Rush’s Amazing ‘Grace’

I used to be a real jerk about Rush’s mid-80s output back when I first began listening to them in 9th grade — 1988 to be exact.

I remember when Presto came out and everyone was psyched because it was the Canadian trio’s big return to a more guitar-centric sound. As a new fan, I got swept up in it, too, and pretty much ignored their mid-80s period based on hearsay from elitist fans sour on Rush’s romance with New Wave.

But an interesting thing happened between then and now: Those synth-heavy albums, they’ve aged quite well, as though the passage of time added depth to the direction Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart were going.

And as the band’s ongoing deluxe reimagining of their 1984 LP Grace Under Pressure certainly attests, some of the trio’s very best material emerged from this period. Doubling down on the keyboards following 1982’s equally essential Signals, this additional paintbrush by which the fellas used to color the songwriting and composition allowed for some of the most poignant songs in the band’s canon.

 

VIDEO: Rush “Distant Early Warning”

Take, for instance, “Distant Early Warning,” which extols the fears of nuclear war that loomed over the Western Hemisphere at the time, resolving in a plea for compassion in a cold world. “Red Sector A,” meanwhile, saw Peart channel his lyrics through the real-life experiences of Geddy’s mother during the Holocaust, personifying the concept of “grace under pressure” against unspeakable odds. “The Body Electric” foreshadows what we are currently experiencing as AI becomes more and more sentient.

Sonically, the new mix of Grace, reconfigured by the album’s original producer Terry Brown, is a revelation, especially if you consider Geddy Lee to be one of rock’s greatest bassists. He’s so up front in this mix in such a clear, crystalline way that it really opens up the album in a whole new means of the listening experience.

Sonically speaking, the absolute gem of this box, however, is the complete audio and video of the show Rush performed on Sept. 21, 1984, at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, which was also newly mixed from the original multitrack audio masters and has now been retitled Grace Under Pressure Tour: Live in Toronto 1984.

The Blu-ray features the above concert on video newly edited & newly remastered in HD with the audio soundtrack offered in 48kHz/24-bit Dolby Atmos, 96kHz/24-bit Dolby TrueHD 5.1, and 96kHz/24-bit PCM stereo options, all newly mixed by Terry Brown. Its previous incarnation as 1986’s Grace Under Pressure Tour concert home video and CD was somewhat incomplete, and this new full concert experience features 37 minutes of unreleased performances.

Also on the Blu-ray, the full 1984 studio album is newly mixed in 48kHz/24-bit Dolby Atmos and 96kHz/24-bit Dolby TrueHD 5.1 by longtime band associate, producer/engineer Richard Chycki, from the original album’s multitracks along with the newly remastered 192kHz/24-bit and 96kHz/24-bit PCM stereo.

“Listening to Grace Under Pressure in Atmos, you can really hear Rush’s progress and development as artists, because there’s much more room in the 360-degree soundfield to express it,” explains Chycki. “Things that may have just gone by you in stereo now appear in separate speakers without being gimmicky. Instead, they act as micro-features for the Atmos listener to better appreciate the band’s intent.”

Additionally, on the Blu-ray, Terry Brown’s new album remix is presented in 96kHz/24-bit PCM stereo, along with the band’s music videos for “Distant Early Warning,” “Afterimage,” “The Enemy Within,” and “The Body Electric,” all of which have been visually remastered in HD and presented in 96kHz/24-bit Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and 48kHz/24-bit PCM stereo. Fun fact: “The Enemy Within” was the very first music video shown by Canadian TV channel MuchMusic, now known as Fuse, on Aug. 31, 1984.

The Super Deluxe Edition of Grace Under Pressure also includes new liner notes penned by Geddy Lee himself, while original album designer Hugh Syme re-imagines the album cover along with creating brand-new illustrations for each of the album’s eight songs and other related visual elements in the book.

Then there’s the litany of collectibles to be found inside the box, including include a custom acrylic Grace Under Pressure LED light-up display; a replica of the Grace Under Pressure tour book; a replica Maple Leaf Gardens/Toronto show concert ticket; a Grace Under Pressure Tour total access backstage pass; “Pressure Release” a replica of the 6-page press release; three band member live photo lithos; and a poster from the Toronto show.

After 11 years since wrapping up their final tour with longtime drummer Neil Peart — who sadly passed away on Jan. 7, 2020 following a battle with Glioblastoma — Geddy and guitarist Alex Lifeson are returning to the lighted stage this summer for the Fifty Something Tour with Germany’s Anika Nilles behind the kit.

And while a lot of these shows are sold out, if you find yourself with $500 to spare to satiate your Rush fix in absentia, this thoroughly impressive box set celebrating one of the trio’s more underrated records is a wise investment.

Especially if you were a knucklehead like me who overlooked the synth era back in the day.

