Theatre Kid Reacts to Rush: YYZ Live (Rio) 

This wasn't just a Thursday night for them. They were completely drinking in the incredible energy that only 70,000 Brazilians singing an instrumental song back to them can bring. No matter how many times I see this video it still gives me chills and surges of adrenaline.

Geddy used to have bass amps, similar to what Alex has for his guitars. But Geddy eventually just went straight into the board, so he didn't need the amps. However, this left a large visual "hole" behind him. Geddy decided to put dryers in behind as a joke. This eventually evolved into chicken rotisseries and other things. Alex, in turn, during the chicken phase put a bunch of barbie dolls out on top of his amps and around his foot pedals to be his "chicks".

A Rush concert, where air drumming is not only acceptable, it's encouraged.

'YYZ' is the airport code of Toronto, Canada where Rush was from... Rush put out the odd instrumental track in their catalog and 'YYZ' was one of their most popular ones from the 1981 album 'Moving pictures'... The track came together when Rush were in the studio in Canada; Alex Lifeson (guitar) decided to take a break to go fly his remote-controlled toy airplane... Geddy Lee and Neil Peart decided to jam without him in the studio... So, when Alex came back, they had already finished the track. Neil played the morse code for 'Y - Y - Z' on drums at the start of the instrumental. The Rio shows of 2002 were the first time Rush had played Brazil... part of the last run of dates to tour for the 'Vapor trails' album... It had been 5 years since Rush had played live in 1997 on the 'Test for Echo' album tour and Neil had lost his daughter Selena to a car accident... his wife Jackie to cancer only months later... Rush was on hiatus for years while Neil Peart took off on his motorbike and traveled for 2 yrs. Neil eventually settled w/ his new wife in California by 2001 and the 3 started talking about working on a new Rush album... But it was difficult; Neil was still struggling and wasn't sure if he could 'return to form' on drums... so, Alex Lifeson decided to co-produce the 'Vapor trails' album and the album was the heaviest of their career and also sounded raw... Released in 2002, Vapor trails' charted in the top 10. Rush decided to take it slow on touring... but the fans came back in full force and welcomed them back. The tour was a huge success. The band was booked to play Brazil in the Fall of 2002 and had no idea what to expect nearing the tour's end ... They arrived to find out that they were going to play the biggest shows of their career. The biggest show was when 60K fans showed up in Sao Paulo... then, 40K showed up in Rio ... and 25K in Porto Alegre... And the crowd was SINGING to 'YYZ' when they played. The Rio show was filmed for live CD & DVD 'Rush in Rio' - it is considered one of their best live albums.

Hey! As a Brazilian, I can say that we are very proud of this show and it's been really cool to see you discover these Rush treasures! By the way, I love your smile and I look forward to seeing your next videos! 😊

I'm Australian, they never toured here one single time in almost half a century of existence, so I saved my pennies and flew to North America three times just to see them. That's the kind of dedication that band inspired in their fans. (Oh, and they're Canadian, so it's YY ZED)

The Xanadu you watched was live. They were actually playing their instruments and that is what you were hearing. They just didn't have an audience. You really need to check out the exit stage left tour of that same song. An absolute musical masterpiece that will go down history

The rabbit hole is so deep, the legacy over so many decades, the level of musicianship, I'm going to really enjoy your Rushmas !!! Cheerz!!!

La Villa Strangiato Live in Rio Is another instrumental that features Neil, Geddy and Alex changing their identities for the Rio fans.

"The Garden" is amazing live. The last song on their last album... also very fitting with the passing of Neil. Incredibly powerful, can't recommend enough.

"Earthshine" from the Rush in Rio album is also fantastic. This whole concert is full of amazing performances.

Here's a great Rush live video... "Best intro EVER!!!!!!!!!!"

Hello from Brasil! My favorite band! I was at that show, but a few days before when they played in another city in my country. Nice reaction, you have a lot of sympathy!

I saw them on their last tour. They played songs from their discography in reverse order. So they started out with with a big stage presence, and for every album switch, some mime looking guys would come out and take things away and rearrange the stage so it matched the live setup from that album. By the time they finished, the drum kit was a quarter size of the beginning of the show and up front they had 2 combo amps sitting on kitchen chairs. Killer show.

Rush hails from Toronto, ON Canada and YYZ is the airport code for Toronto Pearson International Airport. The Arabic inspired passages in the middle of the song is inspired by the multitude of middle eastern passegers at the airport and the intro of the song is morse code for "YYZ."

I’m guessing La Villa Strangiato You should consider reacting to 2112. As a theatre person I’m guessing you would strongly connect to that song as Geddy uses his voice to great effect to portray different characters in the story. There’s an animated version which helps understand the story, if you wan the best musical version, however, I would suggest their live performance from 1997. Stickhits RU-vid channel has a remastered version of this performance which is very good. I think it is the only time they performed the entire piece live. Enjoying your reaction Charis! Loving Rushmas! Hahaha!

