Hold Your Fire/Show of Hands Dates

March 04, 1988 Great Balls of Fire
Location: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA
Source: Audience (Analog Master)
Grade: A-
Setlist: Intro / The Big Money 6:47
Subdivisions 5:37
Limelight 4:45
Marathon 7:07
Turn The Page 5:14
Prime Mover 5:42
Manhattan Project 5:12
Closer to the Heart 4:43
Red Sector A 5:43
Force Ten 5:17
Distant Early Warning 7:08
Lock and Key 6:11
Territories 5:47
YYZ / Drum Solo 6:40
Red Lenses 9:29
The Spirit of Radio 5:25
Tom Sawyer 5:46
2112: Overture / Temples of Syrinx 6:11
La Villa Strangiato 5:31
In the Mood

Comments: Here is a great Hold Your Fire show. The mix is very good, everything is well heard and the resolution and fidelity are excellent, makes for a very clear reception of the band, there is no echo to be heard, same with reverb, and there is no distance as everything is very good here. There is some bottom end distortion that only some will notice, it might have gotten an A if it weren't for the distortion, but its not very noticable at most times. The performance is pretty good here. The boys are in a good mood to be in Michigan, as they do very much like the Detroit area (to bad its not a good place to be) but Alex is very funny tonight, and you will hear it if you trade it with me. A show you definatly should check out.

January 23, 1988 JD3-The Definitive Edition
Loaction: The Myriad, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Source: Audience (Master)
Grade: A
Setlist: Intro :46
The Big Money 5:57
Subdivisions 5:24
Limelight 4:19
Marathon 3:03
Turn the Page 7:02
Prime Mover 4:50
Manhattan Project 5:32
Closer to the Heart 5:03
Red Sector A 5:36
Force Ten 4:56
Time Stand Still 5:44
Distant Early Warning 6:40
Lock and Key 6:26
Mission 5:47
Territories 6:17
YYZ 3:13
The Rhythm Method 6:26
Red Lenses :26
The Spirit of Radio 4:54
Tom Sawyer 5:35
2112: Overture 4:13
2112: Temples of Syrinx 1:53
La Villa Strangiato 5:24
In the Mood 3:04

Comments: Wow, I heard that this was good, and then when I got it, i was absolutly amazed by the outstanding sonics and sound quality. The highs, mids, and lows are captured perfectly, without any overload or any distortion to be heard. There is no distance, no annoying echo that you get everytime there is a very large stadium place that Rush places, and the crowd noise is a definate minimal, you can tell this is a proffesional taper. The band puts on a good show, Alex is in la-la land as he always is, but that makes a very interesting rant from him of course. A show that you have to have in your Hold Your Fire collection, it will be incomplete without it.


November 12, 1987 Invisible Force
Location: RPI Fieldhouse, Troy, New York, USA
Source: Audience (Master)
Grade: A-/A
Setlist: Subdivisions 5:11
Limelight 4:50
Marathon 6:44
Turn the Page 4:41
Prime Mover 5:29
Manhattan Project 5:06
Closer to the Heart 4:07
Red Sector A 5:25
Force Ten 4:57
Time Stand Still 5:18
Distant Early Warning 6:34
Lock and Key 6:34
Mission 5:28
Territories 6:12
YYZ 3:10
The Rhythm Method 4:39
Red Lenses 0:18
The Spirit of Radio 4:53
Tom Sawyer 5:00
2112 6:00
La Villa Strangiato 5:10
In the Mood 2:22

Comments: I have a different source than the one that Digital Reproductions used, and comparing the two different boots, this one is far better. The price we pay for much better sound is The Big Money, as that apperantly was missing from the master tapes. What is here sounds excellent, sounds near soundboard at times. Everything is very well captured, and there is no distortion that I can pick up with my ears at the moment. The performance, especially for so early in the tour, is excellent. The boys are already in tight shape, and are completely on fire tonight. This show is definatly a must have recording.

May 02, 1988 Ahoy, Eh?
Location: Ahoy Sportpaleis, Rotterdam, Holland
Source: Audience
Grade: B+/A-
Setlist: The Big Money 6:53
Subdivisions 5:29
Limelight 4:56
Marathon 7:00
Turn the Page 4:51
Prime Mover 5:36
Manhattan Project 5:14
Closer to the Heart 4:51
Red Sector A 5:29
Force Ten 5:16
Time Stand Still 5:34
Distant Early Warning 6:36
Lock and Key 6:29
Mission 6:03
Territories 6:31
YYZ / Rhythm Method 9:02
Red Lenses 0:24
The Spirit of Radio 5:00
Tom Sawyer 6:02
2112 6:08
La Villa Strangiato 5:19
In the Mood 3:41

Comments: A good performance by the guys that is not to be missed. The show is absolutly blistering for a German performance, the boys are having alot of fun, and Geddy even comments on how well the audience was singing tonight as they were chanting something for a while, and Geddy decided to compliment them. The sound is pretty good too. There is some muffling at times, but the overall sound is very good. The mix especially is near perfection as all of the instruments are very well balanced, and the bass and highs have very good punch, and Neil is hitting with authority. The show is good, you have to get it.


