The recording was made on a white mono Scotch portable recorder with attached microphone and cord. From 1974-1977 I used this rig almost exclusively. I would go for soundboard patches, carrying an accessory cord with micro plug jacks at the ends and a 1/4" phono jack for the patches. I would normally plug into the soundboard using the aux jack of the unit.
I wrote for a Springfield, IL newspaper while going to college there. Earlier that year (April 11, 1976) Rush played with Starcastle in the Waukegan ice rink, my home town. I taped Starcastle from the board (which their road manager later stole) but I was not able to record Rush that night. As for this Springfield Nelson Center show, I don't remember if the local production company (Hawkins) was there but Rush's team was at FOH for their set. I was not familiar with the band or their music. I actually pursued taping them just because of the missed chance in Waukegan.
When Rush was ready to go on stage I asked for permission to plug in and was told "yes." Somehow they had the idea that I had driven all the way from Waukegan to see them...what a fan. On some versions of my recording, what is sometimes described as "CB chatter". This is actually the sound of a crew member saying "Yeah it's the guy from Waukegan". It was recorded over but could still be heard in a previous transfer of this tape. It is less pronounced now but it’s still there.
The show wasn't very interesting to me except the song By-Tor and The Snow Dog. I thought that was outside their normal boundaries and sounded great. I eyed the deck for the tape during that song and found that it had run out so I flipped it as quick as I could. During that song Alex and Geddy sat on the risers playing with the building's acoustics. Working Man was also a surprise as everything seemed to catch fire and perk up during that song.
As for transfers, only two copies were ever made. This Rush tape has only been played a few times and then stored. As for storage, I take care of all my media and give it a good room in every house I've lived in (i.e. the recording has survived two floods). This transfer was done on a media lab deck. The tech turned off NR, Dolby, and chrome settings. It was run at 96000 Hz in Audacity. The tape broke with 3 min left on side 1. Upon opening the case there was an old splice from 19 years ago in the same spot. Once repaired it played to the end and then all of side 2 was transferred without a problem.
After the show, I went into the bowels of the arena, to the dressing rooms to conduct the interview. Unfortunately, there were mic problems which produced a lot of static and made this part of the recording difficult to hear clearly. Still, I should say that the Rush guys were very gracious and nice gentlemen, all three of them.
Regarding this remaster, I think it is superb and I thank the individual(s) responsible for it. There is detail in the sound that I have never noticed before, especially the foot pedal work on the drums. Peart was an interesting timekeeper, and also very kind when we spoke that evening. Funny, how you meet somebody once and…He can be heard at the end of the interview…articulate as always. Thank You to him, the rest of the band and the team that has brought this recording back for many to now enjoy.
