Canadian power trio Rush will kick off its first tour in five years June 28 in Hartford, Conn. The 27 confirmed stops are the first in the band’s planned extensive tour in support of its latest Atlantic album, “Vapor Trails,” due May 14. First single “One Little Victory” thundered to a No. 22 debut on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart last week.
The tour is billed as “An Evening With Rush,” and will not feature an opening act. Dates are expected to stretch into the fall and offer in the neighborhood of 30 songs each night. Tickets for the confirmed shows are set to go on sale beginning Saturday (April 20).
“We are in the middle of planning this out as we speak, so I can’t really tell you much about what to expect yet, other than the fact that, once again, we are planning a rather long show and we hope to play some older songs that you haven’t heard in a while (if ever) as well as a bunch of new ones,” Lee writes on his official Web site.
Songs from “Vapor Trails” should lend themselves exceedingly well to a live setting, as the set finds Rush eschewing synthesizers and complicated production in favor of melodically inventive, straight-ahead hard rock. “Ceiling Unlimited,” “Peacable Kingdom,” and “Nocture” sport standout riffs from guitarist Alex Lifeson, while “Earthshine” and “One Little Victory” seem primed for anthem status in concert.
The new album is the follow-up to 1996’s “Test for Echo,” which hit No. 5 on The Billboard 200 and has sold just shy of 470,000 copies in the U.S. to date, according to SoundScan. The title track vaulted to No. 1 on Mainstream Rock Tracks, while “Half the World” reached No. 6 on the same tally.
“Different Stages,” a three-CD live album spanning shows from 1978, 1994, and 1997, bowed at No. 35 on The Billboard 200 in November 1998. Lee released his Atlantic solo debut, “My Favorite Headache,” in December 2000.
Here Are Rush’s Tour Dates:
- June 28 – Hartford, Conn. – ctnow.com Meadows Music Centre
- June 29 – Scranton, Pa. – Montage Mountain Amphitheatre
- July 1 – Charlotte, N.C. – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
- July 3 – Virginia Beach, Va. – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
- July 4 – Raleigh, N.C. – Alltel Pavilion – Walnut Creek
- July 6 – Saratoga Springs, N.Y. – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
- July 7 – Darien Center, N.Y. – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
- July 9 – Bristow, Va. – Nissan Pavilion
- July 11 – Holmdel, N.J. – PNC Bank Arts Center
- July 12 – Mansfield, Mass. – Tweeter Center
- July 14 – Camden, N.J. – Tweeter Center
- July 15 – Wantagh, N.Y. – Jones Beach
- July 17 – Toronto – Molson Amphitheatre
- July 19 – Milwaukee – Marcus Amphitheatre
- July 20 – Tinley Park, Ill. – Tweeter Center
- Aug. 1 – Bonner Springs, Kan. – Sandstone Amphitheatre
- Aug. 2 – Maryland Heights, Mo. – UMB Bank Pavilion
- Aug. 4 – Cincinnati – Riverbend Music Center
- Aug. 6 – Burgettstown, Pa. – Post-Gazette Pavilion
- Aug. 8 – Columbus, Ohio – Polaris Amphitheatre
- Aug. 9 – Noblesville, Ind. – Verizon Wireless Music Center
- Aug. 11 – Clarkston, Mich. – DTE Energy Music Theatre
- Aug. 14 – Nashville, Tenn. – AmSouth Amphitheatre
- Aug. 16 – The Woodlands, Texas – C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
- Aug. 17 – San Antonio, Texas – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
- Aug. 19 – Dallas – Reunion Arena
- Aug. 21 – Albuquerque, N.M. – Journal Pavilion
