City Hall
Length: 90 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: C-
Set List: Bastille Day, Anthem, Lakeside Park, 2112, Xanadu, Something For Nothing, By-Tor and the Snow Dog, Under The Shadow, Return of the Prince, Working Man, Finding My Way, Drum Solo, Fly By Night, In The Mood, What You're Doing
This is another show from the first UK tour. It's unique because it's the only one to feature the entire show -- others omit either the encore or Something For Nothing. There are some cuts, notably at the end of What You're Doing and in the middle of Presentation. The version of Discovery is particularly good. Unfortunately, this is one of the worst sounding shows out there. It starts out OK, but from Xanadu on, it is very muted, as if someone
has placed the recorder under their jacket. The result is that the rest of the show sounds like a bass-end
roar, and its hard to make out any detail. Only for collectors and completists.
Sports Arena
Length: 30 min
Source: Audience
Grade: B+
Set List: Bastille Day, Lakeside Park, By-Tor And The Snow Dog, Xanadu This is one of those very rare gems that makes you glad to be a Rush collector. The sound on this one is phenomenal for the age of this tape. Unfortunately, only the fist 30 minutes is captured. About halfway through Xanadu, the sound speeds up dramatically, as if the tape got tangled up around the capstan of the recorder. (Hey taper - didn't you bring extra
tapes?!?!?!) Nonetheless, this is one you definitely want to get your hands on.
Maple Leaf Gardens
Length: 90 min
Source: Audience
Grade: B-
Set List: By-Tor and the Snow Dog, Xanadu, A Farewell to Kings, Something for Nothing, Cygnus X-1, Anthem, Closer to the Heart, 2112, Working Man, Fly By Night, In the Mood, Drum Solo, Cinderella Man Another great concert for the hometown crowd. The start of this show is missing, so it's hard to be sure of the date. The sounds is not very good�very distant with a lot of distortion. Also, there are dropouts in By-Tor and 2112.
Maple Leaf Gardens
Length: 120 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B-
Set List: Anthem, A Passage To Bangkok, By-Tor And The Snow Dog, Xanadu, Something For Nothing, Cygnus X-1, Prelude, Apollo, Dionysus, Armageddon, Cygnus, The Sphere, Closer To The Heart, Circumstances, A Farewell To Kings, La Villa Strangiato, New Year's Festivities, Overture, Temples Of Syrinx, Discovery, Presentation, Soliloquy, Grand Finale, Working Man, Bastille Day, In The Mood, Drum Solo
This is a neat show due to the fact that the New Year's countdown is included after La Villa Strangiato. You've got to imagine the seeing 2112 live was the perfect way for these Rush fans to start off 1979. All in all, a good show. The sound isn't too great - low fidelity, some distortion, and an echo-laden sound. It's listenable though, and if you're a completist, you won't be too disappointed with this one.
Belgium
Nr. Kortrijt
Length: 70 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B
Set List: Anthem, A Passage To Bangkok, By-Tor And The Snow Dog, Xanadu, The Trees, Prelude,
Apollo, Dionysus, Armageddon, Cygnus, The Sphere, Closer To The Heart
This is a great little show from Rush's only Belgium appearance. As with other shows from this leg of the Hemispheres tour, Cygnus X-1 is missing with no apparent edit, making me wonder if it was played at all. What's here rates a solid OK�fidelity is lacking, and this sounds like your basic audience tape. It's a good listen though, and worth having for it's relative rarity.
International Amphitheater
Length: 110 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: C+
Set List: Overture, Temples Of Syrinx, Presentation, Soliloquy, Grand Finale, Freewill, By-Tor And The Snow Dog, Xanadu, Natural Science, A Passage To Bangkok, The Trees, Cygnus X-1, Hemispheres, Closer To The Heart, Beneath Between And Behind, Jacob's Ladder, Working Man, Finding My Way, Anthem, Bastille Day, In The Mood, Drum Solo, La Villa Strangiato
As a rule, Rush boots from Chicago shows are always great - excellent performance and sound.
