Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland
2011 Anthem Entertainment
One would be hard-pressed to name a band as polarizing as Rush. But love them or not, their longevity and continued relevancy in the world of rock music is nothing less than impressive. Formed in 1968, the band has continued to create and expand on its very unique blend of rock ’n’ roll, all the while delivering it to a worldwide, devoted fan base. And Rush’s uncanny ability to recreate their complex studio sound on the stage—with just Lifeson, Lee, and Peart at the helm—is legendary.
Premiering first at select theaters before being made available November 8 on DVD/ Blu-ray, Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland captures the energy of last year’s Time Machine tour, with Rush performing both classic hits and new tunes from their forthcoming (and 20th to date) studio release titled Clockwork Angels. Interestingly, it’s the band’s first live performance filmed in the United States, and the tour marked the first time Moving Pictures was played live in its entirety. Cleveland was given the nod for the movie’s concert site, since it was the first city to support Rush with radio airplay.
The cinematography and sound from the opening of the show with “The Spirit of Radio” through the encore’s “Working Man,” is simply stunning. And viewing on a large screen—with the home theater surround set well above ample volume—provided for a great concert experience, leaving wishes that I would have caught the last tour myself. For non-Rush fans who still appreciate extraordinary musicianship, watching the interaction between these three men from Toronto while practicing their craft might make converts. Each member of Rush is truly a master at their respective instrument, and to see how enthused they are to still be playing together for 40-plus years is inspiring. There’s nothing as disappointing as seeing an “elder statesman” band appear haggard from years of hard living and only going through the motions on stage. Rush’s enthusiasm is infectious (even from a television set) and they show no signs of slowing down, musically or creatively.
Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland is much more than a just a one-night capture of the tour’s 26-song set. Rush has long been using film segments for their live shows— often humorous—and the DVD’s short-film segments show that Lifeson, Lee, and Peart may have a future in comedic character acting when/if they decide to stop playing music. Without giving too much away, the first segment of the movie, titled The ‘Real’ History of Rush Episode No. 2 “Don’t Be Rash,” is a surreal scene in a deli/diner with a young polka band playing a Rush cover poorly, with Lee as the proprietor behind the counter, Peart as a grumpy cop, and Lifeson as a … well, a large and gassing patron of the deli trying his best to get another sausage down. And when the time machine enters the scene, manipulating the polka band’s styling of “Spirit of Radio,” the film truly begins. Confused or interested? This is not your typical concert film and shows again that these guys are all about having fun, reminiscent of another pretty cool concert/concept film called The Song Remains the Same.
If you’re a Rush fan, you won’t be disappointed. If you’re not a fan, you may just dig it, too. This movie would stand on its own as a fine concert recording even without the additional film segments and bonus features. Maybe the trio understands the efforts of their fans in getting non-fans onboard, and provides a fun watch for all. My spouse was upset with me for a week after a taking her to a Rush show a few years ago, but she enjoyed this film immensely.
Am I a Rush fan? Yes, I think it’s obvious, but I’m a relatively casual one. That said, seeing Moving Pictures in its entirety was pretty damn rewarding, not to mention the additional vintage concert clips and other material throughout. —Rich Osweiler
A mix of futuristic concepts and DeArmond single-coil pickups, the Musicraft Messenger’s neck was tuned to resonate at 440 Hz.
Until its untimely end, Musicraft made roughly 250 Messengers in various configurations: the mono-output Messenger and the flagship Messenger Stereophonic, both of which could come with the “Tone Messer” upgrade, a built-in distortion/fuzz circuit. The company’s first catalog also featured a Messenger Bass, a wireless transmitter/receiver, and various models of its Messenger Envoy amplifier, very few of which have survived, if many were ever made at all.
“To this day, even fans will sometimes call the decision to use DeArmonds the Messenger’s ‘Achilles’ heel.’”
Upon its release, the Messenger was a mix of futuristic concepts and DeArmond single-coil pickups that were more likely to be found on budget instruments than pricier guitars such as these. The Messengers often featured soapbar-style DeArmonds, though some sported a diamond grille. (To this day, even fans will sometimes call the decision to use DeArmonds the Messenger’s “Achilles’ heel.”) The Stereophonic model, like the one featured in this edition of Vintage Vault, could be plugged into a single amplifier as normal, or you could split the bridge and neck pickup outputs to two separate amps.
One of the beloved hallmarks of the guitars are their magnesium-aluminum alloy necks, which continue as a center block straight through the tailpiece, making the guitars relatively lightweight and virtually immune to neck warping, while enhancing their playability. Thanks to the strength of that metal-neck design, there’s no need for a thick heel where it meets the body, granting unprecedented access to the higher end of the fretboard.
This Stereophonic model could be plugged into a single amplifier as normal, or you could split the bridge and neck pickup outputs to two separate amps.
