Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson, left, and bassist-vocalist Geddy Lee rock Rogers Arena on Friday. One of the tragedies of this year's Polaris short list is that Rush's Clockwork Angels didn't make it. The latest from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees is such a fine album that it became the first release by the Canadian progressive metal trio to be in rotation on my iPod since 1976's magnum opus 2112. That break represents elementary to ancient times for me. The nearly sold-out crowd at Rogers Arena last night has a similar relationship to the band, or brand. Since forming in the Toronto 'hood of Willowdale in 1968, Gary Lee Weinrib (Geddy Lee), Alex Zivojinovich (Alex Lifeson) and later addition Neil Peart have moved generations of musicians to strive to make music that pushed their abilities to ever higher levels. It's still hard to fathom how a Led Zeppelin-redux bar band morphed into a global standard bearer for its distinct style of meticulously rendered hard rock and sales well in excess of 40 million. But a glance across the airdrumming, -guitaring, -bassing audience made it clear that whether you joined the party at Friday's opener Subdivisions (Signals, 1982) or the commercial heyday of Tom Sawyer or The Spirit Of Radio, chances are you stayed once you arrived. Read more http://www.theprovince.com/entertainment/Rush remains progressive force/8718030/story.html
