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Audience 8.5 - There are some shows where the ratings numbers cannot tell the story. This is certainly the best example of that. I overlooked this show in the past, I did not, could not, get past the “wall of sound” factor. Now, thanks to modern mastering techniques, this recording has morphed into a real gem. Is it better? Yes! Is it perfect? No. But, perhaps while some would still find it too much to handle, other will find it to be a ton of fun. The tapers were real close to the mains, but managed to keep levels just low enough to prevent the dreaded distortion, but in so doing got a tape without dynamics, or at least one dynamic which is SUPER loud intense power – which if you are a hard core Rush fan, will REALLY tickle your fancy when you pop this on the stereo. It’s almost like a heavy metal concert! Unbridled fury, simply an intense concert and intense recording, let yourself get into it, and your ears will adjust and you will find that the audio frequency range here is comfortable to the ears even though it’s off the charts in massiveness. -
Audience 8.8 - Man, why do we have to wait over 35 years for a new Rush tape to surface? Come on guys! Let’s get them out before we’re all dead! Ha ha! So, this is just fantastic! For one thing, it’s early Rush, just prior to the start of 2112, and there’s just not a lot out there that is listenable. This is listenable, and it ain’t perfect but it is perfect at the same time – how to explain that seemingly contradictory statement? Collectors will understand me…it lacks some of the niceties we’ve grown accustomed to nowadays but it also delivers things we do not frequently hear on Rush audience tapes and that is a very defined, well rounded and clearly heard bass sound. Geddy is in fine form, the band means business! Get this if you know what is good for you. Rush Randhurst Arena Mount Prospect, Illinois March 5, 1976 01 -Intro 02 -Bastille Day 03 -Anthem 04 -Lakeside Park 05 -I Think I'm Going Bald 06 -By-Tor & The Snow Dog 07 -Fly by Night 08 -Working Man - Drum Solo 09 -Finding My Way -
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 9.0 -
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 7.2 - Respectable audience capture if a little thin. You can enjoy this, add some bass though. -
Audience 8.4 - There’s some tape noise on this that should have been removed but I find this thin but pleasant, it’s not an annoying thin it’s just a limitation of the gear. Can EQ to taste, it will respond well I think. -
Audience 9.4 - Thankfully the final show of their last Tour features a superbly captured tape with good tight sound. -
Audience 7.8–8.3 - Stick with this one all the way through. Taper finds the sweet spot eventually. I rather enjoyed this one! -
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 8.6 - This very decent old tape, previously ignored by collectors, takes a minute or two to get going so don’t be disappointed just hang in there. Once it settles in, it’s a very good tape that suffers maybe from some tape noise but really what I am going to tell you is that I would listen to this again because the performance here is among the very best, most ferocious I have honestly ever heard and I have heard MANY Rush recordings. Rush Liverpool Empire Liverpool, England 25 February 1978 Disc 1 01 - Bastille Day 02 - Lakeside Park 03 - By-Tor And The Snow Dog 04 - Xanadu 05 - A Farewell To Kings 06 - Something For Nothing 07 - Cygnus X-1 Disc 2 08 - Anthem 09 - Closer To The Heart 10 - 2112 11 - Working Man 12 - Fly By Night 13 - In The Mood 14 - Cinderella Man -
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. -
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. -
Soundboard 8.7 - Technically a clean board but the mix is great if you are a drummer. I exaggerate, it’s decent, but yes this is one to play for aspiring drummers as Neil is well recorded and mixed. There are some minor negative complaints I can make to the recording, but they are on technical levels and most ears will be receptive to this soundboard. -
Audience 8.6 - Very low gen (no noise) recording that is leaning much more towards the bright side, perhaps even a little bit crispy but a recording like this can be tuned to your liking. What prevents a recording from having any chance at all is muddiness, and thankfully there is no muddy quality to this tape. All in all, I have to rate this as a show that one notices first the performance (from the opening notes you know it is going to be a good one), and the ears do adjust to the concert hall sound very soon, notwithstanding the EXTREMELY excited audience…like, throughout the entire show. Can’t blame ‘em I guess, but damn let the band play! Rush Lakeland Civic Center Arena Lakeland, Florida, USA Sunday April 11th, 1982 Track List: Disc 1: 2112 (Overture/The Temples Of Syrinx) Freewill Limelight Beneath, Between & Behind Subdivisions (Early Version) The Camera Eye YYZ / drum solo Broon's Bane The Trees The Analog Kid (Early Version) Disc 2: The Spirit of Radio Red Barchetta Closer to the Heart Tom Sawyer Vital Signs Working Man Hemispheres (Armageddon) By-Tor & The Snow Dog In The End In The Mood 2112 (Grand Finale) La Villa Strangiato -
Audience 8.8 - Warm sound, leveled off somewhere in the upper mid and stays there…with quality.