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Rush: Wandering the Face of the Earth: The Official Touring History
2020 IBPA Awards Winner!
Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, and Neil Peart performed together for the first time to an audience of 11,000 people in 1974. Forty years later, their last tour sold over 442,000 tickets. This is the story of everything in between. This is the story of Rush.
Fondly known as the Holy Triumvirate, Rush is one of the top bands to shine through rock-and-roll history. Wandering the Face of the Earth covers Rush’s storied touring career, from their humble beginnings as a Toronto-area bar band playing middle school gymnasiums to their rise as one of the world’s most sought-after live acts, selling out massive arenas around the globe. This book includes every setlist, every opening act, and every noteworthy moment meticulously researched and vetted by the band themselves. Along with spectacular, never-before-seen imagery, this is THE must-have tour compendium for Rush fans.
—In Loving Memory, Neil Ellwood Peart 1952-2020
Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, and Neil Peart performed together for the first time to an audience of 11,000 people in 1974. Forty years later, their last tour sold over 442,000 tickets. This is the story of everything in between. This is the story of Rush.
Fondly known as the Holy Triumvirate, Rush is one of the top bands to shine through rock-and-roll history. Wandering the Face of the Earth covers Rush’s storied touring career, from their humble beginnings as a Toronto-area bar band playing middle school gymnasiums to their rise as one of the world’s most sought-after live acts, selling out massive arenas around the globe. This book includes every setlist, every opening act, and every noteworthy moment meticulously researched and vetted by the band themselves. Along with spectacular, never-before-seen imagery, this is THE must-have tour compendium for Rush fans.
—In Loving Memory, Neil Ellwood Peart 1952-2020
- GenresMusicNonfictionBiography
496 pages, Hardcover
Published October 29, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 22, 2020
Details details and more details. Details on math Rock Heroes Rush get into this book it's hard to get out of it once you get into it
February 29, 2020
If ever there was a finer example of not judging a book by its cover.
So let’s first discuss what this book is NOT as appearances can be deceiving. When one first lays eyes on this ginormous coffee table behemoth, one might come away with the impression that this just might be an exceedingly comprehensive history of the band Rush chocked filled with pictures and intricate details of the band’s catalog; especially since you might find this book shrink-wrapped and can’t take a “peek” at the inside. If this is what you are wanting or expecting, you’re likely to be highly disappointed. What this book actually is, is a very detailed account of the band’s touring and live performances throughout its 40+ years of playing concerts all over the world.
Now, if you’re a Rush geek (such as myself), this just might be exactly what you do, in fact, want. Rush has a very hefty size of fans that actually love nerdy statistics and meticulous details pertaining to the band’s touring history. We actually like to know what songs were played during each tour as well as other fine particulars. So this books is essentially a very comprehensive list of every show the band has played on every tour along with selected facts around many of those shows. Each ‘chapter’ in this book contains a brief summary of the particular tour with a scattering of a few pics of the band during the specific trek. Then, the detailed accounts of the tours are presented. And, man, are these accounts detailed.
Sadly, all of these details aren’t necessarily captivatingly wonderful information. In fact, once one gets about halfway through the book, it becomes almost compulsorily to simply ‘skim’ through the information. Understandably, the earlier history of the band is represented honestly by stating that very little is known about some of the shows, and sometimes we’re told that no one knows for sure whether these particular early gigs ever happened at all. This is understandable, and one doesn’t feel cheated when the authors have to be vague on many of these early performances.
So what we DO get for every show (actual and presumed) is the date, the city, the name of the venue, the year the venue opened (this tidbit was actually HIGHLY unnecessary), the capacity of the venue, the actual tickets sold, and the names of any other acts that were on the bill. The set list for each tour is actually listed at the beginning of each chapter, so any variations gig-by-gig are also included in these accounts as well.
We then get random press clippings about selected shows, as well as recollections by those closest to the band in attendance as well as the band members themselves. Most of the latter is the most welcome, but to be honest, there simply isn’t that much of it here. This shouldn’t be surprising. I mean, if YOU played a couple of thousand shows during a 40+ year tenure, it’s highly doubtful you would remember details of, say, show #348. So a lot of what we get here as far as ‘notes’ go simply seems unnecessary and repetitive.
It’s quite humorous that when one reads the press snippets of the last few years, there’s nothing but positive sentiments coming from critics all over the globe. Those who know the band well know that this wasn’t always the case. The newspaper frat could be quite brutal throughout most of the band’s history. As a fan, though, this really didn’t bother me while reading. Some of the observations in this book made me laugh out loud. My personal favorite: “Geddy Lee sounds like your neighbor’s cat after being attacked by a blow torch”. Still, though, after reading several hundred snippets throughout this massive volume, these concert reviews, good and bad, wear thin after a while.
This biggest gripe for me concerning all of these ‘show notes’ is where exactly the facts came from and, more importantly, why the authors chose to include many of these rather worthless recollections. For example, I seemed to read about ten times during the Power Windows tour that “Geddy tosses a ball backstage after the show”. Reading this once would have been o.k., but at times it felt like the authors were desperately trying to stretch out the book so the pages could be as plentiful as possible.
Other examples:
“Alex breaks a string on the song XXX, but quickly switches out guitars in order to finish the song”.
I swear I must have read such an incident about 50 times throughout this book. Nothing personal, but I seriously doubt anyone reading this book gives a rip about a guitarist breaking a string on a guitar during a song.
Another example: “Neil misses hitting one of the toms during the closing section of ‘The Camera Eye’ ”.
Yes, the authors actually feel obligated to include things like this. Oy.
Or: “Geddy accidentally sings the word ‘or’ instead of the word ‘and’ during the last chorus of ‘The Temples of Syrinx’. This might have been because he was flustered since he accidentally played the first note of the song on his bass with his index finger instead of his middle finger.”
OK, I made that LAST one up, but I swear that many of the comments read very close to this type of drivel.
Still, though, one has to admire the obvious tenacity required to put together such a compilation. As most Rush geeks could probably tell you, it was only a matter of time before someone actually tackled such a project. Despite its flaws of being a tad too detailed, this book still remains a ‘must’ for any serious fan of the band. Just don’t expect a retrospective of the band’s career, details about the recording of the bands 20 albums, nor any reflections on the philosophic musings of lyricist/drummer Neil Peart. Fortunately, there are plenty of other volumes out there if one is needing one of those particular itches scratched.
So let’s first discuss what this book is NOT as appearances can be deceiving. When one first lays eyes on this ginormous coffee table behemoth, one might come away with the impression that this just might be an exceedingly comprehensive history of the band Rush chocked filled with pictures and intricate details of the band’s catalog; especially since you might find this book shrink-wrapped and can’t take a “peek” at the inside. If this is what you are wanting or expecting, you’re likely to be highly disappointed. What this book actually is, is a very detailed account of the band’s touring and live performances throughout its 40+ years of playing concerts all over the world.
Now, if you’re a Rush geek (such as myself), this just might be exactly what you do, in fact, want. Rush has a very hefty size of fans that actually love nerdy statistics and meticulous details pertaining to the band’s touring history. We actually like to know what songs were played during each tour as well as other fine particulars. So this books is essentially a very comprehensive list of every show the band has played on every tour along with selected facts around many of those shows. Each ‘chapter’ in this book contains a brief summary of the particular tour with a scattering of a few pics of the band during the specific trek. Then, the detailed accounts of the tours are presented. And, man, are these accounts detailed.
Sadly, all of these details aren’t necessarily captivatingly wonderful information. In fact, once one gets about halfway through the book, it becomes almost compulsorily to simply ‘skim’ through the information. Understandably, the earlier history of the band is represented honestly by stating that very little is known about some of the shows, and sometimes we’re told that no one knows for sure whether these particular early gigs ever happened at all. This is understandable, and one doesn’t feel cheated when the authors have to be vague on many of these early performances.
So what we DO get for every show (actual and presumed) is the date, the city, the name of the venue, the year the venue opened (this tidbit was actually HIGHLY unnecessary), the capacity of the venue, the actual tickets sold, and the names of any other acts that were on the bill. The set list for each tour is actually listed at the beginning of each chapter, so any variations gig-by-gig are also included in these accounts as well.
