RUSH REACTION WEEK LIVE! Xanadu at Exit Stage Left! - Live Snippets

[@ponderingnugget]

Neil on the bells, chimes, temple blocks, cowbells, vibraslap, bass drum gong, glockenspiel, triangles, timpani, drum kit, lyric writing. Did I forget anything? What a monster.

[@jwat2s]

Agree 100% but what about the other 2 monsters? 👍🏻😎

[@ponderingnugget]

@@jwat2s A three pack of savages.

[@gettelitstalit6468]

The best art about this is that every single sound you hear is produced live! No tracks, no sequences. All live! For instance, at 13:27 in this video, Alex is playing the guitar rhythm while playing bass with his feet, while Geddy is playing the melody on his second guitar neck. Just amazing!

[@paulatherton4822]

I’ve listened to this track over 1,000 times and it sounds amazing every single time.. simply the greatest three piece of all time 🤘🏻

[@davymc6764]

Only 1000😀

[@bhelliom3]

I just texted my dad (a MASSIVE Rush fan) that I've listened to this song easily 10 times this week. I loved Rush growing up and was lucky enough to see their Clockwork Angels tour so I always tell him when I'm infatuated with a band he loves.

[@edwardilowiecki8925]

He found immortality but was left alone waiting for the world to end. "The MAD IMMORTAL MAN"

[@crazyfingers19]

If you pay attention closely you can see Alex and Geddy playing footpedals throughout the song. Another throwback is Neil playing parts that, for any other group, would have been production sounds added after recording I.e.. the chimes and the glockenspiel over Geddy's keys. Also, Geddy is playing the 6-string neck for the final chord giving it a wonderfully full sound to the end without distorting it. Masters? I think yes. Great reactions.

[@paulhelberg5269]

Coleridge was purported to be wasted on absinthe when he wrote the poem that inspired this song. Xanadu is equivalent to Shangri-La or a paradise on earth. Many have sought Xanadu in the mountains of Tibet or the forests of darkest India or Pakistan without success. Good reaction Tommy.

[@OriginalMergatroid]

Xanadu, or Shang-tu, is a city in China. It was built by Kubla Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan. It was visited by Marco Polo and is now a world heritage site. I believe it was a forbidden summer pleasure city for the emperor

[@Mike80528]

@jamie tobler That was my understanding. It was based on opium induced vision which he was never able to get back to which lead to this poem of the search for paradise...

[@richardnanian6075]

It was a tincture of opium prescribed by his doctor. Unfortunately, Coleridge became addicted before long. He Many people doubt the veracity of the story about being interrupted by a man from Porlock, but whether it’s true or not, Coleridge didn’t publish the poem until more than 15 years after he wrote it. He showed it to George Gordon, Lord Byron, and Byron told him it was a work of genius and Coleridge had to publish it. Coleridge did so, but only after a long preamble in which he dismissed it as “a psychological curiosity” and said he was publishing it only at the urging of a great poet, but he didn’t even name Byron because he thought doing so might reflect badly on the younger man. No poet had a more vexed relationship with his own poetry. Arguably his three greatest works are “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” “Kubla Khan” (this song’s source), and “Christabel.” The first is essentially a horror story in poetic form. Coleridge published it, then published again with a bunch of notes (glosses) in the margins in which he claims the poem’s message is that God loves us. I defy anyone to read the poem and get that message out of it. “Kubla Khan,” again, he almost never published. And “Christabel” is another poem he never finished. It is really about a kind of lesbian vampire named Geraldine, and at the point where he stopped, she is triumphant, in complete control of the situation. Coleridge told readers not to worry because ultimately she would be defeated. But he never explained how. I think Coleridge was deeply disturbed by his own imagination.

[@simplesecretof]

I found paradise on earth...in the Himalayas. Shanti Shanti May the Rush legend live on.

