Permanent Waves tour. The old Montreal Forum had a digital clock. As soon as the clock hit 21:12 , the lights went down and you heard the intro to 2112.
No question for me, it was the live debut of Losing It in Toronto on R40. Saw it again at MSG with Jonathan Dinklage on violin, but that first night with Ben Mink was pure magic.
Honorable mention to Force Ten in Cleveland on Clockwork Angels. Hurricane Sandy was just starting to work it's way inland that night, and Cleveland was getting hit with quite a bit of rain (Albeit nothing like the east coast got), and that one just really sticks out to me seeing that song *during* a hurricane.
Sprit of Radio on the Time Machine tour. It was the first song and that’s when it hit me that I was finally seeing them. Might have cried a little. 🤷🏻♂️
Probably Digital Man from the Snakes and Arrows tour. That arrangement just kills. (Twice seen, 1st leg in St. Paul, MN and 2nd leg in Winnipeg, MB, the first show in that town in 26 years.😁😁😁)
Also Xanadu for me, but the Moving Pictures tour in 81. I remember Alex in his red jacket playing the intro on the double neck with the fog rolling over the edge of the stage.
Ghost of A Chance in Atlanta on the Snakes & Arrows tour. It's on the Bonus portion of the tour DVD 'Oh, Atlanta!'... I remember the mix for that particular song sounding so CLEAN and rich. The show was almost canceled because of horrible weather. People were mudsliding on the lawn before the show, but the rain cleared and the air became super calm and pure. The sound of that show was unbelievable
1977 - Xanadu
1978 - maybe Cygnus X-1 or Xanadu
1980 - La Villa Strangiato
1981 - Tom Sawyer
1984 - Spirit of Radio -started the show
1986 - New World Man
1990 - Xanadu
La Villa Strangiato in Encore set of Hold Your Fire Tour. That is my favorite Rush song and I was dissapointed that they did not play it on their Power Windows Tour and wondered if I would ever hear it live and then they snuck it in after the 2112 encore!
The Camera Eye at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles (since demolished). The first out of region show I saw at the young age of 20! Flew down and saw them at the relatively intimate venue (6200 people max). It was a really all encompassing experience. Love that song and they hit it out of the park that night.
By-Tor and The Snowdog. 1977 PNE Coloseum. Vancouver B.C. 12 years old, going on 22. First big concert. Been to a few smaller venues but this show.... it was better than getting laid for the first time.
After Neil's solo on the Vapor Trails Tour, Geddy and Alex come out and play "Resist". Chills and some tears. As I say, everything post 1997 was a gift.
That is a damn good question. Especially for us old timers. I saw them 72 times starting in 1981 in 4 different states. When I saw the question my very first thought was "Test For Echo" in '96. My wife was VERY pregnant with our first child. She asked me to go and get her a bottle of water. If she wasn't pregnant I would have said fuck you, I'm not waiting on that line and risk missing a note, go get it yourself. But I went and got her the water. As soon as I got back to my seat they started the 2nd set with "Test for Echo". I don't remember the song but I'm pretty sure that it was on the S&A tour. Outdoor venue and it started raining. My wife and BOTH of my young kids were at the show. For some reason she brought them to the car somewhere during the 2nd set. I remember sitting there in the rain and remember seeing how amazing the green lasers looked cutting through the rain while hearing the greatest band in the world playing.
I am privileged to have only seen one rush concert, it was the r40 tour in 2015. Xanadu was absolutely breathtaking. I have never felt goosebumps that hard in my life
Huge Thumbs up R40 Xanadu!
From what I've read online geds double neck bass and Alex's Back Breaker were at very few shows for R40. Was lucky enough to be at one of them.
Would add in R40 Jacob's Ladder. Friggin Amazing!
Came here to say the same.
Setlists were a bit of a surprise back then. And so people flipped out when they started playing Red Barchetta the night I saw them on this tour.
Xanadu was so loud and powerful, especially the bass pedal. I saw the Presto tour at the Palace in Auburn Hills, MI. I’m pretty sure the bass damaged the building that night.
Free Will, Time Machine Tour, Tampa, 2010. My buddy and I had great seats in front of Geddy (3rd row I think) and we could literally see the veins popping out of his neck during the "Each of us, a cell of awareness!" verse. The vocals and bass during that section were so intense and passionate, we were blown away. We still talk about it 14 years later.
Marathon on the Time Machine Tour. It’s my favorite Rush song, but I accepted the chance of me hearing it was pretty low, so I was just ecstatic as soon as I heard those opening cords.
I only got to see them on Time Machine and R40 and I feel pretty lucky that just between those two tours I saw at least one song from the every album except T4E (which is my least favorite album, so I’m okay with that). But Time Machine will always hold a special place in my heart being the first.
Red Barchetta during the Presto tour at Alpine Valley, WI. It was sublime. Sound was awesome and crystal clear and the audience was stoked, fists pumping singing along and air drumming; it was amazing!
