Rush- Tom Sawyer first live performance

[oldjizzy]

Big Als sound is so huge, man. He just has that undertone and ring to his shit, man.

Makes that band rock, imo. I know they're all great. Many point to Gary, But IMO Al is way under rated by musicians and critics.

[95WOWJUNKIE]

@kouwwaman are you joking or you just being a dick or are you serious? 0.o

[gbauman777]

I love it, it is so raw. Look how far it came.

[doodleguitarist]

WTF is up with the tempo? It's all fuck'd!

[sedmikrasky1]

wow, what a Permanent Wave era sound.

[MidnightStalker47]

DAMN! i usually listen to metal and alternative but...this is awesome

[nirob]

this is sooooo much better than studio!!!!!!!!!!!!

[desuforeverlulz]

Is it just me or does he sound flat on the first verse?

[jjp009]

@desuforeverlulz You're not kidding. He was WAY flat on that first verse.  Either couldn't hear himself or the music, or it's something screwy with the audio.

[Acht1016]

@desuforeverlulz probably tape drag; everything else is flat at the same time . . .

[knodland]

I was lucky enough to go to the 2112 tour in stlouis,mo two nights in a row .It was the best shows Ive ever seen

[kouwwaman]

@knodland They play in the future??? WOWWW! They're more amazing than I first figured!

[jimmyEADG]

if only i was alive around that time. i have only been blessd with rushes latest work in my life time but sill all there other albums are brilliant. rush will never die!!!!!

[MrHideyoursheep]

That was Great, Love RUSH a Ton!

[335pro]

As far as the comments go about RUSH's live stuf being a bit slow, I've heard them say in interviews that they purposefully play just a bit slower than the studio recordings.

[MRguitarman8]

Wow, that was weird :/

[dorfus71]

It seems so strange to hear a more raw and quite different early version. The differences in the lyrics remove me from my comfort zone, makes me wonder if this was before help from Pye Dubois

[rumel02]

I HOPE IN THE ARMAGEDDON THIS WILL BE THE SONG EVERYBODY DIES LISTENING TO...ACROSS THE WORLD, THIS SONG OVER AND OVER....

[Darrylizer1]

Still working out the bugs. I saw them on the Moving Pictures tour and they nailed it. By then they'd worked out the kinks.

[normamitzy]

i was @ The Allentown Fairgrounds ,Pa , during Rushs' A Farewell to Kings Tour...way back..when Geddy anounced to us that they were playing for us , two new songs... Tom Sawyer and Limelight... I will never forget...thanx

[Abonanno24601]

its wierd that Geddy says Tom Sawyer but the audience is clueless. Oh man, what this song would become! ROCK ON!

[TruthSurge]

This tune ALWAYS drags live. Peart tries to delay his beats (as many great drummers do) but it just doesn't work on this one. Just makes it sound like they can't keep a steady beat. Another tune I hate live is Circumstances. godz it drags and ruins it.

[StephenAnthonyMusic]

@TruthSurge

When I saw them recently I thought "Time Stand Still" also dragged quite a bit.

[TruthSurge]

@StephenAnthonyMusic There's a big difference in delaying things by milliseconds or fractions of a second and just slowing down. I don't know why they drag sometimes but it's a... drag. hehe You'd almost think they'd at LEAST use a click to give them the tempo in concert (just intro, not a whole click track). cuz if you start too slow or too fast... it's not good.

[TurtleFL]

@TruthSurge On Exit Stage Left it doesn't seem to drag at all to me.

[TruthSurge]

@TurtleFL No, that album was good. It's just certain live vids I've watched where the tempo was either too slow, dragged at times or both. Rush is awesome. Just because I note that doesn't mean I think they are bad in any way. Just some tunes kind of suck if the tempo is too slow. Like Circumstances, for example. It really must be played at album speed - no faster, no slower.

[Catonian1]

Great find! "Tom Sawyer" not fully formed is an interesting listen, particularly to see where it wound up.

[IsThis4Entertainment]

whats with everyone and making click tracks sound bad? oh you mean the thing that can help you keep time? its not like they're lipsynching or not playing, its just to make sure their concerts are top notch, for those who would use it. THIS one clearly isn't because they go off timing a bit, but hey better then i could do.

[VideoMask93]

@IsThis4Entertainment I think this was before they even had the song finalized, as shown by the slightly off lyrics and different solo.

