DIFFERENT STAGES - LIVE

RUSH's Different Stages album wraps up their 90's era musical phase, which I call their "Contemporary period". Albums included are Presto (1989), Roll the Bones (1991), Counterparts (1993), Test for Echo (1996), and Different Stages "Live" (1998).

With the prospect of working on the next new Rush album put on an indefinite hold by the personal tragedies that fell upon Rush's drummer, Neil Peart during 1997, Geddy Lee, the band's bassist, took it upon himself to go ahead and work on getting something out to the fans.

Different Stages is Rush's fourth live album up to that point, and in my opinion, the best of them all. It's the most comprehensive live set ever offered. Basically it's a live greatest hits package with live versions of some songs presented for the first and possibly last time. Different Stages comes mostly from Rush's Test for Echo Tour in 1996, which was the first time they played to fans with no opening act. It was billed as An Evening with Rush, and what an evening it was! Awesome long shows running 2 1/2 to 3 hours long. They even played 2112 in it's entirety! Awesome. I saw the show at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans on December 6th 1996.

There are two discs filled with Live Rush from that tour, and then, as a bonus, you get a vintage 1978 show recorded in London from the Farewell to Kings tour. This was originally recorded to be a radio show that was never broadcast. It's nice to hear them play some of these songs from back in the day. A real treat for long-time fans like myself. I consider Different Stages the band's top live offering based on the amount of music, songs presented, quality of the recording, and the bonus disc from 1978. I know that many fans think Exit.Stage Left is better, but with everything considered, this one just edges it out.