 

RUSH 2026 Fifty Something Tour Dates:

Sun Jun 07 – Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum SOLD OUT

Tue Jun 09 – Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum SOLD OUT

Thu Jun 11 – Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum SOLD OUT

Sat Jun 13 – Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum SOLD OUT

Thu Jun 18 – Mexico City, MX Palacio de los Deportes SOLD OUT

Sat Jun 20 – Mexico City, MX Palacio de los Deportes

Wed Jun 24 – Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena SOLD OUT

Fri Jun 26 – Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena SOLD OUT

Sun Jun 28 – Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena SOLD OUT

Tue Jun 30 – Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena SOLD OUT

Thu Jul 16 – Chicago, IL United Center SOLD OUT

Sat Jul 18 – Chicago, IL United Center SOLD OUT

Mon Jul 20 – Chicago, IL United Center SOLD OUT

Wed Jul 22 – Chicago, IL United Center SOLD OUT

Tue Jul 28 – New York, NY Madison Square Garden SOLD OUT

Thu Jul 30 – New York, NY Madison Square Garden SOLD OUT

Sat Aug 01 – New York, NY Madison Square Garden SOLD OUT

Mon Aug 03 – New York, NY Madison Square Garden SOLD OUT

Fri Aug 07 – Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena SOLD OUT

Sun Aug 09 – Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena SOLD OUT

Tue Aug 11 – Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena SOLD OUT

Thu Aug 13 – Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena SOLD OUT

Fri Aug 21 – Philadelphia, PA Xfinity Mobile Arena

Sun Aug 23 – Philadelphia, PA Xfinity Mobile Arena

Wed Aug 26 – Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena

Fri Aug 28 – Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena

Wed Sept 2 – Montreal, QC Bell Centre

Fri Sept 4 – Montreal, QC Bell Centre

Sat Sept 12 – Boston, MA TD Garden

Mon Sept 14 – Boston, MA TD Garden

Thu Sep 17 – Cleveland, OH Rocket Arena SOLD OUT

Sat Sep 19 – Cleveland, OH Rocket Arena SOLD OUT

Wed Sept 23 – San Antonio, TX Frost Bank Center

Fri Sept 25 – San Antonio, TX Frost Bank Center

Mon Oct 5 – Denver, CO Ball Arena

Wed Oct 7 – Denver, CO Ball Arena

Sat Oct 10 – Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena

Mon Oct 12 – Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena

Thu Oct 15 – San Jose, CA SAP Center

Sat Oct 17 – San Jose, CA SAP Center

Sun Oct 25 – Washington D.C. Capital One Arena

Tues Oct 27 – Washington D.C. Capital One Arena

Fri Oct 30 – Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena

Sun Nov 1 – Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena

Thu Nov 5 – Hollywood, FL Hard Rock Live

Sat Nov 7 – Hollywood, FL Hard Rock Live

Mon Nov 9 –Tampa, FL Benchmark International Arena

Wed Nov 11– Tampa, FL Benchmark International Arena

Fri Nov 20 – Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center

Sun Nov 22 – Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center

Wed Nov 25 – Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena

Fri Nov 27 – Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena

Tue Dec 1 – Glendale, AZ Desert Diamond Arena

Thu Dec 3 – Glendale, AZ Desert Diamond Arena

Thu Dec 10 – Edmonton, AB Rogers Place

Sat Dec 12 – Edmonton, AB Rogers Place

Tue Dec 15 – Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena

Thu Dec 17 – Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena

 

2027

15 Jan – Buenos Aires, AR – Movistar Arena

22 Jan – Curitiba, BR – Arena da Baixada

24 Jan – São Paulo, BR – Allianz Parque SOLD OUT

26 Jan – São Paulo, BR – Allianz Parque

30 Jan – Rio de Janeiro, BR – Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos (Engenhão)

01 Feb – Belo Horizonte, BR – Estádio Mineirão

04 Feb – Brasília, BR – Arena BRB Mané Garrincha

19 Feb – Paris, FR – La Défense Arena

21 Feb – Berlin, DE – Uber Arena

23 Feb – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome

25 Feb – Munich, DE – Olympiahalle

28 Feb – Cologne, DE – LANXESS Arena

02 Mar – Hamburg, DE – Barclays Arena

04 Mar – Stuttgart, DE – Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle

08 Mar – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro SOLD OUT

10 Mar – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro

12 Mar – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live SOLD OUT

14 Mar – Manchester UK – Co-op Live

16 Mar – London, UK – O2 Arena SOLD OUT

18 Mar – London, UK – O2 Arena SOLD OUT

21 Mar – London, UK – O2 Arena

27 Mar – Kraków, PL – TAURON Arena Kraków

30 Mar – Milan, IT – Unipol Dome

01 Apr – Basel, CH – St. Jakobshalle

04 Apr – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena

06 Apr – Oslo, NO – Unity Arena

08 Apr – Stockholm, SE – Avicii Arena

10 Apr – Helsinki, FI – Veikkaus Arena SOLD OUT