Rush rumbles for rabid fans at Toyota Center

Rush's R40 Tour stopped at Toyota Center on May 20. The rock band celebrated 40 years as a trio. Rush's R40 Tour stopped at Toyota Center on May 20. The rock band celebrated 40 years as a trio. Photo: Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle Photo: Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Rush rumbles for rabid fans at Toyota Center 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

On Wednesday night generations of Rush fans of varying sizes converged on the Toyota Center to see the mightiest power trio to ever emerge from Canada. It was an especially emotional night for some fans, since the band has said recently that this could be its final, large-scale national tour. They gave Houston three hours of their time as a proper send off.

There have been no public plans to make any new music, so Wednesday night’s set list leaned heavily on well-worn album nuggets and the classic-rock radio hits that turned them into heroes for kids looking for something brainier to bite into.

There were no complaints.

The night was divided into two sets, with material working backward chronologically, with a blistering encore as a bonus. This current tour, dubbed the R40 Tour, celebrates the anniversary of drummer Neil Peart joining Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson as brothers in arms in the summer of 1974. The rest is laser-laden pro-rock history.

According to reports, Peart’s custom drum kit this tour is made from the wood of a 1,500-year-old Romanian oak tree. All the better to solo with, we assume. His two extended solos lead to outbreaks of air-drumming across Toyota Center.

The crowd was made up of old friends and rabid fans, most decked out in vintage concert tees from Rush tours decades-old. A few guys mentioned that they were amazed the shirts still fit. Some said Rush was their first concert ever and still others said that they don't remember much about their lives before discovering Rush.

There's a joke about the line for the ladies room at a Rush show being almost non-existent. Every joke has a bit of truth to it. It was decidedly a male-oriented crowd. The first set of the night kicked off with material from the trio's most recent album "Clockwork Angels" from 2012 and worked back to "Subdivisions" from the "Signals" LP, released in 1982.

The sweat of sheer fandom set in as the band hammered into the metallic "Far Cry" and "Roll The Bones" which both got heads banging, even in the cheap seats.

A few brief dashes of pyrotechnic flash were thrown in for good measure.

A brief intermission was cut short by a short film featuring the band goofing around behind the scenes in a series of ridiculous costumes and makeup.

The band then got to work, starting with "Tom Sawyer" and digging into the cuts that gained them lifelong fans. Leaning into the bedrock "2112" and "A Farewell To Kings" material is a no-brainer.

This passage proved beyond a doubt that if the band wants to slow down their touring, it's not because their chops are dulling.

The night's encore brought the band back to their roots, playing the deep, nimble blues-rock that busted them out of Canada and onto rock radio in the early '70s.

The band had a Blue Cheer bite that was undeniable in those days. The guys just covered it in layers of synths and mystic vibes as the years went on but at their heart this is what they are.

Rush remains one of those rare musical acts that can bridge the generations without anything getting lost in translation. On Wednesday night devotees got one heck of a last look, with ringing eardrums to match, if this is in fact the end of the touring line.

FIRST SET

The Anarchist

Clockwork Angels

Headlong Flight

Far Cry

The Main Monkey Business

One Little Victory

Animate

Roll The Bones

Distant Early Warning

Subdivisions

SECOND SET

Tom Sawyer

Red Barchetta

The Spirit of Radio

Jacob's Ladder

Cygnus X-1 Cycle

Closer To The Heart

Xanadu

2112 Parts 1, 2, 4, 7

ENCORE

Lakeside Park

Anthem

What You're Doing

Working Man

Garden Road