Fans Get a Power Rush

Rush’s energetic, three-hour concert Tuesday night at the Forum was an old-fashioned rock show, strictly for adoring fans. There was no stage-diving, no crowd-surfing--just an elated, near-capacity crowd flicking its Bics and cheering on its heroes.

The veteran Canadian power trio, in turn, provided everything a Rush aficionado could want: hits, favorites and songs from the new album, “Test for Echo,” plus loads of instrumental noodling and plenty of lasers, strobes, video and live camera shots of the band members on a huge split screen behind them. (The only things missing were explosions and smoke.)

The arena-rock trappings, including drummer Neil Peart’s rotating riser, belied the group’s low-key presence, but complemented its brand of musicianly, yet populist, prog-rock. The sound has remained remarkably consistent for 22 years: Stripping the blues from such influences as Cream and Led Zeppelin, Rush produces rock flourishes galore but little groove. The tricky time signatures and instrumental virtuosity offer some drama and Peart’s high-concept lyrical metaphors occasionally strike anthem-like notes. But the repertoire is alarmingly one-note--and either you dig it or you don’t.

Accordingly, the Forum audience was ecstatic as guitarist Alex Lifeson and bassist-keyboardist Geddy Lee unleashed barrages of expert riffs (never mind that Lee’s grainy falsetto occasionally couldn’t quite reach those high notes). While his drumming was comparatively streamlined, Peart still managed a lot of notes, including an epic, nearly 10-minute solo.

In spite of all the jamming, however, the show was surprisingly devoid of spontaneity. Parts of Peart’s solo were played in sync with visuals, making it feel overly rehearsed. Not that the fans cared: When the lights finally came up, they screamed for more.