Well, there is an exception to every rule, and this is it. The performance is fine - it's a typical, high-energy
Permanent Waves show. But the sound sucks. The bass end is actually OK, and if the rest of the tape followed suit, this would be a decent boot. But the high end is a shrill, distorted mess. The intro to "The Spirit Of Radio," for example, is downright annoying in that it comes off as a screechy blob of sound. Top it off with an audience that screams throughout the show for others to sit down, and this is one show you can easily pass up. Finally, most of "La Villa" is cut. Don't say I didn't warn you.
The Apollo
Length: 60 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B
Set List: Hemispheres, Closer To The Heart, Beneath Between And Behind, Jacob's Ladder, Working Man, Finding My Way, Anthem, Bastille Day, In The Mood, Drum Solo, La Villa Strangiato
This tape resurfaced in early 2002 and contains a wonderful bit of Rush history. This is the show at which the version of "Closer to the Heart" was recorded which would eventually end up on the ESL album. It' s really interesting to hear this version from out in the audience, who are REALLY singing on this night. Some minor but definitely discernible changes were made to the final version of the song. The sound quality of this boot is about average for this tour. Unfortunately, some fairly severe tape flutter more or less ruins "Jacob' s Ladder." This one is recommended for historical reasons. It is rumored that the entire concert was indeed recorded, but only this last half is in circulation at the moment.
DeMontfort Hall
Length: 120 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B-
Set List: Overture, Temples Of Syrinx, Presentation, Soliloquy, Grand Finale, Freewill, By-Tor And The Snow Dog, Xanadu, The Spirit Of Radio, Natural Science, A Passage To Bangkok, The Trees, Cygnus X-1, Hemispheres, Closer To The Heart, Beneath Between And Behind, Jacob's
Ladder, Working Man, Finding My Way, Anthem, Bastille Day, In The Mood, Drum Solo, La Villa Strangiato
The sound on this tape starts out below average and goes downhill from there. Initially, it's just a matter of low fidelity. But after a while, a bit of distortion starts to creep in as well. It's a shame, because this is a great performance with a great crowd. I've never heard an audience clap in time with the intro to "Xanadu" until now. This is the full show with no cuts, but one you will want to avoid unless you are trying to fill some gaps in your collection.
Oakland Coliseum
Length: 125 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B-
Set List: Overture, Temples of Syrinx, Freewill, Limelight, Prelude, Beneath Between Behind, Subdivisions, The Camera Eye, YYZ, Drum Solo, Broon's Bane, The Trees, Xanadu, The Spirit of Radio, Red Barchetta, Closer to the Heart, Tom Sawyer, Vital Signs, Natural Science, Working Man, Armageddon, By-Tor and the Snow Dog, In the End, In the Mood, Grand Finale, La Villa Strangiato
This MP show comes from one of the last few dates of the first leg of the tour. This show is very unusual, in that it features the pre-release Subdivisions AND Natural Science in the same show. I personally suspect that the version of Subdivisions wasn't actually played at this show, but was added in from another show. The reason for this suspicion is that the sound quality changes during this song and changes back when the song is
over. This show also captures the band experimenting with some new sounds, mainly with the drum parts on By-Tor. Sonically, this is a pretty good show, reminiscent of Ft Worth 2/2/80. The main problem is that the middle of the show is plagued by cuts, which occur in Broon's Bane, The Trees, Xanadu, The Spirit Of Radio, and Closer To the Heart. Some of these cuts remove almost an entire minute from the song, others are shorter. It almost sounds as if the taper's recorder was giving him problems. Overall, the mix is pretty good, the
sound is just a bit muddy.
Municipal Auditorium
Length: 120 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B
Set List: Overture, Temples of Syrinx, Freewill, Limelight, Prelude, Beneath Between Behind, Subdivisions, The Camera Eye, YYZ, Drum Solo, The Trees, Xanadu, The Spirit of Radio, Red Barchetta, Closer to the Heart, Tom Sawyer, Vital Signs, Working Man, Armageddon, By-Tor and the Snow Dog, In the End, In the Mood, Grand Finale, La Villa Strangiato
I acquired this show rather late in my trading career, in an effort to fill the holes in my early-Rush bootleg
collection. By this point, all the well-known shows were documented, and never having heard of this one, I fully expected it to sound like crap. What a pleasant surprise to discover that I was wrong. While it' s obviously well-generated, it has a very nice, warm mix. With a bit of EQ and proper mastering, this one will make a great CD release some day. A good thing, because you can' t have too many of these MP/ESL boots.
