Ep. 204: Backtracking Rush

Raf Bagdasarian and Dan Fiden are lifelong friends who share a deep love of Rush. On the first season of their podcast Backtracking, they poured over the Rush discography. This week, Raf and Dan join us to geek out on all things Rush. Check out Backtracking--now finished with its second season, covering American Music Club--wherever you get your podcasts. Backtracking: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/backtracking/id1723399651 Follow us on Bluesky: @rushfancast Follow us on Instagram: @therushcast Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @RushFanCast Follow us on Threads: @therushcast Email us at: [email protected]    

And now for something completely different: an episode of the podcast Primus Tracks in the feed! Primus Tracks hosts Josh and Frankie invited Gerry to discuss Rush's influence on Primus, the general excellence of both bands, and how easy it is to kill a good party vibe by throwing on a Rush or Primus song.  Follow us on Bluesky: @rushfancast Follow us on Instagram: @therushcast Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @RushFanCast Follow us on Threads: @therushcast Email us at: [email protected]

Branding expert Andris Pone joins us this week to examine the branding of Rush's Fifty Something Tour. Andris first joined us way back in episode 123 to talk about his article "He Lived The Lives of 10 Men: Lessons I've Learned From Neil Peart." Now he joins us to give his unique perspective on how Geddy and Alex are navigating their return to the stage. Follow us on Bluesky: @rushfancast Follow us on Instagram: @therushcast Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @RushFanCast Follow us on Threads: @therushcast Email us at: [email protected]    

This week, we're doing something we haven't done in 3 years: a Rush covers episode! But we're doing something different this time. We decided to focus our attention on one song, perhaps the most famous of all Rush songs, Tom Sawyer! We serve up 10 different versions of this classic tune, in styles ranging from bluegrass-flavored jazz to 8-bit arcade antics. So catch the mystery, catch the drift, and listen today! Follow us on Bluesky: @rushfancast Follow us on Instagram: @therushcast Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @RushFanCast Follow us on Threads: @therushcast Email us at: [email protected]

We've been talking a lot about our frustration with Ticketmaster, so we thought it would be interesting to talk to someone who could answer our questions about the ticket-selling world. Dean Budnick, co-author of "Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How The Public Got Scalped," is that person. Dean tells us about the beginnings of Ticketmaster, how they became the juggernaut they are, and what the future holds for concert goers. Follow us on Bluesky: @rushfancast Follow us on Instagram: @therushcast Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @RushFanCast Follow us on Threads: @therushcast Email us at: [email protected]

It's our 200th episode, and what better way to celebrate than by having one of our favorite guests back for some Jedi-grade trivia! Ray Wawrzyniak, the preeminent collector of all things Rush, joins us to answer some of the toughest Rush trivia our listeners could muster. And Lex is here too, so you know it's a party! How did Ray do? You'll have to listen to find out! Follow us on Bluesky: @rushfancast Follow us on Instagram: @therushcast Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @RushFanCast Follow us on Threads: @therushcast Email us at: [email protected]    

The moment we were all waiting for happened this week: Tickets for Rush's Fifty Something Tour went on sale! OK, there were 3 different sales in the span of 7 days: the Citi Bank credit card presale, the artist presale, and the general sale. This week Steve and Gerry talk about the frustrating ticket-buying process, why Ticketmaster has been ruining the fan experience for decades, and how we fared in our quest to see our favorite band. Follow us on Bluesky: @rushfancast Follow us on Instagram: @therushcast Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @RushFanCast Follow us on Threads: @therushcast Email us at: [email protected]  

It's an emergency episode of the podcast! The unthinkable has been thought: Rush is going on tour! Today, Geddy and Alex announced a 7-city, 12-show tour, scheduled for summer 2026. Our excitement is unbridled! Let the fray begin! Follow us on Bluesky: @rushfancast Follow us on Instagram: @therushcast Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @RushFanCast Follow us on Threads: @therushcast Email us at: [email protected]

This week in our second of two parts live from Henderson Brewing's Rush Day 2025, we speak with Ivar Hamilton. Ivar has had a long and celebrated career in the music business and is well-known as the man who Neil Peart delivered an advance copy of Permanent Waves to at CFNY--the station whose tagline inspired the song The Spirit of Radio. Rush superfan Ray Wawrzyniak also joins us for another round of Rush Trivia. Follow us on Bluesky: @rushfancast Follow us on Instagram: @therushcast Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @RushFanCast Follow us on Threads: @therushcast Email us at: [email protected]

We were invited back to Henderson Brewing in Toronto for Rush Day 2025 to record live from our perch in the Crow's Nest, and this year we wanted to know your favorite Rush song! We met a lot of great people and had a lot of wonderful conversations with Rush fans from all around the world. Follow us on our socials below to see pictures from the day! Follow us on Bluesky: @rushfancast Follow us on Instagram: @therushcast Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @RushFanCast Follow us on Threads: @therushcast Email us at: [email protected]