Presto Tour
Tour by Rush
LocationNorth America
Associated albumPresto
Start dateFebruary 17, 1990
End dateJune 29, 1990
No. of shows63
Rush concert chronology

The Presto Tour was a concert tour by Canadian rock band Rush in support of their thirteenth studio album Presto.

Background

The tour started on February 17, 1990 at Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, South Carolina[1] and concluded on June 29, 1990 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Irvine, California,[2] having performed to more than 650,000 fans.[3] Opening bands that premiered in the tour included Mr. Big, Chalk Circle and Voivod.[4] The stage production for each of the shows were presented with elements of the Presto cover art, which had featured lasers and Vari-Lites that were dropped from trusses on extensions as well as two giant inflatable rabbits, two sets of rear PA speakers on the back end of the stage floor to represent a quadrophonic effect on the sound which was engineered by Robert Scoville,[5] and a projection screen that displayed video sequences and retro films throughout the performance.[3] When the band performed in Toronto for two shows in May 1990, both shows had raised $200,000 for United Way for the demands on the band for complimentary tickets.[6]

Reception

Michael Hochanadel from the Daily Gazette opened his review stating that the visuals made the Rush concert at the Knickerbocker Arena on June 2, 1990, one of the biggest, brightest and overwhelming rock spectacles - with effects representing a 1970s arena rock throwback with the usage of lasers and haze. While criticizing the music's lyrics as being sometimes preachy, he stated that they were at the same time, anthemic and tackled subjects in a fairly obvious way, but added that they needed something to keep their songs from sounding too alike. Praising Lee's vocals, Hochanadel affirmed that his voice gave the songs emotion that the lyrics did not always earn.[5]

Reviewing the Pittsburgh performance on June 7, 1990, Janice Haidet of The Vindicator stated that the band put a huge reliance on talent from the instruments they were using, treating a crowded arena of fans to a "searing rock and roll feast". Haidet noted that the band kept the audience standing on their seats with fists raised in time with the music, and Geddy Lee delivering extraordinary vocals that were presented by a balanced and clear sound mix - also noting the show as one of the best light shows in rock music, although outdone by Genesis and Pink Floyd.[7] Peter B. King from the Pittsburgh Press who was in attendance at the same show that night, stated that the band had offered some of the best visuals seen at a rock concert, and expressed that Rush had delivered an intelligent, distinctive brand of "art rock".[8]

Set list

This is an example setlist adapted from Rush: Wandering the Face of the Earth – The Official Touring History of what were performed during the tour, but may not represent the majority of the shows.[9]

  1. "Force Ten"
  2. "Freewill"
  3. "Distant Early Warning"
  4. "Time Stand Still"
  5. "Subdivisions"
  6. "Marathon"
  7. "Red Barchetta"
  8. "Superconductor"
  9. "Show Don't Tell"
  10. "The Pass"
  11. "Closer to the Heart"
  12. "Manhattan Project"
  13. "Xanadu"
  14. "YYZ"
  15. "The Rhythm Method" (Neil Peart drum solo)
  16. "Scars"
  17. "War Paint"
  18. "Mission"
  19. "Tom Sawyer"

Encore

  2. "The Big Money"
  3. "2112: Overture"
  4. "La Villa Strangiato"
  5. "In the Mood"
  6. "Wipeout!"

Tour dates

Date[10][11] City Country Venue
February 17, 1990 Greenville United States Greenville Memorial Auditorium
February 19, 1990 Jacksonville Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum
February 20, 1990 St. Petersburg Bayfront Center
February 22, 1990 Miami Miami Arena
February 23, 1990 Orlando Orlando Arena
February 25, 1990 New Orleans Lakefront Arena
February 26, 1990 Houston The Summit
February 28, 1990 San Antonio Convention Center Arena
March 1, 1990 Dallas Reunion Arena
March 3, 1990 Kansas City Kemper Arena
March 5, 1990 St. Louis St. Louis Arena
March 6, 1990 Cincinnati Riverfront Coliseum
March 8, 1990 Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills
March 9, 1990
March 20, 1990 Edmonton Canada Northlands Coliseum
March 21, 1990 Calgary Scotiabank Saddledome
March 23, 1990 Vancouver Pacific Coliseum
March 24, 1990 Portland United States Veterans Memorial Coliseum
March 26, 1990 Seattle Seattle Center Coliseum
March 28, 1990 Sacramento ARCO Arena
March 30, 1990 Oakland Oakland Coliseum
March 31, 1990
April 2, 1990 Inglewood Great Western Forum
April 3, 1990
April 5, 1990 San Diego San Diego Sports Arena
April 7, 1990 Costa Mesa Pacific Amphitheatre
April 8, 1990 Phoenix Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
April 20, 1990 East Rutherford Brendan Byrne Arena
April 22, 1990 Uniondale Nassau Coliseum
April 24, 1990 Philadelphia The Spectrum
April 25, 1990 East Rutherford Brendan Byrne Arena
April 27, 1990 Philadelphia The Spectrum
April 28, 1990 Rochester War Memorial Auditorium
May 1, 1990 Atlanta The Omni
May 2, 1990 Charlotte Charlotte Coliseum
May 4, 1990 Richmond Richmond Coliseum
May 5, 1990 Largo Capital Centre
May 7, 1990 Providence Civic Center
May 8, 1990 Hartford Hartford Civic Center
May 10, 1990 Worcester The Centrum
May 11, 1990
May 13, 1990 Quebec City Canada Colisée Quebec City
May 14, 1990 Montreal Montreal Forum
May 16, 1990 Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens
May 17, 1990
June 2, 1990 Albany United States Knickerbocker Arena
June 4, 1990 Baltimore Baltimore Arena
June 5, 1990 Hampton Hampton Coliseum
June 7, 1990 Pittsburgh Civic Arena
June 8, 1990 Richfield Richfield Coliseum
June 10, 1990 Cuyahoga Falls Blossom Music Center
June 11, 1990 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center
June 13, 1990 Columbus Cooper Stadium
June 14, 1990 Noblesville Deer Creek Music Center
June 16, 1990 East Troy Alpine Valley Music Theatre
June 17, 1990
June 19, 1990 Bloomington Met Center
June 20, 1990 Omaha Omaha Civic Auditorium
June 22, 1990 Englewood Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
June 24, 1990 Salt Lake City Salt Palace
June 26, 1990 Sacramento Cal Expo Amphitheatre
June 27, 1990 Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 29, 1990 Irvine Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre

Personnel

References

Citations

  1. ^ Little, Michelle (February 16, 1990). "Rush starts jamming and presto: A concert". Spartanburg, South Carolina: Herald-Journal. p. B11. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  2. ^ Popoff 2021, p. 299.
  3. ^ a b Daly & Hansen 2019, p. 290.
  4. ^ Popoff 2021, p. 292.
  5. ^ a b Hochanadel, Michael (June 4, 1990). "Rush Serves Up Spectacular Show". Albany, New York: The Daily Gazette. p. B8. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  6. ^ Popoff 2021, pp. 291–292.
  7. ^ Haidat, Janice (June 8, 1990). "Rush uses its talent to electrify concert". Youngstown, Ohio: The Vindicator. p. 24. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  8. ^ King, Peter B. (June 8, 1990). "Rush lights up Civic Arena with art-rock display, visual explosion". No. 345. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Press. p. C3. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  9. ^ Daly & Hansen 2019, p. 293.
  10. ^ Daly & Hansen 2019, pp. 293–301.
  11. ^ "Presto Tour". Rush.com. Retrieved 6 April 2023.

Sources

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