Audio 11 January 1979 - Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts [Audience]

[Rush Archives]

Downloads:​

• 1979-01-11 - Boston, Massachusetts
• Boston '79 - 16bit - Dan Lampinski
• Boston '79 - 24bit - Dan Lampinski
• Boston '79, Speed Corrected - Dan Lampinski
• Hemispheres In Boston

Track Listing:​

01 - Intro​

02 - Anthem​

03 - A Passage To Bangkok​

04 - By-Tor And The Snow Dog​

05 - Xanadu​

06 - Something For Nothing​

07 - The Trees​

08 - Cygnus X-1​

09 - Hemispheres​

10 - Closer To The Heart​

11 - Circumstances​

12 - A Farewell To Kings​

13 - La Villa Strangiato​

14 - 2112​

15 - Working Man​

16 - Bastille Day​

17 - In The Mood​

18 - Drum Solo​

Notes:​

• This was Rush's first performance of 1979, having taken a week and a half break during the tour following their performance on December 31 of 1978.
• There was a power outage in the venue during the very end of Xanadu, which explains why the song ended so abruptly. Fortunately, the power went out right as the song was ending.
• There is a very quick cut during the beginning of Hemispheres and during the beginning of Temples of Syrinx, otherwise, this recording captures the entire performance.
• Interestingly, this recording captures a portion of the extremely rarely heard outro music that would play after Rush walked off stage.
• This is easily one of the best audience recordings from the Hemispheres tour.
• This recording was made by well-known taper Dan Lampinski.
• Verifying the venue name was a little tricky as documentation was sparse, often conflicting information with other Boston venues, however the Music Hall is indeed correct. The venue was originally known as the Metropolitan Theatre in 1925, becoming known as the Music Hall between 1962 and 1980, and since then known as the Wang Theatre.

Preview:​

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[Bacchus Plateau]

First of all, thank you Dan for this wonderful piece of Rush History. Also thanks to the archivists for sharing it with us on this amazing website.

If you are looking for a high quality Hemispheres tour Audience Tape, you can't go wrong here. The sound quality is Excellent! Easily among some of the best audience recordings I've heard from 1979. The Show is complete, minus the 2 very small cuts stated above. Hemispheres being my favorite album, this was a joy to listen to with good headphones. Close your eyes and you are there!

This tour is sort of unique for the era with there being 5 SBD recordings. I am very thankful we have them for their clarity, but there's something about the atmosphere of a high quality AUD tape that you can't get from a SBD. The reverb of the venue, the true power of Neil's drumming, the crowd reactions; they bring this tape to life in a way that make the SBD tapes sound stale, almost clinical. As for the performances from this show, they are wonderful. Stand outs for me include; A Passage to Bangkok, The Trees, the complete Cygnus: Book I & II, A Farewell to Kings, 2112, and of course Neil's Solo. The end of show music at the end of the tape is a nice bonus as well. The audience members around the tapers also say some funny things throughout the show. My Favorite being the reaction to the Double Necks for Xanadu.

This will be a go-to tape for me in the future. Enjoy!

 

[rocky chains]

Bacchus Plateau, I completely agree with your assessment of audience tapes v. soundboards. This Dan Lampinski tape is outstanding for sure, the mix is almost perfect with all the instruments and vocals well heard. In particular, the high hat is sharply clear - remarkable for an audience tape at a loud concert. Dan L. recorded many shows over the 1974-1979 period in the Boston area (including Providence, Springfield, and other nearby locations), it's remarkable - outstanding tapes of Yes, The Who, Black Sabbath, Floyd, Springsteen, Queen, Bad Co. and many more. It's incredible. So glad he was there for this Rush show!

If I could be transported to one Rush show in the past, it would be hard to pass up Massey Hall, January 1976 for a headlining Caress of Steel tour gig. But if I truly think it through I'd possibly go for the Hemispheres tour, which hit so many high points for me, with the complete/near complete epics Cygnus I and II, and 2112; plus so many major and meaty songs from the 70s. Tough call - a true battle between the heart and mind!