UFO & RUSH- 1977 TOUR TOGETHER

MICHAEL SCHENKER OF UFO. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

ALEX LIFESON & GEDDY LEE OF RUSH. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE UFO AND RUSH PHOTOS:
UFO PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
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RUSH PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
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RUSH FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM

UFO & RUSH-
“HEAVY METAL IS BACK”
BY JOHNNY HOLMES
CORPUS CHRISTI TIMES
CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS
OCTOBER 25, 1977

During the early 70s, there was an unwritten rule which said heavy metal Music wouldn’t sell. The real problem was that the number and quality of such heavy groups had dwindled and heavy music was dying because it had become stale and mundane. That’s all changed now. Heavy metal is back with a bang, as Rush and UFO proved last night by playing to a sold-out Memorial Coliseum.

UFO opened the show with perhaps the most powerful song in its’ repertoire, the title cut from its latest album, “Lights Out,” and the tone of the evening was set. UFO can handle several different forms of music quite well but focuses on its raw, heavy songs in concert.

Onstage, UFO possesses all the tools of stardom. Vocalist Phil Mogg, clad in contrasting black and white, appeared to be emulating Queen crooner Freddie Mercury with his moves and stage dominance, spending most of his time working with bassist Pete Way. Always on the prowl, Way was a terror onstage, easily the focal point away from the singer as he was forever stalking his fellow musicians, marking time or just getting carried away with the music.

But perhaps the most imposing figure of all was guitarist Michael Schenker. At times, Schenker appeared to occupy a different plane altogether, often merely standing back before his wall of amplifiers watching his cronies, or leaning over the audience, pitching out his leads.

UFO moved through several songs from various albums, the best of which were “Doctor Doctor,” “Out On The Street” and “This Kid’s,” before concluding with its tour-de-force, “Rock Bottom.” Rock bottom is about the last place you could find UFO after last night. If it can keep this sort of performance level up, UFO should soon be flying high.

Rush took the stage for its 100 minutes of music shortly thereafter and launched into its usual opener, “Bastille Day,” before changing things up a bit. The band had some trouble getting things going, and though the trouble was minor, Rush started a little better than it did last night. Once cranked up however, the boys in the band became unstoppable. “Lakeside Park” was moved into the second slot but was surpassed by “By-Tor and the Snow Dog,” an old favorite featuring some blistering guitar work from Alex Lifeson.

The entire show was reflected in singer/ bassist Geddy Lee’s articulate expressions. Every note, every chord, every move was detectable and it became obvious by the grin on his face that he was pleased with the performance. “Xanadu,” a concept piece from the new album, worked well, thanks to several precise tempo and rhythm changes courtesy of drummer Neil Peart. “A Farewll To Kings” followed and and brought on Lee’s biggest grin of the evening before the group retreated into some older material
like “Something For Nothing” and “Anthem.” At times, Lee’s voice suffered from stress and humidity, but he covered well, avoiding the lower ranges where it most bothered him. Lee also deserves credit for maintaining his concentration because there was a circus of craziness in full swing backstage all evening long. A running battle between Lee, UFO and crew members kept things constantly appearing onstage, culminating in UFO’s irrepressible bassist Pete Way’s candy-striped pants being strung up on Lee’s amps. As Rush prepared to return for its well-deserved encore, Lee and Way quickly exchanged clothes and Way led Rush back out on stage. Running and jumping around and generally being crazy, Way clowned through most of Rush’s three-song encore, which began with “Working Man” and concluded with Lee laughing uncontrollably in Way’s arms off the side of the stage following “Cinderella Man.”

But seriously, folks, Rush was in typically fine form last night.

The rejuvenation of heavy metal music is largely due to groups like this — groups that can take a basic heavy metal premise, add some clever innovations and shape its music into something truly extraordinary. As if it were written in a script, Rush bade “Farewell to the Old Kings of Rock” as the older music was laid to rest.

There is a new, progressive heavy metal-king and his name is Rush.

UFO DISCOGRAPHY:
1970 UFO 1
1971 UFO 2 Flying
1974 Phenomenon
1975 Force It
1976 No Heavy Petting
1977 Lights Out
1978 Obsession
1979 Strangers in the Night (Live)
1980 No Place to Run
1981 The Wild, The Willing and the Innocent
1982 Mechanix
1983 Making Contact
1985 Misdemeanor
1988 Ain’t Misbehavin’
1992 High Stakes & Dangerous Men
1998 Walk on Water
2000 Covenant
2002 Sharks
2004 You are Here
2006 Monkey Puzzle
2009 The Visitor
2012 Seven Deadly Sins

RUSH DISCOGRAPHY:
1974 Rush
1975 Fly by Night
1975 Caress of Steel
1976 2112
1976 All the World’s a Stage
1977 A Farewell to Kings
1978 Hemispheres
1980 Permanent Waves
1981 Moving Pictures
1981 Exit, Stage Left
1982 Signals
1984 Grace Under Pressure
1985 Power Windows
1987 Hold your Fire
1989 Presto
1989 Show of Hands (Live)
1991 Roll the Bones
1993 Counterparts
1996 Test for Echo
1998 Different Stages (Live)
2002 Vapor Trails
2003 Rush in Rio (Live)
2004 Feedback (Live Covers)
2005 R30 30th Anniversary World Tour (Live)
2006 Grace Under Pressure Tour (Live)
2007 Snakes & Arrows
2008 Snakes & Arrows Live
2011 Time Machine
2012 Clockwork Angels

CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE UFO AND RUSH PHOTOS:
UFO PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
AND
RUSH PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
AND
RUSH FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM