RUSH Hemispheres Leaves you Deaf, Dumb and Blind?

[@Mike-Olds-1]

I did not see Rush on that tour but Hemispheres is a absolute masterpiece of a album

[@by-torandthesnowdog1647]

I saw Farewell to kings tour in Victoria BC in 78 and Hemisphere tour in my hometown Nanaimo BC the following year met Geddy Lee downtown Vancouver night after the Moving pictures tour he walked right by me in Pacific center mall i was sipping a orange 🍊 Julius and he came out of a side door and went down the escalator i said to myself dam that's Geddy i was in shock he came back up and i got up and said excuse me are you Geddy Lee and he replied yes i said WOWWWW what a Rush and we both laughed 😅 he said we're you at the show and i said yes he gave me 10min of his time last words we're going to meet up with Alex and Neil tonight in Edmonton we like doing our own thing got people to visit and it was a pleasure talking to you and said the same I'll never forget that day 👏🤝

[@snowdawgg]

I saw Rush for the Hemispheres tour and was blown away with the music and stage effects.

[@myshow667]

the greatest record ever put forth by the human race

[@kurtsnyder1164]

Back then we were all deaf dumb and blind kids that sure played a mean pinball! What an awesome time to be alive!

[@audiomover]

Yes!

[@ShawnTeece]

OMG Bob I absolutely love them. Rush is one of the bands I gravitated to when Ace frehley left kiss. I was introduced to their music by a stoner friend of mine back when Moving Pictures came out. Being a drummer and a huge fan of their music I was heartbroken when Neil passed. (Incidentally my brother passed the same week which made things all the worse at that time). Rush's music fortunately will outlive all of us and hopefully past the year 2112 😉

[@PeterJ16]

I saw this tour in Kitchener Ontario. I remember more details from this concert day than other 70s shows I saw. This night was my 2nd time seeing Rush. The 1 time was when "All the world's a stage" was recorded. At this show (Hemispheres) 2000+ people in a 6000+ venue Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. I think the freezing rain kept lots of people home, NOT US though. Rush Hemispheres Tour Night was here after all the waiting!! The critics said it was a bust, and we watched it in total "Awe" like mesmerized. I remember a cop coming to me and shining his light in my face, I wasn't moving my gaze from the stage for anything...haha "Trees" "La Ville Strangiato" the huge screen behind the band "Circumstances" just WOW!! I was 16 at the time! And that was my last Rush show...I believe I saw them at there best. Playing 2112 there in this show, was second to none for me! And you are correct...The entire show had beautiful flow and ambience to enhance it brilliantly.

[@jamesfriend481]

I saw that show/ tour in Portland Oregon, I don’t remember a screen in the back, all I remember was the music and it was amazing, the one theatric that was impressive was The Trees, Alex playing the classical guitar during the intro and the lights going out for that pause and coming back on with Alex and the Fender Strat and them all hammering.

[@mikeboddington1382]

oh sweet ! at the Paramount ?

[@drsloan]

I was at that show in Portland, at the Memorial Coliseum. Blew me away, in the best way possible. The film, which I believe featured mainly during Cygnus X-1, was rudimentary but looked so cool at the time. Lifelong fanatic for the band ever after.

[@DiamondTheifGaming]

Hemispheres has always been my favorite album. 🧠 As far as that concert review goes? Rush's music isn't for everyone and the band members have said as much on numerous occasions. That said, their 40 year career speaks for itself. I'm glad I was alive during the time of Rush. What a gift Geddy, Alex and Neil gave us... 🎸🤘

[@kennymik1509]

Blow our minds and hammer our heads the RUSH way!!! "Trees" is a forever masterpiece.

[@Pantechnicon]

Sadly, I was too young for the Hemispheres tour (my first Rush show was Grace Under Pressure). But I've listened to a few bootlegs from the Hemispheres tour and it always sounds amazing. I've since come to consider Hemispheres the band's magnum opus, even more so than 2112.

[@yvon5499]

I saw that show at the Civic Centre (Dec 21 1978). The part I remember the most is when they played Cygnus X1 book 1 & 2 back to back. What a mind blower, I had to smoke another joint just to come down a notch. They played all songs from Hemispheres, several from A Farewell to Kings and most of their early songs found on their first live album. Still my favorite Rush concert.

