Rush – All The World’s A Stage album art
All The World’s A Stage, Rush’s first live release, was recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto on June 11–13, 1976 during their 2112 tour (see Geddy talk about attending his first show at Massey Hall and the importance of the venue to the city). The two-record set presented the band’s hour-and-a-half headlining show in its entirety, a show that featured material from its first four Mercury releases: Rush, Fly by Night, Caress of Steel, and 2112 (the performance of “2112” omits the “Discovery” and “Oracle: The Dream” sections of the studio recording.)
During an interview in 1976, Neil said,
“When we play a piece live, we add all our little quirks to it. It grows; our older material shows a remarkable progression. Some of the old songs have developed until they’re superior to the originals. This gives us a chance to bring them up to date. We always felt there was something happening live that didn’t come across on record. Now we have the opportunity to capture that essence of the band.” – Neil Peart, 1976
