Does Rush Still Have It? Yes, No : Sure, the Canadian power trio has enough fans to fill the Forum, but musically the group’s on cruise control.

Whether you like Rush or not, you’ve got to give the band’s members their due.

These guys are--let’s face it--slouching toward codgerhood. They started out in the early ‘70s, 19 albums ago.

Most bands that began in the early ‘70s never even made it to the mid-’70s. Yet lead singer-bassist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart are not only still going strong but they can still fill the Forum--as they did Thursday. That’s quite a feat for old-timers playing straight hard rock in a rock world that long ago shifted to grunge.

Also to Rush’s credit: The show was not an exercise in nostalgia. It was built around the music from the group’s album “Counterparts,” which came out last year.

But is this Canadian power trio (which performs again tonight at Anaheim Arena and Monday at the San Diego Sports Arena) still any good in concert?

Well, yes and no.

Yes, if you’re talking pure entertainment. The audience was clearly having a grand time, cheering wildly after every song and begging for encores.

But the answer was no--if you’re talking about being enraptured musically.

A large part of what the audience was responding to was the special-effects sideshow that accompanied the music. These musicians are smart enough to know they can’t captivate a crowd for a couple of hours anymore with their music alone.

Just about every song was bolstered by a gimmick--fire, explosions, intriguing film projections and, most spectacular of all, a giant mock-up of a hunter shooting a giant mock-up of a rabbit. Sometimes you were so consumed with the gimmicks--or anticipating the next one--that the three guys playing music seemed like an afterthought.

Musically, though, Rush didn’t generate that kind of excitement, except for Peart’s drum solo--which was showboating at its best. If your sensibilities have at all been affected by today’s quirky, angry, Angst -ridden rock, it’s hard to take this band seriously.

Even trying to deal with Rush on its own terms, it comes up short. Others from the band’s generation--Aerosmith, Robert Plant, Rod Stewart, even the Stones--rock harder.

In the old days Rush was, in concert at least, an explosive power-rock trio. But it was never in the upper echelon of rock bands, partly because these guys never learned how to write memorable songs. Still, you could always count on a Rush concert for powerhouse, no-frills rock.

Not anymore.

The material from the “Counterparts” album is tame and somewhat pretentious. And Rush’s melodic, straight-ahead style simply doesn’t knock your socks off.

And spontaneity? It’s not part of the Rush vocabulary. This is contained, structured music. Even during supposedly improvised jams, every note seemed thoroughly rehearsed. That sense of freedom and hint of rebelliousness and danger that underlies the best rock is sorely missing.

Part of the problem was Lee. Is there a more uncharismatic lead singer on the planet? His shrill, squeaky vocals drained the life out of some of Peart’s lyrics. And as a showman, Lee’s a dedicated minimalist.

Rush was annoyingly business-like on stage. There was little humor and hardly any between-songs patter. It’s easier to have fun at a concert if you feel the performers are having fun too. You never got that feeling from Rush.