What’s The Rush?

 

Videos by American Songwriter

 Iconic ‘70s prog-rockers Rush are returning to the television stage tonight, with a performance on… The Colbert Report? Yes my friends, that is bona fide truthiness. After a 30-year hiatus, the band is hitting the stage of Comedy Central’s politically charged news spoof Wednesday July 16 at 11:30 eastern time.

Iconic ‘70s prog-rockers Rush are returning to the television stage tonight, with a performance on… The Colbert Report? Yes my friends, that is bona fide truthiness. After a 30-year hiatus, the band is hitting the stage of Comedy Central’s politically charged news spoof Wednesday July 16 at 11:30 eastern time.

Rush is set to perform “Tom Sawyer,” which can be found on the 1981 Mercury Records release Moving Pictures and is one of the band’s most well-known tracks to date. The Canadian triop, fronted by bassist and incredibly distinctive vocalist Geddy Lee, typically refuses television performances, but made an exception for The Colbert Report (pronounced Cole-bear Ree-pore, for those not in the know), which recently won a prestigious Peabody award. 

This appearance by Rush will not be the Report’s last foray into the music realm. Colbert will be consistently awarding a few minutes of airtime normally devoted to grilling guests or making evident the flaws he sees in the American government to various musical artists for a performance and occasionally a short interview. This change in the show’s structure makes it more like its other late night counterparts, such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman.

Other artists in the Report’s future lineup include Nas (July 23), a repeat performance by Toby Keith (July 28), and Crosby, Stills, and Nash (July 30).