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Exit...Stage Left video... 40 years ago today


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It's 40 years to the day since Rush filmed and recorded the show at the Montreal Forum on the MP tour on March 27th 1981 which was released as the Exit... Stage Left concert video.

 

I've lost count of the amount of times I've watched that over the years. It's my favourite live document of the band and I know it absolutely inside out - but it's so frustrating that it's only half the set played on that night.

 

I wonder if we'll ever see a full-length release? I suppose this is the year we'd see it if ever. My fear is that it was lost or destroyed. Who would do such a thing?!

 

I've never even managed to find a bootleg of the whole show, which is weird considering there are a few MP audience recordings around. I'd love to hear it.

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The total lack of any complete audio soundboards from 1981 does not bode well for the chances of a video of the complete ESL show ever appearing i am afraid.

I suppose we could hope for an anniversary edition to materialise, but it is perhaps a vain hope.

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SO MANY 40th anniversaries these days...

I didn't even discover them until 1991 and it feels like I've been a fan forever. I can only imagine what it feels like for someone who discovered them when Hemispheres was released or something.

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Boy, I really put my VCR through the wringer when I first got the ESL video. I received a classical guitar for Christmas one year and made my fingers raw by trying to learn the chords that Alex was playing in the beginning of "The Trees". That classical guitar is still sitting next to me as I type this. Ah, the memories.

 

If I would have had YouTube back then, I would have been unstoppable.

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My family used to RENT a VCR for the weekend once in a while, as a treat...and I would always ask (sometimes successfully) to include ESL in our rentals. I can remember just binge watching it, over and over. Every frame of it is burned in my memory. The complete filmed set from that night (surely nonexistent) is absolutely the Rush holy grail to me.
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My family used to RENT a VCR for the weekend once in a while, as a treat...and I would always ask (sometimes successfully) to include ESL in our rentals. I can remember just binge watching it, over and over. Every frame of it is burned in my memory. The complete filmed set from that night (surely nonexistent) is absolutely the Rush holy grail to me.

I remember borrowing a friend's VCR in college. Life is better now.

Anyways, my confession: I've never seen ESL. I've only heard the album. Even worse, I've never heard ATWAS at all, not one note. I've decided to save both of those experiences for later in life, since the Rush well is dry and I've got to have something to look forward to.

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My family used to RENT a VCR for the weekend once in a while, as a treat...and I would always ask (sometimes successfully) to include ESL in our rentals. I can remember just binge watching it, over and over. Every frame of it is burned in my memory. The complete filmed set from that night (surely nonexistent) is absolutely the Rush holy grail to me.

I remember borrowing a friend's VCR in college. Life is better now.

Anyways, my confession: I've never seen ESL. I've only heard the album. Even worse, I've never heard ATWAS at all, not one note. I've decided to save both of those experiences for later in life, since the Rush well is dry and I've got to have something to look forward to.

 

I am envious of you, Weatherman - you have some prime Rush in your future!

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I remember MTV, VJ JJ Jackson world premiere for the concert..early '82 ������

 

 

...regarding ..if we will ever see a complete ESL.......you'd think if they went to all the trouble with logistics, setting up cameras

etc,that they would leave the cameras rolling,and not just film parts of the show.Although film wasn't cheap..and only at this time Rush were finally making some real money.Rush were never known to live too long in their past,always thinking of their next album so in a way all of us diehard fans will suffer for any unearthing of some long lost gem from the past in the nearly empty vaults.Geddy himself said that whatever they didn't use in recording was tossed.Jeez!....the Laura Secord St. Catherines footage was accidentally found mislabeled!!!!.......Thanks guys..(where's the roll your eyes emoji?)....If for nothing else we can thank the tapers ,who had the foresight that we can enjoy all these years later.

 

February 13, 1982. Have the MTV promo sticker with that date on it. MTV continued playing a few songs from that concert after it was first broadcast under the label of "An MTV Concert."

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I knew someone who had the unthinkable luxury of having TWO video recorder machines back in 1984, so I rented the VHS and had him dub me 2 copies (one for safety). Pretty much worn out the first one going back and forth learning songs.

 

One of the drummers that played in my band was at that show, he said they had a bit of a humorous train wreck during YYZ and they probably could not fix it with audio from another show since it was too obvious on video.

 

As for the footage for the remainder of the show, I think we are out of luck., They searched for that years ago and couldn't find any. I think it was shot in 35mm and whatever was not used ended up swept away from the cutting room floor.

 

Anthem have been surprisingly quiet about a 40th anniversary package of their best selling album and first video concert... I expect they are working on something but I would not expect any new unearthed footage...

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One of the drummers that played in my band was at that show, he said they had a bit of a humorous train wreck during YYZ and they probably could not fix it with audio from another show since it was too obvious on video.

