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Audience 7.7 -
Audience 9.4 -
Soundboard 9.5 - Good, airy, and dynamic tape! I also like the way this is mixed, and the playing is top shelf by anyone’s standards. The only small thing I can complain about is a little too much sizzle on the cymbals. -
Audience 8.8 - This is a really nice one, pretty atmospheric without being reverby and hollow and the live sound mix is pretty right-on. The sound separation here presents itself as what feels like stereo to me, whether or not taper used two mics I do not know but it does sound like it. The band is really hot! -
Soundboard 8.6 - A good tape if a touch flat at times. -
Soundboard 8.8 - A good and clear tape. -
Soundboard 9.0 - A little bit of hiss in the background but otherwise a solid, and enjoyable one! -
Audience 8.8 - Taper had good gear for this one, you can tell there is some sense of space, and the music has a chance to float above you. A rather sweet recording. -
Soundboard 9.4 -
Soundboard 8.8 -
Soundboard 9.7 -
Soundboard 9.0 -
Audience 9.2 -
Audience 7.7 - While the ratings may show this to be an average sounding tape, let me reveal my own bias for a moment. This is Rush’s best tour. You may argue with that, I mean, the previous two tours were pretty amazing too. I find the set list and performances of the Permanent Waves tour to be exceptional, and this show, while maybe not the best of the lot, does reveal yet more of the Rush mystique. A recording that requires 10 minutes to adjust to but eventually begins to sound pretty decent apart from a guitar that sits behind the action a little (except during solos). A little boomy but not a deal breaker. A good, not great, tape. -
Audience 8.9 - This recording gives off a sense of massive power with Geddy’s bass sound being huge and round and dead on – with a great open expanse overhead allowing the music to breathe a little. This atmosphere allows the music to sometimes move around in the stereo field a little which is nice. I like this kind of recording when it comes to the larger venues. -
Soundboard 9.0 - Wow what a find this one is! Early Rush show in soundboard quality, oh man! Yeah, you gotta get this, I mean, what more can one say about it? Fantastic find, what a nice surprise for the loyal Rush fans! -
Audience 8.6 - Sometimes, a rating cannot reflect the magnitude of a recording. I can specifically say that this one is only an 8.6 in a sonic sense, which means it is very good and worthwhile, but man, let me tell you what this show REALLY is – it’s an 11. Why? Because this is, quite simply, Rush in an unbelievable fine form playing their (arguably) best stuff, and the recording has captured that and a very palpable atmosphere at the same time. A little clarity is lost in the bass/guitar separation as they seem to sound as one unit which is not such a bad thing as it creates a sonic roar, a lion’s roar it is too, but it does get a little crowded in that frequency range. But, it captures an amazing power those two had on stage, the sound is ferocious and menacing. -
Audience 8.7 - So it’s kind of in the middle of the venue and so you sacrifice a little clarity in the low mid but man, somebody did know what they were doing here. It’s very clear in the upper end, there’s no real boominess or echo either. It’s the best middle of the floor aud tape I think I have ever heard, and the best part is the band is really cooking. I think you will be happy with this. -
Audience 8.8 - Easily one of the best pre-Fly By Night live recordings! -
Audience 8.4 - This is a case of a show, actually let me re-phrase that, this WAS a show that many collectors lamented as being a superb performance marred by very marginal sound quality. Not anymore! Friends, this new direct from master source and re-mastered version of this totally excellent gig is simply a joy to get to listen to in this improved quality. Not that it is astounding, in fact it still has issues, but the jump from what it was (about a 7.3) to what it is now is too great an improvement to not shower heaps of praise upon it. Note: It doesn’t get good until about halfway through the first song, then there is a little cut in the tape, and then it gets noticeably better and better. -
Soundboard 9.3 - Long admired by fans for being both a fantastic performance and excellent soundboard with a good mix. A staple in every self-respecting Rush fan’s collection. -
Audience 7.4 - A very thin recording, now it does come from a master source so it is as clean as it will ever be. I mean, I suppose you do hear it all, just do not expect much bottom end. -
Audience 7.6 - I have it in my mind to collect every single performance the band did in Toronto. That means I am gonna get some good, some bad, some in between. This is probably some in-between. Not horrible but not great either. Now, I will say this, let your ears adjust and you get a reasonably clear but phasing sound. Recorded from somewhere pretty well back of the auditorium, sounds like. -
