Rush

Date:
11 March 1979

Venue:
Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, FL

Tour Video:
Search YouTube

Comments:
Hemispheres Tour. Billed as "Tour of the Hemispheres."

My first concert. One of my friend's parents drove us to the show. It was general admission (as were most shows back then) and there was a big crowd pressing against the doors waiting for them to open. It was so tight that I could lift my feet off the ground and not fall. I'm pretty sure at least one glass door or window was broken. As a concert newbie I didn't know enough to be scared but looking back on it, I should've been.

At the time, the only Rush I knew was the Hemispheres album and they played it all. I was blown away by the light show and the synchronization with the performance. I vividly remember Alex Lifeson being silhouetted by a bright white light from behind him at one point.

I found this typical Hemispheres tour set list at a Rush fan web site.

• Anthem
• A Passage to Bangkok
• By-Tor and the Snow Dog
• Xanadu
• Something For Nothing
• The Trees
• Cygnus X-1
• Hemispheres
• Closer to the Heart
• Circumstances
• A Farewell to Kings
• La Villa Strangiato
• 2112 (minus Oracle)
• Working Man
• Bastille Day
• In the Mood
• Drum Solo

The opening act was UFO. I didn't know their music at all (I still don't) and don't recall anything about their set.

A concert review is available from the St. Petersburg Times newspaper.