 noon (3PM EST). The official press release was released today: Guitar Center is proud to announce the upcoming induction of renowned rock legends Rush, into the retailer's historic RockWalk. The exclusive, invite only induction ceremony is set to take place on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at Noon at Guitar Center's Hollywood location on Sunset Boulevard. A special guest speaker will open the event by reflecting upon Rush's musical impact and welcoming the band to

As he did during Rush's first break from their Clockwork Angels tour, Neil has posted another update to the News, Weather, and Sports section of his website. The November 2012 edition is titled Witness to the Fall . In this entry, similar to previous ones, Neil discusses his motorcycle travels between the dates on the current tour. As the title suggests, some of his travels in the north provided Neil with a view of the Fall colors, particularly in New York and Canada. One interesting note that Neil discusses is that, for the first time in 45 years, he met up with his original drum teacher Don George: So . . . before the first hometown show in Toronto, I planned to host my mother and father for dinner in the Bubba-Gump room, and to meet with my first drum teacher, Don George — for the first time in over forty-five years. In 1965, at the age of thirteen, I started drum lessons with Don at the Peninsula Conservatory of Music in St. Catharines, Ontario. When he stopped teachi

The Rush Backstage Club is now offering a customized Fender Squier Bass guitar with a Clockwork Angels theme. From the website: Get your very own RUSH branded Squire Clockwork Angels Bass. Featuring the Clockwork Angels "Wings" logo on the pick guard and a the "Rush" logo branded into the head of the guitar, this limited edition release is the ultimate addition to your RUSH (or guitar) collection. Customized Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass '77: From the age of Funk and dawn of Punk comes this retro-inspired Vintage Modified Jazz Bass®! Features include a gloss Black-finished Agathis body and one-piece maple neck with attractive white binding and white pearl block inlays on the 20-fret maple fingerboard. That soulful sound emanates from a pair of single-coil Duncan Designed® Jazz Bass pickups; other features include chrome hardware and machine heads, black plastic Stratocaster knobs, a three-ply Black/White/Black pickguard, and a four-saddle chrome bridge.

Rush have just announced that they plan on filming/recording the upcoming Phoenix, AZ and Dallas, TX shows for an upcoming DVD set for release in 2013. The actual dates/venues for both shows are: November 25, 2012 - US Airways Center - Phoenix, Arizona ( Buy Tickets ) November 28, 2012 - American Airlines Center - Dallas, Texas ( Buy Tickets ) As most fans know, this will be the second time Rush films a concert in the United States; the first time occurring on April 15th of 2011 for the Time Machine Tour CD/DVD release. The fact that Rush plan on filming two consecutive nights suggests that they'll include all the songs from their rotating set list from this tour. Also, while the official announcement only refers to a DVD, it's more than likely that an accompanying live CD will also be released, as has been the case with every tour DVD the band has released over the past decade. We'll have more information as it becomes available. Thanks to Eric from Power

The 2012 Classic Rock Awards, sponsored by both Classic Rock Magazine and Orange Amplification , were held last night at the Roundhouse in London, England. Rush were only nominated in two categories among the many for the awards - both the Band of the Year as well as the Album of the Year for Clockwork Angels - and they won both categories. Here's what CR had to say about Rush winning the Band of the Year category: It’s been another triumphant year for Canada’s favourite prog rock outfit. They’ve finally been nominated for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame – an accolade they insist is for their fans rather than themselves – and they’ve won new fans with latest album Clockwork Angels. Plus, last week Alex Lifeson was named the greatest ever Canadian guitarist . Things have been on the up-and-up ever since documentary movie Beyond The Lighted Stage showed a softer side to the guys. They cemented the concept with a hilarious appearance in buddy movie I Love You Man, where they eve

Audio Fidelity has just announced via their Club newsletter that Rush's Counterparts will be re-released in the SACD format. The SACD format, or Super Audio CD was first introduced back in 1999 as a successor to the audio CD; claiming to offer a better audio dynamics, more channels (e.g. surround sound), and a longer playing time than a standard CD. While the format never gained much traction, a small market still exists, serving the audiophile community. Audio Fidelity hasn't announced a formal release date for the SACD version of Counterparts , stating only that it will be released in December. They'll also be releasing an SACD version of Yes's Close to the Edge . No additional information is available yet, nor has this information been posted at AF's website. The advertisement that was included in the Club newsletter can be viewed HERE . Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for passing along the news.

Update (11/15/2012): Rush.Com has posted the new album cover for 2112 5.1. You can check it out at this LINK . Update (11/12/2012): Rush.Com has formally announced the Deluxe Reissue version of 2112, complete with details about each package currently being offer. Click HERE for all the details. Last month we reported that Mercury records was preparing to release a "Deluxe" edition of Rush's classic album 2112 , completely remastered in 5.1 surround sound and released on both CD and Blu-Ray formats. Rush's Sound Engineer Richard Chycki, who was in charge of the remastering, had this to say about the project on his blog : Like the other Rush surround releases to date – Moving Pictures, A Farewell To Kings, Fly By Night, and Signals – 2112 has been remixed at a 96 khz 24 bit high resolution from the original multitrack masters in a 're-creation' direction taking advantage of the 3-dimensional soundscape of surround, rather than a complete re-interpretation