We then get random press clippings about selected shows, as well as recollections by those closest to the band in attendance as well as the band members themselves. Most of the latter is the most welcome, but to be honest, there simply isn’t that much of it here. This shouldn’t be surprising. I mean, if YOU played a couple of thousand shows during a 40+ year tenure, it’s highly doubtful you would remember details of, say, show #348. So a lot of what we get here as far as ‘notes’ go simply seems unnecessary and repetitive.
It’s quite humorous that when one reads the press snippets of the last few years, there’s nothing but positive sentiments coming from critics all over the globe. Those who know the band well know that this wasn’t always the case. The newspaper frat could be quite brutal throughout most of the band’s history. As a fan, though, this really didn’t bother me while reading. Some of the observations in this book made me laugh out loud. My personal favorite: “Geddy Lee sounds like your neighbor’s cat after being attacked by a blow torch”. Still, though, after reading several hundred snippets throughout this massive volume, these concert reviews, good and bad, wear thin after a while.
This biggest gripe for me concerning all of these ‘show notes’ is where exactly the facts came from and, more importantly, why the authors chose to include many of these rather worthless recollections. For example, I seemed to read about ten times during the Power Windows tour that “Geddy tosses a ball backstage after the show”. Reading this once would have been o.k., but at times it felt like the authors were desperately trying to stretch out the book so the pages could be as plentiful as possible.
Other examples:
“Alex breaks a string on the song XXX, but quickly switches out guitars in order to finish the song”.
I swear I must have read such an incident about 50 times throughout this book. Nothing personal, but I seriously doubt anyone reading this book gives a rip about a guitarist breaking a string on a guitar during a song.
Another example: “Neil misses hitting one of the toms during the closing section of ‘The Camera Eye’ ”.
Yes, the authors actually feel obligated to include things like this. Oy.
Or: “Geddy accidentally sings the word ‘or’ instead of the word ‘and’ during the last chorus of ‘The Temples of Syrinx’. This might have been because he was flustered since he accidentally played the first note of the song on his bass with his index finger instead of his middle finger.”
OK, I made that LAST one up, but I swear that many of the comments read very close to this type of drivel.
Still, though, one has to admire the obvious tenacity required to put together such a compilation. As most Rush geeks could probably tell you, it was only a matter of time before someone actually tackled such a project. Despite its flaws of being a tad too detailed, this book still remains a ‘must’ for any serious fan of the band. Just don’t expect a retrospective of the band’s career, details about the recording of the bands 20 albums, nor any reflections on the philosophic musings of lyricist/drummer Neil Peart. Fortunately, there are plenty of other volumes out there if one is needing one of those particular itches scratched.
December 5, 2019
Man, oh man. There's really no middle-ground with this book: it's either 5-stars or 1-star. If you bought the book, then you're a Rush fan(atic) and the minutia of the band's tour dates, attendance figures, notable set list changes, support acts (or whom they opened for in the early days) and just general nuggets of information makes this a fascinating read. If somehow the book came into your possession and you're not a fan, then you'll hate it and wonder what the wide, wide world of sports is going on with this thing.
Random sampling of acts in which Rush opened: Climax Blues Band, Marshall Tucker Band, David Essex, Frank Zappa & the Mothers, ELO, Black Oak Arkansas, Boston, Billy Preston.
Sampling of Rush's support acts: Thin Lizzy, Styx, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Heart, Blondie, Judas Priest, Toto, Golden Earring, The Joe Perry Project (After Rush had opened for Aerosmith in the early days)
A couple of random factoids:
When opening for KISS in Charlotte, NC on 04/25/75 a KISS died in a car accident on the way to the show. That led Paul Stanley to merge that story into a song he was already writing that became "Detroit Rock City".
On 07/09/15 while playing in Kansas City, MO the band was protested by the Westboro Baptist Church. WTF?
Random sampling of acts in which Rush opened: Climax Blues Band, Marshall Tucker Band, David Essex, Frank Zappa & the Mothers, ELO, Black Oak Arkansas, Boston, Billy Preston.
Sampling of Rush's support acts: Thin Lizzy, Styx, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Heart, Blondie, Judas Priest, Toto, Golden Earring, The Joe Perry Project (After Rush had opened for Aerosmith in the early days)
A couple of random factoids:
When opening for KISS in Charlotte, NC on 04/25/75 a KISS died in a car accident on the way to the show. That led Paul Stanley to merge that story into a song he was already writing that became "Detroit Rock City".