Notice the teddy bear on the dryer behind Geddy? Rush is so awesome. I am falling in love with them again in my 50s. I was a HUGE fan in the 80s,my high school years. Saw them 5 times in concert, and while no crowds were as into it at Rio. 😁 Love seeing new, young people getting to know and love the greatest band of all time. 12:23

The "A Show Of Hands" version of this song is the best and has the most iconic drum solo in it.

I can't even imagine what it's like to play in front of 100,000 people, but I'll say that years ago when I was in a band, it gave me a HUGE buzz to play in tiny bars when the 30 people there were into the music. The feedback you get from a crowd can be like a drug. Not sure if anyone else has said this, but YYZ is the airport code for Toronto; this song was written as as a tale of their travels and their love of returning home.

Your next live RUSH HAS to be "Working Man, Live in Cleveland". Mind Blowing.

When Exit Stage Left came out, the drum solo happened during YYZ. I think the current crowd might have expected the same. They were not denied later into the concert

It’s fun alright! The positive energy is off the charts when you are there. That’s another thing, RUSH are 3 very silly men! Their sense of humor is legendary.

Best band Eva… RIP Neil Peart long live the mighty Rush!

Ok, I’m going to go ahead and say it. This RUSH concert is Fucking Badass! I’ve gotten to experience it up close and personal too! It’s just, 😳🤯 Those dudes live, will Fucking Kick your Ass!!! Can’t say enough about them live. Just phenomenal. Truly one of the funnest things you can do. It’s an excellent recharge!⚡️

For the RUSH fans out there, my first concert was Hemispheres (1978) Austin Texas 13 years old. It was an amazing show. I had seen them many times since then and had truly developed so much appreciation for them, their music, their ability to change their image and styles over the decades. Their live performance is on another level, because unlike many groups that sound great on recordings, they had put in the practice to play/perform their music to a live audience that also included comic elements and all kinds of visuals (like Dryers and Rotisseries) truly a Entertainment experience of amazing music and virtuosity. I am so grateful to have had a childhood with their music as my soundtrack and inspiration. Thank you for sharing these videos, being a fan

My favorite part of this is probably the crowd "singing" to an instrumental. South American crowds are awesome! 🤘

Excellent reaction. My suggestion for an excellent live song by Rush is Natural science from Toronto 1997.

The three-word Rush songs that immediately came to mind for me are: Fly By Night Time Stand Still The Big Money Turn the Page The latter two are among many Rush songs that beg the question "How does he play that baseline and sing at the same time?!"

No words but the crowd still sang the main melody. Amazing. Thanks for Rushmas! You should totally do the more current video of 2112, it's a good story. And lastly, my guess for the next video is "Time Stands Still".

The dryers were done by the guys because Alex had a massive wall of Marshall amps on stage right and Geddy had nothing on his side to balance it out. So they brainstormed something they could put on the stage as a prop to balance out the look. In other tours they have used huge ovens roasting rotisserie chickens and if you go down the rabbit hole on this topic, apparently they cooked real chickens that went to local shelters.

U can checkout a live performance of 'Xanadu' by Rush from the 1981 live release 'Exit stage left'... One of their most challenging instrumentals was 'La villa Strangiato' from 1978 - musicians have said that if a drummer could play the track beat for beat, they could play anything... Rush has so many live clips that u can check out for songs. I suggest these: 'Natural Science' ... 'Red Barchetta' ... 'Closer to the heart' ... 'The Weapon' ... 'Far cry'... 'Force Ten'... 'Dreamline'... 'Mystic rhythms'... 🔥🔥🤘🤘

If you look close, the dryers are mic'ed up. They did this at most concerts.. I saw them 6 times - amazing.

On the concert DVD, there are bonuses where you can see this song with each guy isolated, so no, Neil did not catch the stick. That's why they cut away here. 😊

Check out 'Working Man' from the Time Machine tour live in Cleveland which shows their musicianship on another level. Trust me. My guess for the 3 word song is Time Stand Still

The dryer tour was weird, but even better was the chicken roasting tour. Rush realized that venues gave them access to way more power than they needed, so they brought in rotisserie ovens to roast chickens during the show, and donated them to food banks when the show was over. There was a massive wall of rotisserie ovens at the back of the stage, and the show smelled terrific.

"Working Man - Live in Cleveland" is incredible live. Rush fans are as loyal to them as they are to us. Some people travel from city to city & has seen them more than 50 times. I've seen them twice (1981 & 2012)- they were amazing live! There are so many great songs!

