Rush
Ball Arena (fka Center)
Denver, Colorado, United States
October 5, 2026

lineage: Sony PCM-M10 (recorder using internal mics) > 24/96 > 16/44 (normalized, light trimming and fades added at the beginning and end of the sets using Audacity) > CD wav (track splitting) > FLAC (using Traders Little Helper) Level 8

Setlist (2:45:25):

Set 1
01 intro video
02 Xanadu
03 Limelight
04 Subdivisions
05 The Pass
06 Freewill
07 Bravado
08 La Villa Strangiato
09 Natural Science
10 The Spirit Of Radio

Set 2
11 2112
12 Animate
13 Closer To The Heart
14 A Passage To Bangkok
15 Time Stand Still
16 YYZ
17 Anthem
18 Red Barchetta
19 The Garden
20 Tom Sawyer

Encore
21 Finding My Way
22 Working Man
23 outro video

Notes: However long ago it was that Rush announced these concerts, I've been contemplating purchasing tickets, but like many Rush fans, initially balked at the idea of paying $300+ for a ticket that didn't include some sort of meet & greet. I'm a Rush fan, own all their albums on CD (in fact, I have the original pressings and the remasters, and the deluxe versions as applicable), and have the Fly By Night through Hold Your Fire run on vinyl - but, I don't consider myself a SUPER Rush fan. I've seen them once previously - back in 1992 at the show commonly traded as "Soaked To The Bone" at Fiddlers Green, and seriously considered seeing the 2015 Denver area show, but balked back then at the $100+ price tag. By the time I gave it further thought, it was sold out.

My wife has not seen them, though, and that was a big part of why I continued to vacillate over whether or not to make the splurge for these tickets. But, while we were in Vegas seeing Sammy Hagar, she broke her toe stubbing it on a wayward bed frame, so she was not going to be able to do a lot of walking or standing. She told me last week "would love to see it, but if you go, you're going to have to go without me."

This week is a big week at my work - I'm leading a conference Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with people traveling into town and I'm doing a lot of talking and presenting and it is overall a high visibility situation with my upper management, so the timing also seemed off to be seeing a show that would keep me out near midnight when I'd need to be sharp and on my toes early the next morning. But, talking to my neighbor last Friday, he and I agreed that we would buy cheap 300 section seats if we could get them for under $150. I added the proviso "if we can section 100 for under $200, let's do that," to which he agreed. In the end, five years from now, I'm not going to remember what I was doing at work, but I would remember that I didn't see the show.

All day Saturday into Sunday, I monitored Stub Hub, and I finally landed seats in section 120 for $198 a pop. Twenty years ago, I would've been outraged at that price, but today that feels like a bargain. And, I'm so glad we did - what a great show. Everything about it was just perfect - the seats were great, our neighbors were friendly and enthusiastic without being overbearing and annoying, the performance was terrific, the lights, the stage show, all of it. Would I have changed anything about the setlist? I'm not sure - I certainly would've liked seeing Moving Pictures played in its entirety, but as it is, we got half of it AND we got the 2112 suite. I'm less familiar with post-Hold Your Fire songs like The Pass, The Garden, and Bravado, but I do like those songs (especially Bravado) and they fit in well with the more classic songs. And, of course, we got Natural Science. So, no complaining from me.

Geddy's voice was fine in the moment, though the older songs were a bit more of an obvious struggle, especially on Spirit Of Radio, but not so much that it was unenjoyable. Before the tour was announced, I rewatched the Rush 40 concert film, and after hearing Geddy's voice on that, thought 'welp, maybe I dodged a bullet missing the 2015 show.' Clearly, though, the voice lessons have helped him and if he doesn't sound 35 anymore, he certainly made it work. Alex's playing was largely good, though, I can hear a few flubs - yet, he was full of joy and passion, so who cares? And, Annika - I'm not going to say anything new, but from a live music perspective, she did something I could never have imagined: she made me realize they could be Rush without Neil Peart, at least on stage.

And, Neil is all over the show. Besides the tributes, Geddy speaks lovingly throughout the show of his fallen comrade's lyrics and contributions - and, of course, virtually every word he sings is Neil's. Annika hits all the right fills, even if her actual drums don't sound much like Neil's kit. The keyboard player added some nice textures and freed Geddy to roam the stage with energy not typical of a man his age. In fact, they all played with energy more befitting a band of 40 year olds. Which is a compliment!

Ball Arena was packed. I'm not sure if there was a sell out, but if not, it was very, very close. Everywhere you looked inside, there were swarms of people. The sound was very good for this venue, but man was it loud! In my haste to get out of work, get ready, pick up my neighbor, and get to the venue, I left my mic on my kitchen table. The internal mics on the PCM sound more or less the same as the Sony ECM-717 I typically use (the internals might even be a touch brighter), but it's more of a hassle to have to hold the recorder the whole show - which I did, resulting in no pictures this round. I made one recording error - my hand started cramping from gripping the PCM during Tom Sawyer and accidentally hit pause for a split second. I'd guess there's less than 2 seconds missing, but just so you know. Overall, though, it's a very decent recording, with minimal crowd interference. Those polite Rush fans around us either saw what I was doing or just didn't want to be obnoxious, and kept the hoots, claps, and hollers to a decent minimum.

So, there's a second show on Wednesday. I'd love to go, but I'm still in conference on Thursday morning, so I'm not sure I've got the energy to stay up late another night this week. If that changes, you'll be the first to know about it. But, I'm so so so glad to have gone. If you're on the fence, get the nosebleeds, buy day of the show, or hit up a scalper - just don't miss it. My only regret is my wife couldn't go.

For what's it's worth: this is my own writing, no AI used in this message.

Finally: please don't sell the recording, but, otherwise, do with it what you wish. Share it and trade it, and remember: these and other greats will not be around forever, so, let's enjoy them while we have them. Best wishes to all of the fans out there and Namaste.