Counterparts Tour
Tour by Rush
LocationNorth America
Associated albumCounterparts
Start dateJanuary 22, 1994
End dateMay 7, 1994
No. of shows54
Rush concert chronology

The Counterparts Tour was a concert tour by Canadian rock band Rush in support of their fifteenth studio album, Counterparts and the members' 20th anniversary as a band.[1][2]

Background

The tour kicked off January 22, 1994 at the Civic Center in Pensacola, Florida and culminated on May 7, 1994 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto,[3] estimated to have performed to 589,137 fans.[2] Opening acts for this tour were Candlebox, The Melvins, Primus, The Doughboys, and I Mother Earth.[4] Some recordings from the tour were featured on the 1998 live album Different Stages.[5]

This was the last of the band's tours to have an opening act.

Reception

The New York Times's John Pareles, reviewing one of the two Madison Square Garden shows in March, opened that the band performed for two hours amid film clips and special effects such as smoke, psychedelic patterned lights, and spark showers. He continued, stating that Rush flaunted music proficiency with "speeding guitar scales, hard-hitting drumming and earnest vocals" to "melodic hooks of pop tunes" similar to The Police. Noting on the audience, Pareles acknowledged that the band counted on many fans during the show to sing along to every song performed. The only criticism Pareles gave was the change in sound in songs when Lifeson went from acoustic to electric, proceeding the music at one "unvarying" volume, also noting that Rush lacked a rudimentary sense of dynamics.[6]

Reviewing the May 3, 1994 performance at Albany's Knickerbocker Arena, Michael Hochanadel from The Sunday Gazette, praised the band's sound, stating that it sounded like it had settled into a sound similar to Pink Floyd and The Police and had become a genre themselves "through sheer sound and style", adding that the special effects and fireworks have elevated the band's music. Commenting on the interaction with Rush and their fans, Hochanadel noted when Lee had advanced closer towards the audience during the song "Closer to the Heart", stating that he matched movement to words as well as adding that Peart's drum solo had a tip-off when his drum riser was used.[7]

Despite the positive reception from many critics and audiences, Ed Masley from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette who attended the April 20, 1994 performance in Pittsburgh, had opened that Rush did not know how to put on a 'real' rock show, stating that Peart did not know anything about that - calling him a "drag". He noted on the special effects the band used in their performance, stating that the band were still boring, noting on how the images on the screen behind the band had drawn more applause than the musicians performing.[8]

Kelley Crowley from the Observer-Reporter, whom also criticized the band's performance in a negative light claimed that Geddy Lee's vocals were possessed by the spirit of a mouse and in an "electronic frenzy", also criticizing the "muddy and distorted" sound the band had presented, and the mistakes Lifeson was making on his guitar solo in "The Spirit of Radio". Crowley also acknowledged the complaints of fans on their expectations of hearing the old material at the show. However though, Crowley stated that with the use of the video screen, special effects and lights, it was described as a "sensory experience".[9]

Set list

This is an example setlist 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.[10]

  1. "Dreamline"
  2. "The Spirit of Radio"
  3. "The Analog Kid"
  4. "Cold Fire"
  5. "Time Stand Still"
  6. "Nobody's Hero"
  7. "Roll the Bones"
  8. "Animate"
  9. "Stick It Out"
  10. "Double Agent"
  11. "Limelight"
  12. "Bravado"
  13. "Mystic Rhythms"
  14. "Closer to the Heart"
  15. "Show Don't Tell"
  16. "Leave That Thing Alone"
  17. "The Rhythm Method" (drum solo)
  18. "The Trees"
  19. "Xanadu"
  20. "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres – Prelude"
  21. "Tom Sawyer"

Encore

  1. "Force Ten"
  2. "YYZ"
  3. "Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage" (teaser)