I was thinking to myself "wait until she sees that Brazil crowd singing along...... TO AN INSTRUMENTAL!!" when I saw your previous Rush reactions ;-)

Great reaction! As a Canadian I'll always have a special spot in my heart for rush. If you want to hear a newer rock band bringing old school hard rock vibe back today, I recommend reacting to three young women from Mexico, the Villareal sisters, and their band The Warning. Like Rush they are a three piece band that packs huge sound with just bass, drums, and guitar. All three sing, they write their own music, and are incredible song writers. They just had their 10 year anniversary as a band, and the youngest member, Alejandra, just turned 19. Any song of their would be good, but I recommend the songs Choke, Disciple, Evolve, Dust to Dust, or Z as good places to start. They mainly sing in English, but also have a couple of songs in Spanish, Martirio and Narcisista.

I'm so happy that you did this song! My guess for your next one is Fly By Night. The Sushi cameo was awesome.

I remember the first time I saw the DVD, probably not long after it came out twenty years ago. Loved the crowd singing along to an instrumental at the top of their voices. Geddy's face was fantastic :D

How many other masses of people would be singing along to an INSTRUMENTAL??? Rush concerts are an experience unto itself. Been to four. Loved every second of all of them.

One of my favorite Geddy vocal performances came from an early album The Necromancer from Caress of Steel.

Also, if you want to have your heart broken, as your final Rushmas song do "The Garden" live. It's their last song also.

thats funny, i was just thinking this morning that I hope you will react to this version of the song. Glad you did! It's funny you mention the driers. When I saw Rush live in 2007, they had rotisserie chicken ovens set up as stage props where the driers would be here. I'm guessing the next song you're reacting to is Fly By Night

You know you're doing something special when you have that many people singing along with an instrumental song. For another live Rush, watch Spirit of Radio in Toronto for the SARS benefit concert back in 2003 That was a massive crowd in their home town. Also, on the "feeling like a god in front of a crowd" watch Metallica For Whom the Bell Tolls or Enter Sandman live in Moscow circa 1991. You'd have to see that crowd to believe it

Gotta love the singing along with the guitar and bass

As you're finding out, 70s Rush is different from 80s Rush is different from 90s Rush and beyond. They're truly a progressive rock band and have consistently refused to be pigeon-holed. My favorite era is 70s so here are my initial suggestions: Working Man - suggested by many many people. This was pre-Neil Peart but it's the song that put Rush on the map. Fly By Night - this is the song from their second album that put Rush on MY radar back in the mid-80s. 2112 (the Album) - this is the seminal album that gave Rush the license to do as they pleased with regards to record companies. Might be a cool "Christmas treat" kinda thing to react to the entire album. It's very much worth it.

Glad you did an instrumental. Great reaction as always....thanks for the Duck on the shelf

Nice reaction,never heard of you but glad you popped up lol. Anyway thing with Rush..in one band you have arguably the best guitarist,bassist,andrummer all in one group..RIP Neil. And for 3 guys they made some noise..people love them to. They have a strong following and for a band that started in the late 1960s they also have a young following and they still bring it live. Not every older band can say that..

Charis, the clothes driers held and spun Rush concert T-shirts. During several performances, stage hands would run behind the band, open the dryer doors, and throw the shirts into the audience. It was so fun. Yes, I was there. I've seen Rush 17 times, and man, do I have many stories 😅

The enthusiasm of the crowd is palpable. RUSH never toured Brazil because they didn't know they had such a big following there. They ended up playing three shows at sold out soccer stadiums, and at every show, the crowds erupted like volcanoes as decades of admiration finally poured out of them when seeing them live for the first time. The only other place where the fans get this crazy is probably Cleveland. That was the first American city that put them on the radio and gave them their first 'viral' hit. Their hometown crowd in Toronto can also get pretty wild. But the Rush in Rio videos stand alone where the audience stands out as much as the band itself.

geddy used the dryers because he liked their warm, dry tones they are also filled with one-off shirts that they throw into the crowd

2112 is an absolute must.... The animated version please.... Great story.... You'll love it!

they did different stage setups on Geddy"s side to even up the stage because of Alex's sound system on the other side. Dryers, washing machines ovens... u need to see all the different live shows..

The amazing thing is that so many people are reacting like that for an instrumental.

In the album 2112, the opening song 2112 is a 20 minute 7 piece song/suite, but it's so great that it goes by quickly. To me, it's one of those must listen to Rush songs as it launched them into huge popularity so to speak. That entire album is epic.

Rush put out a number of instrumental tracks; most albums had one. Many of them are fan favs, including this one. La Villa Strangiato is an earlier one that is incredible. I love that they all get their moments to shine in these tracks. Cheers!

I'm all in for Rushmas.... Good job girl! Keep it up!

This is the only time I've seen a crowd sing a melody.