[kennyplay]

@snakehunter1964 we are talking Click track versus headset or in-ear monitors.Not good for me just facts. youtube doesn't allow to put a direct link in the message board. just look up RUSH S&A Tour - Concert Tech Documentary - Part 5/6

[kennyplay]

@kennyplay Not good for me just facts. youtube doesn't allow to put a direct link in the message board.

just look up RUSH S&A Tour - Concert Tech Documentary - Part 5/6

Head phones were used early on to hear sequences closely but he he and the others always used monitors on the floor . When they went into In-Ear monitors then they all started wearing them.

[kennyplay]

When Rush would write a aong sometimes they would play them at a concert BEFORE it got recorded. They could get different feels for certain parts and mess around with timing and see what version they liked best.

[JasonMarshMusic]

I want that shirt that he's wearing. Not a copy, but that actual shirt, with his sweat and all.

[randyman652002]

Love it!

[dlyciousmusic]

Terry Brown must have had a real headache when whipping Neil into shape during the recording sessions!

[dcs002]

@dlyciousmusic Neil Peart - Broon's original bane? ;o)

[snakehunter1964]

@dlyciousmusic what the??? ha!! ;) Neil's always been in shape!

[dlyciousmusic]

@snakehunter1964 I'm a big RUSH & NEIL PEART fan in this world, but i keep it real & can also critisize them. Neil needed lots of MENTAL guidance to perfect this song, and his timing on Tom Sawyer.

[snakehunter1964]

@dlyciousmusic i guess i can see your point.

[VideoMask93]

My conclusion after looking at info is that this was from a "warm-up tour" Rush did to polish this and Limelight before they did the final recording for Moving Pictures.

[ReiMonCoH]

I'm not buying it... Even if he was so stoned he couldn't talk Geddy wouldn't have fucked up the lyrics that bad. Nevermind, Neil Peart Never makes this many mistakes... Pre- moving pictures or not. This is a Fake

[wheredermusic]

@MusicMax141........ this was from the moving pictures period and forward. Don't get me wrong, Neil is an innovator for sure. But, wasn't known for his timing early on. He'll tell you himself that it was an issue when he first joined rush.

[snakehunter1964]

@wheredermusic ??? i'm not really sure i believe you on that. i mean, given his background BEFORE he joined Rush! you just CAN'T be a fan of groups like Yes and Genesis and NOT have good timing.

[wheredermusic]

@MusicMax141 Sorry... let me rephrase. His time keeping or tempo, if you will, fluctuates drastically through the course of the entire song. This is fairly typical of early "live" Rush. Don't confuse meter with tempo. Odd meter phrases aren't meant to be slowed down or sped up. This stems from the fact that Neil was a pattern oriented player from the get go. He wasn't groove or "feel" player. Contrary to popular belief, this led to the group implementing the use of in ear monitors with click.

[snakehunter1964]

@wheredermusic ok, i agree with you on that first comment. and maybe he wasn't a groove or feel player as you say, but the thing about them using a click track didn't really come about til they did Grace Under Pressure when they were doing songs like Red Sector A and Geddy was using a sequencer on the keyboard and it was crucial for Neil to have that click to stay in time with the sequencer. you're having to follow straight 16th notes. if you miss 1, or half of 1, it throws the whole thing off.

[MusicMax141]

@wheredermusic. What ur probably reffering to is the part of the song where its in 7/8. Thats where your counting is wrong.

[wheredermusic]

Neil's timing is god awful. It's obvious that his playing is a struggle. There's nothing musical about this performance. But, Rush fans seem to be oblivious to this matter.

[ty2569]

@wheredermusic you are a fucking idiot. hes the best drummer in the history of the world, i would love to see you try and play this song for even a minute

[dcs002]

@ty2569 He's a legend (arguably the best rock drummer), but it's true, Neil has said himself in interviews that he really struggled with tempo. He's not a god or a machine, but a mere mortal like the rest of us, and he wasn't born playing perfect drums. He's put in years of study and work to get that good. Allow him the humanity of having worked hard and improving at some point. Listen to 0:13, 1:25, 2:15, 2:50, & 4:30, one after the other. You'll see the tempo is all over, esp. his fills ~2:40.

[VideoMask93]

@dcs002 I'm noticing that the tempo is changing a lot, but I kinda like it.

[dcs002]

@VideoMask93 I love hearing imperfections in the performances of master musicians because it reminds me that they really are human, and that only increases its emotional impact on me. It feels more relevant to me because mere mortals are more like me than gods. I gotta say though, that slow-down at ~2:40 is too slow for my taste. At first I thought it might have been intentional (big slow-downs can sometimes increase energy), but he just got behind in his fills. It's still great music though!

