41 years. 29 tours. Over 2100 shows.
There aren't many rock bands that work, or tour, harder than Rush. Or that have more fun doing it.
Geddy, Alex and Neil played their first show together on August 14th, 1974, opening for Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann in front of 11,000 fans at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. They were on the road supporting their eponymous debut album, released on March 1st of that year while John Rutsey was still on the drum kit.
They wouldn't stop touring for 41 years, finally closing out the "live band" era of their history on August 1st, 2015 at The Forum in Los Angeles, on the last night of their celebratory R40 world tour, which marked the 40th anniversary of Neil Peart's membership in the band. This final tour sold 442,337 tickets over 35 shows. Almost half a million human beings turned out to say farewell to The Three Stooges.
Those two bookend shows, and everything in between them, are the subject of a veritable tome entitled Rush: Wandering The Face Of The Earth: The Official Touring History, which is slated to be released by Insight Editions on October 15th. According to Amazon, this history clocks in at 416 pages and 1.7 pounds in Large Portrait format (9 inches by 12 inches).
Written by Skip Daly and Eric Hansen, Rush: Wandering The Face Of The Earth collects tour dates, set lists, pictures and stories from the band, crew members, and fans; some of the material has not been published before.
Amazon currently has it listed for pre-order at $45. Order here.
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