EveryNerveAware Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 Would like to hear any intriguing stories you might have from Rush shows back in the 70's and early 80's. I have some "vivid" recollectios of my young adult experiences at a few Rush concerts. Without getting specific, I actually had to leave during the last part of the Moving Pictures concert because I was rather "disoriented". (I know, that is heresy to leave a Rush concert... but believe me, it was necessary to avoid security) http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb305/EveryNerveAware/RUSH/movingpictures-cover-s.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
since2112 Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 I remember going to the Signals tour concert. Rush had a huge big screen behind them. Anyway, after the show as people were leaving I noticed alot of older parents who brought their kids with them...I'm sure the kids begged their parents to take them....But the thing was the dad's had big smiles on their faces when they were leaving. You could tell they had a good time at the concert and it was more then they expected...Blew their minds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnalschick Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 I'd love to hear stories I would've loved to have seen Rush back in the 80's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fridge Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 I've posted this before somewhere, but I can't find it. Back in the Signals tour in The Royal Highland Exhibition Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh (known affectionately as "that f***ing cow shed"), the crowd was surging forward, and some people were getting trapped by the barrier. This was in the days before all seating venues remember. I was about ten feet from the stage and I remember being picked off my feet and literally carrried by the sway of the crowd. Scary but exhilarating as well. Anyway, Geddy decides to try a bit of crowd control and quite politely asks the crowd to move back. Being totally ignored, he got a little ratty, and it showed in the tone of his voice. As one, there was this massed shout of "f**k off you big nosed bastard!". I swear it was uncanny, as if it had been rehearsed. Poor Geddy didn't know what to do, and just blinked and looked confused..... Ok, maybe I shouldn't laugh but to a fifteen year old it was funny as hell at the time.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCREAM Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 I'll share a couple old-school memories. In the late 70's tours, I can remember magical moments during the Extended intro to Xanadu, where the stage was bathed in "soft" purple lights, as fog/smoke curled knee-high from the amp area to the front of the stage and into the first few rows, as the ENTIRE arena was aglow with thousands of lighters being held up. Pure magic! Also back in those days, the flashpot explosions simultaneous with EXTREMELY BRIGHT 747 landing lights lighting the entire crowd up. (It was a new thing back then) Give ya chills man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EveryNerveAware Posted June 18, 2007 Author Share Posted June 18, 2007 Thanks for sharing some of your stories and experiences. Every time I get tickets to a Rush show, all those precious memories from my youth come flooding back to the forefront of my thoughts. Of course at my advanced age, I don't partake in the "chemical enhancements" like I used to, but they are fond memories of youth and can always wish for a return to those care-free days. Have to say I can recall details of the concerts much better in these latter days!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitball Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 (edited) In the New York area, Rush remained a relative unknown until Permanent Waves. Damn NYC radio!!! When I was in the 5th grade, a girl in our class came in with a Hemispheres tour shirt after the Capitol Theater show in Passaic, NJ. We all said, "Rush? What the hell is that??" A year later, my brother bought Permanent Waves, and I was hooked...but I didn;t see them live until the Exit Stage Left tour. Great setlist, but the sound was horrible (muddied with too much bass)! The previewed version of Subdivisions sounded boring, I recall. I also remember wondering what Hemispheres actually sounded like and they played parts of it (with a parting brain graphic shown on the screen, just like my classmate's shirt from 5th grade). I next saw them on the Signals tour from the side of the stage...a LOT of fun seeing Alex & Geddy play the Taurus foot pedals and watching Neil through his concert toms. I also caught them at Radio City Music Hall in 1983. I almost lost my ticket in the wind on 6th Avenue!! It was a great show...we liked the Grace Under Pressure previews. Edited June 18, 2007 by spitball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnalschick Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Good stories Keep em' coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EveryNerveAware Posted June 19, 2007 Author Share Posted June 19, 2007 QUOTE (Fridge @ Jun 17 2007, 12:36 PM)Geddy decides to try a bit of crowd control and quite politely asks the crowd to move back. Being totally ignored, he got a little ratty, and it showed in the tone of his voice. As one, there was this massed shout of "f**k off you big nosed bastard!". I swear it was uncanny, as if it had been rehearsed. I think I found a recording of the concert you described. Is this the one....? http://www.megaupload.com/?d=62MSRDVQ I didn't hear the crowd say anything back but maybe this isn't the one... or it just wasn't audible in this recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fridge Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 QUOTE (EveryNerveAware @ Jun 19 2007, 03:34 AM) QUOTE (Fridge @ Jun 17 2007, 12:36 PM)Geddy decides to try a bit of crowd control and quite politely asks the crowd to move back. Being totally ignored, he got a little ratty, and it showed in the tone of his voice. As one, there was this massed shout of "f**k off you big nosed bastard!". I swear it was uncanny, as if it had been rehearsed. I think I found a recording of the concert you described. Is this the