Downloads:
1976-03-05 - Mount Prospect, Illinois (44-16 AKAV)
1976-03-05 - Mount Prospect, Illinois (96-24 AKAV)
Track Listing:
01 - Intro
02 - Bastille Day
03 - Anthem
04 - Lakeside Park
05 - I Think I'm Going Bald
06 - By-Tor And The Snow Dog
07 - Fly By Night
08 - Working Man
09 - Drum Solo
10 - Finding My Way
Notes:
This is one of only two recordings from the "Down The Tubes" tour that are known to exist in circulation, and features the only known live recording of I Think I'm Going Bald.
This also features one of five known recordings of Fly By Night played in its entirety. Within three weeks after this show, Fly By Night was only ever played partially in a medley with In The Mood.
Another unique aspect of this recording is Finding My Way being played as the sole encore, when with later recordings it is always played in partial form in a medley of other songs.
During the debut Rush tour and Fly By Night tour, Finding My Way was always the opening song, which was replaced with Bastille Day starting with the Caress Of Steel tour.
Even though March 5 has long been considered part of the very beginning of the 2112 tour, it appears that some of the earliest dates didn't yet feature 2112 tracks.
The 2112 album was recorded sometime during a month off from touring between January 10 and February 6, but not released until approximately very late March.
From February 6 to sometime around mid March 1976, it is now being considered as an extension of the COS tour that preceded the proper start of the 2112 tour.
With plenty evidence presented, many people are now believing that the COS tour properly ended on March 8, while the 2112 tour properly started a week later on March 15.
By the time of the March 26 Seattle concert three weeks later, they were already playing the standard 2112 tour setlist we see repeated in May in Springfield and June in Toronto (ATWAS album).
For a full explanation of the date controversy, you can read the discussion in the posts below, which thoroughly presents all evidence that the COS tour likely spanned longer than previously believed.
The setlist structure here at the Randhurst Arena very closely resembles what we currently know about typical non-headlining concerts during the Caress Of Steel tour.
The difference here is that The Necromancer seems to have been omitted in favor for I Think I'm Going Bald and Fly By Night, plus enough time for an encore with Finding My Way.
Confirmed by Rush's original sound engineer Ian Grandy, I Think I'm Going Bald was played during a small handful of COS tour dates, allegedly usually resulting in a poor reception.
While no one knows for sure if parts of The Fountain Of Lamneth were ever played, there have been fan reports claiming that some iteration was played during some COS tour performances.
Alongside the 15 November 1975 Rockford recording, no other recordings from the Caress Of Steel tour have yet been reported to exist with any credibility.
Unless you attended a concert in 1975 or 1976, Rush fans have never heard I Think I’m Going Bald played live.
For years it was debated if it ever was played live, and largely believed that it wasn’t, even after substantial first hand accounts have been around for a while that proved it was indeed played.
Though without hard evidence, it was difficult for the facts to get into public consciousness.
For a long time, a live recording of I Think I’m Going Bald has been one of several potential Rush recordings held at a mythical holy grail status.
By the gracious generosity of original taper Mark Moore, and the help of “Analog Kid Audio Video” for the high quality transfer, we now can hear this song live for the first time.
In the book "Wandering The Face of The Earth: The Official Touring History", there is a note claiming that a recording for this date once existed and featured Bald, but had since been long lost.
In the past I'd spoken with someone about this "lost" recording, who is friends with the person who provided the claim about the tape once existing.
He stated that when it was recorded, only a few copies were made amongst a small group of friends.
He claimed the tape(s) had been lost or possibly taped over many decades ago, innocently not realizing its great value, and that none of the copies were able to be found.
Despite all that, the recording is now proven to have somehow survived these assertions of its likely demise, and what a miracle it is for Rush history that it did survive.
Luckily, the taper, Mark Moore, had recently unearthed the master tape during the summer of 2022.
If you or anyone you know recorded Rush at any point between 1968 and mid-1977, these are very valuable documents of Rush history, and would be very important to be preserved online.