The Spectrum
Length: 115 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B
Set List: The Spirit Of Radio, Tom Sawyer, Freewill, Digital Man, Subdivisions, Vital Signs, The Camera Eye, Closer To The Heart, Chemistry, The Analog Kid, Broon's Bane, The Trees, Red Barchetta, The Weapon, New World Man, Limelight, Countdown, Overture, Temples Of Syrinx, Xanadu, La Villa Strangiato, In The Mood, YYZ
This show comes near the end of the first leg of the tour. As with most Philly performances, this is a great show. Some additional entertainment is provided by a goof near the taper who persistently yells, "I' m a Working Man" and "Where are your monster friends?" Presumably, he liked the old stuff. Soundwise, this is a muddy show. The bass drum obscures the rest of the music at times. In spite of this, the warm sound of this bootleg makes it easy to listen to. Certianly not the best "Signals" show, but still a worthy addition to any collection.
Carrier Dome
Length: 65 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B+
Set List: The Spirit of Radio, Tom Sawyer, Freewill, Digital Man, Subdivisions, Vital Signs, The Camera Eye, Closer To The Heart, Countdown, Overture, Temples of Syrinx, YYZ/Drum Solo
An exceedingly rare Signals boot. This show is from a relative large venue for Rush. It's too bad they never decided to be a stadium band, because this is a great gig. Geddy seems to be in especially good voice on this night. The sound on this one is quite good. It has many sonic characteristics of a soundboard source, but some yelling near the mic give this one away as an audience source. This is the most complete version known to exist, only half the show, unfortunately.
Great Western Forum
Length: 90 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B-
Set List: The Spirit of Radio, Subdivisions, The Body Electric, The Enemy Within, The Weapon, Witch Hunt, New World Man, Between the Wheels, Red Barchetta, Distant Early Warning, Red Sector A, Closer To The Heart, Afterimage, YYZ, Temples of Syrinx, Tom Sawyer
A relatively rare GUP boot, definitely not one of the better shows out there sound-wise. The movie that
introduced "Distant Early Warning" is missing, possible because this is still early in the tour. There is also a cut during the intro of "Red Barchetta" for the tape flip. Finally, the encore is missing. The sound is definitely lacking: it's distorted and muted, and the mix isn't that great. Definitely one for the die-hards out there.
Rosemont Horizon
Length: 120 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B+
Set List: The Spirit of Radio, Subdivisions, The Body Electric, The Enemy Within, The Weapon, Witch Hunt, New World Man, Between The Wheels, Red Barchetta, Distant Early Warning, Red Sector A, Closer To The Heart, Afterimage, YYZ, Temples of Syrinx, Tom Sawyer, Red Lenses, Drum Solo, Vital Signs, Finding My Way, In the Mood
For some reason, these multiple-night stands are always fun to collect. By this point, Rush was generally only playing one night in each town, with a few notable exceptions. Of the two Chicago '84 boots, this is the better-sounding. The band does sound a bit distant, and there's too much echo, but overall, each instrument cuts through well.
Madison Square Gardens
Length: 110 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: A-
Set List: The Spirit Of Radio, Subdivisions, The Body Electric, The Enemy Within, The Weapon, Witch Hunt, New World Man, Between The Wheels, Red Barchetta, Distant Early Warning, Red Sector A, Closer To The Heart, Kid Gloves, YYZ, Temples Of Syrinx, Tom Sawyer, Red Lenses, Vital Signs, Finding My Way, In The Mood
For a long time, only a miserable-sounding tape version of this show circulated. In early 2002 however, this amazing verison surfaced, taken from 2 nd generation tapes. The sound is extremely clear and well-balanced, making this one of the best audience sources to emerge from this tour. It is also somewhat. It's only the second show captured on tape after the summer break in this tour. As such, it's one of the first times the band did the extended version of Closer To The Heart. It's also one of the first times that the post-release version of Kid Gloves is played.
