Different Stages: Live

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Editorial reviews

Album Details
Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track: Force Ten.

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-12-22 rating:
it's rush
a great live cd from a great band . a great mix of new live and old live songs. few rock bands as old as rush have always had the same members .so having a disc from the 70's and the 90's you can hear the DIFFERENT STAGES LIVE in more thirdy years. if you like rush you will love this cd. just buy it.

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review by: RCG2 date: 2008-04-01 rating:
Outstanding package of live RUSH
THE BAND: Geddy Lee (vocals, bass, keyboards), Alex Lifeson (guitars), Neil Peart (drums & percussion).

THE DISCS: (1998) 39 tracks on 3 discs totaling 200+ minutes (Disc-1 at approximately 70 minutes, Disc-2 at 69 minutes, and Disc-3 at 62 minutes). Included with the discs is a 7-page foldout containing band pictures, a collage of various tour paraphernalia, a list of crew members, and what songs were recorded where and when. Discs 1 and 2 capture the band somewhere between 1994 and 1997 (25 of the 28 songs are recorded in 1997 in support of the "Test For Echo" tour... cities included Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Toronto, Miami, Philly and Mansfield, MA). Disc 3 is a bonus disc of older material - recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon - London 1978. Disc 1 is enhanced - showing cluster artwork from Japanese artist Hisashi Hoda. The tri-fold case is a medium thick cardboard. Label - Atlantic / Anthem.

ALBUM REPRESENTATION (1st two discs only): 2112 (1 song - though divided into 7 sections - the complete 2112 Overture), A Farewell To Kings (1), Hemispheres (1), Permanent Waves (3), Moving Pictures (4), Signals (1), Presto (1), Roll The Bones (3), Counterparts (4), Test For Echo (3).

COMMENTS: Behind Rush's raw 1st powerful live album "All The World's A Stage" (1976), I like this "Different Stages" best. It seems we are treated to a live Rush release every 5-7 years... so after such a long and prosperous career, there are several live albums to consider (among others - "Exit... Stage Left", "A Show Of Hands", "Rush In Rio", "R30", "Snakes & Arrows"). For me, the song selection on "Exit... Stage Left" (1981) might be near perfect - capturing the band truly in their prime - but the sound production is sub par. THE GOOD: In a nut shell - "Different Stages" delivers lots of music, great song selection, a nice foldout CD package, and stellar sound production. Highlights include: the entire "2112 Overture" (worth the price of the disc by itself), a great rendition of "Natural Science", a nice inclusion of "Analog Kid", rocking versions of "Animate" and "Stick It Out", and the 2 instrumentals - the closer "YYZ" and the ultra smooth "Leave That Thing Alone" (leading into Peart's 8-minute drum solo on "The Rhythm Method"). Disc-3 is a treat - throws you back to the "Hemispheres" tour featuring classic tunes live - "Bastille Day", "By-Tor & The Snow Dog", a shortened version of "Cygnus X-1", "Fly By Night", "Xanadu", "A Farewell To Kings", etc. THE NOT SO GOOD: Two things stick out to me. One - as you'll notice on later Rush live albums, Geddy Lee's bass really takes over (drowning out Lifeson's guitar in spots). In some songs here, you can really notice the volume on Lee's bass. Two - several classic songs are missing. As stated above, Rush has so many live albums, you're bound to be able to find your favorite Rush tune live somewhere... but this "Different Stages" (discs 1 and 2) release sounds so good... I wish ALL the best songs were here. Absent is anything from "Caress Of Steel", "Grace Under Pressure", "Power Windows", or "Hold Your Fire". Classic tunes missing - "Red Barchetta", "Subdivisions", "Distant Early Warning", "New World Man", "La Ville Strangiato", "Force Ten", "Lakeside Park", etc. OVERALL: Nice package with lots of music covering old and new material - 1974 through 1996 (5 stars).

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review by: Charlie C date: 2008-02-09 rating:
Be amazed
A little history, I grew up in the 70's and have always been a big music fan and listener. I have heard Rush, respected rush but never have seen them live or purchased any of thier music. So, in December I'm driving home from work and an independent radio station cranking and heard this killer guitar and drums. It sounded familiar but I had never heard it before. I was blown away. Turns out to be live Rush cygnus and anthem.
Well I had to get some live Rush and this was the one.
It's a powerhouse of a set and it just drives home that Rush is very underrated by the masses.
This is rock solid.