one....? http://www.megaupload.com/?d=62MSRDVQ I didn't hear the crowd say anything back but maybe this isn't the one... or it just wasn't audible in this recording. Sorry, can't access this as I'm offshore and firewall won't let me. if this is the one from MITAS site then I don't think that is it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streak85 Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Recalling Hold Your Fire and the video intro to Lock And Key and the reverberating shouts The Presto tour with scars and the screen dropped in front of the stage (Not the 70s or early 80s --> back far enough) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus The God Of Balance Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 I was fortunate enough to grow up in Western NY State, near Rochester. WCMF (a radio station I eventually was privledged to work for) was the big station growing up, and they always played lots of Rush on the radio. They'd tour and play the War Memorial, or the Buffalo Aud. I remember being 16 and seeing them for the first time (MP tour). Don't remember much of the concert (for certain reasons) but that was the introduction for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EveryNerveAware Posted June 19, 2007 Author Share Posted June 19, 2007 QUOTE (Fridge @ Jun 19 2007, 12:50 AM)Sorry, can't access this... Sorry to hear you cannot access it to download. I'm not sure where this recording is from....? I found it on Limewire. Anyone else recognize this recording?? Sounds exactly like what Fridge was describing in his post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodys hero Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Having my girlfriends brother sneak us into our first Rush shows EVER on 3/5/76 at The Randhurst Ice Arena in Illinois. It was Rush and Kansas. Those days were so cool because you were right there by the stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupelobarchetta Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 (edited) I have to share my experiences before, during and after my first Rush concert in April 1981, during the Moving Pictures tour. Excuse me if I get longwinded; I'm a journalist by trade. My cousin and I - both seniors in high school - managed to talk our way out of school at lunchtime so we can hit the road for the two-hour trip to Memphis. I considered the concert my 18th birthday gift. About halfway there and after numerous alcoholic beverages, we decided to relieve ourselves. We pulled over on a rural county road, found some roadside bushes and did our business. It was a few years later that I realized I had pissed about 50 yards from my future wife's home. When we reached Memphis we heard some disturbing news from the local rock station - the concert was sold out! This was serious business because I was hooking up with Sherrie H., this really nice looking babe from Forrest City, Ark., whom I met at a Blue Oyster Cult concert on New Year's Eve. We hightailed it to the coliseum and luckily a few tickets from remote outlets came straggling in. I hooked up with my date and into the coliseum we went. Sherrie and I wanted some privacy during the show, so we went up to the upper level. From our view you could see the band on stage, plus the video projections and road crew behind the stage. It was interesting to see Alex play La Villa Strangiato near the end and at the same time watch the road crew begin loading equipment. Of course, there were times when we weren't watching the show. After the show, I said my goodbyes to Sherrie - and unfortunately I never saw her again. We lost contact a couple of months later, but I've always wondered what happened to her. My cousin and I wound up staying at a friend's apartment, and the next morning - on Good Friday - I talked my cousin to taking me over to an on-again, off-again girlfriend's home, and I enjoyed spending some quality time with her. My first Rush concert experience was one of the highlights of my youth, and I still have the Moving Pictures T-shirt I bought at the concert. It's tattered somewhat and it's been years since I was slim enough to fit it in, but, oh, the memories .... Edited June 19, 2007 by tupelobarchetta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Part 4 of a Trilogy Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 cool stories, thanks for sharing.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EveryNerveAware Posted June 20, 2007 Author Share Posted June 20, 2007 QUOTE (nobodys hero @ Jun 19 2007, 05:04 PM)Having my girlfriends brother sneak us into our first Rush shows EVER on 3/5/76 at The Randhurst Ice Arena in Illinois. It was Rush and Kansas. Those days were so cool because you were right there by the stage. Awesome story!! What a great show too. Kansas was good back then, and with Rush... nice free show there man! Ah, to be young and carefree again.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EveryNerveAware Posted June 20, 2007 Author Share Posted June 20, 2007 QUOTE (tupelobarchetta @ Jun 19 2007, 05:35 PM)I have to share my experiences .... Great stories!! Us old guys will be sitting around years from now saying... (in my best old man voice) "Aye.... do ya remember when we went to that show in the 70's..?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodys hero Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 QUOTE (EveryNerveAware @ Jun 19 2007, 06:44 PM) QUOTE (nobodys hero @ Jun 19 2007, 05:04 PM)Having my girlfriends brother sneak us into our first Rush shows EVER on 3/5/76 at The Randhurst Ice Arena in Illinois. It was Rush and Kansas. Those days were so cool because you were right there by the stage. Awesome story!! What a great show too. Kansas was good back then, and with Rush... nice free show there man! Ah, to be young and carefree again.... Just goes to show folks how old I really am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friendlyvoice Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 QUOTE (Fridge @ Jun 17 2007, 12:36 PM) As one, there was this massed shout of "f**k off you big nosed bastard!". I swear it was uncanny, as if it had been rehearsed. That's great stuff. Hope everyone will briefly indulge a non-Rush tale... but it's hilarious. I recently read that U2 were performing in Glasgow (I think) and Bono (God love him...) went into save