The opening rhythm is Morse Code for "YYZ", Toronto's airport call sign

I think the reasons that they lasted so long as a trio, made such incredible music and looked like they were having fun is because they were. 1. Alex and Geddy were best friends in high school and never forgot that as they loved to have fun. Imagine just hanging within your highschool buddy doing what you both love doing. 2. They were the opening band for Kiss in their heyday. Interviews with Kiss, they loved touring with Rush because after the concert, Rush went back to the hotel and worked on their music and performance. That meant there was no competition for all the groupies. Basically Kiss got all the girls when touring with Rush because Rush was faithful to their spouses and the music. 3. You can hear in the way they write that there isn't any competition for spotlight as they worked through all the hard transitions to highlight everyone. 4. They did what they wanted to do and while they allowed current trends in music to influence them, they never compromised on the core of who they are, three guys who loved to play together and do it well. 5. They never stopped learning. If you listen to interviews and watch their careers, each of them was always learning something new, reading new books, learning new skills, watching their contemporaries and adding a groove, learning a new instrument etc... In the case of Neil Peart, at the height of his career, he went back to school to learn new techniques and improve his playing skills. 6. They worked hard and toured like crazy. In four years between 1974-1977 they played 864 live shows and produced 5 albums including Rush, Fly by Night, Caress of Steel, 2112 and A Farewell to Kings and if you add 78-80 they broke a thousand concerts at 1015 and produced Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and their first live album All the Worlds a Stage. That included 2 Gold, 5 Platinum and 1 3x Platinum albums.

That crowd gets a 10. Just as fantastic as Rush playing.

Geddy said they were as surprised as anyone when the crowd reacted the way they did. Just awesome

I think it was about 65,000 people in that crowd. When a band like Rush goes to a place like Brazil, every single fan goes because they never know when they will come back again.

you want fun? see this man... "Working Man" by Rush (Time Machine Tour: Live In Cleveland)

Rio...40000 people two nights in a row, 2nd night pouring rain! Listen to the entire album.... incredible show and premier showmen!! You’ll love it!

You mentioned on your last video that you thought Alex Lifeson was underrated. In the early 80's Eddie Van Halen was asked what it was like to be the best guitar player in the world. he supposedly replied why don't you ask Alex Lifeson. Great reaction!

I've seen this a dozen times or more, but it never ceases to amaze

I would like to recommend a group of three sisters from Monterrey, Mexico 🇲🇽 known as The Warning. Their ages are 20, 18, and 15 but don’t let that deter you. Their original music and their abilities are way beyond their respective ages. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed! Rock!!! 🎸🎸🥁👸👸👸🤟❤️👍

Where have you ever seen a whole crowd singing an instrumental?

Imagine playing in front of 40,000 people all jumping up and down in sync with your playing. That was the Rio concert. 60,000 showed up in Sao Paolo the night before. You can see it in the band's expressions as they are playing.

I was honored enough to see these guys numerous times and could never get enough. Please check out The Garden live from their Clockwork Angels Tour. It's a side of Rush you would never think you'd hear or see.

Dude, so far you're the only reactor that notices Alex doing some killer scrapes in the middle! Awesome!

I’m certain true fans have seen this concert film in its entirety. For others who haven’t I would highly recommend giving it a go. Hard to imagine a more cathartic reaction to a rock show. Those Brazilian crowds fuckin’ adore their rock!!! Iron Maiden down there is also absolute gold. Starved for jams were they and when they got it they showed absolutely absurd appreciation, adoration and love. Because if that and my love of futbol I absolutely adore Brazil!!!

Rush had never been to South America before this performance, and this show in particular there were over 60, 000 people in attendance. This was the largest single concert they had ever played, (not counting multiple act festivals) they were, and are the greatest 3 piece rock band in history...

The Warning 🤘 I'm 52 these young ladies are the best rock trio in years. Their's no hidding in a trio.

By the way the main riff in the intro is actually Morse code for YYZ which is the airport code for Toronto in Canada where they’re from.

Best live instrumental performance by the best rock band ever existed! Pure magic as always by Rush!

Greatest Band EVER!!! Glad I got a chance to see them a few times, check out RUSH live at Sars stock, half a million people!

If you watch their "Boys From Brazil" video, it talks about this concert (and some of their equipment got rained on...there was some worry about getting zapped or blowing the system) and the one in Sao Paolo, and how the Brazilians (all 100,000+!! of them) started singing along to the instrumentals.

