Since the mid-1990s, the amount of tribute bands playing the live music circuit here in Arizona has grown by leaps and bounds. By and large, most of them are relegated to playing clubs and casinos. Understandably so by the way.
What isn’t understandable, I must admit, is the majority of them are playing paltry 80, 90-minute sets maximum. More on that shortly.
But once in a while, some tribute bands are able to play small theatres. As in 1500-2000 capacity venues, which is pretty significant— believe it or not.
One of those bands is called the Rush Tribute Project (based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin), which of course pays homage to the music of Rush.
Longtime band members Sean Jones (bassist/vocalist/keyboardist),guitarist Bill Heck, and drummer Thomas Slawnik seem to have the time of their lives faithfully recreating the music that Rush members Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart created.
To this day, the Canadian trio is the most important and influential progressive hard rock band of all-time.
Kicking off its nearly 3-hour, 21-song set (e.g. two 75-minute sets, with a 20-minute intermission in-between) at the gorgeous Mesa Arts Center on Fri. Feb. 21 with Limelight and Subdivisions back-to-back, RTP had the 1,205 in attendance (e.g. according to band management) grinning from ear-to-ear.
Interestingly, the audience sat the entire show, but the cheers and enthusiasm rarely, if ever, wavered. As it turned out, this was the first time that RTP performed in Arizona— and their first show of 2025 as well. It was also the first time they’ve toured the West Coast.
“This is definitely a labor of love for us”, Jones said to me in a brief phone chat a few days after the show. “We all have day jobs, yet we also put a lot of time and effort into RTP. We work hard to get the best promoters as well as finding the best venues possible to perform in.”
He continued. “More importantly, we honestly believe that Rush fans expect the best from us with our show. To that point, as hardcore fans ourselves, we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
To their credit, RTP prides itself on covering all eras of the Rush catalog in their shows. Songs like Anthem (from Fly By Night, 1975) and Bastille Day (from Caress of Steel, also 1975) were played alongside 80s gems like Time Stand Still (from Hold Your Fire, 1987) and The Body Electric (from Grace Under Pressure, 1984).
On the subject of set lists, I asked Jones how the band goes about creating a set list with the kind of catalog that Rush has. At the very least, I imagine there’s a significant amount of rehearsals involved.
“Good question”, he said with a laugh. “Actually, we write out charts of all the set lists as far as what we play on any given night. Of course, like any band— tribute or otherwise— we know there are some songs that have to be played like Tom Sawyer, Limelight, and The Spirit Of Radio for the “casual” fans, if you will.”
He added. “Yet, we also know there are a lot of hardcore Rush fans in the audience that want to hear the deep cuts like Circumstances, Between The Wheels, and even obscure songs from (as late as) Clockwork Angels (from 2012). Needless to say, we love doing both.”
On most nights they played (according to Setlist FM) last year alone, RTP would rotate as many as ten songs per show. Frankly, if that isn’t dedication, I don’t know what is.
On top of that, they’re one of the very few tribute bands on the circuit today who perform marathon sets (see what I did there?)– just like Rush did from 1996 (the Test For Echo tour) until their final tour (R40) in 2015. There’s also rear screen projection images onstage as a bonus– and no opening act either.
For a little perspective— make no mistake: most veteran original bands and artists who have sizable catalogs are barely playing 90-minute sets these days– and that’s if their fans are lucky.
For the record, that isn’t trivial either. It’s an honest statement of fact. I also contend that it’s absolutely unacceptable… from every conceivable angle in 2025.
To be fair, it should be said that Jones sees it a little differently— and of course, more diplomatically. Or some would opine… realistically.
“Not that I’m giving a complete defense to those examples you alluded to”, he said candidly. “But many of those bands are in their 70s, or near it. To a point, I do understand why they limit themselves to 90 minutes. But yes, I do understand why some fans would be disappointed with “shorter” sets.”
Back onstage, The Big Money (from 1985’s Power Windows) received its deserved share of applause. It was impressive to see RTP put its own spin to some of the video content onstage that Rush is known for as well.
There was also a taste of the 90s, that being Stick It Out (from 1993’s Counterparts), which is “one of Bill’s favorites to play live”, according to Jones. Followed by Driven from 1996’s Test For Echo.
Two more classics, Freewill and Red Barchetta, take things into high gear again with 2112 closing the first set. To clarify, the version played was the one from Rush’s first live album, All The World’s a Stage, released in 1976.
Or put another way, they played roughly 15 minutes of the 20-minute side-long epic. It was a great way to conclude the first set.
Opening the second set with another epic, The Camera Eye, was a nice surprise. But I think many also were surprised to hear The Garden, the last song on Rush’s final album, the aforementioned Clockwork Angels.
Personally, it isn’t a song I care for much. I would’ve preferred something like BU2B, Halo Effect, or The Wreckers from that album. But it did go down well with the Mesa audience without question.
It also goes to show what kind of catalog Rush has, and the challenge that RTP has in finding that “happy medium” of hits, rarely played, and in some cases, perhaps never played songs by Rush itself.
Of course, many would say that a Rush tribute wouldn’t be complete without songs like YYZ, Closer To The Heart and Xanadu, the latter closing out the second set. Once again, to roaring approval.
The final song of the night, La Villa Strangiato, is one that all three members of RTP enjoy playing equally— along with The Camera Eye. It turns out they’re “the only two songs that we all end up putting on our individual lists of what to play. The rest are songs we each pick, some personal favorites and what not”, Jones said.
To conclude, I’ll be perfectly candid here. The most significant aspect of the RTP experience wasn’t that they “sounded exactly like Rush”. In some ways, they really didn’t.
However, they most certainly captured the spirit of a Rush concert, by their unwavering attention to detail and the pride they took in putting together a faithful recreation of Rush’s music.
In short order, that’s not an easy task. For this writer, RTP reinforced to me (and perhaps others in the audience that night as well) that Rush set a standard for artistic integrity and live performance that’s absolutely impossible to follow. And to RTP’s credit, they absolutely get that.
Since its live swan song in 2015, the musical void that Rush left has never been filled. Sorry to say, it most likely never will be either. Fairly or unfairly.
Even after a three-hour set, the fans still wanted more RTP. On that point, all three members headed to the merch booth immediately after the show to meet the fans. Yes, RTP even have their own merch for sale. It’s a well-oiled “mini-machine”.
The final verdict? I give the Rush Tribute Project 4.5 out of five stars. It’s well worth making the time to see it.
By the way, a little birdie told me that RTP will likely return to AZ. in 2026. If they do, hopefully they’ll play the MAC once again. They couldn’t have picked a better venue for this exceptional tribute from three true fans of Rush.
For that, I thank them profusely.