[@David-ng7cr]

Saw them in 76. They were nobody then. They certainly came a long ways. Made it to the top where they belong. This Canadian is proud of them.

[@dsomerville5293]

I was at rhis show. I hitch hiked 50 miles from Perth to see that show as a kid. Remember the song In the Mood shaking the whole building as everyone stomping their feet at the same time. Thought the roof was going to collapse. I wanted to be a guitarist after that and did. Loved The Trees and Circumstances off the new album. Thanks for the memory 😊

[@dmatianmedia]

I saw the Trinity twice during The Tour of the Hemispheres. Nothing was the same after that! When they played in my town (Topeka, KS), the staff at the Municipal Auditorium only opened one set of doors. The fans promptly disabused them of that notion as they broke open two more!

[@gregorydelcore6603]

This just proves, those who can DO those who can’t review. Hemispheres is a phenomenal album and no easy task to pull off live, which they did masterfully.

[@frankesquivel7590]

I saw the 2112 tour twice i was 14,saw A Farewell to Kings, Hemisphere and Permanent Waves then didn't see them again until Snake and Arrows,all the 70s show i saw in Corpus Christi Texas

[@kingbee9399]

I saw Rush every year since 1977. Mostly at least 2 times every year they toured in Dallas and Houston. Sometimes in Shreveport. They are the only band that I really followed like that. To me....best band ever....even with their music changes.

[@xanadoooo]

Saw them twice in the UK (1979) tour of the Hemispheres, Birmingham Odeon,and Stafford Bingley Hall, both were amazing gigs, I remember on the back of the tour shirt, blow your brains out with Rush, 🤘🇬🇧

[@AnthonyKellett]

😂... I was at both of those, too! PW and MP were both at Bingley Hall, if memory serves? 👍🏽

[@CAPTNOIZE]

I had worked as a stagehand in 1977 at the Stanley Theater, in 1977,with the "Farewell To Kings" tour. I was 17 years old, and these guys were HEROES of mine..! I worked 2 nights with them,at this 3200 seat venue, that was sold out, both nights..! When "Hemispheres" came out a year later, they were selling out the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, a 16,000 +seat venue. These guys had upped their game 20 fold, for the 1978 show, and I seen things( like the projector screen, with the floating brain) more Pyrotechnics,Lasers and larger PA system,that I had never seen before..! The band "STARZ" opened,(which I Loved) and were good, but Rush blew them away...!!! They played nearly 2 hours, and it sounded better than the album. I can attest to this, since I'm a schooled classical musician, and I wasn't drunk, or high...!

[@uncletom618]

I saw the Hemispheres tour in Saginaw, Lansing, and finally in Detroit, Michigan. They were spectacular! I met the band after the Saginaw show, and met Neil at the radio station WABX in Detroit. Alex Lifeson’s constant issues with the Roland Guitar Synthesizer were the only things that I can remember that didn’t go as planned. Otherwise those shows were everything that this Fanboy dreamed that they would be. Geddy’s voice was great too. Neil was fucking THUNDER FROM ON HIGH! These were some of the greatest 70’s shows I attended, along with the Genesis gigs, nothing could top them!

[@mikeneer1651]

I saw this tour a couple times. I always wondered what show the "critics" were watching. Almost never agreed with them. Rush put on an awesome show musically and visually. Loved the scenes on the back screen. NOT overdone. Always wanted more!

[@kirkkelley1899]

I saw the tour on Foggy Fresno November night in Fresno. Pat Travers opened with Tommy Aldridge. All in a dinky little theater , The Warnors.

