Hemispheres Tour

The Hemispheres Tour (also referred to as The Tour of the Hemispheres) was a concert tour by Canadian rock band Rush in support of their sixth studio album, Hemispheres.

The tour began on October 14, 1978 which began with arenas in Canada, extending out into the United States.^[1] It was the first tour where the band was noted as a major headlining act, playing an hour and a half instead of a forty-five minute set, with hopes that the audience would appreciate the length of the set.^[2] While keeping a good lighting system, the band began extending their PA system, as well as becoming more active on stage with the usage of backdrops, giving the audience something to look at - something that became a major part of their performances.^[3] Rush toured Europe in April to May 1979, concluding their tour with a performance at the Pinkpop Festival in Holland, which had followed after Lifeson broke his finger, resulting in three shows being canceled, but however he had performed at the festival with no problems. The tour was accompanied by the release of the European compilation album, Rush Through Time, which was unauthorized at the time.^[4]

Reviewing the October 25, 1978 performance in Saskatoon, Star-Phoenix's Joe Rubin noted on the band's usage of special effects which he had stated held the audience 'spellbound' with balls of light, swirling spirals and spaceships depicted on the screen suspended behind the band as they performed. Regarding the audience, Rubin stated it was understandable as they were grogged on sound, later benumbed and ecstatic at the conclusion of the performance.^[5]

The Spokesman-Review's Dave Reagan, reviewing the November 8, 1978 performance in Spokane, wrote that the band had proved its reputation to be loud but talented. He observed that the music was relatively clean and low enough to not compound the echoing effects of the coliseum where the show took place. Also noting on the special effects and the lighting accompanied by the use of the synthesizer, Reagan stated that it had brought the audience to both its feet and knees, with the visuals keeping the longer songs exciting and alive, with no interest lost from the audience.^[6]

This is an example set list 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.^[7] "Circumstances" was removed from the set during the band's shows in the United Kingdom, with "Something for Nothing" and "Cygnus X-1" being removed from the set during the rest of the shows in Europe.^[8]

Main Setlist

1. "Anthem"
2. "A Passage to Bangkok"
3. "By-Tor and the Snow Dog"
4. "Xanadu"
5. "Something for Nothing"
6. "The Trees"
7. "Cygnus X-1"
8. "Hemispheres"
9. "Closer to the Heart"
10. "Circumstances"
11. "A Farewell to Kings"
12. "La Villa Strangiato"
13. "2112" (Chapters I–IV, VI–VII)

    Encore

14. "Working Man" / "Bastille Day" / "In the Mood" (medley, with drum solo)

• Geddy Lee – vocals, bass, keyboards
• Alex Lifeson – guitar, backing vocals
• Neil Peart – drums

• 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 (2020). Anthem: Rush in the '70s. Toronto: ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-77041-520-1.