April 23, 1988 Birmingham '88 - Remaster Edition
Location: National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England
Source: Multi Track Soundboard
Grade: A+
Setlist: Three Stooges Intro 0:52
The Big Money 5:57
Subdivisions 5:23
Marathon 6:32
Turn The Page 4:42
Prime Mover 5:33
Manhattan Project 5:10
Closer To The Heart 4:32
Red Sector A 5:11
Force Ten 4:55
Time Stand Still 5:11
Distant Early Warning 5:15
Lock And Key 6:34
Mission 5:41
Territories 6:20
YYZ 3:18
The Rhythm Method 4:37
The Spirit Of Radio 4:59
Tom Sawyer 5:38
2112: Overture/The Temples of Syrinx 5:33
La Villa Strangiato 5:27
In The Mood 3:11

Comments: The remastered version of Desperate Voice, and I would perfer this show to any other show because of the rocking performance and the definatly excellent sound. The amazing sound is due to the fact that this is a soundboard recording, or more like a pro shot rip from the Show of Hands video source, which is available in any store that sells DVD's (Named Rush Replay x3 due to the fact that it has the Grace Under Pressure tour video, and the Exit...Stage Left DVD as well, and Show of Hands DVD). There are no more pops like in the Desperate Voice boot, but I think that they are both worth a spot in your collection.

April 05, 1988 Imaginations on Fire
Location: Mecca Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Source: Audience
Grade: B+/A-
Setlist: Intro
The Big Money
Subdivisions
Limelight
Marathon
Turn the Page
Prime Mover
Manhattan Project
Closer to the Heart
Red Sector A
Force Ten
Time Stand Still
Distant Early Warning
Lock and Key
Mission
Territories
YYZ
The Rhythm Method
The Spirit of Radio
Tom Sawyer
2112
La Villa Strangiato
In the Mood

Comments: The sound here is definatly amazing, but I think that the performance here is a tad lacking, but the sound is good enough to turn people onto this show. The crowd is very well represented tonight, but i definatly don't mean that in a bad way by any means of the imagination (no pun intended). They are really up for the show, digging the performance, and they always love the music no matter what. The crowd is almost never heard inbetween the songs, which is amazing, but at the end of a song they go very crazy. The sound here is definatly excellent, with great high end and such like that. This show comes close to the Little Rock show, but the performance definatly dosen't. Its not that the performance is bad, they just seem to be a bit tired tonight, and Geddy seems to struggle with some songs. A great Hold Your Fire boot that you definatly will enjoy time and time again.

April 30, 1988 Live in London '88
Location: Wembly Arena, London, England
Source: Audience
Grade: B
Setlist: The Big Money 6:27
Subdivisions 5:09
Limelight 4:38
Marathon 6:39
Turn the Page 4:42
Prime Mover 5:23
Manhattan Project 5:03
Closer to the Heart 4:44
Red Sector A 5:20
Force Ten 4:50
Time Stand Still 5:18
Distant Early Warning 6:27
Lock and Key 6:21
Mission 5:34
Territories 6:00
YYZ 3:06
The Rhythm Method 5:35
Red Lenses 0:21
The Spirit of Radio 4:48
Tom Sawyer 5:38
2112 5:57
La Villa Strangiato 5:13
In the Mood 3:00

Comments: In the middle pack of the shows that I have heard from the Hold your fire tour, but this isn't too bad. There is slight compression and muffled sounding throughout most of the show, but at times it seems to clear up. There isn't too much distortion or tape hiss that I know of, and the performance here is pretty good. They give a good night tonight, but definatly not best of tour sounding show with the performance or with the sound. I think that everyone should have this show if you are a completist, casual collectors might find this show a little out of sound range for them, but a great show none-the-less.


January 26, 1988 The Mission
Location: Barton Coliseum, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
Source: Audience (2nd gen Analog)
Grade: A/A-
Setlist: Manhattan Project 5:22
Closer to the Heart 5:06
Red Sector A 5:34
Force Ten 4:58
Time Stand Still 5:32
Distant Early Warning 6:36
Lock and Key 6:32
Mission 5:26
Territories 6:23
YYZ / Rhythm Method 9:35
Red Lenses 0:27
The Spirit of Radio 4:56
Tom Sawyer 5:56
2112 6:07
La Villa Strangiato 5:14
In the Mood 2:51

Comments: A great little show that we have here. This, unfortunatly, is only the 2nd part of the show, so we are missing out on 1/3rds of this show. But, the sound really makes up for it. This sound is definatly excellent, with everything coming in near perfectly with Geddy leading in the mix, and with Alex really sounding great tonight. I think the performance is perfect, they have fun tonight, and I really like it for most of the tour. I think this has to be one of the best boots from the whole tour soundwise, but I think it would have gotten a better grade if it were actually complete, but I like what we have here.