[@paulbrighton3303]

I saw this tour. And many before it. They created this complex sound by understanding how to create arpeggios and complex chords and voicing, while Geddy fills the holes with melodic playing and patterns meant to keep things interesting and full, then they added bass pedals played by Alex and higher “string” pads on Geddy’s Taurus Pedals, and then you have delays and chorus and reverb effects added, to create a full sound...then Rush. Their talent and skill is immeasurable. There will never be anything like them again.

[@cybrunel1016]

Rush " is " Xanadu for us mere mortals.

[@bradleyp3655]

Xanadu came from their album A Farewell to Kings (1977). A friend of my at the time (yes 1977) had the album and it was my introduction to Rush. I instantly gravitated to this song and Cygnus X-1. The entire album is one of Rush's best but if feel underrated.

[@trailchasing5081]

Love the part at 9:20 where Alex transitions between the top fretboard to bottom fretboard. So smooth!

[@kirtfulcher6288]

Alex is using a massive number of Volume Swells in the intro where he has one finger on his volume knob, and plucks notes/harmonics while the volume is turned down and then brings the volume up after the initial attack from the pick, creating very smooth notes with an almost synth-like quality.

[@nathanfreeman681]

Correction: he’s using a foot pedal to control the volume, not the guitar knob. He also does this in the first solo in La Villa Strangiato

[@kirtfulcher6288]

@@nathanfreeman681 fair enough, same principle and result. :D

[@nathanfreeman681]

@@kirtfulcher6288 agreed same result. I just wanted the readers to be aware that he’s also playing his guitar with his foot. Later he plays synths with his foot at the same time he plays guitar. It’s basically ridiculous

[@kirtfulcher6288]

@@nathanfreeman681 I guess he's like, "If Geddy can sing, play intricate basslines, play keyboards, and use foot synths almost all at the same time... weeeeeelllll I can do a little bit more..."

[@jasonokinawa6596]

Seeing this performed live in 82 maybe the highlight of my concert going career! Unbelievable!

[@mikaelandersson3255]

Neil Peart drum setup is totally awesome in this live tour. As well as rest of his drum solo. Probably the best drum solo ever created. Be sure to check out his famous drum solo from Frankfurt. Be sure to get a towel to wipe of your drowling after he is finished! RIP Neil "The Professor" Peart!

[@steverakes6182]

I saw RUSH on that Exit Stage Left tour in 1981 and I'm telling you that when you purchased a RUSH concert ticket, not only did you get every pennies worth in entertainment, you got memories that last a lifetime.

[@tammiec4937]

Greatest Band Ever. I never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that one day I would see this incredible band in concert. I got to see them live twice. One word INCREDIBILE! Over the years we have lost a lot of talented musicians losing Neil is the worst. There will never be another band like Rush. 40 years of incredible music. Keep reacting to this incredible band!

[@lvgelfling72]

The song is based on an unfinished poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge named Kubla Khan. You nailed it though. Great reaction.

[@Babyseal2002]

...And completed by The Professor.

[@Mike80528]

It's the nature of the poem, being unfinished, that leaves our protagonist stuck in paradise, making it an eternal prison...

[@kekunkekpar9770]

Another great song based on a Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem is the rime of the ancient mariner by IRON MAIDEN.

[@Mike80528]

@@kekunkekpar9770 Agreed. That's a great song.

[@gregsteele806]

Actually, he did complete it. Then Dirk Gently went back in time and interrupted him so the the earth wouldn't be destroyed by the violent ghost of the shipwrecked alien who accidentally started life on earth.

[@paulrobinson5833]

There is no live production like this , 3 masters.

[@darrenvanderwilt1258]

I was there. Not at this show venue for the live recording, but saw them on this tour (Moving Pictures). It was frigging epic. The live album and video (Exit Stage Left) only captures a portion of the two and-a-half hour plus performance, and leaves out Cygnus X-1 and Hemispheres amongst others. Neil Peart’s drum kit was a sight to behold at this time, it was yuge. Fast forward to 2015, seeing Geddy and Alex sporting those double necks again at their final show of all time, was a small journey down nostalgia avenue for all of us.