[@kevindohn6776]

Well, I'll tell ya ! My 1st ever big time rock concert was KISS in '77 at the Montreal Forum, and I loved it. But it is a bit much with Paul Stanley screaming at you the whole time, he never just talks like a normal human being, and the bombs and fire and explosions and gimmicks, it's like the music is secondary to the hyped up stage show. Then in the spring of '78, I saw the show that started me on this lifelong journey as a RUSH fan. They had the things I liked about Kiss, the loud rock music, the dry ice fog, the firebomb explosions, but just a couple, not too much, awesome light show, the stacks of amplifiers, but they also gave you a feeling that they had integrity, that they cared about their songwriting, and the way they played their instruments, the lyrics were intelligent, and Geddy didn't scream at us all night, he just talked ! There were these long complex songs, and I didn't know where one song ended and another started, but I knew I was going to buy every single album to hear all this amazing music, and figure it all out. I wish that concert had been recorded, I would love to see it again. They came back in that same year, in Dec. for the Hemispheres tour, by then I had every album, and knew every song inside out, and was just waiting to see how they played them. Over the next 40 years I saw KISS 3 times, and I saw RUSH 19 times, one show from every single tour, and I feel very sad that Neil didn't get to enjoy his well earned retirement, and died from a brain tumor. What kind of a god is it that some people believe in ? Just cruel !

[@RickNBacker]

Hemispheres at Nassau Coliseum was my first Rush show, already a huge fan since the 2112 album. It was fantastic, my favorite setlist since it favors the prog side of Rush. The "films" were very brief and understated, nothing like what you would see today or even nothing like Rush would do later on in their career. If you've seen the Moving Pictures tour video, you can see bits of the film that plays during part of Bytor and the Snow Dog. Also, I knew there would be flash pots at the start of 2112 and before the show I went down to the floor where the guy who operates the mixer board was set up and asked him if there were any other parts of the show with flash pots as I wanted to be prepared to close my eyes, didn't want to damage my eyesight.

[@vedicastrologyteacher]

I saw them on this tour and it was incredible. But I knew all of their music. If someone was not familiar with their music it would be challenging because the songs are long and complex, especially back then AND especially Side 1 of Hemispheres. They also played Cygnus X-1 Book 1 and 2 .. which would be a 30 minute "Song". But the fact that they played a long concert full of classics from the first album through Hemispheres was a real joy. By the way, talking about beating a dead horse, this reviewer keeps beating the same theme of how relentless it was.

[@everborg]

took m lil brother to his first concert in 79. rush, with streetheart, at pacific coliseum. i enjoy streetheart now, but back then , we just wanted to get rush onstage asap. it was a great shared experience with him. i couldn't smoke weed that night but had an adrenaline high from, bonding with a loved one at a concert by my fave band. afterall it is the older brother's job, to make sure his younger brother is cool. what is good natured bullying is actually showing the kids in their grade that our brothers are noticed and not to be fucked with. and our biggest responsibility is to make sure they love music. cool music. listen with us elders (lol), and know the importance of music. in relation to girls, opinions, rebelion, and self discovery and identity. my bro loved dif types of rock, than i, but his early bands that i wasn't into. they are very respected. this rush tour was super special for myself, and hopefully him. i recall unbelievably great sound and a new show that was now very visually special. thanks to everyone that shares music and opinions of it.. ev xo

[@bohem5568]

Been a fan since their first album. Seen them numerous times during the 70s until the earlier 80s.

[@stewartcooke217]

Saw this tour at Maple Leaf Gardens on New Years Eve floor seats,they were great as usual. Followed their career,even ended up taking my son to two tours Time Machine and R40 in Toronto ☮️🇨🇦

[@Southbound63]

Fantastic album and tour.

[@vincetripodi1016]

Great insight, would of loved to have been there at that concert. Never got to see them live😢

[@everborg]

the nicest thing, the vancouver media said about this tours show in vancouver. i think oct 4th 1979 with the underappreciated, Streetheart. the kindest thing said about concert by tom harrison of georgia straght magazine was, " the mostly teen audience, that collectively had one moustache, spread out over 10,000 attempts at one, seemed to be happy at the musical talents and showmanship of rush". i believe the crowd's post show behaviour was referred to as, less rowdy and free of troublemakers. as dave grohl, wisely asked the world, when the fuck did rush become cool? ev xo

[@JAMESHENTZE]

Many road trips to hemispheres

[@byronness7385]

Saw every tour from 75-2000 They were incredible an the hemisphere’s tour was outstanding as they always were, I never found them ear pounding, like a lot of other heavy metal bands of their eras Bands like black sabbath an AC/DC would leave your ears ringing for days, Rush always sounded like you were in the studio live with them making records, you could hear every instrument and every sound so clearly They were just so freakin good

[@heylebeautiful2200]

Hemispheres Top 5 Rush Album and one of my go to Fav

[@timshelton8535]

Rush have always been panned by the critics. The first show I attended was in the early 80’s! Awesomeness

[@JeanPaillard-to1hx]

When 3 geniuses are criticized by deaf, dumb, and blind dismissive muppets from the Ottawa Journal, this is what you get, crappy BS. These phony critics had no clue whatsoever. No wonder that journal shut down in 1980 while RUSH ceased in 2015 with many accolades, honors and acknowledgments after a 40ish years career.

