I got back from my second Rush concert at the Xcel Energy Center at St. Paul on May 22nd just last night, and I’m still amazed at the whole experience. I bought some great floor seats in the third row on Alex’s side and it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. Last September when Rush came to St. Paul, we sat in the upper sections, but this time being on the floor was amazing. Alex Lifeson jammed on his guitar just feet away, and Geddy Lee even treated us to a little bass when he ran over to our side a few times, most memorably during the song “2112″ when the band was simply on fire.

As soon as we took our seats, we knew that we were in for the ultimate Rush experience. You can’t imagine the thrill when Alex walked on stage, the lights went on, and the band started playing “Limelight”. The band went through the first half of the set and played incredibly, but I did notice that Alex seemed to be having some problems with his ear piece cord. He reached behind his head to adjust it several times and at one point he got both his hands behind there and gave it another try. I’m not sure if this was related to the problem he was having with his guitar later in the first half of the set – this required the assistance of the technician and even delayed a song for a bit. Neil Peart kept the beat for the band like no other drummer can do, and his intricate solo reminded me of why he is considered to be one of the world’s finest drummers.

The sound was fantastic in the Xcel Energy Center, and the band played an amazing show. It’s hard to describe how great the band sounds and the kind of show they put together – you have to experience it to believe it. The band mixed three less common songs into the first half of the set – “Ghost of a Chance”, “The Trees”, and “Red Barchetta”. The crowd loved all three, and there was a special kind of excitement for “The Trees”, a classic Rush track. After they finished “Dreamline”, they took a break and we went off to get our Rush gear.

Rush is known for their humorous opening videos, and this tour is no exception. The introduction to the second half of the set was titled “What’s That Smell”, and featured Geddy, Alex, and a doll version of Neil. It even brought back old favorite Jerry Stiller from earlier Rush videos. Crusing through the second half, Alex’s technical problems seemed to be over after they finished playing “The Way the Wind Blows”, and “Subdivisions” got great cheers from the crowd. As the concert wrapped up, although it was three hours long, it still seemed almost too short.