A SHOW OF HANDS

Rush's third skin change concludes with the release of the live album "A Show of Hands" at the end of the 80's, with a setlist built on the basis of their most clearly synthesizer-oriented stage, ranging from 1982's "Signals" to 1987's "Hold Your Fire".

Despite the displeasure of many for this turn in the musical aesthetics of the Canadians, more digitised and aseptic of raw roughness and intricate developments that had marked their stellar works of the late 70's and early 80's, "A Show of Hands" is a very good album that reflects the recognised virtuosity of the trio and their evolution not alien to the energised and overflowing tendencies that new wave and pop brought in their 80's DNA.

To highlight especially the humorous introduction with the Three Stooges theme, prior to the contagious vitality of "Big Money" and its ending, more rounded than that of the studio version of the album "Power Windows", the impeccable execution of "Subdivisions", the emotional epic sense of the epilogues of "Marathon" and "Mission", the percussion solo of master Neil Peart in "The Rhythm Method", the luminous and crystalline guitars of Alex Lifeson in "Time Stand Still", and the bass of Geddy Lee in the extended and conclusive "Closer to The Heart", which besides being the only song of the second stage included in the published setlist of the album, is the unbeatable closing with the full band.

Additionally, a VHS version (updated in 2006 to DVD) of "A Show of Hands" was released, which in this case did include some songs from the first two stages of the band, such as "The Spirit of Radio", "Tom Sawyer" and "2112" among others.

Very good

4 stars