the world mode for a bit...clapping his hands and saying "Everytime I clap my hands another child dies in Africa". Then a voice rings out from the (largely) slient crowd saying, "Then stop fookin' clappin' then!!". I have no confirmation on whether that's true or not, but even if it's not, it's still funny. (and, no, any of you hyper-sensitive types, I don't mean to make light of children dying in Africa) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friendlyvoice Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 My first Rush concert experience was merely OK. It didn't have anything to do with them. They were great, as always. It was because of the lousy venue and even worse crowd. This was January '88, HYF tour, at the arena in Jackson, MS...or as I call it "the giant circus tent". The place was maybe half full, the crowd wasn't interested, and Rush has never returned to Mississippi. Can't say I blame 'em. Had tickets for the T4E tour in Nashville and literally at the last minute was unable to go. Didn't even get to unload the tickets. And I missed seeing 2112. My Rush concert-going fortune has been MUCH better since 2002. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenhigh Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 The RUSH show that almost wasn't: my first show was the Texas Jam (I think 84) which Rush headlined on the Grace Under Pressure tour. The TJ was held in the Cotton Bowl and it was general admission on the field so we decided to ensure we had great views by leaving for the stadium at midnight the night before (gates were opening around 10am). The show was in June, and it was already hot by the time the gates opened. We ran to the stage once the gates were opened, congratulating ourselves on our wisdom at arriving early and getting spots against the stage right in the middle. Of course, it was 10 am and Rush was the 5th band in the lineup and not scheduled to start until after dark. Being young and impervious to physical needs, we didn't worry about the fact we had been partying all night without eating or drinking anything remotely hydrating. The bands performing that day were (in order of appearance) Gary Moore, Brian Adams, Ozzy Osbourne, 38 Special, and then Rush as the closer. Gary Moore was great, BA was awful but we didn't want to give up our spots, Ozzy was great, and then came 38 Special. By the time 38 Special went on (after 5 pm as I recall) the entire crowd was a sweat soaked writhing beast. And my friends and I all felt like we were trying to kick a heroin addiction by that point. It was probably fortunate that 38 Special was at the spot in the set because we really didn't want to listen to them and with our quickly deteriorating conditions we were compelled to seek water and nourishment. Of course, that also meant all we had worked for was going to be lost. Not so fast, grasshopper. One perhaps unknown fact about general admission festivals is that getting good spots is not just about getting there first. It's also about sheer will and brute force. After we slid out between the massed bodies to get hydrated and fed, we knew that our only purpose in life was to get back to the promised land against center stage. So that's what we did. One of my friends nearly traded blows with a few disgruntled fans that he gave a firm elbow to, but I was able to get all the way back up front with just a couple of "Hey, watch out(s)" in my ear as I pushed by. I still felt like hell, but I completely forgot my physical needs when I saw Rush take the stage for the first time. I was physically one person back from the stage (there was a single line of fans holding on to the security perimeter that couldn't be separated) halfway between Geddy and Alex but mentally I was in nirvana. How I drove home later that night without wrapping my car around a tree I'll never know (any my diehard friends racked out before we got out of the parking lot. bastards), but I managed to make it home to live another day (and see Rush again on the Power Windows tour). But that's another story... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenhigh Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 QUOTE (friendlyvoice @ Jun 20 2007, 11:18 AM)My first Rush concert experience was merely OK. It didn't have anything to do with them. They were great, as always. It was because of the lousy venue and even worse crowd. This was January '88, HYF tour, at the arena in Jackson, MS...or as I call it "the giant circus tent". The place was maybe half full, the crowd wasn't interested, and Rush has never returned to Mississippi. Can't say I blame 'em. Had tickets for the T4E tour in Nashville and literally at the last minute was unable to go. Didn't even get to unload the tickets. And I missed seeing 2112. My Rush concert-going fortune has been MUCH better since 2002. I was at the Eric Johnson show in Little Rock last week and there were two guys who had driven from Jackson complaining about the lack of concerts there. We even talked about Rush and they said the same thing, that Rush got no support so they quit coming back. I feel for anyone who lives in remote areas. I'm in the military and from HYF until the R30 tour, I was never able to see a concert because of distance, scheduling and a lack of enough funds to travel. Fortunately although I'm still in the Army, I can now afford to travel a bit so I was able to see R30 in Dallas (driving from OKC) and I will be seeing them in Dallas again this tour (driving from LR area). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-D-RocK- Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 First Rush show: Calgary '86, PW tour, because I had shit for brains back then, I got extremely high and drunk and therefore don't remember the experience. What a waste. Kids, let this be a lesson to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EveryNerveAware Posted June 20, 2007 Author Share Posted June 20, 2007 QUOTE (darrenhigh @ Jun 20 2007, 02:25 PM)The RUSH show that almost wasn't: Thanks for sharing this story. These are the kinds of stories that I find it a joy to read. Especially one as descriptive as this... it almost brings you into that place and time. Wonderful stories everyone. Keep 'em coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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