Rush’s live albums are an anomaly in live recorded music. Few bands have live albums that perfectly capture the energy of the band performing and the crowd loving every moment of the performance. The live albums have also served as a valuable time stamp of sorts, capturing the band’s sound and ambitions at a particular point in their history onto a single disc.
Rush live shows have become an event since the band first formed and started touring outside of Canada and the upper United States. They’ve become something of a convention of die hard fanatics all converging into a single theater for one night to hear their favorite songs or their favorite parts of songs played live or just to see their musical heroes in person.
From the 1970s to 2011, Rush has (usually) dropped a live album supporting a major tour or a major event in the band’s history (like their 30th and 40th anniversary collections, for example). Each album has it’s own special mark that is worth looking at during these 25 days of Rush.
All The World’s a Stage (1976)
The year was 1976. 2112 was released in April of that year and the band was already off on tour supporting the album that fans raved over. The Rush community and the record executives supporting the tour were relieved that 2112 did not turn out to be another experiment like Caress of Steel.
Because 2112 had just dropped, a listener of this album might expect to hear ‘2112’ performed in its entirety. Naturally, when you tour in support for an album for the title song: ‘2112’, right?
What makes 1976’s All the World’s a Stage so memorable is that ‘2112’ is played here but not all of it is played. Only about 15 minutes of the 20 minutes and 34 seconds is played. The band would never play ‘2112’ in it’s entirety until the Test for Echo tour in the 90s which, fortunately, was documented on the live album, Different Stages.
Aside from the bizarrely abridged ‘2112’, All the World’s a Stage offers a fantastic look into young Rush performing live. The album features a complete ‘By-Tor and the Snow Dog’ and a rare pseudo-medly of the band’s early songs, ‘Finding My Way’ and ‘Working Man’ plus an unscripted drum solo from the newly signed-on Neil Peart. All of which feature Geddy’s vocals crassly high at times but a band still pumping that classic rock power through their instruments at full volume.
All the Worlds a Stage Track Listing
- Bastille Day – 4:57
- Anthem – 4:56
- Fly by Night/In the Mood – 5:03
- Something for Nothing – 4:02
- Lakeside Park – 5:04
- 2112 – 15:45
- (I) Overture
- (II) The Temples Of Syrinx
- (III) Presentation
- (IV) Soliloquy
- (V) Grand Finale
- By-Tor & the Snow Dog – 11:57
- In the End – 7:13
- Working Man/Finding My Way – 14:56
- What You’re Doing – 5:39
Exit…Stage Left (1981)
Exit…Stage Left was cut at a time when Rush was the most Rush as we know them, casual fan or otherwise. Compared to the band’s earlier live releases and A Show of Hands in 1989, Stage Left is the most complete sounding Rush live album. The band is coming off their Hemispheres progressive rock phase and nestled comfortably into ‘simpler’ songwriting and were blazing trails and possibilities of smart radio-friendly music and playing many of their old numbers in their entirety.
Stage Left features some early live takes of Rush epics. ‘La Villa Strangiato’ is here, as is ‘Xanadu’ – a rare number from the band’s ultra prog days just a few years ago. The album also features an unofficial lead-in to ‘The Trees’ called ‘Broon’s Bane’ a solo guitar arrangement by Alex.
Stage Left has all of the Rush hits that would become staples on classic rock radio stations all around North America: ‘The Spirit of Radio’, ‘Closer to the Heart’, ‘Tom Sawyer’, ‘YYZ’ and many others. The whole album is a beautiful compilation of hits, hits and more hits with the band sounding fresh, relaxed and at their musical and performance prime.
Exit…Stage Left Track Listing
- Spirit of Radio (Live) – 5:11
- Red Barchetta (Live) – 6:46
- YYZ (Live) – 7:43
- A Passage to Bangkok (Live) – 3:45
- Closer to the Heart (Live) – 3:08
- Beneath, Between & Behind (Live) – 2:34
- Jacob’s Ladder (Live) – 8:46
- Broon’s Bane (Live) – 1:37
- The Trees (Live) – 4:50
- Xanadu (Live) – 12:09
- Freewill (Live) – 5:31
- Tom Sawyer (Live) – 4:59
- La Villa Strangiato (Live) – 9:37
A Show of Hands (1989)
Just under a decade had passed and the band had gone through a whole other musical shift from blues rock to new wave. A Show of Hands was the band’s live album capturing the band during their synth-focused era and unfortunately it’s a bit of a lackluster listen – especially if you’re not someone who enjoyed the synth Rush period.
Hands was recorded during the 1988 Hold Your Fire tour and during the 1986 Power Windows tour and contains excerpts from all over the old including Dan Siego, New Jersey and the United Kingdom. While Exit…Stage Left showcased all of what we’ll remember Rush as, A Show of Hands showcases the band in a period that many Rush fans would like to forget. The album is generally void of the band’s old hist and instead replaced with their next round of hits: ‘The Big Monkey’ Subdivisions and ‘Time Stand Still’. The only survivor is ‘Closer to the Heart’ closing out the entire album.
A Show of Hands Track Listing
- Intro – 0:53
- The Big Money – 5:59
- Subdivisions – 5:22
- Marathon – 6:39
- Turn the Page – 4:41
- Manhattan Project – 5:18
- Mission – 5:46
- Distant Early Warning – 5:15
- Mystic Rhythms – 5:32
- Witch Hunt (Pt. III of Fear) – 4:00
- The Rhythm Method – 4:37
- Force Ten – 4:55
- Time Stand Still – 5:13
- Red Sector A – 5:18
- Closer to the Heart – 4:54
Different Stages (1998)
Where A Show of Hands fell flat, Different Stages came back full force.
This 3-disc collection spans old and new Rush has a lot to offer listeners. The album was compiled and released in the wake of the family members from Neil’s family and consists of cuts from the Test for Echo tour, as well as songs from the Counterparts tour and an entire 3rd disc of cuts from the 1978 A Farewell to Kings tour performance at Hammersmith Odeon in London.
The highlight of the first disc is ‘2112’ performed in it’s entirety. Yes – for the first time ever on a Rush live release ‘2112’ is captured in it’s entirety and, boy, is it satisfying. Alex’s guitar is lively and fiery the whole time. It’s definitely a newer, cleaner sounding version of one of the band’s earliest staples. My one point against it is that softer sections, like the 4th part Soliloquy, were originally meant to be soft and then build into something big. Hearing it live here with the band’s modern instruments and modern take on it all of ‘2112’ sounds like it loses much of the dynamic contrast that helped to make it so colorful back in the 70s. Different Stages is worth picking up for this track alone.
The second disc contains more cuts from the 1997 leg of the Test for Echo tour. The hits from the late 70s and throughout the
The last disc is an excerpt from a performance during the 1978 A Farewell to Kings tour. Here, we’re treated to full live versions of ‘A Farewell to Kings’ and ‘Cinderella Man’
Different Stages Track List
- Dreamline (live) – 5:34
- Limelight (live) – 4:32
- Driven (live) – 5:16
- Bravado (live) – 6:23
- Animate (live) – 6:29
- Show Don’t Tell (live) – 5:29
- The Trees (live) – 5:28
- Nobody’s Hero (live) – 5:01
- Closer to the Heart (live) – 5:13
- 2112: Overture (live) – 4:35
- 2112: The Temples of Syrinx (live) – 2:22
- 2112: Discovery (live) – 4:19
- 2112: Presentation (live) – 3:42
- 2112: Oracle (live) – 1:51
- 2112: Soliloquy (live) – 2:10
- 2112: Grand Finale (live) – 2:37
Rush in Rio (2003)
Not even Rush could have predicted such an insane fan base would be hanging out in Brazil.
Rush in Rio was a special live CD/DVD release for the band. First, Rush in Rio was the first live Rush album not to be released every 4 studio albums (check out Rush’s discography – it’s an interesting phenomenon). Second, it was also the first live release by Rush to feature a complete setlist without any changes in song order, including Neil Peart’s drum solo. Normally, live Rush releases would be compilations of tracks and notable numbers from the tour as a whole. Rush in Rio captured the whole first night as it happened – no changes, no filter, no nothing.