Hollywood Sportatorium
Length: 90 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B-
Set List: The Spirit Of Radio, Subdivisions, The Body Electric, The Enemy Within, The Weapon, Witch Hunt, The Big Money, New World Man, Between The Wheels, Red Barchetta, Distant Early Warning, Red Sector A, Closer To The Heart, Middletown Dreams
The second of only two shows from this pre-PoW mini-tour. This is clearly the better-sounding of the two, and while it won' t win any awards for the best-sounding show out there, it' s still listenable. Definitely a keeper for the pre-release versions of "The Big Money" and "Middletown Dreams," but this show also features one of those Rush moments. Just before "The Big Money," it sounds like Geddy is having problems with the keyboards. While the roadies work to fix it, Alex launches into an impromptu jam that quickly has the crowd clapping along to keep time. It' s lasts a good 30 seconds or so before Geddy and Neil join in, signaling that they' re ready for the next song. The overall sound is distant and lacking in fidelity, but as I said before, it' s
listenable.
Coliseum
Length: 120 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: C+
Set List: The Spirit Of Radio, Limelight, The Big Money, New World Man, Subdivisions, Manhattan Project, Middletown Dreams, Red Sector A, Closer To The Heart, Marathon, The Trees, Mystic Rhythms, Distant Early Warning, Territories, Witch Hunt, YYZ, Drum Solo, Red Lenses, Tom Sawyer, Overture, Temples Of Syrinx, Grand Designs, In The Mood
These first-leg PoW shows can be hard to find, but in some cases, that's a good thing. This is definitely one of those cases. This boot sounds like it was recorded from under the stage. To make things worse, the tape starts to drag during the middle portion of the show. Kind of cool for the slightly altered set list, but that's about it. Available information indicates that there is a shorter, but better-sounding version of this show out there.
Civic Center
Length: 120 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B
Set List: The Spirit Of Radio, Limelight, The Big Money, New World Man, Subdivisions, Manhattan Project, Middletown Dreams, Witch Hunt, Red Sector A, Closer To The Heart, Marathon, The Trees, Mystic Rhythms, Distant Early Warning, Territories, YYZ, Drum Solo, Red Lenses, Tom Sawyer, Overture, Temples Of Syrinx, Grand Designs, In The Mood
A great show from the waning days of the PoW tour. The setlist here is standard, including a great rendition of Grand Designs. The sound could be a bit better. The signal level is a bit low, resulting is some heavy tape hiss. Also, the drums don't sound very clear. Still, there are no cuts, and this is a listenable show.
Kemper Arena
Length: 90 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B
Set List: The Spirit Of Radio, Limelight, The Big Money, Manhattan Project, Middletown Dreams,
Witch Hunt, Red Sector A, Closer To The Heart, Marathon, The Trees, Mystic Rhythms, Distant Early Warning, Territories, YYZ, Drum Solo, Red Lenses, Tom Sawyer, Overture, Temples Of Syrinx
A relatively rare boot. This one features a chopped-up setlist, although all the songs present are
complete. The sound here rates a solid OK - it sounds a bit muffled, but is still quite pleasant to
hear. Information indicates that this is the most complete source for this show out there.
Myriad Arena
Length: 120 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B+
Set List: The Spirit Of Radio, Limelight, The Big Money, Subdivisions, Manhattan Project,
Middletown Dreams, Witch Hunt, Red Sector A, Closer To The Heart, Marathon, The Trees, Mystic
Rhythms, Distant Early Warning, Territories, YYZ, Drum Solo, Red Lenses, Tom Sawyer, Overture,
Temples Of Syrinx, Grand Designs, In The Mood
A relatively rare boot. This is another setlist missing "New World Man" with no apparent edit, making me think that the song was dropped by this point in the tour. Other than that, not much to say. It is a typical solid performance. The sound is a bit thin, but well-mixed and a nice listen. Recommended.