[@Boleskinebeatz]

Dude… You are my new favourite child!You must made me laugh out loud when you said “that’s mental… There’s only three of them!” Also you are very perceptive in understanding the meaning behind the song from a brief glance at the lyrics. I’ve been a Rush fan all my life and your channel really makes me smile, keep up the good work.

[@ThomasJ_Music]

Thank you very much for the kind words 🙏🏻

[@michaelt8084]

Xanadu is originally off the album farewell to kings released in 1977, exit stage left is a live album recorded in Montreal in I believe 1981, i saw that show in Toronto

[@awaken1001]

Xanadu is a place, which promises eternal life to whomever finds it, but from which one may never leave once found.

[@davidkneitel1840]

What people always fail to mention, is how Alex effortlessly switches back and forth between the twelve string and six string.

[@paulrowlston4239]

3 men, between them playing approximately 726 instruments. Paradise.

[@execatty]

Amen to that

[@paulrowlston4239]

@dave smith ... Indeed! Sonic BOOM

[@ZIG4ZAG20]

😷A tour de force of instrumental complexity and dexterity unseen before and not seen since. They had been playing that tune for 4-5 tours/years continuously, so by this point I think they felt like they had finally nailed it perfectly and recorded it for posterity knowing that they would not be playing it again for sometime. Look at the old analog equipment, no electric drums, no wireless guitar signals, nary a midi cable or keyboard to be found so NO SAMPLES AROUND for multiple sound effects of any kind.🤘🖖✌️🎸🥁🎹🎤🥇🇨🇦🤯

[@corwinchristensen260]

It is so wonderful to get real reactions from someone who really "gets" RUSH. You understand, appreciate, and feel right alongside those of us who have been fans for decades. Thank you.

[@porridgeandbananas]

The best live performance of any song, by any band, ever.

[@pleasantvalleypickerca7681]

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan / A stately pleasure-dome decree. Those lines are from the poem "Kubla Khan" (published in 1816) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Coleridge's fantastic description of an exotic utopia fired public imagination and ultimately contributed to the transition of "Xanadu" from a name to a generalized term for an idyllic place.

[@generoberts9151]

Xanadu is a mythical place synonymous to Shangri-La. Good observation. Basically the story went in the end. Immortality wasn't all what is was cracked up to be....Way to absorb all that. That's a lot for a first listen.

[@rk41gator]

Progressive Rock is a trip! Xanadu (aka Shangdu), located in Inner Mongolia, northern China, was made first the capital (1263-73 CE) and then the summer capital (1274-1364) of the Mongol Empire by Kublai Khan (r. 1260-1294 CE). Xanadu received lasting fame in the western world thanks to the Venetian explorer Marco Polo’s description of it in his celebrated book(c. 1298 CE). [from Wikipedia]

[@carlbusque1856]

Just masters, no computer, no midi triggers, they are the real deal!

[@winstonlane708]

My Fav 🎸🥁🎸 XANADU

[@andrej9029]

Hearing and seeing Rush live in action you almost forget that this is a band of just 3 members. Partially in those days were do you see a bass-player playing his instrument singing at the same time playing keyboards and playing Taurus Bass Pedals. Geddy is with out a doubt a phenomenal musician. Not only Geddy all 3 members are phenomenal musicians.

[@royalequeen5557]

⭐The Greatest Band In The Galaxy⭐RUSH⭐

[@davidholloway1817]

Historically, the city of Xanadu was the summer capitol for Mongol Emperor of China, Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan. He had a summer palace there, where he would remove to for the cooler climate. In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's unfinished poem, "Kubla Khan" a more mythical, mystical quality is ascribed to Xanadu. For instance, one becomes immortal on entry. Neil's lyrics draw directly from the poem, but go on to tell the story of a man seeking Xanadu & the prize of immortality. The tale takes on a more, "be careful what you wish for" tone when our protagonist begins to regret coming there. He finds himself trapped for all eternity, yearning for death, while time passes outsid, & everything he knows & loves ages & dies. I wasn't at this particular show but I did see them do this song on this tour, at Wembley Arena, at the tender age of 18. "Exit Stage Left..." was the live album & video of the "Moving Pictures Tour," both released in 1981.

