Rush
1 October 2026
Venue: The Center
Location: Houston, Texas
Source: Audience (Section 108, Row 2, Seat 3)
Taper: By-Tor X-1

Lineage: Sound Professionals SP-CMC-2 stereo mics > SP-SPSB-10 mic power supply > Roland R-07 digital recorder (Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries) > WAV (24 bit / 48 khz) > Reaper (trim ultra low bass frequency rumble) > FLAC

Track Listing:

Set 1:
01 Intro ("Xanadudes" video)
02 Xanadu
03 Hello & Band Introductions
04 Dreamline
05 The Analog Kid
06 Subdivisions
07 Geddy Reflects on Neil's Writing
08 Freewill
09 Neil Peart Tribute #1
10 Bravado
11 La Villa Strangiato
12 Geddy Recalls Summer 1977
13 Closer To The Heart
14 The Spirit Of Radio
15 Intermission (full 25 minutes)

Set 2:
16 2112 (I-VII)
17 Neil Peart Tribute #2
18 Time Stand Still
19 Geddy Talks & Alex Banter
20 Red Barchetta
21 YYZ
22 Limelight
23 The Camera Eye
24 Witch Hunt
25 Vital Signs
26 Tom Sawyer
27 Encore Break

Encore:
28 Finding My Way
29 Working Man
30 Outro ("Xanadudes", Part 2 video)

Notes:

There's a lot I could say, but I need to try keeping this relatively short. First things first, the sound in the arena was great, and the band played the songs excellently, so yes, I enjoyed the show! When the tour was first announced last year as "Rush", I will openly admit that I initially wasn't sure how to feel. I wasn't at all upset or furious like some were/are, but also wasn't ecstatic like many others were, I was just subdued. However, after several days passed, it didn't take too long for me to come to terms with it and was more than cool with it, and supported it. I just needed time to process all the thoughts and mixed feelings swirling in my head, many of the same thoughts that I imagine Geddy and Alex also had to think about for even longer than I did. My perspective understands and respects all sides of the argument here, but of course this isn't the topic of these notes.

My biggest hope was to see this tour be heavily recorded and documented more than any Rush tour, so for the first time (yes, I surprisingly never recorded a concert before), I was going to make that my priority if I saw any of these shows. I initially decided I was going to try for the first and fourth shows in Fort Worth, but a combination of the twice-rescheduling and several personal reasons, I ended up just deciding to not make the roughly 6h20m drive. Same reasons I later considered one show in San Antonio, but ultimately didn't go, also about the same distance from me. Well they had to tempt me one more time, later announcing the Houston date a mere month before the show (bold of them), and since it is only about a 3h20m drive, I decided I'll actually do it this time, as it could be my final chance to see these guys (I suspect they'll do more North American shows in 2027 or later, but we just never really know what will happen tomorrow).

I did my research on modern-day digital recording, and talked to a couple experienced digital tapers. In the same way I take the process of properly transferring old analog tapes very seriously, is the same mindset I had if I were going to record a show of my own. What I ended up purchasing is what you see in the lineage above. I was actually recommended the SP-CMC-8 mics over the -2 variant, but the cost difference wasn't minor, and I wasn't sure if the sound difference was enough to justify the price tag. The mics were still Sound Professionals after all, so I couldn't go wrong. I'd upgrade my mics if I ever end up with the luxury to record a lot more in the future, but I needed to save money for tickets, gas, the other gear, and not to mention the thousands I already dumped, and will continue needing to dump, into my main focus of rescuing old analog concert tapes and film.

I ran the mic cables up the front of my shirt and clipped them both on the neck sticking out. Since I was three seats in from an aisle and second row away from the floor, there was a security woman standing right there before the show started. I really don't think she'd have cared, but I was a bit nervous, so didn't run the cables until the lights went down, and the time it took to do that, get the mics clipped on my shirt, pointed properly, and adjust the gain levels, is all why the first minute or two of the intro video is missing (not a big deal, in my opinion). Sure, I could've gone wire up in the bathroom, but didn't feel like trying to go find my seat again. And here's a note for anyone who also wants to make quality recordings, but are afraid of passing gear through security: think creatively. I plugged in some dummy white Apple earbuds that I wrapped around my recorder, to make it look like a random mp3 player. I had my mics rolled up and tucked into the inner pocket of an empty wallet. I had the little power supply box plugged into and taped to the side of some dummy headphones that were around my neck, which I was going to pass off as a power supply for the noise-cancelling if I were asked. But it was all quick and easy, and no one batted an eye. I threw it all in the bin when they said empty my pockets, I walked through the metal detector, grabbed my stuff, and went in. I hope this maybe helps more people find the courage to record the remaining shows of the tour.

So, even if it was my first time recording, I went in well prepared. Nothing beats experience though, you will nearly always make beginner mistakes with anything you do for the first time. It's a minor detail, but while I adjusted my gain levels during the intro video to what I assumed was a good level (and knowing the band would be a bit louder), there is still some minor occasional clipping on the highest peaks or the waveform. This absolutely does not cause the recording to be distorted nor brickwalled, and no one would even know if they didn't look closer at the waveform. I guess the saying "you are your own harshest critic" applies here, and as a perfectionist this has bothered me more than it probably should, because a recording with clipping by nature can not be "perfect". Regardless, this is a great recording (to my ears), and I presume this won't bother anyone else, save for those who also have crazy high standards.