Rush in Rio was recorded and filmed at November 23, 2002 at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on the final night of the Vapor Trails tour. At this concert, Rush played to 40,000, their second largest crowd on the Vapor Trails Tour (the largest crowd was 60,000 at the show the previous night in São Paulo)
The live album has an uncharacteristically raw sound to it, largely because of sound problems that were occurring during the performance itself and later in post production according to the album’s engineer Jim Barton. The result is an unusual balance of crowd noise to the band’s performance, creating a powerful sensation as if the audience is right there in the speakers with you the listener.
An unusual point about this album is Rush’s live performance of ‘Resist’ of Test for Echo. Rather than performing it like it was performed in the studio, the song is rearranged to feature Geddy and Alex on acoustic guitars and Neil sitting out the song entirely.
Overall, it’s a very enjoyable listen as well as a viewing experience. The CD captures the raw energy and excitement of an audience that is getting to see Rush for the first time and the DVD puts faces to the excited crowd. Even Geddy, Alex and Neil can barely hide their own surprise to find they have such a passionate fan base all the way in South America.
Rush in Rio CD Track Listing
Disc 1
- Tom Sawyer – 5:04
- Distant Early Warning – 4:50
- New World Man – 4:04
- Roll the Bones – 6:15
- Earthshine – 5:44
- YYZ – 4:56
- The Pass – 4:52
- Bravado – 6:19
- The Big Money – 6:03
- The Trees – 5:12
- Freewill – 5:48
- Closer to the Heart – 3:04
- Natural Science – 8:34
Disc 2
- One Little Victory – 5:32
- Driven – 5:22
- Ghost Rider – 5:36
- Secret Touch – 7:00
- Dreamline – 5:10
- Red Sector A – 5:16
- Leave That Thing Alone – 4:59
- O Baterista – 8:54 (Peart)
- Resist – 4:23
- 2112 Overture/The Temples of Syrinx – 6:52
Disc 3
- Limelight – 4:29
- La Villa Strangiato – 10:05
- The Spirit of Radio – 5:28
- By-Tor & The Snow Dog – 4:34
- Cygnus X-1 – 3:12
- Working Man – 5:48
- Between Sun & Moon (Bonus Track) – 4:51
- Vital Signs (Bonus Track) – 4:58
R30 (2005)
Celebrating the band’s 30th anniversary is R30, a look back through the band’s time together musically and culturally.
What makes this release so noteworthy are the additions and annotated versions of the band’s earlier material. The ‘R30 Overture’ is a lightspeed trip through the band’s first 5 albums with a non stop marathon through ‘Finding my Way’, ‘Anthem’, ‘Bastille Day’, ‘A Passage to Bangkok’, ‘Cygnus X-1 Book 1’, and ‘Cygnus X-1 Book 2’. ‘2112’ makes a featured appearance on this album as well, but only in a super abridged version including only the ‘Overture’, ‘Temples of Syrinx’ and the ‘Grand Finale’ and a shortened version of ‘Xanadu’. While fulfilling to hear these songs still in the band’s rotation 30 years strong, it’s a little disappointing to hear them chopped up and shortened down.
R30 Set List
- R-30 Overture
- The Spirit of Radio
- Force Ten
- Animate
- Subdivisions
- Earthshine
- Red Barchetta
- Roll The Bones
- The Seeker
- Tom Sawyer
- Dreamline
- Between the Wheels
- Der Trommler
- Resist
- Heart Full of Soul
- 2112
- Xanadu
- Working Man
- Summertime Blues
- Crossroads
- Limelight
Snakes and Arrows Live (2008)
Cut from the band’s first leg of the Snakes and Arrows tour in Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands on October 16 and 17, 2007, Snakes and Arrows Live is for the Rush fan who loved the Snakes and Arrows tour so much, they wanted to take it home with them.
Overall, it’s a solid listen. Rush is back with a full head of steam and back on stable footing since their Vapor Trails tour and the loss of Neil’s family in the late 90s. The band is eager to go above and beyond for their fans during their live shows and Snakes and Arrows Live certainly shows that. For the devoted Rush fan, this is a must own, but for the Rush fan that isn’t chomping at the bit to own all things Rush, feel free to skip this one or save the money for Different Stages or Rush in Rio.
Snakes and Arrows Live is the first album-specific live release the band has had since the Grace Under Pressure tour back in the early 80s.