[snakehunter1964]

@dcs002 i agree with you, but in my opinion, he's as close to perfect as you can get! ;)

[snakehunter1964]

@ty2569 you have a very good point! ;) i started out as a drummer in school. never really tried to play this, but have seen other guys try to do it and one thing i will say is you must have endurance! it's particularly hard on the wrist and arm for the hi-hat part(good exercise, though!), trying to keep those 16th notes steady and even with just one hand! and that's just a fraction of everything that's going on! i'm often awestruck watching all that Neil does on the drums.

[snakehunter1964]

@wheredermusic yeah, it's a live 1st performance of the song! you can't expect it to be flawless. give the guys a break! could you have done any better??

[andrewhurricane]

Geddy Lee is so flawless

[arrisloft1]

My God I thought i'd heard it all but that is just brilliant, totally raw, no clic tracks

[kennyplay]

@arrisloft1 Click tracks?  they dont use them and never have.

[snakehunter1964]

@kennyplay actually, they did! on Grace Under Pressure to keep in sync with the keyboard sequencers.

[kennyplay]

@snakehunter1964 For all, I've seen rush over 40 times, a musician and soundman myself. Let's clear this up for good. Rush uses NO CLICK TRACKS. If you don't believe me, listen to Brent Carpenter, sound monitor mixer. look up RUSH S&A Tour - Concert Tech Documentary - Part 5/6 and get to 6:48 and specifically 7:16. No Click tracks. End of Story.

[1896danr]

anyone else like the guitar solo better in this?

[rdtkga]

@1896danr nope! outstanding band!!!!!!!

[UntitledMediaInc]

its so wierd hearing him introduce it like nobodys heard it b4, and now everyone has

[snakehunter1964]

@UntitledMediaInc at the time of this live performance, nobody HAD heard it before. :)

[LOLKloklok]

OMG EPIC!!

[oldrichflorian]

Nobody from the audience knew that it will be one of the most famous rock songs in the history.

[tacobill70]

Does anyone know when and where this was recorded?

[James16384]

@tacobill70 Allentown, Pennsylvania, 9-30-1980



[gsoltis29]

WOW! _ major meter issues with Neil.......his tempo is all over the place. I love the the ugy and this band but this is pretty loose....actually in that respect it's really cool......they don't usually do anything half assed....and this is kinda :)

[charliehustle141]

little flat in the beginning

[westernchieftan]

Like Zep they have worked in a broad spectrum of styles to a very high standard both creatively and in presentation. I would mention that YYZ is possibly one of the finest and most accessible prog rock tracks of all time and stands out in it's field as representing the genre perfectly. I am not particularly a Rush fan but one cannot pass them by without acknowledging their contribution. Spirit of radio is another track that represents popular rock in a way that is almost unbeatable.

[dssk1023]

omg geddy lee is playing a rickenbacker 4003.. I'm so jealous

[snakehunter1964]

@dssk1023 they're great! ;) i have 2 of them.

[djlancejordan]

funny how alex is just shredding on the solo... not developed... and wow, the totally drop the temp on the last verse... like Neil's pill just kicked in... haha!!!

[nozfe7]

Keyboard sounds great. Astral

[dngrCharlie]

This was performed on the Moving Pictures "warm up" tour before going into the studio to record the album. I was fortunate enough to see Subdivisions and The Analog Kid on a "warm up" tour in Lake Charles, LA. I guess you could say the Time Machine tour is a "warm up" tour for Clockwork Angels. The only difference is they have already released the two tracks. 

[pfmrokman]

OK. Is everyone in on the joke but me?

Or is maxey5150 removing all the negative comments?

Moving Pictures was written in the studio (watch "RUSH beyond the lighted stage") in Quebec.

RUSH would 'NEVER' play this sloppy.

This poster is in a (not half bad) Rush tribute band or something like that. He must piss his pants laughing at all your insane comments. Think about it boys..

[1612HavenhurstDrive]

@pfmrokman

That's sweet that the poster got Geddy Lee to sing for his Rush tribute band!

[James16384]

@pfmrokman This is from an entire concert album; do an online search for RUSH: Something old, Something New.

[MrDrumzOrz]

And thus was born a masterpiece.

