As known for their mind-bending live performances as much as their polarising musical tendencies and goofball humour, the three-hour display by Rush (below) at the SECC was perhaps their most ambitious outing to date.

Fireworks, video skits, strings, live projections, cosmic set pieces and a revolving drum kit all featured in a show already dense in its own musical weight. This kind of sensory excess has become expected of a band that not only pioneered the conceptual grandiosity of prog rock, but boldly traversed almost all corners of the modern musical spectrum – from reggae to metal to new wave – with little to no irony or shame.

Last night, the newly inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famers loudly and proudly spent the first hour or so guiding us through rare gems from their shaky retro-futuristic middle period with surprisingly rewarding results, beginning with a glorious double-dose of Subdivisions and Big Money.

Slinking effortlessly into tracks like Grand Designs and Limelight, they continued to showcase their most polished and angular side before returning after a short break with a mammoth run though last year's Clockwork Angels. Admittedly a difficult album to break down on casual listens given its enormity and weight, the virtuosity and strength of musical vision the band still possess so late in the game is astounding and was made abundantly clear throughout the album's bulky offering. But before any lifers could get up in arms, a 40-minute gauntlet of solid-gold classics from the Rush vault – Dreamline, The Spirit Of Radio and Tom Sawyer – was rounded out by a rare trip though the immortal 2112 overture and accompanying Temples Of Syrinx, bringing yet another untouchable performance to a thrilling close.

Music

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