[@timshelton8535]

@@JeanPaillard-to1hx I was privileged to see them 14 times over the years! Atlanta or Nashville! I live in Chattanooga so they only came here once in ‘76 I think! I was 11

[@JeanPaillard-to1hx]

@@timshelton8535 Well CHOO CHOO to you my very lucky and steadfast friend. I wish I could say the same.

[@michaelvandiver2475]

@@timshelton8535 Cool...I saw Rush 14X as well...Signals tour til the end. Always in ATL where I've lived my entire life. 'Nooga is a cool vibe city too. Was there in summer of 2023 and stayed at a renovated boutique hotel The Dwell...so cool and hotel bar was ultra-cool vintage. Webb in ATL

[@markrichards4042]

I saw this tour in 1979 in Tampa. It was my first time ever seeing them and despite really liking 2112, this album really made me a superfan. I saw the Permanent Waves tour, Moving Pictures, and Grace Under Pessure after that. I loved it start to finish. Frankly, anyone seeing a show of band they really are not fans of stands the chance of not really getting the vibe. I do not think this reviewer really understood the greatness he was listening to but I do get he didnt like it. Me, I was on cloud 9 for days.

[@PurpleRecords1972]

I caught them on the small UK tour between Hemispheres and Permenant Waves. It’s never left me, a 3 piece band that sounded twice the size, Cygnus and 2112.. impeccable musicians but I didn’t get around to seeing them till R30 and beyond. As a side note, I quite liked ELPs BSS in the early 70’s and Floyd’s Meddle, but Hemispheres had me checking out Yes and more of the back catalogs of the above - it def opened my door to prog. Hemi is hands down my fave Rush album - great album great show - complete with the cassette player in space!.. 🎶

[@ricardocastillo5485]

In Geddy's book he talks of crossing paths with Hawkwind in the 70's. Their Space Ritual era tours were part concert, part psychedelic theater, with visual effects out the wazoo. I wonder if they had an influence on Rush. I was only old enough to start seeing Rush shows in the mid-80's, and every tour thereafter, and the visuals were always a big part of it.

[@zandig666]

First in 🤟🤟 A farewell to kings was one of the first albums that got me out of kiss mid 77

[@nickwaynick6886]

My first Rush show was in 1980 so they were an established band by then but I wouldn't say the stage show was very advanced...just a light show without laser. From then on they got more technical electronics and pyro...I ended up seeing them about 25 times on different tours and I miss them dearly.

[@vernshumway5939]

Saw the Roll the Bones Tour in Vegas loved them.

[@philduoos2961]

It usually took me a few times listening to a new Rush album all the way through to like it, and get used to the "new" sound they usually had. And then the tape would be the only thing I would listen to for awhile! Perhaps the critic just wasn't use to Hemispheres yet? (One of my favorite albums). The band named "Wireless" was curious so I searched the internet. Of course we think of wireless as in modems. They started in 1976, so it probably referred to radio. Or - wireless microphones were fairly new at that time. They almost broke up but Geddy tried to help and produced their album in 1980 which would be their last. 7 players in the band! What a contrast to Rush.

[@l.thomas4268]

I think with the reviewer might be referring to is when Rush does concerts or I should say did concerts they would start with those sound sculpting first few songs that allow the audio engineer to get the room tuned correctly and then the salad is brought up incrementally through the concert but at the end of the concert they have whipped everyone up into a frenzy and they've really hit it hard and really play their hearts out which is awesome to see that much skill going at it especially back then when they were still fairly young. You can hear this effect in the double album all the world's stage or you can also see that in the exit stage left Phil in 1981 in Toronto I believe towards the end they just go nuts with Vitor and some an old song from the first album etc as they really ramp it up to another level.