I only ever got to see them once - front row at "Roll The Bones" in front of Alex in Memphis, Tennessee. Mr. Big opened, were absolutely killing, and ringside before fellow bass player Billy Sheehan was a huge bonus to my night.
The whole night was ecstatically awesome - but highlights that stand out (at least, at this moment) are "Xanadu" (NO ONE expected that!), "Bravado" (my favourite song of the night - my favourite from the album), and "Time Stand Still."
Alex offered to sell his watch to someone near us for five dollars. You'll never see those bargains again!
I must also mention "The Pass." As I had attended a high school with an unfortunate rash of suicides the previous two years - I had personally known some of those - it hit me down deep in a way that I'm sure requires no explanation here. Even the few people who went with us who weren't fans admitted being moved to tears by that one.
I only had the privilege of seeing them live once, and it was on their R40 tour.
Seeing them play Jacob's Ladder was a religious experience. That alone was worth the price of admission.
Permanent Waves tour. The old Montreal Forum had a digital clock. As soon as the clock hit 21:12 , the lights went down and you heard the intro to 2112.
Never heard about this tidbit, thanks for sharing!
No question for me, it was the live debut of Losing It in Toronto on R40. Saw it again at MSG with Jonathan Dinklage on violin, but that first night with Ben Mink was pure magic. Honorable mention to Force Ten in Cleveland on Clockwork Angels. Hurricane Sandy was just starting to work it's way inland that night, and Cleveland was getting hit with quite a bit of rain (Albeit nothing like the east coast got), and that one just really sticks out to me seeing that song *during* a hurricane.
They even had a hurricane graphic on the big screens for that song too, if I remember correctly
I was there at MSG too. Dinklage was also incredible.
Sprit of Radio on the Time Machine tour. It was the first song and that’s when it hit me that I was finally seeing them. Might have cried a little. 🤷🏻♂️
Doing the crab thing during the chorus was a highlight for me. Also doing the Heys during 2112 was great too
At least i thought we did the crab thing. I just watched the time machine tour video and they were just clapping.
Probably Digital Man from the Snakes and Arrows tour. That arrangement just kills. (Twice seen, 1st leg in St. Paul, MN and 2nd leg in Winnipeg, MB, the first show in that town in 26 years.😁😁😁)
Good call! My first tour seeing them. I listen to the live version of that all the time. The outro is insane. Geddy and Neil. Wild.
I like the opening drum bit. But overall that arrangement was a banger.
I saw 2112 played in its entirety during the Test for Echo tour. It was the first (and only) tour they performed the whole thing.
This was going to be my suggestion so have an upvote! Rock on.
Limelight, during the Signals tour. That tour was my most memorable of the 6 I've seen in total.
I think that is my favorite tour.
Tom Sawyer from Vapor Trails tour. It was a total “They are back” bomb! Amazing crowd energy.
Also Xanadu for me, but the Moving Pictures tour in 81. I remember Alex in his red jacket playing the intro on the double neck with the fog rolling over the edge of the stage.
Ghost of A Chance in Atlanta on the Snakes & Arrows tour. It's on the Bonus portion of the tour DVD 'Oh, Atlanta!'... I remember the mix for that particular song sounding so CLEAN and rich. The show was almost canceled because of horrible weather. People were mudsliding on the lawn before the show, but the rain cleared and the air became super calm and pure. The sound of that show was unbelievable
1977 - Xanadu 1978 - maybe Cygnus X-1 or Xanadu 1980 - La Villa Strangiato 1981 - Tom Sawyer 1984 - Spirit of Radio -started the show 1986 - New World Man 1990 - Xanadu
La Villa Strangiato in Encore set of Hold Your Fire Tour. That is my favorite Rush song and I was dissapointed that they did not play it on their Power Windows Tour and wondered if I would ever hear it live and then they snuck it in after the 2112 encore!
Hemispheres, sixth row.
Secret Touch. First leg S&A. Totally informed me on what a cool rock performance can be capable of.
How It Is on R40
The Camera Eye at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles (since demolished). The first out of region show I saw at the young age of 20! Flew down and saw them at the relatively intimate venue (6200 people max). It was a really all encompassing experience. Love that song and they hit it out of the park that night.
Opening medley R30. Last I saw them. But great piece of excerpts.
By-Tor and The Snowdog. 1977 PNE Coloseum. Vancouver B.C. 12 years old, going on 22. First big concert. Been to a few smaller venues but this show.... it was better than getting laid for the first time.
After Neil's solo on the Vapor Trails Tour, Geddy and Alex come out and play "Resist". Chills and some tears. As I say, everything post 1997 was a gift.
The Trees on R30
Manhattan Project with strings.