Best crowd ever. Although back in the day our local American venues would go crazy for Rush too.

Flawless,Precise,Clean and Loud!

Hey … A Brazilian here! Rush is so loved in South America. You have no idea! It was 1985 and the only thing kids were talking about in school was “ did you listen to that Canadian band called Rush?” The concert in São Paulo was even crazier…I was “f$*k#@g” there!

My first show was in 82 on the Signals tour, saw them LIVE many times as I could after that show! Gentlemen, amazing musicians, perfect Performers! RIP Neil...tragic loss to us Drummers and Rush fans

So glad you did this one Tim! This Brazilian crowd is one of the rowdiest, most passionate audience i've ever seen! RUSH are truly timeless masters! Pinnacle stuff!

Neil's final song live, The Garden.

The song is super groovy because it was originally written for just bass and drums. To his credit, Lifeson jumped in and added some rocking riffs to make it even better. Not to have you listen to yet another version, but the live version on Exit Stage Left includes a drum solo that will blow your mind- Peart KILLS it.

FYI 40,000 people attended the show in Rio. The night before, in Sao Paulo, there were 60,000. But these are nowhere near the largest crowd Rush played to. That would be the Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto benefit, where between 450,000 to 500,000 were in attendance.

You'd be going CRAZY too if you were in South America, and RUSH came DOWN THERE and laid THIS down for YOU!!!

That crowd was responding like nothing I've ever seen in my life. Talk about energy!

This video is what music is about. Some buddies got together, said, "What's Morse Code for our hometown airport?", proceed to write a 5 minute song around that, using a crazy time signature so it worked. Then, on the other side of the continent, they have a concert where an enormous crowd shouts the instrumental lines. Only Rush and Rush fans.

Rush- the art of playing complex music and making look like a walk in the park

There will never be another 3 piece band of that caliber.

Thanks Tim, you seem to have enjoyed this as much as I did. Love this version for the crowd reaction, and that Bass. Geddy is ripping it up. Alex kills it, and Neil, well as you said he is a Beast.

So much energy in that stadium. Singing to an instrumental. LOL

The crowd is singing along with an instrumental...AWESOME

Another 3 piece Canadian band I think you'd enjoy is The Tea Party. They are still releasing music and touring. I get to see them in January. Can't wait!

Thanks for the reaction!! Love Rush! One of my all-time favorites! Check out The Warning, a 3-piece rock trio of very young SISTERS from Monterrey Mexico. Paulina the drummer sites Neil Peart as one of her biggest influences! They are the future of rock in the making! Here's a song from 2 years ago, "Sinister Smiles" from their concept record Queen of the Murder Scene. Their ages respectively at the time were, Daniella (Dany) Guitar/Lead Vocals 18, Paulina (Pau) Drummer/Lead Vocals 16, and Alejandra (Ale) Bass/Vocals 13. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gs5imLxh1cudiGQ.html

one of the best live performances i've seen!! talk about a crowd being in sync with a band

I was there... We waited Rush from decades... This Stadium is the most famous Soccer Stadium of the WORLD ! The Maracanã, who used to attend 200.000 people. After modernization It fits "only" 85.000...

The Rush in Rio DVD has a documentary feature I think called the Boys in Brazil. Well worth watching

Thanks for listening to some rush really appreciate it for fans like myself and enjoy sharing it got a check out more stuff specially live Xanadu take care

Any reaction from any band in Reo is worth the watch and listen.

Please check out The Warning, a trio of sisters from Monterrey, Mexico. They are AWESOME!!!

For your next reaction, try La Villa Strangiato, the official video version. It’s actually a live performance.

If you want to see Geddy Lee "going nuts," check out the live version of another of Rush's instrumentals, "Leave That Thing Alone!" His bass playing looks effortless. This concert in Rio had an attendance of 60,000+! Their first trip to South America!! 💜💜💜

That was the smaller crowd. Only 40,000. The other night in Brazil they had 65,000. It was the first time they had played in Brazil, so the fans had been waiting for a long time. They appreciated Rush coming to their country.