April 02, 1988 The Dream Ignites
Location: Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Source: Audience (2nd Gen)
Grade: A-
Setlist: The Big Money
Subdivisions
Limelight
Marathon
Turn The Page
Prime Mover
Manhattan Project
Closer To The Heart
Red Sector A
Force Ten
Time Stand Still
Distant Early Warning
Lock and Key
Mission Territories
YYZ/Rhythm Method
Red Lenses
The Spirit Of Radio
Tom Sawyer
2112: Overture / The Temples of Syrinx
La Villa Strangiato
In The Mood

Comments: If this was a 1st gen source I would have gave this a much better grade, but this does get the job done okay. This source is not as good as Leaving Omaha Again Platinum Edition, but it comes pretty damn close, but dosen't really come in its league. I honestly also think that Force Without Form is a little better, sound-wise, but the performance really is a tinny bit better. The sound itself is actually very good, but not as good as its upgraded version, obviously. There also seems to be a little performance flub in Prime Mover, feedback wise. Geddy stops for a second, but then it seems to be a little better, but they have feedback problems in most of the show, and, unfortunatly, the taper caught them, and almost perfectly, actually. But, this is a show you really don't want to miss.

April 02, 1988 Leaving Omaha Again Platinum Edition
Location: Omaha Civic Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Source: Audience (1st Gen)
Grade: A
Setlist: Intro 0:50
The Big Money 6:04
Subdivisions 5:24
Limelight 4:47
Marathon 6:56
Turn the Page 4:41
Prime Mover 5:31
Manhattan Project 5:07
Closer to the Heart 4:49
Red Sector A 5:24
Force Ten 4:51
Time Stand Still 5:25
Distant Early Warning 6:31
Lock and Key 6:31
Mission 5:49
Territories 6:15
YYZ 3:13
Drum Solo 5:54
Red Lenses 0:26
The Spirit of Radio 4:55
Tom Sawyer 5:35
2112: Overture/The Temples of Syrinx 6:08
La Villa Strangiato 5:19
In the Mood 3:06

Comments: The upgraded version to The Dream Ignites, but both are actually very good, much better than the original Leaving Omaha CD, which I don't have currently now. The performance is caught perfectly, and, being a 1st gen source, sounds very good. The guitar comes in very well, as with the bass sounding very loud and nice, and the drums sound great. This version of the show sounds really like a soundboard recording, actually. There are flubs with the performance, as I did stat with The Dream Ignites that the feedback gets pretty bad. In Prime Mover, Geddy stops for a moment because the feedback is really that bad, but that together dosen't ruin the performance. A great show you will love, and you really need it.

February 28, 1988 Force without Form
Location: Civic Centre, Peoria, Illinois, USA
Source: Audience (Analog 1st gen master source)
Grade: A
Setlist: Intro/The Big Money
Subdivisions
Limelight
Marathon
Turn the Page
Prime Mover
Manhattan Project
Closer to the Heart
Red Sector A
Force Ten
Time Stand Still
Distant Early Warning
Lock And Key
Mission
Territories
YYZ Drum Solo / Red Lenses
The Spirit of Radio
Tom Sawyer
2112 Overture / TheTemples of Syrinx
La Villa Strangiato
In the Mood

Comments: In my mind, this is the definitave show from the Hold your Fire tour, with a reason to rate it so high. First off, the sound is excellent, actually almost soundboard quality, and the performance is really good, even better than the Desperate Voice performance, actually. I also can't resist, the cover art is very attractive, as well. There are almost no cuts, because this is the full performance, and it really sounds great. There are only 2 known sources of this show, and this is definatly the better one, from what I have heard with my ears. The bass sounds pretty nice on this, as the guitar can get a little background, but still has an upfront and loud feeling to it, and the drums are really spectacular, as with the keyboards being really nice. Something you really don't want to miss from the tour.

April 24, 1988 A Desperate Voice
Location: National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England
Source: Laser Disc
Grade: A
Setlist: The Big Money 6:45
Subdivisions 5:22
Marathon 6:33
Turn The Page 4:40
Prime Mover 5:34
Manhattan Project 5:12
Closer To The Heart 4:31
Red Sector A 5:11
Force Ten 4:53
Time Stand Still 5:13
Distant Early Warning 5:15
Lock & Key 6:34
Mission 5:39
Territories 6:21
YYZ 3:19
The Rhythm Method 3:33
The Spirit Of Radio 4:56
Tom Sawyer 5:39
2112: Overture 3:39
2112: The Templese of Syrinx 1:54
La Villa Strangiato 5:27
In The Mood 3:11

Comments: This is a pretty nice show. The guitar is a little low, but all of the instruments come in fine. This is the show is pretty much the laserdisc versio of Show of Hands, which includes Lock and Key, and I'm very glade that it did, because it made this show really great instead of an okay show. One thing that I may add is that this is in no way an upgrade to Show of Hands, its pretty much the same show, but more unoffical. And don't blow of the official release, the bands do need money, but this is still a very nice show that you will want to have. The bass is hot, and the drums are really loud. The audience dosen't get in the way. I highly recommend this.