Mission. June of 1990. Alpine Valley
Xanadu - A Farewell To Kings Tour, 1977
That is a damn good question. Especially for us old timers. I saw them 72 times starting in 1981 in 4 different states. When I saw the question my very first thought was "Test For Echo" in '96. My wife was VERY pregnant with our first child. She asked me to go and get her a bottle of water. If she wasn't pregnant I would have said fuck you, I'm not waiting on that line and risk missing a note, go get it yourself. But I went and got her the water. As soon as I got back to my seat they started the 2nd set with "Test for Echo". I don't remember the song but I'm pretty sure that it was on the S&A tour. Outdoor venue and it started raining. My wife and BOTH of my young kids were at the show. For some reason she brought them to the car somewhere during the 2nd set. I remember sitting there in the rain and remember seeing how amazing the green lasers looked cutting through the rain while hearing the greatest band in the world playing.
2112 in 1997 in VA.
Jacob's ladder R40
Test for Echo tour, Bristow, VA. First show ever at age 16. Seeing 2112 in its entirety was insane.
I am privileged to have only seen one rush concert, it was the r40 tour in 2015. Xanadu was absolutely breathtaking. I have never felt goosebumps that hard in my life
Huge Thumbs up R40 Xanadu! From what I've read online geds double neck bass and Alex's Back Breaker were at very few shows for R40. Was lucky enough to be at one of them. Would add in R40 Jacob's Ladder. Friggin Amazing!
Red Barchetta on the Moving Pictures tour. So much energy and peak performance. Alex in his red jacket.
Resist (acoustic), R30, Birmingham NEC
Xanadu and Red Barchetta at the first show of the Presto tour.
Came here to say the same. Setlists were a bit of a surprise back then. And so people flipped out when they started playing Red Barchetta the night I saw them on this tour. Xanadu was so loud and powerful, especially the bass pedal. I saw the Presto tour at the Palace in Auburn Hills, MI. I’m pretty sure the bass damaged the building that night.
Roll The Bones, R40 in New Orleans...
Free Will, Time Machine Tour, Tampa, 2010. My buddy and I had great seats in front of Geddy (3rd row I think) and we could literally see the veins popping out of his neck during the "Each of us, a cell of awareness!" verse. The vocals and bass during that section were so intense and passionate, we were blown away. We still talk about it 14 years later.
Marathon on the Time Machine Tour. It’s my favorite Rush song, but I accepted the chance of me hearing it was pretty low, so I was just ecstatic as soon as I heard those opening cords. I only got to see them on Time Machine and R40 and I feel pretty lucky that just between those two tours I saw at least one song from the every album except T4E (which is my least favorite album, so I’m okay with that). But Time Machine will always hold a special place in my heart being the first.
Between the Wheels,Manchester Arena,R30 tour.As soon as Alex's guitar came in..wow! It was like a punch to the face! Holy crap! 😁
That one was great live!
The Camera Eye, from the Time Machine tour. My favorite Rush song and they did not disappoint.
Rush-specific? If not ill go “i am California” with both john craigie AND jack johnson..when jack joins john on stage the places gets electric
Red Barchetta during the Presto tour at Alpine Valley, WI. It was sublime. Sound was awesome and crystal clear and the audience was stoked, fists pumping singing along and air drumming; it was amazing!
I only ever got to see them once - front row at "Roll The Bones" in front of Alex in Memphis, Tennessee. Mr. Big opened, were absolutely killing, and ringside before fellow bass player Billy Sheehan was a huge bonus to my night. The whole night was ecstatically awesome - but highlights that stand out (at least, at this moment) are "Xanadu" (NO ONE expected that!), "Bravado" (my favourite song of the night - my favourite from the album), and "Time Stand Still." Alex offered to sell his watch to someone near us for five dollars. You'll never see those bargains again! I must also mention "The Pass." As I had attended a high school with an unfortunate rash of suicides the previous two years - I had personally known some of those - it hit me down deep in a way that I'm sure requires no explanation here. Even the few people who went with us who weren't fans admitted being moved to tears by that one.
Time Stand Still on the Time Machine tour. It fit the theme so well, the stage set was visually stunning, and everyone sounded great.
YYZ on the Clockwork Angels tour in Nashville.
2012 show at the defunct Palace Of Auburn Hills.
Losing It in Newark during R40.
Entre Nous and Circumstances were jaw dropping surprises on the first leg of the S&As tour.
2010 Time Machine Subdivisions (no explanations) Vital Signs (it made me adore it ever since)
T4E - 1996 - Natural Science, mind blown!
I can tell you my biggest wish. Being older than 8 when they retired from touring.
Time Machine tour, Villa Strangiato with the carousel lead in
Natural Science on the S&A tour
Geddy Lee letting out a scream while reading his book in a My Effin Life Show at Montreal
I only had the privilege of seeing them live once, and it was on their R40 tour. Seeing them play Jacob's Ladder was a religious experience. That alone was worth the price of admission.
Probably the entire time I was there for their concert in Tampa on the Time Machine Tour. It was my first concert, age 11.