Snakes and Arrows Live Track Listing
DISC 1
- Limelight (Live) – 4:47
- Digital Man (Live) – 6:56
- Entre Nous (Live) – 5:18
- Mission (Live) – 5:39
- Freewill (Live) – 6:01
- The Main Monkey Business (Live) – 6:06
- The Larger Bowl (Live) – 4:21
- Secret Touch (Live) – 7:45
- Circumstances (Live) – 3:46
- Between The Wheels (Live) – 6:01
- Dreamline (Live) – 5:15
- Far Cry (Live) – 5:20
- Workin’ Them Angels (Live) – 4:48
- Armor and Sword (Live) – 6:57
DISC 2
- Spindrift (Live) – 5:46
- The Way the Wind Blows (Live) – 6:24
- Subdivisions (Live) – 5:43
- Natural Science (Live) – 8:34
- Witch Hunt (Live) – 4:49
- Malignant Narcissism/De Slagwerker (Drum Solo) (Live) – 10:41
- Hope (Live) – 2:21
- Distant Early Warning (Live) – 4:53
- The Spirit of Radio (Live) – 5:03
- Tom Sawyer (Live) – 5:48
- One Little Victory (Encore) (Live) – 5:26
- A Passage to Bangkok (Encore) (Live) – 3:57
Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland (2011)
In the documentary, Beyond the Lighted Stage, Alex comments that of all the band’s songs and albums, fans always ask the band to play songs from Moving Pictures more than any other album. Whether or not this entire tour was an effort to satisfy the fanbase or not, it certainly seemed like it.
The premise to Rush’s Time Machine Tour was that the band’s seminal release, Moving Pictures, was going to be played in its entirety. In addition to some other songs thrown in from Rush past and present to balance out the live performance and to reveal to the masses that a new album was on the way soon, the Time Machine Tour was just that: a tour to give the people what they want – lots of Moving Pictures.
Again, this is something for the diehard Rush fan to consider purchasing, but for everyone else skip it. Taking a look at past Rush set lists, one will notice that about 70 percent of Moving Pictures make it on to each tour. The band’s seminal hits, ‘Tom Sawyer’, ‘Limelight’ and ‘YYZ’ are and have always been in heavy rotation. ‘Entre Nous’ and ‘Red Barchetta’ as of recently has found some play time but ‘Vital Signs’, ‘Witch Hunt’ and ‘The Camera Eye’ haven’t seen as much play time.
It begs the question: did we really need a whole tour just to hear these songs one after another?
Sure there were some unexpected numbers that made it onto the set list including ‘Presto’, ‘Stick It Out’ and ‘Marathon’ which haven’t seen the light of day for a few years, but haven’t we heard all the songs from Moving Pictures played already? Granted not one by one right after another, but with the exception of ‘The Camera Eye’ and ‘Vital Signs’ which admittedly were the least played songs from the album, Moving Pictures was the crux album for Rush.
So to hear them, essentially, play the hits all over again and build a tour around their most successful album, seems like a waste. It would have been far more interesting to see the band do something really challenging. Like go on tour playing songs they’ve never played before from the past. Or play a all their old prog-rock anthems from the past one after another.
Instead, the band punted a big opportunity to really challenge themselves and their fans.
Take it or leave it. Frankly, it’s nothing new – casual Rush fan or not.
Time Machine Live Set List
- The Spirit of Radio
- Time Stand Still
- Presto
- Stick It Out
- Workin’ Them Angels
- Leave That Thing Alone
- Faithless
- BU2B
- Freewill
- Marathon
- Subdivisions
- Tom Sawyer
- Red Barchetta
- YYZ
- Limelight
- The Camera Eye
- Witch Hunt
- Vital Signs
- Caravan
- Moto Perpetuo (Drum solo)
- O’Malley’s Break (acoustic solo)
- Closer to the Heart
- 2112 (Overture/The Temples of Syrinx)
- Far Cry
- La Villa Strangiato
- Working Man
Additional Reading on Rush’s Live Albums
Rush Albums Ranked Worst to Best – Stereogum
The Story of Rush’s Third Live Album, ‘A Show of Hands’ – Ultimate Classic Rock
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