On 07/09/15 while playing in Kansas City, MO the band was protested by the Westboro Baptist Church. WTF?
March 6, 2020
I’ve seen Rush (the best power trio, the best rock band, with the best drummer, best bass player and best lead guitarist in the world – yet I remain totally unbiased!) more times than I can remember. Back when there were paper tickets, I’d keep the stubs as a reminder. Now in addition to the stubs (and thanks to my lovely daughter’s gift) I have this massive book – RUSH: WANDERING THE FACE OF THE EARTH – that contains their complete touring history!
RUSH Wandering the Face of The Earth was published in October 2019. Neal Peart died in January 2020. The timing of this retrospective of a band that meant so much to so many could not have been better.
Each chapter in their book contains one tour. Most tours were, as usual, after an album was released. In addition to a paragraph and details of each tour date, there are a few pages of description, quotes from the band and other folks on the tour, and quite a few photos.
This book reads more like a history of the band combined with a guide to each gig.
Of course, the first thing everyone does when getting this book is look up the concerts they are sure they attended and try to piece together the memories of the ones they think they attended. It’s a 45 year Rush history, and RUSH Wandering The Face Of The Earth has the notes, locations and set lists (plus a lot of photos) to fill in the gaps when your memory is as full and old as mine. I’ve used the book’s table of contents, which is broken out by tour, and added the dates from the gigs listed to help with my own timeline. That’s one of the best things about this book – it allows the reader to stroll memory lane with the band’s timeline juxtaposed with their own.
My walkthrough of this excellent book. with photos of tickets and other memorabilia is at https://www.duskbeforethedawn.net/202...
RUSH Wandering the Face of The Earth was published in October 2019. Neal Peart died in January 2020. The timing of this retrospective of a band that meant so much to so many could not have been better.
Each chapter in their book contains one tour. Most tours were, as usual, after an album was released. In addition to a paragraph and details of each tour date, there are a few pages of description, quotes from the band and other folks on the tour, and quite a few photos.
This book reads more like a history of the band combined with a guide to each gig.
Of course, the first thing everyone does when getting this book is look up the concerts they are sure they attended and try to piece together the memories of the ones they think they attended. It’s a 45 year Rush history, and RUSH Wandering The Face Of The Earth has the notes, locations and set lists (plus a lot of photos) to fill in the gaps when your memory is as full and old as mine. I’ve used the book’s table of contents, which is broken out by tour, and added the dates from the gigs listed to help with my own timeline. That’s one of the best things about this book – it allows the reader to stroll memory lane with the band’s timeline juxtaposed with their own.
My walkthrough of this excellent book. with photos of tickets and other memorabilia is at https://www.duskbeforethedawn.net/202...
Read
April 26, 2020A Multitude of memories, for sure. Also reveals some things not even suspected; this is particularly true of details about various health problems the members of the band had while on tour. I seem to have had a knack for choosing to see them on nights when at least one of them was miserable. Never obvious from the audience.
July 25, 2020
471 pages of Rush history. Awesome. So many great memories of the 11 times I got to see them live and all the great times spent with friends over the years...
May 19, 2020
For serious fans only. This book really goes into detail on Rush's entire history, I mean it really goes into the weeds. But, for the fan that is borderline obsessed (which for RUSH, is a large subset of their fanbase), there is a lot of stuff one can glean from reading this book. What I found most surprising is that it is possible to even gain more respect for Geddy, Alex and Neil after reading it. Great band and really good people.
I got this book as a gift and started reading it just days before Neil passed away from cancer. Odd coincidence.
I got this book as a gift and started reading it just days before Neil passed away from cancer. Odd coincidence.
March 20, 2022
This mammoth, hefty brute of a book is certain to be a delightful addition to the library of every devoted Rush fan, which is to say, all of them. Each chapter provides an overview and background of each specific formal tour over their 40+ years of touring, including statistics for every show of the tour and brief clips from reviews that followed in local media, newspapers, or magazine, and plenty of photos from the era, including many never before published.
