Once Rush returned to action in 2002, demand to see the band perform was at an all time high, and Lee, Lifeson, and Peart spent a good part of the next decade touring. Long, two-part “evening with” live sets were accentuated by stage presentations that pulled out all the stops, and the band took the opportunity to showcase its wry sense of humor even more with self-effacing video clips and Lee’s new penchant for hilarious props that replaced his retired bass cabinets — including dryers, chicken roasters, and vending machines. While Rush was never devoid of charm, their post-2002 run of concerts made them an even more likeable bunch than ever.

In the wake of the world tour in support of Vapor Trails, the band commenced another tour in 2004 to commemorate its 30^th anniversary. In order to have a product to flog, the idea arose to record a short covers album featuring Rush-ified versions of classic rock songs from the band’s teen years, and the resulting mini-album Feedback turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.

Covers albums are commonplace these days, especially in hard rock and metal, to the point where it’s impossible to not view them with skepticism, but Feedback is a rare successful exception. Not only are these eight renditions performed very well, showing longtime fans how each song influenced the band in certain ways, but they show a side of Rush people hadn’t heard before, one that’s loose, groovy, and ebullient. “Summertime Blues” brilliantly combines Blue Cheer’s raucous version and the Who’s intense cover of the Eddie Cochran tune. The Yardbirds’ “Shapes Of Things” and “Heart Full Of Soul” showcase a psychedelic side to the band, while Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” and “Mr. Soul” are given considerably darker treatments than the originals. While the Who’s “The Seeker” capably replicates the original’s ferocious groove, Arthur Lee’s “Seven And Seven Is” is more intense, performed with tremendous energy and joy, and Cream’s “Crossroads” is a full-on rampager, proof that Rush could evoke the blues as well as any rock band.

In the end what Feedback does best is completely strip away any lingering façade the band might have had that linked it to arch, complex, pretentious progressive rock. They’re not aging 50-something geezers on this record, but a trio of youngsters banging away on their instruments in their garage. Sometimes it’s best for even the most established and famous rock bands to get back to their roots, and Feedback felt like a valuable, rejuvenating exercise for everyone involved, paving the way for a pair of outstanding late-career albums that would follow.