The Power Windows Tour was a concert tour by Canadian rock band Rush, in support of the band's eleventh studio album Power Windows.
Tour by Rush | |
Location | North America |
---|---|
Associated album | Power Windows |
Start date | December 4, 1985 |
End date | May 26, 1986 |
Legs | 2 |
No. of shows | 70 |
Rush concert chronology |
Background
editPrior to the tour's start, the band embarked on a short warm-up tour of four shows in Florida which the band called the "Spring Training" tour.[1][2] The tour officially started on December 4, 1985, at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine, and concluded on May 26, 1986, at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California.[3] Select songs at the two East Rutherford, New Jersey, shows were recorded for the 1989 live album A Show of Hands.[4] Opening bands on the tour included Steve Morse, Marillion, FM, Blue Öyster Cult, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Kick Axe.[5]
Reception
editEthlie Ann Vare from Billboard opened their review of the band's performance in Inglewood, noting the band as an anomaly in arena rock, stating that the band drew the same crowd as Van Halen or Mötley Crüe and delivered a jazz-based, laid-back sophisticated performance, yet continued to excite the sold out audience of fans attending the show. The only criticisms that were given was Geddy Lee's vocals which were considered "cruel and unusual punishment to some", as well as stating the band can be boring. However Ann Vare stated that it was refreshing to see a band in the heavy rock genre that satisfies its fans without pandering to them.[6]
Greg Barr from the Ottawa Citizen gave the Ottawa performance he attended a positive review. He opened his review, stating that the band had reached a pinnacle of technical and musical prowess, being compared to familiar acts like Van Halen and Bruce Springsteen. He praised the visuals and music, noting on the show as well-paced and choreographed, noting on the inclusion of lasers, a laser-holograph generator, a 35mm rear screen movie projector and a group of masked native dancers on the film screen behind the band. Regarding the effects and visuals, Barr stated that it would have the audience talking about it for some time. He praised Peart's drum solo which has praised as "spell-binding", noting on him using two different drum sets that swiveled around like gun-turrets on the deck of a battleship.[7]
Set list
editThese are example set lists 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.[8]
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Tour dates
editDate | City | Country | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
March 11, 1985[13] | Lakeland | United States | Lakeland Civic Center |
March 12, 1985[13] | |||
March 14, 1985[14] | Fort Myers | Lee County Civic Center | |
March 15, 1985 | Pembroke Pines | Hollywood Sportatorium | |
December 4, 1985 | Portland | Cumberland County Civic Center | |
December 5, 1985 | Providence | Providence Civic Center | |
December 7, 1985 | New Haven | New Haven Coliseum | |
December 8, 1985 | Hartford | Hartford Civic Center | |
December 10, 1985 | Rochester | Rochester Community War Memorial | |
December 12, 1985 | Worcester | Centrum in Worcester | |
December 13, 1985 | |||
December 15, 1985 | Richmond | Richmond Coliseum | |
December 16, 1985 | Landover | Capital Centre | |
December 18, 1985 | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh Civic Arena | |
December 19, 1985 | Richfield | Richfield Coliseum |
Box office score data
editDate | City | Venue | Attendance | Gross | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 11–12, 1985 | Lakeland, United States | Civic Center | 16,875 / 20,000 | $232,890 | [15] |
March 14, 1985 | Fort Myers, United States | Lee County Arena | 4,375 / 4,500 | $56,875 | |
March 15, 1985 | Pembroke Pines, United States | Hollywood Sportatorium | 11,211 / 11,500 | $144,885 | [16] |
December 10, 1985 | Rochester, United States | War Memorial | 10,200 | $135,716 | [17] |
January 9, 1986 | Pensacola, United States | Civic Center | 5,813 / 7,000 | $78,677 | [18] |
January 15–16, 1986 | Houston, United States | The Summit | 18,803 / 20,000 | $284,382 | [19] |
January 18, 1986 | Austin, Texas | Frank Erwin Center | 14,055 | $199,154 | [20] |
January 19, 1986 | San Antonio, United States | Convention Center | 9,331 / 10,500 | $135,486 | |
January 30, 1986 | San Francisco, United States | Cow Palace | 11,034 | $165,510 | |
January 31, 1986 | Oakland, United States | Alameda County Coliseum Arena | 13,711 | $219,376 | |
February 3, 1986 | San Diego, United States | Sports Arena | 11,121 | $154,344 | [6] |
February 5–6, 1986 | Inglewood, United States | The Forum | 30,005 | $425,789 | |
March 1, 1986 | Ottawa, Canada | Civic Center | 7,421 / 8,000 | $103,893 | [21] |
March 6–7, 1986 | Toronto, Canada | Maple Leaf Gardens | 22,145 / 24,000 | $345,461 | |
April 4, 1986 | Uniondale, United States | Nassau Coliseum | 15,931 | $254,211 | [22] |
May 15, 1986 | Calgary, Canada | Olympic Saddledome | 8,036 / 14,000 | $107,931 | [23] |
May 24, 1986 | Sacramento, United States | Cal Expo Amphitheatre | 12,200 | $201,300 |
Personnel
edit- Geddy Lee – vocals, bass, keyboards
- Alex Lifeson – guitar, backing vocals
- Neil Peart – drums
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Daly & Hansen 2019, p. 261.
- ^ Popoff 2021, p. 183.
- ^ Popoff 2021, p. 204.
- ^ Giles, Jeff (January 9, 2016). "Why 'A Show of Hands' Found Rush at an '80s-era Crossroads". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ a b c Daly & Hansen 2019, pp. 269–277.
- ^ a b "Amusement Business Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 8. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. February 22, 1986. p. 46. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^ Barr, Greg (March 3, 1986). "Rush powers to pyrotechnical peak in long-awaited show". Ottawa, Ontario: Ottawa Citizen. p. A18. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ Daly & Hansen 2019, pp. 263, 269.
- ^ "Rush Concert Tour Dates Listing".
- ^ "TRC".
- ^ a b "Power Windows Tour". Rush.com. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Daly & Hansen 2019, p. 263.
- ^ a b "This Ledger's March Calendar of Events". No. 130. Lakeland, Florida: Lakeland Ledger. March 1, 1985. p. 1C. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ "Weekend Billboard: Coming Up". No. 148. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. March 1, 1985. p. 2D. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
Rush, Lee Civic Center, Fort Myers, 8 p.m., March 14
- ^ "Amusement Business Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 13. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. March 30, 1985. p. 50. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ "Amusement Business Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 14. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 6, 1985. p. 43. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ "Amusement Business Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 28, 1985. p. 50. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
- ^ "Amusement Business Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 4. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. January 25, 1986. p. 39. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
- ^ "Amusement Business Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 6. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. February 8, 1986. p. 37. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
- ^ "Amusement Business Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 7. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. February 15, 1986. p. 48. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
- ^ "Amusement Business Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 12. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. March 22, 1986. p. 51. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^ "Amusement Business Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 16. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 19, 1986. p. 25. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^ "Amusement Business Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 23. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 19, 1986. p. 23. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
Sources
edit- Daly, Skip; Hansen, Eric (2019). Rush: Wandering the Face of the Earth – The Official Touring History. Insight Editions. ISBN 978-1-68383-450-2.
- Popoff, Martin (2021). Limelight: Rush in the '80s. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-77041-569-0.