Notably appreciated is the first chapter, which provides as much detail as possible about shows prior to the launch of the first album, back to September 6, 1968, the first gig as “Rush”. Which means it also provides some detail about the rough spring and summer of 1969 as “Hadrian” when Geddy was briefly out of the band and fronting “Judd” before Rush reformed in September 1969.
The writing is definitely not that of the more prolific and neutral rock journalists. It’s definitely written by devoted fans. For almost any other band or subject that might be a criticism, but given how meticulous, honest, judicious, and discerning Rush fans are, that’s worthy of both the band and the subject, and intended as praise. The band wouldn’t have it any other way, frankly.
Notably appreciated is the first chapter, which provides as much detail as possible about shows prior to the launch of the first album, back to September 6, 1968, the first gig as “Rush”. Which means it also provides some detail about the rough spring and summer of 1969 as “Hadrian” when Geddy was briefly out of the band and fronting “Judd” before Rush reformed in September 1969.
The writing is definitely not that of the more prolific and neutral rock journalists. It’s definitely written by devoted fans. For almost any other band or subject that might be a criticism, but given how meticulous, honest, judicious, and discerning Rush fans are, that’s worthy of both the band and the subject, and intended as praise. The band wouldn’t have it any other way, frankly.
November 12, 2019
This book is required reading (and viewing) for serious fans, and it is disappointing. It is full of fascinating, obscure details and anecdotes (and never-before-seen images). It has comprehensive attendance figure and gross revenue information. It has exclusive interviews with crew members over the decades. Setlist information is disappointingly incomplete. Some venue names are inaccurate. The average ticket prices they provide are obviously incorrect (at least without further explanation). Some passages/descriptions are difficult to understand, and the authors elide information that they should not assume the reader knows/understands. Perhaps the book was rushed. Some of this information was actually part of co-author Eric Hansen's website, but that information has been taken off the web.
March 27, 2020
Absolutely no one would approach a book like this who wasn't already on board with the concept. That it's so well done is a treat, I had not actually excepted the heft of this thing when I ordered it. Great pictures, and phenomenal anecdotes. But it strikes such a chord with me because I'm young enough I came to Rush much later in their careers, when they were less the road dogs than they were in their first decade or so. It was overwhelming to see just how hard they worked sewing the seeds that make them what they were in the later half of their careers. All those years in the mid-seventies when you could hardly say where touring for album left off and touring for the next began, it was quite inspiring.
July 27, 2020
Even if you are a hardcore Rush completist (and what Rush fan isn't?), this compendium of dates, attendance, gross sales, setlists, etc... might bore you. I suspect many readers will simply skip to the shows they personally attended or had some kind of attachment to.
I did manage to slog through it three or four pages at a time over the course of 6 months and it did help me relive the glory days of my favorite band and serve as a sadly-unexpected button on the band after the passing of Neil Peart, but this book is not for the casual fan; it's more of a reference work than an actual readable, entertaining book.
I did manage to slog through it three or four pages at a time over the course of 6 months and it did help me relive the glory days of my favorite band and serve as a sadly-unexpected button on the band after the passing of Neil Peart, but this book is not for the casual fan; it's more of a reference work than an actual readable, entertaining book.
August 9, 2020
Yeah, it took me a while to read this. But that is what I intended. I started this soon after Neil Peart died and it was difficult to read a lot in one sitting. So I started reading a few pages here and there or maybe a tour chapter while listening to the album from that tour. And then I wouldn’t pick it up for a month. Why? Dunno.
I don’t think it had to be said that this book is for serious Rush fans only. Anyone that saw them multiple times probably already has it and felt the anticipation of seeing what would be written about a show they attended. Just like me.
I am amazed on the incredible research and data in this book. What a ride it was. Or rather, what a Rush.
I don’t think it had to be said that this book is for serious Rush fans only. Anyone that saw them multiple times probably already has it and felt the anticipation of seeing what would be written about a show they attended. Just like me.
I am amazed on the incredible research and data in this book. What a ride it was. Or rather, what a Rush.
