Countdown to Rush: the prog-rock legends hit the stage in Vancouver tonight

Canadian prog-rock heroes Rush play Rogers Arena tonight, where they'll be performing their classic 1981 album Moving Pictures in its entirety. That means you're guaranteed to hear "Tom Sawyer", "Red Barchetta", "YYZ", "Limelight", "The Camera Eye", "Witch Hunt", and "Vital Signs". If you haven't already, get your tickets here.

Concert promoter Live Nation has sent Ear of Newt the set times (which are subject to change, mind you). Doors open at 6:30 pm for your t-shirt buying pleasure, and Rush hits the stage at 8 pm. They'll play a bunch of tunes, take a break, then at 9:30 play a bunch more tunes. Tell the kids not to wait up.

Now, everybody knows that Neil Peart is an awesome drummer, but what Ear of Newt blog on Rush would be complete without a mention of original drummer John Rutsey? That's him manning the cowbell on the debut album's "In the Mood", which boasts the classic line: "Hey baby it's a quarter to eight, I feel I'm in the mood." Could it be just coincidence that I parked in stall 745 at the Skytrain station this morning?

You can follow Steve Newton on Twitter at twitter.com/earofnewt.