[@JoseSalazar-pl7mn]

My brother and his friends were so super talented while I was growing up in the ‘80’s. They used to play and combined YYZ and Moby Dick of Led Zeppelin. And they would go back and fourth in an incredible creative arrangement.

[@kennethtilton6137]

As you surmised Exit...Stage Left was the album before Signals, which contained Subdivisions and the album after Moving Pictures, which contained Red Barchetta.

[@Mike80528]

When Exit Stage Left was released I was simply blown away at the audio quality of their live performance and the tightness of these songs. I can't even begin to say how many time I listened to this double-album on my record player while looking at the notes/images in included booklet... As noted elsewhere, this is based on an unfinished poem about paradise. Since the poem is unfinished, the protagonist gets stuck in the vision of paradise with no escape making it a prison and even paradise can become a prison when it *never changes*...

[@anitaparkhill-artist3685]

My husbands claim to fame! In the cover of Exit Stage Left it thanks the Glaswegian choir for the chorus on Closer to the Heart. He was one of those in the audience!!

[@JoseSalazar-pl7mn]

All of Rush recordings are meant to sound exactly the same live. They don’t record songs that they cannot perform live.

[@somedude5414]

Witch Hunt has entered the chat. ;)

[@loveja1]

and they play it note for note, even years later.

[@princeofpcos9804]

They actually do, usually about one track per album

[@Rollotomassi099]

I got to see this song live on the 2nd to last show they ever played from the 6th row. This song was the highlight of the show for me. It was pure bliss. The production value with the staging and lasers was just spectacular.

[@tillman40]

Life is really 2112...they are about to take control

[@bobespirit2112]

I was lucky enough to see them live for the first time 16 days before this performance in Indianapolis. You can’t imagine how excited I was, as I’d somehow missed their previous tour. Each of the eleven times was magical and I’ll forever be grateful that I was alive at the same time as Rush. 😎🍺

[@rattan3793]

Double-doubleneck goodness. Alex on a Gibson 12 & 6 string, Geddy on a Rickenbacker bass & 12 string. Geddy switches to the 12 near the end of the song when Alex starts his outro solo and stays there to the end.

[@lvgelfling72]

Lucky enough to see them perform this 3 times in 2015. Never a bad night when seeing Rush. 💓💓

[@generoberts9151]

I saw them twice around this time period. Best concert to date I've ever seen in my life was Moving Pictures tour.

[@lvgelfling72]

@@generoberts9151 I bet that was amazing! Did you catch their Time Machine Tour? I believe that was the tour they played all of Moving Pictures. I believe it was around 2010?

[@generoberts9151]

@@lvgelfling72 Sadly no. I saw Moving Pictures then scored a sky suite for the Signals tour. Never had an opportunity again after that. They were at their pinnacle. LV, I saw your playlist. I love Detrucci. He's like child finding a plaything for the first time..lol. OUT LOUD is committed to every Rush song . He's just finishing the first album.

[@lvgelfling72]

@@generoberts9151 Dettrucci is pretty awesome. I'm not sure I've ever seen someone dance to The Necromancer, lol. I also love that Out Loud is so devoted to listening to every song. Especially hearing how much his dad loves Rush and how he never gave them a chance when he was younger, lol. There are so many reaction videos and just not enough time! I deeply miss Rush not touring and will always miss it. I feel bad for my friends and family because I have smothered them in Rush.

[@generoberts9151]

@@lvgelfling72 Would like to see Geddy and Alex do some unplugged duets. That would be cool.

[@JoseSalazar-pl7mn]

YYZ is the call sign for the Toronto Airport.

[@kevinmichael2593]

You got pretty close. So he finds the sacred hall and becomes immortal, but there's a catch: he can never leave. Not even to see sunlight. So he slowly goes mad from loneliness and despair.

[@30110CKs]

The long running joke when watching Rush live, "where are the other three guys hidden?"

