Okay, until about 2 years ago, I was decidedly in the camp of women who would tolerate Rush on behalf of the husband/boyfriend who has been obsessed with them since birth, but wouldn't necessarily call myself a "fan" of Rush. I knew one or two of their songs from high-school and even sort-of liked Tom Sawyer and Limelight, but I really had little knowledge of the band nor an appreciation of their musicianship, etc.In 2002, my DH took me to a concert on the Snakes and Arrows tour while I was 7 months pregnant with our first child, and aside from the "fragrant" audience members nearby, I truly enjoyed the show and was suprised by how many of the songs I actually knew. Mostly, though, I enjoyed the light-show and the washing machines and found myself wondering what hair-product Geddy used, and whether Alex was a natural blonde, stuff like that. Still, Rush remained somewhere in the Top 20 of my all-time faves behind U2, The Police, Zeppelin, Dave Matthews, Van Halen, Eric Clapton, Journey, etc. The introduction of Rock Band and Rock Band 2 in our household began to change all that however, and, as our faux-band's intermittent vocalist/bassist, the Rush songs quickly became my favorites to play while on tour with "Needs Swabbed." (Don't ask!) By far some of the most challenging and enjoyable songs for a wanna-be Rock Star to play of the entire RB setlist are Camera Eye, YYZ, and Working Man!Fast-forward to Spring/Summer 2010, my husband and I attended a showing of Beyond the Lighted Stage at our local artsy-theatre, and, all of a sudden, I just "got it." These are three guys who are true musicians, who write meaningful songs about things that matter in life as opposed to smut, who are committed to their wives and families, were never defined by drug-abuse and womanizing, who never sold-out musically, and who genuinely like each other after 40 years. What other band can you honestly say all of that about that is still around today?As a female, music has to have some sort of an emotional hook to it in order for there to be a lasting connection and to truly win me over. Sort of like watching football. If I know the story behind the team or if there is a player who has overcome great odds or has done something great in life outside the field, then I can get excited about watching a game and rooting for a particular team. I can't just watch some random team for the pleasure of the game itself. Sorry. Same holds true for music. I can appreciate certain songs for the difficulty of the playing or the beauty of the vocals or intricacy of the lyrics, but a true connection with a song or band is rare. Either it has to have been relevant for me at a certain stage in my life so as to bring me back to a place in time, or there has to be a story behind it. Rush has an amazing story. I just can't help but genuinely "like" the guys as people first, and I am now listening to their songs with a whole different perspective and connectedness. I truly get excited about rooting for them to keep bringing amazing music to their devoted fans and new fans alike, and can't wait for our kids to be old enough to see them in concert!In July 2010, my husband and I attended the Rush concert in Saratoga Springs, NY, and although we were some 30 rows back, we both felt like teenagers again and had a whole new level of connection to each other because of our shared love for the band and the music. Completely different experience this time as compared to the show we attended together in 2002, and the more I'm learning about Rush (just finished Neil Peart's Ghost Rider...a must read!), the more I'm looking forward to seeing more shows together (please keep touring guys!). Being one of the only "hot chicks" (husband's term, not mine!) at the show was kinda fun too, given the 80/20 ratio of dudes to babes, and walking into the ladies room "line-free" was a first for sure!