[drfunk444]

love the beginning of Lifesons solo 

[kurijaco]

いたるところに細かく違うところがあって興味深い〜。

[zackjp]

geddy rockin the half shirt NICE

[97ledzepp]

.... did i just have an audio lag or did he not mention the fucking river??!!!

[throwsand]

@PooPooOnMyNewShoe this isn't really "Rock and Roll", this is progressive rock, which is a totally different genre. Thus song has no soul either lol, just great instrumental performances

[5sheldoncooper]

@throwsand rush are not prog...never have been.

[throwsand]

@5sheldoncooper My, what an ignorant comment! Explain how the whole "Hemispheres" album is not progressive. Lengthy songs? Yes. Instrumentals? Yes. Outstanding musical performances? Yes. Sci-fi and mythology lyrics? Yes. Weird time signatures throughout the album? Yes. If Rush isn't progressive rock, what is??

[5sheldoncooper]

@throwsand yes the band briefly dabbled with prog....that ended with hemispheres.

[throwsand]

@5sheldoncooper Briefly? How do you explain their other sidelong epics? Their true prog era era was 1975-1984

[mystikrhythms61]

@throwsand I kind of agree that their prog era "sort of" ended after Hemispheres. However, Jacob's Ladder, Natural Science and The Camera Eye seemed to carry the extended (prog) length tracks into the early 80's. Certainly nothing wrong with what they did after that. Rush has always been Rush and it's all been great!

[Kruegerisgod]

@5sheldoncooper rush has always (even the first album)had weird time signatures

[prsplayer210]

@5sheldoncooper pure ignorance you obviously have no idea what progressive means. unorthodox time signatures, instrumentals, multiple time signatures per song. they obviously pushed the boundaries of what rock was and is. hence progression

[MrHeitz17]

It get so slooooooooow in the middle

But I love the fact that this is how it started

[ruleta74835]

@MrHeitz17 - I like the slow down....wish they had kept it that way. Maybe it's just that I have heard Tom Sawyer a billion times so I enjoy hearing this slightly different arrangement.

[metzepp]

THE RIVER!!!!

[owensdad00]

To hear the words 'something brand new' and 'on our next album' is time machine back to the future type shit. I got this off napster back in the day and its audio gold for any RUSH fan..

[spike007980]

The whole crowd just had their mind blown...TENFOLD!

[fooloof]

We can hardly hear the Minimoog! Turn it up!!!

[jeffcosgrove]

Ladies and gentlemen, you are getting a rare look into how a song is born, especially one that may be birthed during a time of touring. Songs may make many changes before taking shape on an album. They are obviously not near as sure of the song structure as they would be after defining it on Moving Pictures, but that's what makes this so special. I'm sure the audience, in hearing it for the first time was not near as critical as we are, knowing the final production. They simply loved it.

[shlbirdman14]

jeez rushed it a little bit at the beginning eh?

[crazypenny94]

The lyrics are different

[tony1238]

so dark....I love it

[thedogduncan]

ol' neil was all over the place on this one. this is probably something he likes to forget but is actually quite hilarious. i'm lovin' it....

[stuka52]

Rush has changed tempo on other songs as well. Listen to them do "Working Man" live now, it's much slower.

[iBass27]

@stuka52 when i saw them live 2 months ago, they played Working Man, and although the beginning was slower, it's because they changed the verses and choruses into a reggae jam. the solo/bridge section was just as fast, or faster than the original. it was also much much heavier and so full of balls, i nearly shat my pants.

[BlogsbytheDay]

Rush, a gift to Canada, or Canada, a gift to Rush. Either way, still the same :)

[rixo86]

@BlogsbytheDay i might say RUSH a Gift from Canada to the World!!!

[jetboy66]

This is why they have producers. This is a very early and raw version of this song. Geddy was even quoted as saying that he hated it initially. Then Terry Brown got a hold of it and made it into the anthem that we all know and love.

[BuayaGuy]

Whoa, it's like they're in some kind of limbo...they start off fast, then go into slow motion :)

Still sounds good, sounds like Rush :)

[jarjar2112]

God.. the tempo is DRAGGING.

[MrTAK737]

weird solo

[JM13121]

Thanks for the upload!

[globinsa]

After

"No, his mind is not for rent "

The lyric is different.

I cannot understand it very well, can some please put down the old lyrics for me? :)

[Undertaker4150]

@globinsa its the same

[globinsa]

@Undertaker4150 No it is not. Pay attention to 2:49

[joeldoer]

I love this version

[iamcraiger]

wow, tempo is all over the place

[MCCProductionz]

@iamcraiger yeah, its beta xD

[exodus2142]

THE RIVER!!



