Rush live at Chateau Neuf in Oslo, Norway during the Hemispheres tour. This is easily one of the very best recordings of the Hemispheres tour, not just among audience recordings, but overall alongside the soundboards. It is one of the best in regards to both sound quality and the band's performance. Some of the best live versions I've heard of these songs are from this very concert. Geddy is in strong voice, and also in a very good mood, often speaking in a humorous tone and making silly reactions to the crowd.
This was recorded via the audience with professional taping equipment and microphones, which were borrowed from a local television station. Two professional microphones were placed in proximity of each side of the soundboard, and suggested that Rush's crew possibly did not react due to assuming the tapers were venue staff. The complete story provided in the words of the original taper can be read in the original notes at the download link below.
The date of this performance has been both labeled as May 22 and May 24. The official updated tour listings in the book "Wandering the Face of the Earth" state it to be May 22, and due to that book's extreme research and accuracy, I'd tend to believe it correct. However, when listening to the concert in Gothenburg on May 23, Geddy states that it is their first date of their Scandinavian part of the tour, therefore Oslo on May 22 can not be correct.
This recording is missing the encore medley, which would've been Working Man, Bastille Day, In The Mood, and Neil's drum solo. Circumstances was dropped from the setlist towards the end of the Hemispheres tour for all European dates, which would have been from April 23 and onward. Something For Nothing and Cygnus X-1 were also dropped from the setlist towards the end of the tour for all continental European dates, which would have been from May 17 and onward.
Track Listing:
01 - Anthem [0:00]
02 - A Passage To Bangkok [4:20]
03 - By-Tor And The Snow Dog [8:14]
04 - Xanadu [13:53]
05 - The Trees [26:19]
06 - Hemispheres [31:42]
07 - Closer To The Heart [48:48]
08 - A Farewell To Kings [52:36]
09 - La Villa Strangiato [58:26]
10 - 2112 [1:09:03]
Downloads:
rush-archives....