The Warning Live..... #futureofrock

There were over 65,000 people there! They didn’t even know they had a fan base in Brazil!! It’s amazing that these concerts even happened, it rained terribly hard and there were no tests of the cameras or anything before the concerts started. So considering that these live videos turned out very good!! As you are a guitarist, I still recommend “La Vill Strangiato” and you and Kimmy doing the epic “2112”

That’s somewhat over 60k people at that show, second largest that Rush played to. Somehow fitting for Rush’s return to the stage after about a five year sabbatical, following the collapse of Neil’s life. At the time, whether Rush would even continue to exist was a question with no answer. But Neil did finally return and they released the “Vapor Trails” album. That show you just reacted to was the last show of the Vapor Trails Tour. For a little more crowd enthusiasm (which really is not truly possible since that audience was already nuts before the show started but…) check out “Closer To The Heart” from that same concert. The song was a big South American favourite. (Again, a great reaction! Thanks! 😎)

From what I understand, Alex, while he was doing the pilot thing, went to pick up Neil in California and get him back to Canada to record. Upon getting close to the airport, Neil caught that rhythm to the morse code for for Toronto airport (YYZ) and began to incorporate the idea into a song. So, when you listen to the song, as a musician, it goes thru several modal change. What these modal changes are dictates the ethnic origins of different continents of music. Mixolydian is the mode of a lot of blues and jazz. Phrygian is known as a Spanish gypsy scale. And a Harmonic Minor leads to that Middle eastern sound. After they go thru these modes, they keep returning to the Mixolydian feel, which symbolizes 'coming home' to YYZ (Toronto). More interesting geeky stuff for a musician, is during the intro, when they are playing the morse code part, Alex and Geddy are playing the dashes on a C note, and the dots are played as an F#. The song is just pure fucking genius!

Initially a 3 piece, Grand Funk Railroads version of Inside Looking Out, Live 1969 is one you should check out.

You really need to check out Neil's drum solo from Frankfurt.

@Out Loud Studios The reason the crowd was so crazy was because prior to that show, Rush had never been to S. America yet they had a big fan base there.

Yes, as far as other trios you could try ZZ-Top or Triumph!

Animals as Leaders is a 3 piece that do this type-o-thing. Try Tooth and Claw or The Brain Dance. Leave That Thing Alone is a lesser known but great another Rush instrumental jam like this. You'll love it!! That was 60,000 people from what I recall of the DVD documentary.

it was an impromptu recording. the show in Sao Paulo, a few nights before, was just like this one so they wanted to capture the Rio show. so they went out and found someone with some recording equipment and pulled it in in a truck

2 things: 1) it rained like crazy that day and it was a mad scramble to get all the equipment working, 2) I own the stage rug they are playing on. Tracked it for in Brazil after they had to leave it there since it was so water logged. Prized possession!

You should take a look at "2112" that is the song that saved rush and if it weren't for that song the band would not have become the group everyone loves today.

One thing that is truly incredible and inventive, is that at the beginning of the song Neil taps out the morse code for YYZ and then Alex and Geddy also play the morse code to begin. Listen carefully (Y= long-short-long-long, Z=long-long-short-short) 2 Ys and then the Z. BTW YYZ is the code for Pearson Intl Airport in Toronto.

Rush attributed their work ethic on tour to the band that they opened for on their first US tour. That band was KISS. Geddy and Alex talked about how KISS made it priority #1 that their fans got their money's worth.

I grew up not to far from these guys, Peart auditioned for them in the town beside mine. They played my high school back in the day. The High Priests of the GTA 🇨🇦

RIP Neal. you will forever be missed. Sep. 12 1952 - Jan 7 2020 Brain Cancer.

Not three piece but you almost couldn’t tell cause the vocalist is in the shadows in back. TOOL is a force to be reckoned with!! 🤘😎🤘

Another badass trio that is still playing is King's X. Check out the studio version of "We Were Born to Be Loved" and "Fall On Me". They definitely have their own thing going and sound huge, heavy and beautiful.

As a drummer from the 80's, I feel obliged to say rest in peace, Neil, and thank you. I learned so much from you.

It’s over 60,000 in that audience seeing Rush in South America for the first time. That is also the final concert of the Vapour Trails tour.

I second it, Working Man Time Machine Tour

There are no three piece bands currently laying down music like Rush. There were also no contemporary three piece bands laying down music like Rush. Take ‘em or leave ‘em as most people do. There will never be another Rush. The music they were writing in their 20s was from another planet.