Lakefront Arena
Length: 105 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: A-
Set List: Intro/Force Ten, Limelight, Freewill, Distant Early Warning, Time Stand Still, Dreamline, Bravado, Roll The Bones, Show Don't Tell, The Big Money, Ghost of a Chance, Subdivisions, The Pass, Where's My Thing, The Rhythm Method, Closer To The Heart, Xanadu/Superconductor, Tom Sawyer
This is a decent-enough sounding show, the band comes across very well. However, occasionally you can hear something passing in front of the mics, as if people are walking in front of the recorder. It leaves the overall concert uneven in quality. This is very much an audience recording; talking, yelling, clapping and singing are all very prevalent throughout the concert (both during and in between the songs). You can even hear someone telling others that he's recording the concert! The encore is left out on this CD, so this is not the complete show. Probably this is one disc you'll want to pass up, and get the full concert on tape from a different source. - (Rush CD Bootleg List)
I really have to disagree with the above review. While the sound suffer from a bit of channel phasing, all in all, this is a great-sounding show. Everything is very clear, even if the guitars are a bit low. The actual performance is great. Most of Geddy's banter is cut out, so we can't for sure identify the town, but most sources place this date and venue. Most of the extended jams are terrific, with Alex delivering an inspired solo at the intro to
"Where's My Thing?" This show is a must for any collection.
Irvine Meadows
Length: 125 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B+
Set List: Force Ten, Limelight, Freewill, Distant Early Warning, Time Stand Still, Dreamline, Bravado, Roll The Bones, Show Don't Tell, The Big Money, Vital Signs, The Analog Kid, Ghost Of A Chance, The Trees, Where's My Thing, The Rhythm Method, Closer To The Heart, Xanadu, Superconductor, Tom Sawyer, The Spirit of Radio, Overture, Finding My Way, La Villa Strangiato, Anthem, Red Barchetta, The Spirit of Radio, Cygnus X-1
The first of two nights in Los Angeles. After this night, "Ghost Of A Chance" would be moved a bit farther forward in the setlist. For some reason, Alex doesn' t come in at the start of "Time Stand Still," which obviously throws everyone off for a moment. But the band quickly recovers and in the end, the song sounds awesome. The sound on this bootleg is a bit distant, but still great. It is a slight notch below other shows from this last leg in overall sound quality. With gems like the Charlotte, Detroit, and Jones Beach shows out there, I suspect this one may get lost in the shuffle. A shame, because this is a great bootleg with a fantastic performance and even better setlist.
Ice Palace
Length: 165 min
Source: Soundboard
Grade: A-
Set List: Dreamline, The Big Money/Wipe Out, Driven, Half The World, Red Barchetta, Animate, Limbo, The Trees, Red Sector A, Virtuality, Nobody's Hero, Closer To The Heart, Overture, Temples Of Syrinx, Discovery, Presentation, Oracle: The Dream, Soliloquy, Grand Finale, Test For Echo,
Subdivisions, Freewill, Roll The Bones, Resist, Leave That Thing Alone, Drum Solo, Natural Science, Force Ten, The Spirit Of Radio, Tom Sawyer, YYZ/Cygnus X-1
Another scanner source, but this boot captures the entire mix, except for the occasional effect (i.e. the 2112 spaceship intro) that sounds a bit distant, as if it's bleeding through a stage mic and not actually part of the audio feed. It's possible that instead of a scanner, this came from a sub-out on the mixing board. However, given the presence of some "tuning static" during "Temples of Syrinx," I suspect that this truly is some kind of scanner feed. Compared to soundboards from other tours, the fidelity on this
show is a bit lacking. Geddy's voice is way out front, with no apparent effects on it. But there are also some glorious moments to be found within - all of "Discovery" and "Red Sector A" to name just two. All in all though, most of the nuances of the TFE show are captured here, and this is bound to find it's
way into most collections fairly fast.
Performing Arts Center
Length: 160 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B+
Set List: Tom Sawyer, Distant Early Warning, New World Man, Roll The Bones, Earthshine, YYZ, The Pass, Bravado, The Big Money, Between Sun And Moon, Vital Signs, Natural Science, One Little Victory, Driven, Ghost Rider, Secret Touch, Dreamline, Red Sector A, Leave That Thing Alone, The Rhythm Method, Resist, Overture, Temples Of Syrinx, Limelight, La Villa Strangiato, The Spirit Of Radio, By-Tor And The Snow Dog, Cygnus X-1, Working Man
This is one show I predict will be a sleeper among some of the other great recordings emerging from this tour. It has a nice, warm, well-mixed feeling to it, but enough bass-end "mushiness" to keep it out of the list of the best boots from this tour. The performance is tight, although there is one very big flub during the intro to "Vital Signs." The new songs are really starting to come together at this point�sounds like the band was finally starting to slow them down a bit. I highly recommend this bootleg, even though it has not got a lot of attention so far.
