Canadian rock legends Rush take their flood relief efforts to Red Deer, winning praise and admiration along the way
RED DEER — Mean, mean pride? Nah. More like true patriot love and pride. Period.
There were few people in Red Deer on Wednesday night willing to refer to the members of Canrock legends Rush in anything other than positive and glowing terms, and virtually everyone eager to praise them for their philanthropy.
They were, after all, performing an intimate, Red Deer Centrium concert where all of the proceeds were earmarked for the Red Cross efforts to help the victims of southern Alberta’s recent flooding, including those in Calgary, where the concert was originally scheduled this evening, but moved due to the damage to the Saddledome.
And despite the relocation many of those ticket holders for the original show were more than happy to make the trip to the city’s northern neighbour,
“We just thought an hour an a half up the road, to switch venues to one that I think is going to be a better show, that’s a great opportunity,” said Mike Gallant, who had made the trek with his girlfriend Melanie Duguay, both adorned in his-and-hers Rush T-shirts which she had made especially for the trip. “There’s no reason we wouldn’t take a few days off work and have some fun.”
And while the opportunity to see the recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees for the fist time ever was a bit part of it, Duguay admitted the benefit aspect of the event made it that much more special.
“It’s really great for them to basically pay to play,” she said. “I mean, who else would do that, but a good old Canadian Rush band ...
“It’s rare. You won’t see that from any other bands, I don’t think.”
Gallant and Duguay certainly weren’t alone in their dedication and admiration for the band, with the pair admitting the hotel they were staying at across the street from the arena was teeming with fellow lovers of the holy triumvirate.
“We checked in about 3 o’clock there and the amount of Rush shirts and Rush fans I’ve seen in that time, I wasn’t really expecting it,” Gallant said, noting they’d encountered fans from Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. “And it’s pretty cool.”
The watering hole that they chose to get geared up before the concert — The Tap House, itself, kitty corner from the Centrium — was likewise filled with fellow loud and proud and likewise clothed travellers, including father-and-son pair Charles and Duane Clark.
The duo had come south from the provincial capital for the concert to promote Rush’s recent release Clockwork Angels release.
“We’re Rush fans and the benefit is spectacular,” said dad Charles, who also admitted to trading in the Calgary ducats for the Red Deer show, even after seeing them last year in Edmonton during a previous leg of the tour.
Son Duane agreed. “I think it’s great,” he said, also noting that he was hoping to get a special fundraising concert shirt for the show, which had sold out on Rush’s website days prior to the event.
Fortunately, those shirts were available at the Centrium — and for those who weren’t there, there would, according to Rush’s site, be more for purchase early next month — for a mere $35 a pop.
Those who were there and wanted them had an extra hour to pick one up thanks to a full hour delay before Rush took the stage, something that was excused by a local radio station DJ, although not actually explained.
But, none of the fans in attendance seemed to care, happy to finally to see the veterans 60 minutes later when they finally arrived and got started on an excellent two-hour, double set with planned intermission that kicked off with the song Subdivisions and was followed up with The Big Money.
Perhaps because that big money was earmarked for somewhere special.