Rush Newcastle City Hall 24th April 1979
Newcastle City Hall. 24th April 1979. Mystical rock gods Rush come down from the skies once again to sing and play songs of gods, mythology and joy to the northern rock fans. We were hungry for music of the highest order, and that hunger could only be satisfied by our three superheroes. For nights the City Hall once again became a magical temple for the music of Rush. The god that is Geddy Lee amazed us with his soaring voice and his sweet bass rhythms. Twin guitar axe hero Alex Lifeson left us speechless, stunned by his virtuosity. And drum master Neil Peart, perched behind the biggest kit ever to grace Olympus drove the band and the rock textures forward. We cheered, we shouted, we sat in awe. We listened, we imagined, we dreamed. We talked about the magic of the event for weeks before, and months after. Support came from Max Webster.
Setlist: Anthem; A Passage to Bangkok; By-Tor & The Snow Dog; Xanadu; Something for Nothing; The Trees; Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres Parts I to VI; Closer to the Heart; A Farewell to Kings; La Villa Strangiato; 2112 Parts I to VII; Working Man; Bastille Day; In the Mood.
‘To seek the sacred river Alph
To walk the caves of ice
To break my fast on honeydew
And drink the milk of Paradise…’
I had heard the whispered tales of immortality
The deepest mystery
From an ancient book I took a clue
I scaled the frozen mountain tops of eastern lands unknown
Time and Man alone
Searching for the lost Xanadu
Xanadu…..’
(Xanadu, Rush).
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