Rushing In

Regarding Jonathan Gold’s review of the Rush concert at the Forum (“Rush Lights Up the Stage Visually, but Not Sonically,” Jan. 24). Normally I wouldn’t dignify such an article with a response.

Gold misses the point entirely. Rush doesn’t fit into any particular genre of rock ‘n’ roll; Rush is just Rush. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and especially Neal Peart exhibit unrivaled musicianship on stage. I’m sure Gold expects them to jump around and destroy their equipment in some pathetic attempt to convey the anger and bitterness of youth ( et tu, Nirvana?).

All Rush does is play good music with precision, wisdom and art, solely lacking in most of today’s music. Gold’s comparison of Rush and Nirvana ends after he establishes that he can count to three. True, both groups write “lyrics that elude linear sense.”

Rush challenges that audience to think abstractly and philosophically (no “Oh, baby, do me!” here), while Nirvana has difficulty forming complete sentences. (By the way, my 3-year-old niece knows more chords than Kurt Cobain.) Groups like Nirvana and Soundgarden can only dream of being compared to Rush, let alone mentioned in the same sentence.

Mr. Gold has elevated his writing style to new levels of pompousness rivaling Robert Hilburn’s, but he’ll never take Hilburn’s job until he compares everyone to U2 and Springsteen and praises the incoherent ramblings of W. Axl Rose.

What have we learned? Jon, stick to your underground music--six feet under, that is.

COLIN KASTNER

Irvine