YouTube:
1976-03-05 - Mount Prospect, Illinois (44-16 AKAV)
1976-03-05 - Mount Prospect, Illinois (96-24 AKAV)
Track Listing:
01 - Intro
02 - Bastille Day
03 - Anthem
04 - Lakeside Park
05 - I Think I'm Going Bald
06 - By-Tor And The Snow Dog
07 - Fly By Night
08 - Working Man
09 - Drum Solo
10 - Finding My Way
Notes:
This is one of only two recordings from the "Down The Tubes" tour that are known to exist in circulation, and features the only known live recording of I Think I'm Going Bald.
This also features one of five known recordings of Fly By Night played in its entirety. Within three weeks after this show, Fly By Night was only ever played partially in a medley with In The Mood.
Another unique aspect of this recording is Finding My Way being played as the sole encore, when with later recordings it is always played in partial form in a medley of other songs.
During the debut Rush tour and Fly By Night tour, Finding My Way was always the opening song, which was replaced with Bastille Day starting with the Caress Of Steel tour.
Even though March 5 has long been considered part of the very beginning of the 2112 tour, it appears that some of the earliest dates didn't yet feature 2112 tracks.
The 2112 album was recorded sometime during a month off from touring between January 10 and February 6, but not released until approximately very late March.
From February 6 to sometime around mid March 1976, it is now being considered as an extension of the COS tour that preceded the proper start of the 2112 tour.
With plenty evidence presented, many people are now believing that the COS tour properly ended on March 8, while the 2112 tour properly started a week later on March 15.
By the time of the March 26 Seattle concert three weeks later, they were already playing the standard 2112 tour setlist we see repeated in May in Springfield and June in Toronto (ATWAS album).
For a full explanation of the date controversy, you can read the discussion in the posts below, which thoroughly presents all evidence that the COS tour likely spanned longer than previously believed.
The setlist structure here at the Randhurst Arena very closely resembles what we currently know about typical non-headlining concerts during the Caress Of Steel tour.
The difference here is that The Necromancer seems to have been omitted in favor for I Think I'm Going Bald and Fly By Night, plus enough time for an encore with Finding My Way.
Confirmed by Rush's original sound engineer Ian Grandy, I Think I'm Going Bald was played during a small handful of COS tour dates, allegedly usually resulting in a poor reception.
While no one knows for sure if parts of The Fountain Of Lamneth were ever played, there have been fan reports claiming that some iteration was played during some COS tour performances.
Alongside the 15 November 1975 Rockford recording, no other recordings from the Caress Of Steel tour have yet been reported to exist with any credibility.
Unless you attended a concert in 1975 or 1976, Rush fans have never heard I Think I’m Going Bald played live.
For years it was debated if it ever was played live, and largely believed that it wasn’t, even after substantial first hand accounts have been around for a while that proved it was indeed played.
Though without hard evidence, it was difficult for the facts to get into public consciousness.
For a long time, a live recording of I Think I’m Going Bald has been one of several potential Rush recordings held at a mythical holy grail status.
By the gracious generosity of original taper Mark Moore, and the help of “Analog Kid Audio Video” for the high quality transfer, we now can hear this song live for the first time.
In the book "Wandering The Face of The Earth: The Official Touring History", there is a note claiming that a recording for this date once existed and featured Bald, but had since been long lost.
In the past I'd spoken with someone about this "lost" recording, who is friends with the person who provided the claim about the tape once existing.
He stated that when it was recorded, only a few copies were made amongst a small group of friends.
He claimed the tape(s) had been lost or possibly taped over many decades ago, innocently not realizing its great value, and that none of the copies were able to be found.
Despite all that, the recording is now proven to have somehow survived these assertions of its likely demise, and what a miracle it is for Rush history that it did survive.
Luckily, the taper, Mark Moore, had recently unearthed the master tape during the summer of 2022.
If you or anyone you know recorded Rush at any point between 1968 and mid-1977, these are very valuable documents of Rush history, and would be very important to be preserved online.
YouTube: