At This Rate, Justin Bieber Will Get Into Hall of Fame Before Rush

Another year, and another snub for rock and roll legends Rush and Kiss. Bon Jovi also got snubbed. Those who did make the list of nominees:

• Beastie Boys

• The Cure

• Donovan

• Eric B. & Rakim

• Guns 'N Roses

• Heart

• Joan Jett and The Blackhearts

• Freddie King

• Laura Nyro

• Red Hot Chili Peppers

• Rufus with Chaka Khan

• The Small Faces/The Faces

• The Spinners

• Donna Summer

• War

At this rate, Justin Bieber will be eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before Rush, Kiss, or Bon Jovi make it - despite their massive influence throughout all of music.

Happy Bastille Day!

Bastille Day, Rush - from their 1976 tour (HT: Mrs. Lawhawk)

Rush Fans Meet Rush

Jason Segal and Paul Rudd, reprising their characters from I Love You, Man, meet Rush backstage (HT: Mrs. Lawhawk):

Jason Segel & Paul Rudd Meet Rush from Jason Segel

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Announces 2011 Nominees

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced the list of nominees for possible induction in 2011, and there are notable omissions once again.

Here are the nominees: Alice Cooper; Beastie Boys; Bon Jovi; Chic; Neil Diamond; Donovan; Dr. John; J. Geils Band; LL Cool J; Darlene Love; Laura Nyro; Donna Summer; Joe Tex; Tom Waits; and Chuck Willis.

Rush and KISS both were left off the list for reasons that can't be explained except that the 500 people who make the decision don't know what rock and roll is. The nomination process requires the following:

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.

The Foundation’s nominating committee, composed of rock and roll historians, selects nominees each year in the Performer category. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of more than 500 rock experts. Those performers who receive the highest number of votes - and more than 50 percent of the vote - are inducted. The Foundation generally inducts five to seven performers each year.

Both groups easily fulfill all the necessary criteria having been around since the late 1960s. Both groups have a devoted following. Rush is known the world over for being one of the few true power-trios that can rock with the best the world has to offer. In fact, all three members of Rush are known for their sterling musical abilities. It's a multi-platinum selling group, and more than a few artists can trace their interest in music and style to listening to Rush albums.

KISS is one of the biggest selling rock groups of all time and has mastered the stadium show format, but can also belt out sweet ballads like Beth. Its influence can be felt in hard rock and heavy metal, having inspired groups like Metallica (which is already in the hall of fame).

Neither group has been rocked by scandals or taken actions that would antagonize the industry, so I just don't get why they haven't gotten in by now. The only thing that I can think of that has kept these two groups out of the Hall of Fame is that they both toured together at one point and therefore their fates are tied to each other.

Seeing Bon Jovi get nominated while Rush and KISS both get left on the sidelines is a travesty.

You just have to shake your head in amazement that these two groups got screwed again.

The Rush Time Machine Tour Hits Jones Beach

It was the first time I've seen a show at the historic Nikon Jones Beach amphitheater. The structure, originally built by Robert Moses as part of his construction of Jones Beach, is set on the back bay at Jones Beach. With the sun setting behind the theater, Rush took the stage and proceeded to put on a more than 2 hour show. They had a brief intermission about an hour into the show, before launching into the entire album Moving Pictures. That's Alex Lifeson on guitars and Geddy Lee on bass. Lee's voice is as sonically charged as ever and can still hit the high notes.

The stage set was steampunk-themed, and the light show was pretty damned cool.

That's Neil Peart on the drums, and he's among the top five drummers of all time.

These photos were taken using Mrs. Lawhawk's  Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 point and shoot digital camera.

UPDATE:
For those interested in such things, here's the set list and other details. That's also video of BU2B, which is going to be on their forthcoming album. It's the first video I've uploaded, so I'm busy playing with the settings and tweaking things. Considering that the sound was captured with the on board microphones, the quality is not too bad (an external mic would definitely improve matters).

Friday Afternoon Video

Working Man by Rush.



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