A SHOW OF HANDS

Rush's third live album documents songs from their 1982-1988 period. The songs are all performed well, with a few exceptions where Lee's vocals seem out of tune. They key thing about this album when considering purchasing it is, do you like 1980s Rush? If the answer is yes, you'll probably enjoy this one very much. If the answer is no, likely you'll find this one hard to sit through. With the exception of Closer to the Heart, every track is from Rush's most accessible, synthesizer-driven period. Just based on that fact alone, this isn't one everyone should get.

I liked most of the Rush's 1980s period with the exception of their Hold Your Fire album of 1988. So I found most of this collection an enjoyable listen, particularly the material from Grace Under Pressure. My guess as to why there is hardly any older material on this live set is that it seemed Rush used their live albums to document the previous four studio albums they made, although later live albums would not follow this formula. Besides, these were the songs that were popular among Rush fans in the 1980s, so this is what they focused their live sets on.

Three stars because this isn't for everyone. If you love 1980s Rush, you'll love this.