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from Portuguese See original article here Rush Promises Special Song for Brazilian Fans Wednesday, November 20, 2002, 10:24 pm The Canadian band Rush is already in the country and promises to play "Closer to the Heart," specially for Brazilians, who will have a chance to see the progressive rock trio for the first time. “We played this song for more than 20 years and decided to set it aside during this tour. But we knew that it’s a big hit in Brazil and wanted to prepare a surprise (for the fans), so we’re going to play it in the shows,” guitarist Alex Lifeson revealed in a press conference this Tuesday, in Sao Paulo. Rush is playing this Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium in Porto Alegre, on Friday at Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo, and on Saturday at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. According to Lifeson, the shows will be three hours long and are the same as what they produced in the United States, with a lot of pyrotechnics and effects. Three washing machines will be placed on the stage for the "super-production," but the musicians did not want to say why they are using them in the show. “We cannot reveal (what they mean). It’s a Canadian state secret,” joked singer and bassist Geddy Lee. After about 30 years on the road, this is the first time that Rush is coming to South America and, more specifically, to Brazil, creating huge expectations of this week’s shows. And the band is sorry that they did not come to the region before. “We didn’t have enough smarts to know that we had so many Brazilian fans,” Geddy Lee said. “We also wanted to be with our families, which would be difficult if we did shows outside the United States and Canada,” he explained. Vapor Trails The trio is on tour promoting their first studio album in five years, "Vapor Trails," which was released last May. The break in Rush’s career resulted from the tragedies that had befallen drummer Neil Peart, who lost his wife to cancer and his daughter in a car accident in 1997. Peart, incidentally, did not participate in the group interview. “This album and the tour are special for us, especially Neil…We waited for the necessary amount of time for him to feel well enough to become active again,” Lee said. “It was a slow process…(this album) is very direct, organic, and spontaneous…” the vocalist concluded about the new work. As for the show’s set list, guitarist Lifeson commented that some songs are not outside the group’s repertoire. “We are very lucky that we do not have to stick to radio hits, so we have the freedom to play little-known material,” Lifeson said. “But we always respect what the fans like and do not put aside such songs as 'Tom Sawyer' and 'The Spirit of Radio',” he added. All the 30 years of experiences and trials have not made Rush too comfortable, nor have they felt the need to abandon their career. On the contrary, the trio continues to look for new influences and pays attention to trends in rock. “We always listen to diverse kinds of music, which makes us want to compose,” stated Geddy Lee. “In the beginning was the Blues, and then we were interested in progressive music until we arrived at our own sound. Even today, when I hear a band such as Radiohead, the interesting style makes me want to do a song,” the bassist and vocalist said. Rush was born in 1968 as a cover band, but only in 1973 did the trio decide to invest in their own music, releasing their first, self-titled album in 1974 with the independent label Moon Records--but later released it with Mercury Records. After a short while, drummer John Rutsey left the band, leaving room for Neil Peart, who is considered by critics as one of the best musicians in the world. Rush has put out a total of 23 records that include compilations and live recordings, and has already sold more than 35 million copies throughout the world. |
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