The Analog Kid just scored some great tickets for the opening night of Rush’s R40 tour on May 8th in Tulsa. I was at the first show of Rush’s Time Machine tour in Albuquerque back in 2010, and it was an experience that I will never forget. Like the Time Machine tour, Rush have promised to dig deep into their back catalog for R40. Hopefully that means we might even hear something that’s never been played on stage by the band before, so with that in mind I’m re-blogging a post that I first featured back in December of 2013: “Five Rush Songs That Have Never Been Played Live.”
If any of these five Rush classics make an appearance in Tulsa, my head just might explode. And if they happen to bust out “Losing It,” I really might do just that…
Five Rush Songs That Have Never Been Played Live
I was in tenth grade when I went to my first Rush concert. The date was February 28, 1983, and it was the first of two Rush shows at Reunion Arena in Dallas on the Signals tour. The Analog Kid has seen Rush 17 more times since that amazing night, including the band’s first-ever show in Dublin on my honeymoon in 2011 (yes, I married a saint).
You might think that I’ve seen Rush play just about everything that I would have liked to have heard during the course of 18 shows, and for the most part that is true. Rush always digs deep into their catalog during their live shows, and they have a rabid fan base that relishes the inclusion of deep album cuts in concert. Still, despite Rush’s impressive history of set list variation, there are a large number of Rush classics that have never been performed live in concert.
Here are five of my favorite Rush songs that I’ve never heard live– and neither has anyone else…
Rush: “Different Strings” (Music By Lee & Lifeson/Lyrics By Peart)
From the album Permanent Waves
Mercury Records, 1980
Rush played “Entre Nous” for the very first time on 2007’s Snakes And Arrows tour, leaving “Different Strings” as the only song on Permanent Waves that has never been played in concert. I certainly never thought I’d get to hear “Entre Nous” live, so I am holding out hope that “Different Strings” will make an appearance someday.
Rush: “Losing It” (Music By Lee & Lifeson/Lyrics By Peart)
From the album Signals
Mercury Records, 1982
“Losing It” was the only song on Signals that Rush didn’t play that night at Reunion Arena in 1983, and I’ve been chasing it ever since. Rush’s last tour for Clockwork Angels featured a string section during the extended second set, and it raised fans’ hopes that “Losing It” and its beautiful electric violin might finally see the light of day. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen– but I still hope to live my fantasy someday…
Rush: “Hand Over Fist” (Music By Lee & Lifeson/Lyrics By Peart)
From the album Presto
Atlantic Records, 1989
I didn’t get to see a show on the Presto tour– Rush didn’t come to Austin, and I had an accounting exam at UT the afternoon they played in Dallas. It remains the only Rush tour I have missed since 1982. I actually left Austin for Dallas after the exam and drove by Reunion Arena about 11:00 PM, just as the show was ending. If you can’t tell, I am still pretty bitter about it. Rush didn’t play “Hand Over Fist” that night, and 24 years later they still haven’t played the song live. It’s a deep cut for sure and one likely never to see the stage, but it’s one of my favorites from a very underrated album.
Rush: “Cut To The Chase” (Music By Lee & Lifeson/Lyrics By Peart)
From the album Counterparts
Atlantic Records, 1993
One listen to “Cut To The Chase” and there’s no doubt that it came out in the early-to-mid ’90s. Grunge was everywhere in 1994, and even Rush toughened up their sound and left a lot of the keyboards in the closet for the Counterparts album. I saw the Counterparts tour in Dallas in January of 1994, and a lot of the kids sitting around me seemed lost when the band played “Limelight.” The same kids went absolutely nuts when they launched into the new song “Cold Fire,” so clearly Rush’s effort to reach a new audience was working.
“Cut To The Chase” didn’t make the cut that night, and it’s one of four songs on Counterparts that have never been played in concert.
Rush: “Sweet Miracle” [2013 Remix] (Music By Lee & Lifeson/Lyrics By Peart)
From the album Vapor Trails
Rhino Records, 2013
2002’s Vapor Trails is a challenging album. It was the first Rush album released after a long hiatus prompted by the tragic deaths of Neil Peart’s wife and daughter. The dark material was made even more abrasive by the noisy mix, and over the years there have been rumors that Rush might someday release a remixed version of Vapor Trails. It finally happened earlier this year, and the results were spectacular.
“Sweet Miracle” was one of my immediate favorites upon the release of Vapor Trails, but the band didn’t include it during the album’s tour. It has been sitting on the shelf ever since, and I’m hoping the release of the remixed Vapor Trails may have opened up the band’s eyes to this fantastic song.
Rush are currently taking a well-deserved break from the road, but fans are hopeful they will return to the stage in 2015. The inclusion of any of these five songs will make the Analog Kid happier than a Canuck locked in a Moosehead factory.
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Bonus Tracks!
The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.
Rush: “Entre Nous” (Music By Lee & Lifeson/Lyrics By Peart)
From the album Permanent Waves
Mercury Records, 1979
Rush: “Limelight” (Music By Lee & Lifesonn/Lyrics By Peart)
From the album Moving Pictures
Mercury Records, 1981
Rush: “Cold Fire” (Music By Lee & Lifeson/Lyrics By Peart)
From the album Counterparts
Atlantic Records, 1993
Don Williams: “Tulsa Time” (Danny Flowers)
From the album Expressions
ABC Records, 1978
The Analog Kid 
First tour I saw them on was Permanent Waves. This tour will make show #I8 (and hopefully #19). I have a never before played song to add. I could not find it on any of the old set list (but I could be wrong). It is called Making Memories and is on the Fly by Night album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vygLzeNMiDI
Sadly, no more touring for Rush, so I guess some of your dreams will remain unfulfilled.