Audience? Hard to tell if this is an audience or soundboard, it is really good. If it is audience, then it was done very close to the mains but no distortion at all, but I doubt that because there is very precise stereo panning on some of the effects (such as intro to 2112). If it is a soundboard, it is a good one because it allows some bleeding in of the crowd and atmosphere. -
Audience 9.1 - Coming from the original master tape, this show circulated online claiming 1st generation source and let me tell you, just toss that one out because ladies and gentlemen prepare to ENTER THE PALLADIUM and be blown away! After adjusting position during first song, the rest of the show (with just one or two minor dropouts) really soars to great heights both sonically and performance-wise. A crisp, airy but tight sound very close up front and no distortion, tape noise, or artifacts. Simply put, if you are a Rush fan, you need this. -
Soundboard 8.7 - An oldie but goodie – tape does show some age but it is a classic nonetheless. Bonus here is a rip from the first single released, quite rare actually. -
Soundboard 9.4 - Powerful, living room clarity in your face and just as good a mix as you can do. -
Audience 9.1 - Incomplete show but man, get this one now! Superb capture with a good tight bass, some airiness in the drums but maintaining lovely timbre both high and low, guitar good but maybe just behind bass and drums…overall yeah this smokes! -
Audience 7.5 - What saves this is a rich bottom end that is surprisingly warm without overt boominess. Guitar is present but sometimes hides behind the noise. Sound tends to come in and go slightly out in a wave like fashion but it’s subtle. Sometimes this gets clear and decent and then sometimes it seems to be brittle and cluttered in the lower end of the midrange. The rating is pretty accurate. It’s not atrocious – it’s for collectors though. -
Audience 7.3 - Noisy, but a pretty huge bass crunch which will appeal to the those who like it heavier sounding. The size of the hall does confuse the frequencies and so you get too much mess in the middle and what not but you can hear this and get used to it and it will pull you in. A good performance! -
Audience 7.9 - Low levels but pretty clear when you turn it up. Some lack of distinction, but a straightforward audience recording with nothing to offend but not going to blow anyone away. -
Audience 7.5 - Some depth for a one dimensional middle of the stadium recording. Bass is in a good place, relatively clear but somewhat distant. -
Audience 8.8 - A little bit one dimensional but at least that dimension is very good! Vocals a bit behind here, but only a little. Drums, guitar – aw yeah! -
Audience 8.7 - A little lack of definition in the bottom, but at least it has bottom end. There is also some atmosphere, so you feel the arena somewhat. A strong recording! -
Audience 8.8 - Everything is where it should be in this sound mix except I find Geddy’s vocals just a hair behind but it does not bother me at all. In fact this mix allows me to appreciate more of the bass and guitar playing. Really good stuff here! -
Audience 8.8 - Warm sound, leveled off somewhere in the upper mid and stays there…with quality. -
Soundboard 9.3 - Very nice mix right in the sweet spot. -
Audience 8.8 - Not all the 2015 shows were recorded by folks who understand where to sit and how to get levels, these guys did, thank goodness! -
Soundboard 8.7 - Some age in the tape present, but you’ll be able to live with it as this just smokes! -
Soundboard 9.4 - Killer! -
Audience 7.6 - What really saves this tape is the fact that it sounds like a master source – very clean virtually no noise, but you are sitting with the crowd and the band is…hmmm…not distant but not in your face, somewhere in between, and it sounds like a small venue. It’s fascinating to be honest, I really like it. -
Audience 9.3 - Some might not agree with my super high rating here, but a rating in my opinion should combine not only fidelity (which is great here) but also performance and atmosphere. This is a must have to my ears. -
Audience 7.8 - Everyone knows of this one, it’s one of the MUST HAVE’S for Rush fans but that doesn’t mean it is perfect audio – there’s a bit of distortion (not too much) and some phasing here and there, and other little flaws but man oh man, just do yourself a favor and get it because it is one of the painfully few times the band performed The Necromancer and here it is in reasonably good quality and it does KILL in every sense of the word. Again, a MUST have! -
Audience 8.1 - A low generation tape used for this source helps immensely, as it sounds maybe recorded from middle of the floor, but it is actually quite good, a recommended addition to your collection. -
Audience 7.8 - A must have for any serious Rush fan. One of the best early shows you will ever hear, and I mean on many levels not just sound quality – this one is good but not great – but man oh man, just get this and you will know why I rave about it. -
Soundboard 9.4 - Killer, rehearsals for the Counterparts Tour.