[@frankesquivel7590]

The best Rush show was when UFO opened , that was the best show i ever saw

[@delorangeade]

I was a little too young to go and see the band, but this was around the time I was getting interested in Rush, and a negative review of a Hemispheres concert in the UK did set back my interest in the band for a short while. You have to remember that in those days Rush was hardly ever played on UK radio, so reviews of albums and shows were every influential in forming opinions. The review went something like: Rush took the stage to a flash of lights, a cloud of dry ice, and a hearty, Hi Ho Synthesizer, and continued in negative terms. Rush were definitely one of the first rock bands to use back screen projections in their shows. In those days painted backdrops were the norm.

[@SeanSouthen-v8g]

I played that album for YEARS.

[@gestet]

Why did you stop playing it?

[@scottpierson4627]

Only time I saw them was on Test For Echo. But I will tell you that to me, Kings and Hemispheres are a two part album where Cygnus X-1 and Hemispheres bridge them. And I LOVE them. I think the reviewer isn’t understanding the time period they were in where they were doing the whole epic aspect. Of course a few years later, they are more accessible and tight.

[@LexRushon]

Saw them 23 of Mai 1979 Gothenburg ;)

[@ThomasPerry-p9z]

Critics always put Rush down back in those days and yet they sold out stadiums and left people in the street wishing they had a ticket for the show, seen them several times and never disappointed awesome live band tightest band ever

[@HoradoSomOficial]

Rush the 70s the good times roll!

[@chevken1831]

How are you able to find all of these articles?

[@audiomover]

We have paid subscriptions to platforms where they have millions of newspapers and periodical archived. So we just spend a lot of time performing searches on terms and dates we think will generate a result. Then we dig through those results and read the articles until we find something we think is interesting. It's relatively painless and interesting, but it can be time consuming.

[@bradmoore7971]

I saw the Farewell to Kings tour. Opening acts were Sweet and Uriah Heep. Also saw the Hemispheres tour. Great lightsvand visuals, but certainly no more unique or sophisticated than shows in the late 70's by Pink Floyd, BOC, Genesis, Yes.. Saw Rush several times after that as well. Opening bands included Max Webster, 38 Special, Rory Gallagher, Steve Morse.

[@JeanPaillard-to1hx]

Speaking of Uriah Heep, they produced quite a few very good songs. At the time in the seventies I had some of their LPs which were thrashed due to overplay and misuse. Luckily, I purchased ALL of their available CDs when they finally came out in that format and same with many other awesome groups from the 70s like King Crimson, Beggars Opera, Traffic, Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant, Babe Ruth, Genesis, ELP, Steppenwolf, Deep Purple, Triumvirat, Greatful Dead, Lighthouse, Wishbone Ash, Santana, Ten Years After, CCR, T REX, Isaac Hayes, Peter Frampton, Procol Harum, and so many more. Of course, some of these groups may have had one or two great songs on a particular album and other groups may have had mostly great songs on their particular albums but hey, just ONE great song on any given album is still worth the price of the album. One example is, I bought Focus for one single good 6:42 min long song, HOCUS POCUS. Same with Procol Harum with the first two songs, Whiter Shade of Pale and Conquistador.

[@biglebowski3961]

Did the reviewer expect Barry Manilow? 🤔

[@KennethFinuf]

Rush was simply amazing at that time I saw them back in 79. But by the 80s they got a little to techno for me !! Never the less they were one of the best bands of all time!!!

[@winstonlane708]

🐐🐐🐐

[@kennymik1509]

Over the years I noticed 2 different kinds of opening bands. 1) opening band "out of place"... basically "not really good" - thus leaving fans anxious and hungry for the main group. 2) opening band pretty good = like an appetizer for the main band. --- 2 different scenarios, similar outcomes.

[@marsdrums6298]

I had just turned 13 (December 22nd is my actual birthday) so I did not see this concert, but I do remember reading this article somewhere. I lived in the Chicago area But that's nowhere near Ottawa, Canada. But I did see them on the Moving Pictures tour. That was my first concert ever and I wanted it to be Rush. It HAD to be Rush as my first concert. I had even turned down I think it was an REO or a Styx concert earlier that year. I said, NOPE! Unless they are playing some date After Rush, I'm not going. Rush will be my first. But yeah, I do remember seeing that article somewhere. Maybe the Chicago news paper picked it up or something. I thought it was quite funny when I read it.