The Coliseum
Length: 90 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B
Set List: By-Tor And The Snow Dog, Xanadu, Natural Science, A Passage To Bangkok, The Trees, Cygnus X-1, Hemispheres, Closer To The Heart, Beneath Between And Behind, Jacob's Ladder, Working Man, Finding My Way, Anthem, Bastille Day, In The Mood, Drum Solo
A relatively rare show. This tape features the last 2/3 of the concert - "2112," "Freewill," and "La Villa Strangiato" are missing. The sound on this one is actually pretty good. It' s a bit distant and there' s some echo, but it is not bad at all. The only real detractor is the taper. He' s trying to pick up a girl seated nearby, and the mic catches the whole conversation. One can't blame him for this, but his inane comments make it pretty certain that he went home alone this night. Anyway, a decent enough boot.
Hara Arena
Length: 120 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: C+
Set List: Overture, Temples Of Syrinx, Freewill, Limelight, Prelude, Beneath Between And Behind, The Camera Eye, YYZ, Broon's Bane, The Trees, Xanadu, The Spirit Of Radio, Red Barchetta, Closer To The Heart, Tom Sawyer, Vital Signs, Working Man, Armageddon, By-Tor And The Snow Dog, In The End, In The Mood, Grand Finale, La Villa Strangiato
I picked this boot up because it was the last of two MP shows missing from my list, and really, that is the ONLY reason to get this one. The sound is distorted, and the drums are practically inaudible. The availability of so many more great MP boots will make this show one that you can comfortably pass up.
Radio City Music Hall
Length: 90 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B
Set List: Tom Sawyer, Digital Man, Subdivisions, Vital Signs, Red Sector A, Closer to the Heart, The Body Electric, Broon's Bane, The Trees, The Analog Kid, Kid Gloves, Limelight, Countdown, 2112 (cut), Xanadu, La Villa Strangiato, In the Mood, YYZ
This was from a five-show stand in September of 1983 that rush played in New York to warm up for the recording of Grace Under Pressure. Three new songs were previewed, and the setlist was otherwise ordinary. Drop Camera Eye, Analog Kid, and Countdown for Red Sector A, Kid Gloves, and Afterimage. - (GRB Series)
The Coliseum
Length: 90 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B+
Set List: Witch Hunt, Red Sector A, Closer To The Heart, Marathon, The Trees, Mystic Rhythms, Distant Early Warning, Territories, YYZ, Drum Solo, Red Lenses, Tom Sawyer, Overture, Temples Of Syrinx, Grand Designs, In The Mood
Another relatively rare first-leg PoW bootleg. The sound on this one is actually quite nice, with a good mix and only a bit if tinniness marring the sound. Not the complete show, but what is here is definitely worth having.
The Coliseum
Length: 120 mins
Source: Audience
Grade: B
Set List: The Spirit Of Radio, Limelight, The Big Money, New World Man, Subdivisions, Manhattan Project, Middletown Dreams, Witch Hunt, Red Sector A, Closer To The Heart, Marathon, The Trees, Mystic Rhythms, Distant Early Warning, Territories, YYZ, Drum Solo, Red Lenses, Tom Sawyer, Overture, Temples Of Syrinx, Grand Designs, In The Mood
As with the Signals and GUP tours, the Power Windows tour contains only 6 or 8 shows which are currently in the trading mainstream. The others can be very hard to find. This show is one of those rarities. As an added bonus, Rush shows in Hampton are a further rarity (which is a shame, since the Coliseum is such a great place to see a show). This is a very tight performance from late in the tour. Everything goes very smooth, except for a string break from Alex during New World Man. The sound is typical of this tour - not awesome, but definitely not bad. The fidelity is a bit limited, but this show doesn't need any EQ tweaking to sound good.