 

Good info! Explains why they only showed brief clips of YYZ with voiceovers from the band on the ESL film.

 

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The total lack of any complete audio soundboards from 1981 does not bode well for the chances of a video of the complete ESL show ever appearing i am afraid.

I suppose we could hope for an anniversary edition to materialise, but it is perhaps a vain hope.

 

So once again, Ian Grandy himself has confirmed the existence of a two-channel SBD recording from Hartford on Dec 20, 1981. It was circulated among the crew. Presumably, copies exist somewhere, as do the master reels that were used to make the record. It's doubtful the band would have thrown these away, and in fact, one song from the outtakes was officially released with the 2112 30th anniversary release.

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The total lack of any complete audio soundboards from 1981 does not bode well for the chances of a video of the complete ESL show ever appearing i am afraid.

I suppose we could hope for an anniversary edition to materialise, but it is perhaps a vain hope.

 

So once again, Ian Grandy himself has confirmed the existence of a two-channel SBD recording from Hartford on Dec 20, 1981. It was circulated among the crew. Presumably, copies exist somewhere, as do the master reels that were used to make the record. It's doubtful the band would have thrown these away, and in fact, one song from the outtakes was officially released with the 2112 30th anniversary release.

 

Is that the Overture/Temples from Edmonton that you're referring to, or is there something from Hartford Dec 20, 1981 that I completely missed?

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My family used to RENT a VCR for the weekend once in a while, as a treat...and I would always ask (sometimes successfully) to include ESL in our rentals. I can remember just binge watching it, over and over. Every frame of it is burned in my memory. The complete filmed set from that night (surely nonexistent) is absolutely the Rush holy grail to me.

I remember borrowing a friend's VCR in college. Life is better now.

Anyways, my confession: I've never seen ESL. I've only heard the album. Even worse, I've never heard ATWAS at all, not one note. I've decided to save both of those experiences for later in life, since the Rush well is dry and I've got to have something to look forward to.

 

As someone who saw the ESL tour at age 15, i say ATWAS is the best live record of all time...

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It's the Edmonton recording from June 25, 1981 that we are pretty sure they have (probably full show) in their vaults, where 2 tracks have been released officially from it [2112 Deluxe Edition November 5, 2012]. GIVE US THIS SHOW!

 

-----------

2112 Deluxe Edition November 5, 2012 (36 years)

- Overture (Northland Coliseum, Edmonton, AB - June 25, 1981) <------------------------

- The Temples of Syrinx (Northland Coliseum, Edmonton, AB - June 25, 1981) <------------------------

- A Passage To Bangkok (Manchester Apollo, Manchester, England - June 17, 1980)

 

------------

2112 40th anniversary. NOVEMBER 4TH, 2016 (40 years)

- “2112” – Live at Massey Hall 1976 Outtake

- SOMETHING FOR NOTHING – Live at Massey Hall 1976 Outtake

- THE TWILIGHT ZONE – Live 1977 Contraband

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Stumbled on this this weekend. This is the first time Rush was ever broadcast on MTV.

 

Been looking for this off and on for years and years but I wasn't really looking for it when I found it (which is usually how it works.)

 

https://archive.org/details/vts-01-1_20201016_1905/1982-02-13+Rush/VTS_01_1.VOB

 

Enjoy history in the making....

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Stumbled on this this weekend. This is the first time Rush was ever broadcast on MTV.

 

Been looking for this off and on for years and years but I wasn't really looking for it when I found it (which is usually how it works.)

 

https://archive.org/...sh/VTS_01_1.VOB

 

Enjoy history in the making....

 

Is there an actual rare version of the Exit...Stage Left concert that features 'Waiting On A Friend' by the Rolling Stones, 'Midnight Confessions' by Karla DeVito,

'Just Between You and Me' by April Wine, along with a Jim Croce infomercial to start things off? :)

Edited by RushFanForever
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Stumbled on this this weekend. This is the first time Rush was ever broadcast on MTV.

 

Been looking for this off and on for years and years but I wasn't really looking for it when I found it (which is usually how it works.)

 

https://archive.org/...sh/VTS_01_1.VOB

 

Enjoy history in the making....

 

Is there an actual rare version of the Exit...Stage Left concert that features 'Waiting On A Friend' by the Rolling Stones, 'Midnight Confessions' by Karla DeVito,

'Just Between You and Me' by April Wine, along with a Jim Croce infomercial to start things off? :)

 

Yes! They opened.

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There's a subtle difference between original and newer releases of the Exit video. The older one has audio of Geddy saying "Thank you very much...goodnight!" at the end while the newer releases have "Thank you very much Montreal! Good night!"

Don't know why someone felt the need to alter it but whatever

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