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review by: Classic rock and old school metal master date: 2007-11-12 rating:
Rush's best live album hands down and was almost Rush's farewell due to tragedy
Rush's fourth live album Different Stages was released in November of 1998.
The album was released after the deaths of drummer Neil Peart's daughter Selena in August of 1997 and wife Jackie in July of 1998 to a car crash and cancer respectively. As a result, bass player and singer Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson decided to put Rush on indefinite hiatus and left the choice to Neil to either come back when recovered or call it a career.
As a result, Geddy and producer Paul Northfield sifted through the concert tapes that the band had recorded on their 1994 and 1997 sold out tours to come up with initially a double live album with most of the tracks recorded in Chicago in June of 1997.
Discs one and two have the best versions of "Dreamline", "The Trees", "Nobody's Hero", "Stick it Out", "Closer to the Heart", "Test for Echo", "The Analog Kid", "Resist", "Leave That Thing Alone" and "Natural Science" I ever heard. The highlight though on the first two discs is the entire "2112" suite. The reason I say this was I was at the show they recorded this and Leave That Thing in Mansfield, Mass in June of 1997. Hearing the whole 2112 piece live was spellbinding.
The other tracks on the first two discs of this live album which are "Limelight", "Driven", "Bravado", "Animate", "Show Don't Tell", "Freewill", Neil's killer drum solo "The Rhythm Method", "The Spirit of Radio", "Tom Sawyer" and "YYZ" are all superb as well.
The double live disc changed to three when Geddy found an unused multi-track tape of a Rush performance from 1978 in London on the Farewell to Kings tour. Originally, it was to go to radio but Geddy didn't like the way his voice sounded so they scrapped it. Then 20 years later, they decided to give the fans an added bonus live disc to Different Stages making the triple live album the price of a double (if that isn't bang for your buck I don't know what is).
The performances of "Bastille Day", "Something for Nothing", "Anthem", "Working Man", "Fly by Night", "In the Mood" rival the versions on All the World's a Stage. "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" is short but still good and the Farewell to Kings material, especially "Cygnus X-1" and "Xanadu" are excellent as is the title cut and the closing "Cinderella Man".
Like always, Different Stages went Gold immediately confirming Rush's place in history as the most successful rock band ever to come from Canada. Sales notwithstanding, this is the best Rush live album as you get Rush live from 1978 to 1997.
Highly recommended!


review by: Music Fanatic date: 2007-10-16 rating:
Rush's Best Live Offering - 5 Stars
RUSH - Different Stages "Live" 3 Discs (2hrs 20 mins)

This is part four of a comprehensive four part series of Music Reviews of the Progressive Rock band Rush. This is a band that has been around now for over 30 years, and has gone though many musical phases. I consider the bands 1990 releases as their "Contemporary period". Albums included are Presto (1989), Roll the Bones (1991), Counterparts (1993), Test for Echo (1996), and Different Stages "Live" (1998).

With the prospect of working on the next new Rush album put on an indefinate hold by the personal tragedies that fell upon Rush's drummer, Neil Peart during 1997, Geddy Lee, the band's bassist, took it upon himself to go ahead and work on getting something out to the fans.

Different Stages is Rush's fourth Live album up to that point, and in my opinion, the best of them all. It's the most comprehensive live set ever offered. Basically it's a live "greatest hits" package with live versions of some songs presented for the first and possibly last time. Different Stages comes mostly from Rush's Test for Echo Tour in 1996. That was the first time they played to fans with no opening act. It was billed as "An Evening with Rush" and what an evening it was! Awesome long shows running 2 1/2 to 3 hours long. They even played "2112" in it's entirety! Awesome. I saw the show at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans on December 6th 1996.

There are two discs filled with Live Rush from that tour, and then, as a bonus, you get a vintage 1978 show recorded in London from the Farewell to Kings tour. This was originally recorded to be a radio show that was never broadcast. It's nice to here them play some of these songs from back in the day. A real treat for long-time fans like myself.

This is a bargain set for around $22.00 filled with lots of great music.

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