The neck was apparently also tuned to have a resonant frequency of 440 Hz, which, in all honesty, may be some of that 1967 “whoa, man” marketing continuing on through our modern-day guitar discourse, where this fact is still widely repeated on forums and in YouTube videos. (As one guitar aficionado to the next, what does this even mean in practice? Would an inaudible vibration at that frequency have any effect at all on the tone of the guitar?)
In any event, the combination of that metal center block—resonant frequency or not—the apple-shaped hollow wooden body of the guitar, and the cat’s-eye-style “f-holes” did make it prone to gnarly fits of feedback, especially if you engaged the Tone Messer fuzz and blasted it all through the high-gain amp stacks favored by the era’s hard rockers.
The most famous devotee of the Messenger was Grand Funk Railroad’s Mark Farner, who used the guitar—and its Tone Messer circuitry—extensively on the group’s string of best-selling records and in their defining live shows, like the Atlanta Pop Festival 1970 and their sold-out run at New York’s Shea Stadium in 1971. But even Farner had some misgivings.
The Messengers often featured soapbar-style DeArmonds, though some sported a diamond grille.
In a 2009 interview, he talked about his first test-run of the guitar: “After I stuffed it full of foam and put masking tape over the f-holes to stop that squeal, I said, ‘I like it.’” He bought it for $200, on a $25-per-pop installment plan, a steal even at the time. (He also made it over with a psychedelic paint job, befitting the era, and experimented with different pickups over the years.)
When these guitars were new in 1967, the Messenger Stereophonic in morning sunburst, midnight sunburst, or mojo red would have run you $340. By 1968, new stereo models started at $469.50. Recent years have seen prices for vintage models steadily increase, as the joy of this rarity continues to thrill players and collectors. Ten years ago, you could still get them for about $1,500, but now prices range from $3,000 to $6,000, depending on condition.
Our Vintage Vault pick today is listed on Reverb by Chicago’s own SS Vintage. Given that it’s the stereo model, in very good condition, and includes the Tone Messer upgrade, its asking price of $5,495 is near the top-end for these guitars today, but within the usual range. To those readers who appreciate the vintage vibe but don’t want the vintage price tag, Eastwood Guitars offers modern reissues, and eagle-eyed buyers can also find some very rare but less expensive vintage MIJ clones made in the late ’60s and early ’70s.
Sources: Reverb listing from SS Vintage, Reverb Price Guide sales data, Musicraft July 1, 1967 Price Schedule, 1968 Musicraft Catalog, Chicago Music Exchange’s “Uncovering The Secret Sounds of the 1967 Musicraft Messenger Guitar,” MusicPickups.com article on the Messenger.Slayer guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman formed the original searing 6-string front line of the most brutal band in the land. Together, they created an aggressive mood of malcontent with high-velocity thrash riffs and screeching solos that’ll slice your speaker cones. The only way to create a band more brutal than Slayer would be to animate them, and that’s exactly what Metalocalypse (and Home Movies) creator Brendon Small did.
From his first listen, Small has been a lifetime devotee and thrash-metal expert, so we invited him to help us break down what makes Slayer so great. Together, we dissect King and Hanneman’s guitar styles and list their angriest, most brutal songs, as well as those that create a mood of general horribleness.
This episode is sponsored by EMG Pickups.
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In continued support of their 3x GRAMMY-nominated album Dark Matter, Pearl Jam will be touring select U.S. cities in April and May 2025.
Pearl Jam’s live dates will start in Hollywood, FL on April 24 and 26 and wrap with performances in Pittsburgh, PA on May 16 and 18. Full tour dates are listed below.
Support acts for these dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for these concerts will be available two ways:
- A Ten Club members-only presale for all dates begins today. Only paid Ten Club members active as of 11:59 PM PT on December 4, 2024 are eligible to participate in this presale. More info at pearljam.com.
- Public tickets will be available through an Artist Presale hosted by Ticketmaster. Fans can sign up for presale access for up to five concert dates now through Tuesday, December 10 at 10 AM PT. The presale starts Friday, December 13 at 10 AM local time.
earl Jam strives to protect access to fairly priced tickets by providing the majority of tickets to Ten Club members, making tickets non-transferable as permitted, and selling approximately 10% of tickets through PJ Premium to offset increased costs. Pearl Jam continues to use all-in pricing and the ticket price shown includes service fees. Any applicable taxes will be added at checkout.
For fans unable to use their purchased tickets, Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster will offer a Fan-to-Fan Face Value Ticket Exchange for every city, starting at a later date. To sell tickets through this exchange, you must have a valid bank account or debit card in the United States. Tickets listed above face value on secondary marketplaces will be canceled. To help protect the Exchange, Pearl Jam has also chosen to make tickets for this tour mobile only and restricted from transfer. For more information about the policy issues in ticketing, visit fairticketing.com.
For more information, please visit pearljam.com.