Rush: Live at Pink Pop Festival (2018)

 

Since RUSH has basically closed up shop and  went out on top of the Rock Game like a Champ  instead of running their legacy into the ground like so many do it’s great to see that their back catalogue is getting the Super Deluxe  Treatment!

A lot of the Rush’s 70’s studio output I have not owned ever and really my 1970’s Rush collection consisted of the RUSH debut from 1974. The fantastic double live All The World’s A Stage and a taped copy on cassette of A Farewell To Kings. 2112 I had heard courtesy of Tbone as he owned it. Kinda Pathetic Rush 1970’s collection  I know. But from 1980’s Permanent Waves through to the Double Live R40 release in 2016 I have bought all Rush everything and  in between.

Having said that…

It’s great for me to add to the collection of this deluxe Rush albums that are now popping up. The Deluxe Versions of ‘2112′ (a gift I received from Mr Books)  Last Year’s ‘A Farewell To Kings’ and now the  recently released ‘Hemispheres’ I have added to my collection thanks to iTunes at keeping it affordable!

So all these recent Rush Reissues are like new releases to me which is fantastic and I guess you could say “About Friggin Time!”

The bonus material added to the Hemisphere’s set is Rush playing an outdoor show in The Netherlands from 1979!

Pink Pop was an interesting  bill that featured Dire Straits/Elvis Costello/Peter Tosh/The Police amongst others. Pretty diverse day of music  I would say!

Live at Pinkpop Festival, June 4, 1979
1. “A Passage to Bangkok”
2. “Xanadu”
3. “The Trees”
4. “Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres – The Sphere (A Kind of Dream)”
5. “Closer to the Heart”
6. “La Villa Strangiato”
7. “In the Mood”
8. “Drum Solo”
9. “Something for Nothing”
Live in Arizona – November 20, 1978
10 .”2112″

I checked the set list for this show that Rush played and a few tracks are missing and that’s probably due to recording issues I mean this show is 39 years old!

Still though…

The sound from the Pink Pop show is wild. It almost sounds Bootleg like. No fixing up’s in the studio on this one Folk’s! It’s Rush Live 79! Plain and Simple! The mix treatment given to it sounds awesome. Geddy Lee’s Bass just sizzles on the right side. I love it when he hollers at the crowd during ‘In The Mood’ ”Let me see you hands Pink Pop!” Rush flexed its Prog Rock Muscle on this show.  Check out La Villa Strangato for instance. I mean when Rush goes all crazy with their crazy time signatures its such a mind blower to put it simply!

Alex Lifeson’s Guitar work is simply brilliant as you would expect and even back in 1979 Geddy still introduces Neil Peart as the ‘Professor on the Drum Kit‘ in which Neal demolishes his Kit during his 7 minute solo which is included here! Once again Peart proves without a doubt he is the Best! Neil is the only guy for a non musician like myself to actually listen to his solo and not push skip!

Even included as well is ‘2112′ played in its entirety from a year before at a show in Arizona from 1978! Brilliant as well! I can never get enough of ‘Temples of Syrinx’! This version sounds 100% off of the Soundboard as Geddy almost blows the speaker out with his patented 1970’s wail during the opening of 2112! Guitar effects 101   is featured as Alex just goes balls out on a wall of sound at times during his solo’s!

This is a great addition ( I will review the studio album later on) to my Rush collection. If you’re a Rush Fan you should add it as well!

Check back here on Friday when I review another Fantastic Live Release!