[s4001]

Four people are Rebecca Black fans.

[neilgatpandan]

shit son. Alex's shredding changed the whole song. this is pure awesomeness.

[Rushguitarist1]

Nice chest hair Geddy!

[Rimshot247]

RUSH!...Canada's gift to the world, Thank you.

[hitopsful]

dude alex just annihilates that solo! hot damn

[PietMichaelPfaff]

yeah wtf alex is just shredding utter madness!!! lol

[burgeranacoke]

Very nice! What a treat to listen to...love the synth on this

[christschool]

Where the hell did you find this?

[lax8196]

hahaha the people weren't prepared to here the greatness.... 20 premature deaths occurred because of this that night

[tbird1028]

@lax8196 is this really true and can u send me an article or sumthing?

[lax8196]

@tbird1028 .... yes?

[GalfRendun]

Go Alex!

[zigzagbigbag]

its just not the same not hearing THE RIVER! lol

[averageguy65]

very interesting to say the least!

[averageguy65]

very interesting to say the least!

[base1er]

Alex shreds it in this version! Love it! Its their song,..what balls to judge a band thats uncomparable. Tom Sawyer STILL ROCKS!

[RudiGuliani]

I love hearing these "firsts" and how the audience has no frick'in idea what is happening before them. This is like being in an art class with Andy Warhol...and not knowing it because he's not "Andy Warhol" yet! This Top 200 Rock song of all time, unbeknownst to the audience, is being played right before their very eyes and ears. And they won't even realize it for years to come what they witnessed.

[zackjp]

3 tone def people cant hear or look at geddys hot chest

[thebatman101069]

@zackjp hahaha, he almost looks like he's in a glam band!

[lynchmaub]

Wow-Alex's shredding solo is wayyyy different than what ended up on the record!

[DrMonkeymint]

3 people tried to write the best rock song of the 80's

[iyot1020]

slappin the BASSS!!

[freewill51]

At about 1:15 his voice sounded like the hemispheres period. Very cool!

[edetyg]

one of the best songs ever

[theDurangoman]

Only a damn Obama voter would 'dislike' this song

[zackjp]

@Pawnjaa XD i was looking O:

[Michael55443]

Rough around the edges, but history proves it becomes a classic!

[gaarack]

'Catch the spirit

Catch the fish...'

Google it for the funny and true story!

[MrTeddy236]

pretty sure the audience shit themselves after the keyboards came in

[nefhead]

This is a trainwreck!

[threepeater]

I saw Rush on Hemishperes through Signal and Presto and Roll the Bones tours... these older original mixes take me back to the time when they were a little more raw and still ahead of everybody technologically!! Thanks for sharing these amazing songs in their infancy.

[MrsClassicRockFan]

I'm not used to hearing a few cheers after Geddy Lee says Tom Sawyer.

[2mjfan]

What can you say,they are truly the greatest collection of talent ever to come together in the form of a rock band!!!

[BDizDaBest]

it's so weird hearing the audience stay quiet after geddy says "this is called Tom Sawyer" lol

[JDALIVETUBE]

@BDizDaBest LOL so true

[GuitarGare]

@BDizDaBest But it would be the LAST time they remained quiet, huh? : )

[sonicismybrawler]

@GuitarGare Agreed XD

[JoeAuriun]

@BDizDaBest I can hear them loud, just they're hardly in the mix. It's more-so the band in this one than the audience.

[WhitePowerPatriot88]

@213kid No shit pal...that's why he said it was weird hearing them stay quiet... why do you think he even said it in the first

[francky101]

he forgot  THE RIVER!!!!!

[James16384]

@francky101 I think they either didn't have it written in yet, or didn't want to release the Moving Pictures version. "Stride" and "Pride" are also backwards here.

[magicsinglez]

lol



[Dan441734]

I remember when they performed this in New Haven Connecticut!! I thought it sounded so cool!!

[LivingInTheLimeligh7]

@Dan441734 It wasn't just a thought, it realy sounds so cool

[HesTNTonPMS]

I loved it !

It is always great to hear a different version and one of the first as well .

What a treat for a real RUSH FAN !

[ProfDangerDrSafety]

they obviously did a lot of work on this song after this performance. its still good though

[hammockrat1]

its a lot faster as well.

[KillerMonkeys567]

The lyrics are so diferrent.