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