I've done very little to alter this recording. I'm someone who believes in less is more, and don't care for the extensive creative liberties of the average "remaster" as they're called. I prefer to alter only what feels necessary, and as conservative as possible to attempt fixing the noticeable issue. In the case of this recording, there was a very low frequency rumble from the bass drum kicks that felt like a bit of mud on the overall sound. This trait was independently pointed out by two people I had sample the recording before release. I had my friend do only a very light EQ job by lowering those super low frequencies. The end result sounds exactly the same as the raw recording did, save for the lack of low rumble. We are all happy with the result, so for the "remaster" wizards, please be respectful and don't reupload this in a few days and proclaim your creative interpretation is the superior version. This kind of respect goes a long way, and I imagine that feeling is also shared by others who share recordings online.

Other than that, I just split the tracks. I'm someone who believes in preserving all historical details, no matter how insignificant they may seem, so you get the full encore break, the little runout time at the end after the outro video ended, and I even left in the full 25-minute intermission. It's not much to hear beyond crowd noise, low conversations behind me, and faint house music in the distance, but it is all important in historical context of how the show was experienced. Notably, the entire intermission has the timer counting down on screen from 25 minutes, when it hits 21:12 everyone cheers then goes quiet again. Later, when there's two minutes left, a loud sound plays as a warning. Then when the timer runs out, the timer turns red, goes out of control and lands back on 21:12, que the synth intro to the Overture. Just press the skip button if you don't want to sit through all of that.

There are only a couple other minor things that I notice listening back, that most people may not, which were pretty much out of my control. The guy seated to my right (who was closer to the stage) stood and held up his phone to record video when Xanadu started, so I just leaned over a bit so I could see the stage unobstructed. Well I soon realized he was probably going to stand to video the entire song (which he did), so I stood too. I think this is why there's a slight jump in clarity at about the 3m30s mark of Xanadu. This is the only time that really happened, but I had to stand up about 4 or 5 times during the show so people could walk to or from their seats (the joys of compact seating), so when you have a body moving in front of your mics, nothing you can really do about that. Though the only moment I think I have noticed this when listening back is very briefly during Dreamline. I may have heard it elsewhere, but I wasn't sure as I could barely notice. I guess that means it's nothing to worry about, and I'm again thinking too hard into things.

Thankfully, the people surrounding me were respectful and didn't make much noise, but you occasionally hear quick comments from the people seated behind me, which is usually between songs. One notable moment was the woman to my right rear, after the pyro during the 2112 Overture, "how many people peed in their pants!", which was indeed very loud and made me jump a bit. Subdivisions was also apparently the first song in the set that she was familiar with, lol... Anyways, I assure you I didn't speak a word, clap, nor barely move during the entire performance. I only spoke briefly during intermission to the friend who was seated to my left.

I had a great seat (noted at the top), which was the second row from the floor, in the lower bowl on Geddy's side, not quite but almost parallel with the mixing desk. I could see Howard Ungerleider as clear as day, he appeared pretty tired/bored before the show started. So whatever little issues I may have had with the recording, a combination of good seats and good equipment all play into what kept this from being mediocre. I also had a pretty nice view of the band, Geddy and Alex at least. I couldn't really see Anika well from being obstructed behind her large kit, but that's kind of a given. Loren was mostly a silhouette in the shadows. I made it a point to watch the band with my own eyes for the majority of the show. I didn't go there to watch the screens, I can do that from home. With that being said, I enjoyed most of the visual art (besides some minor funky AI stuff), and shoutout to Fantoons for giving John Rutsey a huge spotlight during Working Man, he who often gets unfairly overlooked as a minor blip on the page of Rush's history, which couldn't be further from the truth. Also, excellent light show, very impressive. I didn't touch my phone even once during the entire show, but my friend who was seated to my left got a few pictures. Cameras can be deceiving, but I've included the two that I felt best represented how my own eyes experienced the concert.

With all the setlist variations at this point in the tour, I went in only excepting both full 2112 and full Moving Pictures, which seemed the logical choice for these single-night locations. This wasn't farfetched, as they did it once before for the special show provided in Fort Worth night 4. So I was right on the money. I did not expect The Analog Kid though, which was a pleasant surprise. I clearly didn't go in expecting A Farewell To Kings, which we didn't get, but when Geddy was telling his summer 1977 story before Closer To The Heart, I suddenly thought we were about to get AFTK, because they'd been playing AFTK only in the first set for a while now. I did not at all expect CTTH to be moved to the first set. Well the trade off was getting to see Geddy's historic Fender Precision teardrop bass, something that has always interested me greatly. Geddy teased me again, when after Time Stand Still he "lied" and said they were going to do something tonight that they hadn't done on this tour, then he explained they were going to do both full 2112 and full Moving Pictures. Oh well, but two things came to mind. The tourbook lists a fretless bass which Geddy only ever used on one song in the past, and that bass nor song has yet to show up on the tour. Additionally, there's evidence that the song was starting to be rehearsed as late as April of this year, along with one other a few months later. If you know you know.

Last thing I want to note, the full 2112 was easily the highlight of the show for me, but if course as a huge Rush fan, I enjoyed every part of the show. If I had to change anything, I only wish I got to hear By-Tor, Anthem, and A Farewell To Kings. I'd go to another show (and record) if I end up getting the chance, but I unfortunately don't have the time, money, or energy to attend countless shows as some do. I respect those who have that luxury, and use the advantage to properly document the history.

This is of course already longer than I wanted these notes to be, so I'll leave it here. I only hope that the efforts to get this recording make for one of the more enjoyable listens from the tour.

Images for all shows as well as full size images for this show.

Images for this show: