DannyDuberstein said:
Btw, that bluegrass failure bitterness and throwing himself into a lot more touring (which he said he did because he could control it) is something he admitted early this year. He also admitted some not so flattering stuff about bailing on shows last minute if they didn't sell enough or didn't have a setup he liked. Again, I think he's struggled with having a pretty good run, struggling with the fact he could not make the next step, and then burning himself out on live shows he thought were beneath him as his popularity waned. Mix all that with just getting old, I'm not surprised to hear of some low energy shows and some of these complaints
That's one of the things that Rush fans have praised them for - the way they went out and ended their careers.
Neil had recurring tendinitis and knew that he wouldn't be able to pound the skins like that forever. Geddy and Alex weren't ready to be done but Neil only wanted to perform if he was at the top of his game. He didn't want to give the fans any less than the best.
On their R40 documentary Billy Corgan said at intermission that it would be amazing to see guys in their 20's pull off that first set he had just witnessed, that they still had it.
It's sad to see that REK doesn't feel that way about giving his best to his fans. I watched his ACL performance that was maybe the same week that friends saw him in Santa Fe at the Galveston County Fair. They said he was pretty good and the ACL show was good.
But to read so many posts here with people saying they have had bad experiences is just sad. If you are going out to perform one last tour, give the people something good to remember you by. Not "he was an ass and didn't play a good set list".