[@Johnny67557]

This live recording changed my life. On vinyl with headphones on my Dad's chair next to the 70's stereo. I've been in Rush tribute bands...Trust me. This stuff is HARD to play. They make it look easy! Nothing better than cranking on full volume with fat synths supporting the sound. Shaking the room. I miss it, but just can't physically do it anymore. I have vids. Memories.

[@michaelinnj7439]

Good on you for that.

[@johnroberts1009]

Rush is a magical band. Back in the 70s and 80s there was nothing really like it. Kansas was another band that was ahead of its time. Kansas is one band you should give a go.

[@ThomasJ_Music]

I’ll have to give Kansas a listen!

[@juliebrockett3471]

@@ThomasJ_Music try “Miracles out of Nowhere” or “Magnum Opus” from Kansas!!

[@juliebrockett3471]

@@ThomasJ_Music try “Magnum Opus” by Kansas or “The Point of no Return”. Hope you get this.. I’m reviewing all your RUSH reactions! Enjoying the Heck out if it! Be well and God Bless.. from Texas! Hey... didn’t even notice I’d already replied to your comment earlier!!! What a dumb arse! LOL

[@ay_ay_ron2112]

Truly their best performance ever. It never gets old watching it !!

[@alsimons7925]

Hallelujah Finally some one who can say Master of puppets AND Rush CAN be said in the same breath👍🏽👏🏽👏🏽Both Master’s at THEIR CRAFTS..God on u🌴Guam USA SEES U🌴✌🏽🌴

[@ThomasJ_Music]

Thank you!!

[@roygarrett1865]

You're so not ready. To me this the 2nd best live ever just behind Floyd's comfortable numb

[@markstromberg1148]

Xanadu was a place of mythical import, as portrayed in the song and in the Coleridge poem, but it is little known by many Rush fans that Kublai Khan did build a city near the river Alph, and that this ruin is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site that one day I hope to see. Site of Xanadu - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

[@roman14032]

this is the performance that instantly humbled every other band in the world everyone from led zepplin to the berlin philharmonic had their jaws on the floor those are just volume pedal swells just like pedal steel guitar players do all the time

[@juliebrockett3471]

Very good!! Fountain of youth actually!!

[@frozenlightfilms]

Seriously, Dude, you NEED to listen to their entire discography. You"ll experience their evolution, and be blown away.

[@deankmuncie]

You should listen to the Exit Stage Left CD, this is actually the end of a 3 song segue starting with Alex's classical solo, Broon's Bane into The Trees and followed by Xanadu. The whole thing is just amazing and you're just getting the ending.

[@accessenglish6461]

Well said. The suite "Broon's Bane - The Trees - Xanadu" (from the Exit Stage Left CD) is some of the most compelling music I have ever experienced. Unfortunately, all reaction channels want to see video so they choose this excellent (but "incomplete") version (from the Exit Stage Left video).

[@scott4482]

I think of the intro section as the journey into the exotic , it's very Rudyard Kipling, traveling into the Himalayas or Hindu Kush, to far off places like Nepal or Tibet. 19th century England had an obsessive phase with the mysterious east.

[@michaelinnj6174]

Literally my favorite version of my favorite song ever. Just amazing to watch them doing it live. The video doesn't even capture how both Alex and Geddy had very busy feet working their pedals in addition to their double necks. I didn't get to see Rush live until Hold Your Fire tour (1987?) but didn't get to see them do this song live until the Presto tour (1990) at the old Cap Center in Landover, Maryland. It was glorious. Although they didn't lead into it with The Trees like in ESL which would have been my most triumphant scenario.

[@Jelsick]

This is now my go to channel for Rush reactions. Keep up the good work my friend.

[@terrib-g8783]

I love the amazing layering and effects that Lerxst creates on one guitar. What a genius.

[@JoseSalazar-pl7mn]

Rush was known for being super clean....No drinking and no drugs.