They had over 100,000 people at that concert. Rush, in their later years would go on tour and be the only name on the Marquis, like this concert in Rio.

I agree with CentralCaliConrad. If you want to hear a good trio, you should try The Warning. They really are amazing. :-)

Same thing happened in México City concert. We were lucky to see live these 3 monsters in stage! It won't happen again.

One of the greatest bands EVER !!

I always used to listen to YYZ for the drum solo and it is great, but I now find myself even more amazed with Geddy's bass playing. it is just amazing.

you owe your dad a bottle neils fave tipple.... Macallan whisky.

You haven't yet checked out the best Rush song, La Villa Strangiato. I suggest to go for the live version from this same concert in Rio.

If you get a chance look at some of the video of their R40 tour. After you are again in awe of the masters remember one thing...they are all in their 60's for this tour and just as sharp and crisp as ever!

One of the few bands that sound just as good live as in the studio. "Leave that thing alone" live in Cleveland is another good instrumental.

Yes, Alex kills it - here and awesome. His playing here is fast, clean and accurate with little flourishes like the pinch harmonics and the scrapping fun and bringing in brief heavier distortion when he starts a run. A true master of his craft. And his tone!!

If you like Rush: Xanadu, La Villa Strantiato, YYZ, etc, and are looking for something even more mind blowing... Search KZfaq for Genesis In the Cage Live (mama tour) That should completely blow your mind. The picture quality of the filming was not great then... It's not well lit (early prototypes of Vari*Lite), but it's an amazing performance.

They would play with that intensity for the better portion of a 3 hour show!

Rush have always been this good, I have seen then several times live starting around 1976 and every time a great show and outstanding performances. I attribute this to all of them being great musicians to start, being professional and always wanting to put on a good show for the fans. And finally..staying off the drugs and having their soup.

Great reaction! I have never sung along with Alex, but I did once have a girlfriend who used to get quite annoyed with me whenever I would sing along with David Gilmour's guitar or Jimmy Page's guitar! lol I do love live performances, even when it's just in videos. I got to see Rush in concert decades ago when I was working floor security. As I was moving up the center aisle, I locked eyes for several seconds with the bassist/singer. Talk about giddy! lol (Or about Geddy!) I see several people have asked for you to check out The Warning. Their performances will definitely make you feel giddy! And I have been to two of them at the Whisky in LA! A good place to start (and you may get a wide variety of suggestions), and there are many great places to start, would suggest their song "Dust to Dust", which is the Prologue to their lastest album, which is a concept album in four chapters. Go either from their performance at Lunario CDMX (Mexico City) or from their Patreon release that they recently made public, which is a fun show! You will enjoy either of those!!

and NOW the band RUSH is only legend -- RIP Neil

For anyone who has seen the documentary filmed at the time they will know that Rush had a mountain of technical issues with this gig as a lot of equipment had got waterlogged at the previous gig and things were shorting out or not working at all, it was so bad that they never did a sound check before hitting the stage, added to this of course it was the final gig in South America and was being filmed specially, no pressure at all.

Proper way to say it is Why Why Zed, airport address for Toronto, Ontario.

Alex and Geddy have been friends since grade school and the were very lucky to find Neal when they did, all three are top musicians and the way they progressed with time over the years is amazing

I've seen them maybe five times. They are always very precise. That's their thing. They play clean and to perfection. Every stadium they have played over the 40 years ... I think they sell them all out. And yeah, that's how the audience responds to YYZ. :)

Rush is so good ive seen them 3 times and never disappointed. Awesome!!

I was there! That's Brazil Man, we love good Music!😊👍

Not sure how many people were in the crowd, but I do know that Paul McCartney & Wings played there (it's the Maracana Football Stadium in Rio btw) they broke the record for a live audience - 194,000!

A version of YYZ in Portuguese, love it!

This one was just perfect

Yes, 3-piece band that does what Rush does is MUSE. Muse from Teignmouth, Devonshire. You have to see Muse do what the do!

Who is this band called THE WARNING I keep hearing about. Are they the hard working power trio sisters from Monterrey Mexico who love making their fans happy?

Seen this before but still best crowd reaction ever

HEADLONG FLIGHT-RUSH- A Must!!!!!!🙏🏻 Clockwork Angels Tour Live

I have this DVD too. That crowd was amazing the whole time!

Try La Villa Strangiato