Rush Tickets : Rush Have Been Known As The Most Proficient Players On Their Respective Instruments

Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart.

The band and its membership went through a number of re-configurations between 1968 and 1974, achieving their current form when Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey in July 1974, two weeks before the group's first United States tour.

Since the release of the band's self-titled debut album in March 1974, Rush has become known for the instrumental skills of its members, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs drawing heavily on science fiction, fantasy, and philosophy, as well as addressing humanitarian, social, emotional, and environmental concerns.

Rush's music style has changed over the years, beginning with blues-inspired heavy metal on their first album, then encompassing hard rock, progressive rock, and a period with heavy use of synthesizers. They have been cited as an influence by various musical artists, including Metallica, Primus, and The Smashing Pumpkins as well as progressive metal bands such as Dream Theater, and Symphony X.

Rush has won a number of Juno Awards, and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994. Over their careers, the members of Rush have been acknowledged as some of the most proficient players on their respective instruments, with each band member winning numerous awards in magazine readers' polls. As a group, Rush possesses 24 gold records and 14 platinum (3 multi-platinum) records.

Rush's sales statistics place them third behind The Beatles and The Rolling Stones for the most consecutive gold or platinum studio albums by a rock band.Rush also ranks 79th in U.S. album sales with 25 million units.Although total worldwide album sales are not calculated by any single entity, as of 2004 several industry sources estimated Rush's total worldwide album sales at over 40 million units.

The band just recently finished touring on the first leg of the Time Machine Tour, which ran through North and South America and finished October 17, 2010. The band is scheduled to expand the tour through Europe in the Spring of 2011 and is expected to continue writing and recording their next studio album, Clockwork Angels, for release some time in 2011.

On February 16, 2009, Lifeson remarked that the band may begin working on a new album in the Fall 2009 with Nick Raskulinecz once again producing.On March 19, 2010, the CBC posted a video interview with Lee and Lifeson where they discussed Rush's induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on March 28, 2010 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts' George Weston Recital Hall. The band was recognized for the songs "Limelight", "Closer to the Heart", "The Spirit of Radio", "Tom Sawyer" and "Subdivisions".

In addition to discussing their induction, Lee and Lifeson touched on future material. During the interview, Lee was quoted as saying "... Just about a month and a half ago we had no songs. And now we've been writing and now we've got about 6 songs that we just love...".

On March 26, 2010, in an interview with The Globe and Mail, Lifeson reconfirmed that the band had already written a half-dozen songs and that there was the potential for two supporting tours, one planned for Summer 2010 and a more extensive tour planned for Summer 2011. While still uncertain of exactly how and when the new material would be released, he projected a tentative Spring 2011 release date. Soon after, Peart confirmed that American producer Nick Raskulinecz had returned as co-producer.

On June 25, 2010, Rush received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6752 Hollywood Boulevard. Critical acclaim continued to mount for Rush in 2010 when, on September 28, Classic Rock magazine announced Rush would be this year's Living Legends awarded at the Marshall Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards in the UK.

The award was presented November 10, 2010. On September 29, Billboard.com announced that Rush would also receive the 2010 Legends of Live award for significant and lasting contributions to live music and the art of performing live and reaching fans through the concert experience. The award was presented at the Billboard Touring Awards on November 4, 2010.