[@Ontariosound]

Fan since the late 70's. The boys did enjoy their beer and wine. Geddy is an avid wine collector, Neil admitted to hitting the bottle hard after the deaths of his wife and daughter (no judgement), and Alex was part of a drunken New Years Eve brawl in Florida a few years back. With all that talent and trappings of success who wouldn't. But their live performances were always spot on.

[@dwaneanderson8039]

I'm pretty sure they smoked a little herb too. Why else would they write "A Passage to Bangkok"? But they kept it under control.

[@Azabaxe80]

You got the essence of the song. Good on ya. Two comments. Great that you bring up Metallica. Some time around '87 or '88, Lars Ulrich said that more than any other band, Metallica was like Rush. And I agree. The other thing I want to say is that this performance contains "mistakes" that this band would not have made 10 years later. Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters once said that it is precisely its imperfections that makes rock and roll a good thing. It is those moments here where the band, as tight as they were, didn't sync perfectly, that makes this performance so loved.

[@compnnburns8831]

summed up as be careful what you wish for!

[@darrinwoodward14]

Watched the whole live feed and had to watch it again!! Thanks for the great reaction!!

[@bastifar1]

Xanadu (aka Shangdu, Shang-tu, and Kaiping), located in Inner Mongolia, northern China, was made first the capital (1263-73 CE) and then the summer capital (1274-1364) of the Mongol Empire by Kublai Khan (r. 1260-1294 CE)

[@rjankarlsengalbriktsen6131]

Masterpiece..!

[@gailforcecreations1982]

Don't look for your happiness, make it

[@starman6280]

You got it right. Xanadu is a trap. The appeal of immortality fades when it is your reality.

[@TheRebuilt1]

you got it, my favorite Rush song by far.

[@number9434]

Funny you said magical island. This live performance is my #1 stuck on a deserted island song. There isn't a week that goes by that I don't play this at least once.

[@kel5423]

Great reaction! The studio version of this song is off of my favorite Rush album, A Farewell to Kings.

[@nodrush80]

Multi- tasking at it's best.

[@robertmcgrory3464]

Alex Lifeson is using a volume pedal on this song at the beginning to create volume swells.. Also both Alex and Geddy are play base pedal synthesizers with there feet. The song is based on a Coolridge poem that was never finished. Neil Peart was a voracious reader...

[@jamout65]

Great reactions. If you want the best quality, it's hard to beat the original versions. No crowd noise, echoes, or distortion. Very clean musicianship.

[@mattphillips538]

I got into Rush right when the Exit... Stage Left came out, and Signals (with Subdivisions) was still a year or 2 away

[@Trevscuriosites]

Xanadu was the legendary lost city of the greatest mongol leader Kublai Khan was his summer palace city

[@OriginalMergatroid]

Kublai Khan was just a shadow of his grandfather, Genghis Kahn who almost took over the entire known world with his Mongol army. Rome feared him. In fact, I believe they paid him off.

[@carlbusque1856]

Forgot to add, great reaction, great review, more Rush please!

[@jorgealbertogarzagarza9341]

I love your reactions; Rush is just the best band ever, period.

[@frozenlightfilms]

: an idyllic, exotic, or luxurious place. A mythical place.

[@norwegianblue2017]

If you really want a treat, try playing this as part of a trio: Broon's Bane ( a custom acoustic guitar solo only on this live album)/The Trees/Xanadu. This was side 3 of the LP and they transition and complement each other beautifully.

[@donalddoan3092]

If you really want to go down the "Rush" rabbit hole, watch the Rush documentary "Beyond the Lighted Stage." You will not be disappointed.