Rush closed out the second leg of their Clockwork Angels tour with a performance at the 1-800-ASK-GARY Ampitheater in Tampa, Florida last night. The tour continues to be met with favorable reviews from both fans and critics alike and, as expected, the band has been mixing things up with additional set list changes. Rush will now take their second ten-day break before resuming the tour on November 13th at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. Including the Seattle date, there are only ten more concerts scheduled for the 2012 leg of the tour. The band will then travel to Europe in May of 2013 to begin the European leg of the tour which will run through June. Afterwards, there will presumably (but not confirmed) be a 2013 North American leg taking place over the summer. Rumor has it that Rush will announce additional dates for 2013, which may also include some Latin / South American stops, in the very near future. More fantastic photos from nearly every show are available on th

The onslaught of Hurricane Sandy on the east coast of the U.S. and, in particular, New Jersey brought about a delay in the posting of notable Rush news stories over the past week. But as power and communications have slowly been restored, so too will the updates to the site. With that said, here are a few stories to get everyone caught up with the latest happenings in the world of Rush: Clockwork Angels Charting New: It's been twenty weeks since Clockwork Angels was released and the album continues to chart fairly well. According to the Billboard Top 200 Album Charts , Clockwork Angels is sitting at position #163 which is where it was last week as well. The album's longevity on the charts surpassed that of Rush's 2007 effort Snakes & Arrows which exited the Top 200 Album charts after its fifteenth week. In related news, the latest single from Clockwork Angels , 'The Wreckers' is continuing to chart well in the Mainstream Rock Chart where it is current

During Rush's recent stop to the New York/New Jersey area, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson both sat down with the Wall Street Journal to talk about the band's longevity, their "shifting business model" and their recent nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. From the article: With its reputation for intricate concept albums and shredding musical chops, the members of Rush are often perceived as a self-serious prog rockers. Rush fans know better. The band’s sense of humor has come to the fore, including with a big presence in the 2009 comedy movie “I Love You, Man.” On Rush’s current Clockwork Angels tour, singer Geddy Lee performs in front of a big fake brain floating in a tank, part of a steampunk theme to the show. And at one point in the concert, the three band members appear in a short film as devious gnomes. Getting a laugh also played into their decision to license music for a current Volkswagen commercial, in which a Passat driver air drums furiously to

Update (10/25/2012): Rush's Sound Engineer Richard Chycki has confirmed the 5.1 remastering of 2112 through a tweet he just posted: Yep, words out. I've been working on the surround remix of #Rush #2112 for months. Queue rear waterfall. According to a short posting at Musictap , Mercury records is preparing to reissue a "Deluxe" version of Rush's seminal album 2112 on both CD and Blu-Ray. The release date has been set for December 18th. This release should not be confused with the 2010 documentary Classic Albums: 2112 & Moving Pictures which was also released on Blu-Ray. At this point, there are no further details on the release including whether the album was remastered in 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound formats. Despite the lack of details, it's probably a safe assumption that this re-issue of 2112 will follow along the same remastering guidelines that were applied to the recent Sectors box sets. We'll have more information as it surfaces. M

In celebration of the upcoming 30th Anniversary of the release of Rush's classic album Signals , the nationally syndicated rock star interview radio show Redbeard's: In The Studio will host an hour-long radio special on November 12th. According to the announcement from the website, both Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart will be part of the radio show as they discuss the album. A short 90-second preview of the special can be heard HERE . What is unclear at this point is whether the special will be simply a rehashing of older interview segments or if there will be new comments from both Alex and Neil. Time will tell. :-) Many thanks to Thomas O'Connor for the news.

Hudson Music is holding a special promotion where you can get a 50% discount on the purchase of Neil Peart's latest instructional video Taking Center Stage: A Lifetime of Live Performance . This promotion relates to the Instant Download version of the video which costs just $20 with the discount. This is a group participation discount. Full details on the promotion and ordering instructions can be found at this LINK . About the video : Neil Peart examines the challenges of live performance. Drawing from over 30 years touring the world, Neil breaks down, demonstrates, and performs classic drum parts from songs spanning the entire Rush catalog, thereby giving the viewer the most in-depth insight into Neil's body of work ever documented. Filmed in various locations over the course of a year, Neil takes you on a behind-the-scenes look at Rush's 2010-11 Time Machine Tour. Beginning with a visit to his personal pre·tour rehearsals, Neil shows the ways in which he prepare

It's been nearly two weeks since the news first broke that Rush made the nomination list for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2013. At that time, the band formally acknowledge the nomination with this statement: “We are honored to be among the nominees for this year’s Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame. We are especially thrilled for the many, many dedicated RUSH fans to whom this nomination is so very important.” – Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Now, in separate interviews ahead of their stop in the New York/New Jersey area, both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have commented further on the nomination. In an interview from the New Jersey Star Ledger titled Rush takes Clockwork Angels Tour to Newark and Brooklyn , Geddy Lee had this to say about the nomination: After years of campaigning by fans, Rush finally earned a nomination to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — prompting some zealots to suggest that the long-snubbed trio should tell the selection committee to take a hike. &qu

Rush returned home to Toronto over the past weekend, playing a sold-out show at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday night followed by a second show at the Centre last night. There were several positive reviews posted about the first show, including: The Angels Are Out When Rush Present A Clockwork Show in YYZ Rush still find risks to take at their latest ACC show Rush unites fathers and sons in delight And here's a review of the second show: The Angels Are Out When Rush Present A Clockwork Show In YYZ For The 2nd Night In addition to the two concerts, the 12th annual RushCon fan convention took place. The popular convention featured a weekend of Rush-related activities including a performances by the Rush Tribute band Lotus Land, guest speakers John Arrowsmith and Kevin J. Anderson, a tour of Anthem Records and more. A great article about the convention can be read at this HERE . And while the band was in town, several members of the Clockwork Angels String Ensemble appe