Eighties night was, well, eh.

My son and I are headed to see Rush in Portland tomorrow, which should start the Fourth of July weekend with a raucous bang. I actually de facto gave up on ever seeing Rush live again circa 1981 when they played a reggae version of their rock classic "Working Man" on the "Moving Pictures" tour at the Oakland Coliseum. That was a bit much for me; because of that and their sometimes-oddball cultists/loyalists, I never listened to Rush's subsequent releases until the very strong "Vapor Trails" was released two years ago. I don't hold personal or musical grudges very long usually, so for their 30th anniversary tour, I figured it was time to forgive and forget. After all, their body of work from their first 10 years rocks extremely well, and they still have rock's current finest drummer, Neil Peart, at the top of his game (not to short change Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, both amazing musicians in their own rights). However, according to web site reviews, guess what they dusted off for this tour? Yep --- the reggae version of "Working Man" that they haven't played since 1981.