September 29, 1976 - All The World's A Stage

Just one day after my last release another live album came out on September 29, 1976 when Rush released their first live album "All The World's A Stage". It was recorded during their tour for "2112" at Massey Hall in Toronto and is a double album. As I said with my last release, I do not have a ton of live albums, it just so happened that we hear two of them in a row! Not quite to the same extent as Led Zeppelin did, Rush extended several of their songs on this live album adding some new parts that I'm sure sound great. Let's check out some live Rush!

They kick off the show with "Bastille Day" as Alex Lifeson sets the stage with the catchy guitar riff. Geddy Lee's voice doesn't sound quite as crystal clear as the studio version, but he still hits some pretty high notes and I think he sounds great. His bass playing is as awesome as ever as he carries the beat while Lifeson goes off for the pretty cool solo. Neil Peart is his usual solid self throughout the song and at the end they really slow down the final riff of the song for epic effect. A nice way to open the concert as Geddy asks everyone how they're doing. Up next is "Anthem" as all three guys open playing some fantastic stuff. They stay true to the studio version for this song but all three guys replicate it perfectly, and there's a lot of quick stuff in there! Geddy's inflection might change slightly, or Peart adds an extra drum fill, just little changes as this song was already good as it was. Track 3 is "Fly By Night / In The Mood" but Geddy introduces it just as the first song. Lifeson cues up the memorable lead riff as Lee and Peart provide another one of the best rhythm sections you could ever ask for. They play the verse and chorus just as you'd expect and Lifeson plays the same wicked little solo as the original. Normally it would slow down for the bridge, but instead they connect it right into "In The Mood" in a pretty nicely done segue. Geddy sounds like he's having fun singing this one and Peart really spices it up with some much more involved drumming! Lifeson delivers another solo but Peart's amazing drumming really improves this rockin' jam! They do an excellent job and Geddy seems to thank the audience after every song. The first side wraps up with "Something For Nothing" as Lifeson once again leads the way. Geddy sounds really good and the guitar hits really heavy, emphatically starting and stopping. This is another example of staying true to the original but I find you hear Geddy's awesome bass playing even better in this live setting. We really hear all the little bass and drum bits that make Rush such a great band and they do another wonderful job on this song.

Side two opens up with "Lakeside Park" as Peart's superb drumming kicks it off as they settle into the main riff. Once again you can hear Lee's bass really well as he plays and sings very well. Lifeson delivers his short solo and after another chorus it slows down to the calmer section. This song is also very true to the original except the ending where we hear the trippy synths that start up the next track, "2112". Geddy introduces it as "the first side from our latest album" but it's actually about 4 minutes shorter than the studio version. They skip parts 3 and 5 of this huge epic, which I find a little bit disappointing, but they are much slower and they thought not suited for live shows I guess. Part 1 sounds the same though as we're treated to the eerie opening that leads into Lifeson's epic guitar. They play it note for note on guitar and bass as Neil plays some absolutely wonderful drums. Everything is just as epic and awesome as the original as they rock out until "the meek shall inherit the earth". They move into the awesome second part and everyone is performing so well! Geddy sounds fantastic, not missing any of those high notes, and all three guys play their instruments so damn well. The whole place gets very quiet as they skip over the Discovery part and move straight into the fifth part, Presentation. They do a very good job of replicating this part and it sounds very close to the original. Peart plays some really great drum fills as they seamlessly go back and forth between light rock and hard rock. Lifeson absolutely shreds it at the end of this section as I think this live solo is even better than the studio one, which is really saying something! Again they skip the slower section and go right into the sixth part, Soliloquy. This starts very slow and trance-like and it sounds pretty amazing. It kicks into gear once again as Geddy sings wonderfully before Lifeson goes off for another great guitar solo. They move right into the Grand Finale and things are sounding pretty epic as they build into the finish. Lifeson goes absolutely crazy and plays some amazing stuff before they all go insane for the ATTENTION ending. Even without the two missing sections, this was a fantastic song and still my favourite one so far probably.

Side three begins with "By-Tor And The Snow Dog" and this live version is about 4 minutes longer than the studio one! Geddy's singing is a little off from the original but it still sounds alright as the music sounds great. Geddy's bass is fantastic as usual and after the first couple verses Lifeson goes off for a pretty sweet guitar solo! It's definitely longer and more complicated than the original and it sounds great! Peart plays some amazing drums, including a couple really great fills as they play a great rock and roll flourish. It gets very quiet after the flourish as we hear Peart playing some chimes as Lifeson leads with some trippy guitar. There's a lot of bonus material in this part as Alex makes his guitar cry and moan and make all kinds of wonderful noises. Neil gives us an epic drum roll that builds into the slow "guitar solo". While Lifeson is playing some incredible guitar, I think Lee's heavy bass sounds wonderful as well as the two combine to make some great music. They finally bring it back for the last verse and end it all with another fantastic flourish. Very nicely done! The side is ending already, aptly with "In The End". This song already has a slow opening, but they slow it down even more as Lifeson plays the soft main riff. Geddy's light singing sounds good and Peart adds some light cymbals to form the main riff that I think didn't need to be slowed down even more. When Geddy finally joins on bass things get way heavier and things sound a lot better I think. All three guys play some cool stuff and it all sounds great together as these three really get each other. Lifeson plays another fantastic guitar solo and Peart continues to add so many different and amazing drum fills. Other than the slight tempo change, this song is pretty true to the studio one as they slow it down again for the calm finish.

The fourth and final side starts with another medley, "Working Man / Finding My Way". Lifeson kicks it off with the fantastic slow guitar riff and Peart adds some more complicated drums as well that sound great. Lifeson spices up the first guitar solo with some new flashy stuff and then Geddy's wonderful bass segues into the first extended solo of the song. All three guys are playing some great music in this solo and at the end of it they break off and start "Finding My Way". They connect the two songs really well and Geddy's voice sounds great. They play a shortened version for about 3 minutes, including another solid guitar solo, before they bring it back to where they left off "Working Man". They play out the final verse and chorus and at the end they slow it down even more than usual. Where normally we would hear the epic guitar finale that closes out this song, instead we are treated to a Neil Peart solo as Geddy says "ladies and gentlemen, the professor on the drum kit". Words cannot accurately describe a great drum solo, but this is surely one of the best ones I've ever heard. He goes slow, he goes fast, he does everything in between, showing off why he's regarded as one of the best drummers ever! Neil uses a set of wood blocks and other percussion to add to the usual drum kit sounds and he mixes everything together splendidly. At the end of this magnificent drum solo we finally get the rock and roll flourish ending and it sounds pretty freaking awesome as well. A fantastic song for sure and an amazing drum solo! What a way to seemingly end the album, but after a lot of cheering Rush do come back for an encore to play "What You're Doing". They play it a little slower than the studio version giving it a bit of a heavier feel but Geddy is still sounding great and hitting high notes even at the end of the show. Peart once again spices up the oldest songs by adding some great drum fills and these three really know how to rock! Lifeson plays one last fantastic solo and their final rock and roll flourish is even better than the last one. All three guys let loose one last time as this live album finally comes to a close. We hear the three members at the very end and Geddy sums it up perfectly: "man oh man what a show!"

That is the end of "All The World's A Stage" and I thought it was a pretty cool live album. They stayed true to the studio for the most part, but the couple medleys were nicely done and even though they didn't play the whole thing, "2112" was still an epicly awesome song. I believe this to be Rush's best live album and it's the only one I have in my library. After a couple long live albums it's time to get back to some new studio music!