Tour dates

Date[11][12] City Country Venue
January 22, 1994PensacolaUnited StatesPensacola Civic Center
January 23, 1994New OrleansLakefront Arena
January 25, 1994AustinFrank Erwin Center
January 26, 1994HoustonThe Summit
January 28, 1994DallasReunion Arena
January 29, 1994San AntonioHemisFair Arena
January 31, 1994Las CrucesPan American Center
February 1, 1994PhoenixVeterans Memorial Coliseum
February 3, 1994InglewoodGreat Western Forum
February 5, 1994AnaheimArrowhead Pond of Anaheim
February 7, 1994San DiegoSan Diego Sports Arena
February 8, 1994FresnoSelland Arena
February 10, 1994SacramentoARCO Arena
February 11, 1994Daly CityCow Palace
February 12, 1994San JoseSan Jose Arena
February 23, 1994MurfreesboroMurphy Center
February 24, 1994AtlantaOmni Coliseum
February 25, 1994CharlotteCharlotte Coliseum
February 27, 1994MiamiMiami Arena
March 1, 1994OrlandoAmway Arena
March 2, 1994JacksonvilleJacksonville Coliseum
March 4, 1994St. PetersburgThunderdome
March 6, 1994Chapel HillDean Smith Center
March 8, 1994New York CityMadison Square Garden
March 9, 1994
March 11, 1994WorcesterWorcester Centrum
March 12, 1994
March 22, 1994Auburn HillsThe Palace of Auburn Hills
March 23, 1994RichfieldRichfield Coliseum
March 25, 1994CincinnatiRiverfront Coliseum
March 26, 1994IndianapolisMarket Square Arena
March 27, 1994Auburn HillsThe Palace of Auburn Hills
March 29, 1994RosemontRosemont Horizon
March 30, 1994
April 1, 1994PeoriaPeoria Civic Center
April 2, 1994MadisonDane County Coliseum
April 4, 1994St. LouisSt. Louis Arena
April 5, 1994Kansas CityKemper Arena
April 7, 1994MilwaukeeBradley Center
April 8, 1994MinneapolisTarget Center
April 9, 1994MolineMARK of the Quad Cities
April 18, 1994BuffaloBuffalo Memorial Auditorium
April 20, 1994PittsburghCivic Arena
April 22, 1994East RutherfordBrendan Byrne Arena
April 23, 1994UniondaleNassau Coliseum
April 24, 1994HartfordHartford Civic Center
April 26, 1994LandoverUSAir Arena
April 29, 1994PhiladelphiaThe Spectrum
April 30, 1994
May 1, 1994ProvidenceProvidence Civic Center
May 3, 1994AlbanyKnickerbocker Arena
May 4, 1994RochesterWar Memorial Arena
May 6, 1994MontrealCanadaMontreal Forum
May 7, 1994TorontoMaple Leaf Gardens

Box office score data

List of box office score data with date, city, venue, attendance, gross, references
Date
(1994)		 City Venue Attendance Gross Ref(s)
January 22 Pensacola, United States Civic Center 8,422 / 8,422 $176,550 [13]
January 23 New Orleans, United States Lakefront Arena 7,432 / 7,432 $180,302
February 5 Anaheim, United States Arrowhead Pond 13,460 / 13,460 $333,647 [14]
February 7 San Diego, United States Sports Arena 11,242 / 11,668 $226,598 [15]
March 11–12 Worcester, United States Centrum 22,127 / 25,008 $535,570 [16]
March 23 Richfield, United States Coliseum 14,717 / 14,717 $360,270 [17]
March 29–30 Rosemont, United States Rosemont Horizon 21,665 / 21,665 $528,363
April 4 St. Louis, United States Arena 13,570 / 13,570 $322,305
April 20 Pittsburgh, United States Civic Arena 11,062 / 12,000 $267,991 [18]
April 22 East Rutherford, United States Meadowlands Arena 14,083 / 14,083 $365,829 [19]
April 23 Uniondale, United States Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 11,585 / 11,585 $313,287
April 29–30 Philadelphia, United States Spectrum 23,979 / 27,090 $586,134
May 6 Montreal, Canada Forum 12,913 / 12,913 $291,306 [20]

Personnel

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Shuster, Fred (April 21, 1994). "Rush celebrates 20 years in music industry". No. 293. Gadsden, Alabama: Gadsden Times. p. C2. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Daly & Hansen 2019, p. 320.
  3. ↑ Daly & Hansen 2019, p. 322.
  4. ↑ Popoff 2017, p. 148.
  5. ↑ Morse, Steve (November 19, 1998). "Rush's new live CD best one yet". Observer-Reporter. p. B6. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  6. ↑ Pareles, John (April 17, 1994). "Rush delivery: a breakneck set in NYC". New York City, New York: Observer-Reporter. p. F3. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  7. ↑ Hochanadel, Michael (May 4, 1994). "Special effects lift Rush's music from familiar to classic-looking". Schenectady, New York: The Sunday Gazette. p. B10. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  8. ↑ Masley, Ed (April 21, 1994). "After two decades, Rush still doesn't know rock". No. 264. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. C-4. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  9. ↑ Crowley, Kelley (April 19, 1994). "Don't hurry to see Rush". Observer-Reporter. p. B2. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  10. ↑ Daly & Hansen 2019, p. 324.
  11. ↑ Daly & Hansen 2019, pp. 324–331.
  12. ↑ "Counterparts Tour". Rush.com. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Amusement Business Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 6. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. February 5, 1994. p. 14. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Amusement Business Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 8. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. February 19, 1994. p. 14. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Amusement Business Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 10. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. March 5, 1994. p. 20. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Amusement Business Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 13. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. March 26, 1994. p. 24. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Amusement Business Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 16. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 16, 1994. p. 19. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Amusement Business Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 19. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 7, 1994. p. 16. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Amusement Business Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 20. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 14, 1994. p. 24. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Amusement Business Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 22. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 28, 1994. p. 13. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 23, 2023.

Sources

  • Popoff, Martin (2017). Rush: Album by Album. Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-5220-5.
  • Daly, Skip; Hansen, Eric (2019). Rush: Wandering the Face of the Earth – The Official Touring History. Insight Editions. ISBN 978-1-68383-450-2.
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