November 20, 2024
This book is a remarkable accomplishment that took a decade to painstakingly put together. Every show, every venue, attendance and gate numbers, you name it. This book has it all when it comes to the touring history of one of the best rock bands in history. This book was obviously a labor of love for its authors, with some snippet about every show ever performed, overviews of the tours, setlists, photos and pictures of tickets and other memorabilia, and even some of the songs performed at soundcheck. Incredibly detailed. It may be only a book that Rush fans could love, but it's an impressive achievement regardless of how you feel about the band.
April 17, 2020
Some repetition and clear copy paste errors, but nevertheless this book built a timeline of Rush's touring life. And it was extensive! I liked how the short commentaries revelaled behind the scenes life of not only the members of the band but also road crew and management! A must read for all Rush fans.
June 23, 2020
I find it hard to fathom that I just read about every known live performance by the greatest band of all time. That probably sounds like a insane thing to do, however any rush fan would understand. Great read detailing there beginnings from a motel literally down the street from my house to the prominent position they maintained for close to 41 years. There is music.... and then there is Rush!
September 28, 2020
It's a wonderful reference as I'd missed some shows and made others. I have a clearer memory of who I attended the shows with versus what shows I'd been to. The stories within may sound familiar but they're usually told by a different person from how I'd heard them. The granular details like ticket prices and net profit from any given evening was amazing.
March 12, 2021
The only thing crazier than someone writing a book that documents every show a band with a 40 year career ever played, is someone reading a book about every show a band with a 40 year career ever played. Lots of smiles and lots of memories. Too much fun.
April 22, 2022
Fascinating reading about the concepts for each of the tours and for challenges during each. Sprinkled with comments from fellow musicians and leaning heavily on Neil Peart's tour diary, it's an incredibly comprehensive look at one of the ultimate road bands.
March 17, 2020
Everything. You. Wanted. To. Know. About the greatest band in the world's live performances.
November 12, 2021
IT THE BEST BOOK EVER
May 12, 2022
Attention all fans of the holy triumvirate
Attention all fans of the holy triumvirate
Get this book
Attention all fans of the holy triumvirate
Get this book
November 10, 2023
Been a Rush fan since 1980 this book gives details on every tour date and venue Rush played at it’s nice to go back in time and check out the tours you have been to and even gives you price of ticket and how many attended. Great book for any Rush fan.
April 10, 2020
My review on Amazon of this RUSH fan “must have”:
This is absolute masterpiece. A project inspired by the two RUSH fans: Skip Daly and Eric Hansen. They chronologically provide the reader of every single performance by RUSH starting Sept 6, 1968 to Aug 1, 2015. With others helping along the way who have factually provided every bit of lore about the band...”When they turn the pages of history
When these days have passed long ago...”
This is a definite must for every RUSH fan from A-Z, no matter when you started following them. Read every word from beginning to end with assistance of Google to look up the details of every story. This book and its pages of minutiae will peak your curiosity beyond your imagination. Read as fast or as slow as you want. Absorb it all and you will see all that it has to offer. It took me over 3 months to read it.
When you are finished you may want to start from the beginning and read it again because you may have just missed or glossed over a note or comment from the interviews you didn’t catch the first time. My hat is off to anyone and everyone who had anything to do with this book. I say thank you!
“Horizon to horizon
Memory written on the wind
Washed away like footprints in the rain
Swept away…”
This is absolute masterpiece. A project inspired by the two RUSH fans: Skip Daly and Eric Hansen. They chronologically provide the reader of every single performance by RUSH starting Sept 6, 1968 to Aug 1, 2015. With others helping along the way who have factually provided every bit of lore about the band...”When they turn the pages of history
When these days have passed long ago...”
This is a definite must for every RUSH fan from A-Z, no matter when you started following them. Read every word from beginning to end with assistance of Google to look up the details of every story. This book and its pages of minutiae will peak your curiosity beyond your imagination. Read as fast or as slow as you want. Absorb it all and you will see all that it has to offer. It took me over 3 months to read it.
When you are finished you may want to start from the beginning and read it again because you may have just missed or glossed over a note or comment from the interviews you didn’t catch the first time. My hat is off to anyone and everyone who had anything to do with this book. I say thank you!
“Horizon to horizon
Memory written on the wind
Washed away like footprints in the rain
Swept away…”
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews