Grace Under Pressure [Video]

• Artist: Rush
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1985
• Type: Video, Live
• Genre: Rock

Review

Two things immediately tell viewers that Rush's Grace Under Pressure tour video is a product of the mid-1980s: the sportcoat-and-T-shirt ensembles worn by vocalist/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson, and the light show's pencil-thin green lasers which were used prominently then. Grace Under Pressure Tour was filmed at Maple Leaf Gardens in Rush's hometown of Toronto. Directed by music-video veteran David Mallet, it's a fine document of a band whose skills and vision had matured. But Lee, Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart were in their early 30s, so they were still running on youthful vigor. Song-wise, the usual suspects are here: "The Spirit of Radio," "Closer to the Heart," and "Tom Sawyer." The biggest treats are underrated songs such as "The Enemy Within," "Distant Early Warning," and "Red Sector A," all strong Grace Under Pressure cuts. Rush is often thought of as humorless, but "The Weapon"'s playful rear-screen projection intro features SCTV comedian Joe Flaherty in his Count Floyd guise. The anti-censorship "Witch Hunt" from Rush's 1981 masterpiece Moving Pictures foreshadowed the decade's conservative hysteria about the arts. Perhaps the most fun song is "New World Man," which, at this point, remains Rush's only Top 40 hit single. Lee butchers his vocals a little at the end, but Lifeson coolly and casually leans back against a speaker while firing off his riffs, and at one point the normally stoic Peart even manages a smile. The finale is a three-song medley of "Vital Signs" and the rudimentary pre-Peart cuts "Finding My Way" and "In the Mood." As a bonus, Grace Under Pressure Tour includes the original "The Big Money" music video. ~ Bret Adams, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
The Spirit of Radio [DVD]	Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart	Rush
The Enemy Within [DVD]	Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart	Rush
The Weapon [DVD]	Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart	Rush
Witch Hunt [DVD]	Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart	Rush
New World Man [DVD]	Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart	Rush
Distant Early Warning [DVD]	Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart	Rush
Red Sector "A" [DVD]	Alex Lifeson	Rush
Closer to the Heart [DVD]	Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart, John Michael Talbot	Rush
Medley: Yyz/The Temples of Syrinx/Tom Sawyer [DVD]	Alex Lifeson, Danielle Dubois-Flax	Rush
Medley: Vital Signs/Finding My Way/In the Mood	Alex Lifeson	Rush
Medley: Finding My Way/In the Mood [DVD]	Alex Lifeson	Rush

Credits

Zach Blackstone (Assistant Engineer), Neil Peart (Liner Notes), Alex Lifeson (Synthesizer), Bill Fertig (Live Sound), Dimo Safari (Photography), Ray Danniels (Management), Jon Erickson (Engineer), Steve Byron (Monitor Mix Engineer), Geddy Lee (Liner Notes), Alex Lifeson (Guitar), Larry Allen (Stage Technician), Hugh Syme (Booklet Design), Tony Geranios (Guitar Technician), Alex Lifeson (Liner Notes), Neil Peart (Percussion), Liam Birt (Crew), Liam Birt (Stage Manager), Mike Fraser (Mixing), Geddy Lee (Vocals), Bill Baker [5] (Director), Fin Costello (Photography), Alex Lifeson (Mixing), Tony Geranios (Technical Advisor), Neil Peart (Drums), Rob Quartley (Director), Geddy Lee (Bass), Val Azzoli (Representation), Geddy Lee (Synthesizer), Skip Gildersleeve (Stage Technician), David Mallet (Director), Geddy Lee (Keyboards)