[@Charles-e8e9m]

Hey my friend pointed out to me at g/p show in Memphis ,84 a tech played rhythm on New world man,it looked like I'm not meaning it as a crack or slight,just wondered if that's something others saw?

[@Charles-e8e9m]

Don't forget when interviewed on their 20th anniversary in 94,where they were getting sympathy and you hang in there cards Paul busted gene out on air (on you tube , btw) when Geno said he's started several new countries laying it down for 20 years.

[@AKA_MR_LANCE]

Hemispheres was amazing , it was a great follow up for me personally as I first saw RUSH when they headlined at the old Santa Monica Civic in So Cal supporting 2112. Critics rarely have a true sense of art…a great deal of those in the early days were not unlike content providers today..they want likes or at the very least some recognition (good or bad) for their word smithing. If he wanted to see or review a show more of his taste or volume, then he should have gone to see Bread, Crosby Stills Nash and Young etc.

[@Charles-e8e9m]

Words of wisdom

[@Charles-e8e9m]

They let it get away, the reviewer mu st of been tour managing dozens of years

[@Charles-e8e9m]

He/she,/it/that probably did restarau nt reviews

[@AKA_MR_LANCE]

@@Charles-e8e9m Yup, it was just a fill in assignment that day 🥸

[@Charles-e8e9m]

That is why your a top guy

[@Kang2112]

I saw them then. Hell? Not quite brilliance yes whole heatedly yes. RUSH The greatest rock band that ever was or evber will be.

[@Charles-e8e9m]

I never liked instrumentals,then i encountered Dem Rush boys

[@gold98gtp]

Most reviewers at that time didn't have a clue or were too dumb to understand them.Just like the record exec telliing them to write shorter songs, which was appropriately followed by 2112.

[@juancastillo8948]

I get why the commenter did not like the Hemispheres section of the show, he was simply not accustomed to it yet. Hemispheres needs some time to digest, some taking a sit and actually listen to it more than once. It´s too prog! Afer that initial process you are good to go with the head banging and air drumming.

[@AdrianJeffreys-fj2fv]

This is the best album they ever did to bad i wish they would have stayed the course i like permanent waves and moving pictures but this is the best they could have done a couple more albums in this vein before moving on to me after a while they painted themselves in to a corner

[@jkovert]

Kansas was twice the band that Rush could ever hope to be.

[@kevingartland723]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@treycarmichael3605]

Rush were not a ballad band. They had a number of them regardless, and 2112, Xanadu, Hemispheres - the songs they would have played in this period all have quiet parts. Older stuff like Lakeside Park, In the End may have made it into these shows as well. And Closer to the Heart. but no, they weren't a hippy folkie band so they weren't going to pipe down for Your Local Critic.

[@JaredDoyle76]

In those days it was trendy to trash on Rush and many other progressive rock bands. The winds have changed in years since.

[@ZIG4ZAG20]

Overall the review wasn’t as ‘bad’ as most of those critics tried to be as nasty as they could be back then. I would have loved to experience them at that time however 1984’s GuP tour was my 3rd concert ever at 16 and it blew away the Judas Priest and AC/DC shows I saw prior to it. Those too were amazing but that first Rush show was leagues above. Then ironically saw KISS next and boy what a disappointment that was in Jan of ‘85🤷‍♂️🤘🖖✌️🥁🎸🎤🎹

[@Charles-e8e9m]

The last of your comment resonates in sync where you say those too were amazing... You got it right cash on the barrel head.

[@Charles-e8e9m]

Cus I did the same and felt the same as you

[@frankesquivel7590]

Rolling Stone also did horrible reviews on Rush in the 70s

[@Charles-e8e9m]

The reviewer, was it female,? All my exes said i played stereo home/ car too loud.

[@fjb4274]

Seen rush every time they came to Indianapolis since 77, except for Hold Your Fire and Presto tours.

[@fjb4274]

Alex rules