[@bradleyp3655]

The poem inspired the song. Kubla Khan (1816) Samuel Taylor Coleridge In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round: And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery. But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover! A savage place! as holy and enchanted As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted By woman wailing for her demon-lover! And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething, As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing, A mighty fountain momently was forced: Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail, Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail: And ‘mid these dancing rocks at once and ever It flung up momently the sacred river. Five miles meandering with a mazy motion Through wood and dale the sacred river ran, Then reached the caverns measureless to man, And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean: And ’mid this tumult Kubla heard from far Ancestral voices prophesying war! The shadow of the dome of pleasure Floated midway on the waves; Where was heard the mingled measure From the fountain and the caves. It was a miracle of rare device, A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice! A damsel with a dulcimer In a vision once I saw: It was an Abyssinian maid And on her dulcimer she played, Singing of Mount Abora. Could I revive within me Her symphony and song, To such a deep delight ’twould win me, That with music loud and long, I would build that dome in air, That sunny dome! those caves of ice! And all who heard should see them there, And all should cry, Beware! Beware! His flashing eyes, his floating hair! Weave a circle round him thrice, And close your eyes with holy dread For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drunk the milk of Paradise.

[@jnbennett6496]

they grew up togeather as kids in Toronto Canada, thats why they are so tight as a group

[@m.gideonhoyle409]

Well, Geddy and Alex did. They met Neil later on.

[@SylviusTheMad]

@@m.gideonhoyle409 Yes. Geddy and Alex have been in a band together since they were 13.

[@darylaarons6625]

I loved your reaction to this song. You have a really good ear. I’m embarrassed to say how many times I’ve heard this song and watched this video. It never gets old Love it. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more Rush videos from you in the future.

[@ChuckHickl]

There are about half a dozen or so Xanadu reactions that are really worth watching. This is one of them and I'm back for more. Again...

[@careym3901]

...Stars stop in the Sky, frozen in an ever lasting view. Finding Xanadu, time stopped and he was doomed to live forever in that moment!

[@botrbro]

Nice to see you are really betting into them. My favourite band by far. Supreme musicianship and complex lyrics. Love it.

[@sycog.8405]

I can't wait to see your reaction to Natural Science from Rush. It's gonna blow your mind! Rock On! 🤘😎🤘

[@ThomasJ_Music]

It’s here somewhere! Maybe it was the live show!

[@sycog.8405]

@@ThomasJ_Music it's on the permanent waves CD

[@stephenwebb921]

Damn, I got so wrapped up in the song, I burned my potato skins lol..

[@123dacat]

Every time I listen to this song I tear up. I love Rush

[@evilvolts]

Xanadu is the lost Paradise , garden of eden, land of milk and honey, ect ect ect

[@JoeSmith-ey2xp]

It blows my mind that no one seems to know that anymore.

[@christophercheck1590]

And also, historically, Shangdu, the actual capital of China during the Yuan dynasty, of which Kubilai Khan was an emperor. At least until he moved his capital to Beijing.

[@mauriceforget7869]

Rush used each a taurus bass pedals witch is a synth. with programmable memories. It ables the guy to use feet arrangements and double the possibilitis.

[@courtneywallace871]

Haven’t heard the live version of this in forever. So great!

[@thegman8968]

Once again, a really great reaction and analysis of one of RUSH"S classic songs. As to your observation that this song could have told the same story even without the lyrics, Geddy once quipped that all RUSH songs are actually instrumentals, and that Niel just adds lyrics to them later on. Rush on!!!

[@wadesworld6250]

To further blow your mind, at the end of the song, Geddy is playing the ending melody on a six-string guitar.

[@rattan3793]

It's actually a 12 string on his doubleneck.

[@scotthannigan3569]

Based on a famous “unfinished poem”.. you nailed that part of it.

[@gregcormier2379]

They brought out all their toys for this one! The music matches up nicely with the lyrics and it's always so cool to see them perform it live.

[@jasonokinawa6596]

I was starting to get burned out on reactions, so glad I found you, love your honesty. Great job.

[@ThomasJ_Music]

Thanks Jason!

[@jamzales]

It's a Morley volume wah pedal. Which allowed him to get a violin sound. Alex guitar is a Gibson ES1275. Before this white he had a maroon one just like Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. Page used an actual violin bow where Alex used the Morley to get his take on a sound style.

[@nattijeff]

Damn NothernEar, you are making RUSH Army work overtime! Please wait at least two weeks before you do another reaction to RUSH.