CityLife

Rush set for rare Manchester date

ROCK giants Rush are to play in Manchester for the first time in almost 24 years.

Their September 12 gig at the Manchester Evening News Arena is one of just four UK dates in a 30th anniversary tour.

Rush last played in this country 12 years ago, when their tour was a sell-out, and have not played in Manchester since 1980.

The trio of guitarist Alex Lifeson, bassist and singer Geddy Lee and drummer Neil Peart has been one of rock's most enduring and successful partnerships, notching up 17 studio albums and an epic touring schedule.

Rush began life in Toronto, Canada, in 1968, taking the heavy blues-rock sound of Cream as their inspiration, but the current incarnation came together when Peart joined the band in 1974.

Famed for epic songs with big concepts and virtuosity, Rush became an easy target for the cynics, who branded them pretentious. The fans lapped it up, though, ensuring a string of platinum albums.

Tragedy

There has been tragedy for the band in recent times. Peart's 19-year-old daughter Selena was killed in a car accident in 1997, and within a year, his wife Jacqueline succumbed to cancer.

Peart's response was to set off on a 55,000-mile motorcycle odyssey across Canada and the US and down into central America, grieving and reminiscing as he went, then encapsulating his thoughts in a book.

Lifeson, 50, has had his own troubles. He was arrested after a bar brawl in Naples, Florida, on New Year's Eve. A scuffle broke out after the guitarist's son hopped on stage with the house band and refused to step down.

When police were called, Lifeson allegedly resisted arrest and has been charged with six offences in relation to the fracas, in which the guitarist's nose was broken.

The court case has still to be heard. Lifeson's daughter-in-law, Michelle Zivojinovich, was charged with the misdemeanour of resisting arrest.

The full UK tour is as follows:

Sept 8 London Wembley Arena
Sept 11 Birmingham NEC
Sept 12 Manchester MEN Arena
Sept 14 Glasgow SECC

Tickets for the gig at the MEN Arena are on sale now priced £32.50 - to book, call 0870 060 1768 or visit the website below.