You gotta do La Villa Strangiato. It’s Alex’s Magnum Opus. And eventually 2112 ( twenty one twelve ) side one. When doing 2112, be sure to do it with the VEVO Video. It really helps first timers follow the story.

Rush Live in Toronto 2015 "Spirit of Radio" drew a huge crowd. It was on day time concert outdoors.

"YYZ" is the 'call sign' for the Toronto airport which is broadcast in Morse code and at the root of this song. "The piece's introduction, played in a time signature of 10 - 8, repeatedly renders "Y-Y-Z" in Morse Code using various musical arrangements". On the studio version Peart is said to have used pieces of wood to 'crack' punctuate the code. The dryers are because Alex had a huge stack of amps and speakers and Geddy didn't because he was using more electronics to get his sound. They needed something to balance the look and hide the crew behind on his side of the stage, so one day a crew member picked up a dryer on the side of the road, and so the stacks of used appliances began. He talks about it in interviews.

there is so many songs you could do with 3 words especially live Time stand still, Fly by night, Distant early warning, new world man I mean it just don't stop. We have 10 days till xmas let's see how many reactions you can do in 10 days I am sure the Rushheads will be happy. Lets go Kid get to work lol! \/ 🎁

Excellent!!!🎸🤘RUSH!!!!

Neil Peart playing the Morse Code for YYZ (Zed) on the crotale. Then Gary (Geddy) Lee and Alex Lifeson join in. Their musicianship won't be outmatched. So many 3 worded song titles to choose from.

YYZ is the international call letters for the Toronto international Airport. On the very beginning Neil is playing YYZ in Morse code. Also those are actual dryers with band t-shirts inside; which the band would throw out to the crowd during the show

For your next Live Rush video, I recommend one of the following: Between the Wheels, Live in Germany Working Man, Live in Cleveland The Weapon, Live in Toronto 1984 For Live Rush Videos I cannot emphasize enough LOOK FOR THE STICK HITS VERSION. These remastered videos are amazing!

This is probably the only song that can’t be reacted to too much.

This concert happened soon after they got back together after they took a 4 to 5 year break after Neil's 18 year old daughter was killed in a one car accident driving herself to college in August og 1999. It was so devastating that his wife came down with cancer and died 11 months later the following July at the age of 40...they had been married about 20 years. At that point he could not play music anymore...the joy was gone from his life. So Geddy and Alex just tried to be the best friends they could be and Neil went on a 3 year 55k mile motorcycle journey alone. After about 4 years since his daughter had passed he told Geddy and Alex he was ready to try and play again...and this show in Rio was a couple years after they had started playing again and had released their new album Vapor Trails. These 3 guys were best friends throughout their 45 year journey as RUSH. Neil wrote 5 books about various parts of his life after the personal devastation he dealt with, touring etc. I think there were 60k fans in Rio... the boys said it was the largest crowd they ever played to. They said they didn't even know they were very big in Brazil but apparently they were. The Brazilian people loved their song called "Closer to the Heart"+ so they played it just for them on that tour

The Garden live is Geddy's favorite performance

Loved your reaction, you're too kind. 🥰

One of the most intense Rush live vidoes. The band is in top form and the audience is amazing!!!

For a while, instead of dryers, they had big, industrial rotisseries, cooking a whole bunch of chickens. A roadie would come out periodically on stage, in a chicken costume, and, baste the chickens.

You are now officially a RUSH girl. Welcome sister, your status has been elevated and approved. 😁👍

You should react to La Villa Strangiato next. It's another instrumental, although longer than YYZ. I believe there are several live versions that can be found on RU-vid.

Best live perf: The Garden from Clockwork angel tour, and Working man live in Cleveland two opposite but both masterpiece

This song, a tribute to Toronto's airport(call sign YYZ), started as a jam session between Ged and Neil(RIP PROFESSOR) while Alex was outside LeStudio smoking weed and flying his remote airplanes. When he came inside, Alex asked, "HEY, what's that?" and join in. Only Rush could make thousands of fans sing to an instrumental. As a life long fan from the early 70s, their true friendship is what connects them. Time signature changes, flawless, never a wasted note. Percision that perfect started with friendship, hard work and dedication. "God like?" NO, NEVER!! The most humble guys you ever wanted to meet. Btw, Xanadu--live Exit Stage Left, 1981 is even better than the studio version. Enjoy your Rush travels. Thanks.✌

I hope the next one is The Body Electric. A few of my other favourites by Rush in no particular order: Freewill Red Barchetta New World Man Afterimage The Big Money Turn The Page Neurotica Alien Shore Caravan ... and my favourite song of all time from Rush: Secret Touch

The dryers aren't amps. There was one show I saw where they grabbed t-shirts from the dryers and tossed them out to fans. Just part of the fun they'd have. If they played it in a studio they played it live. Played it the same way too.

Some of the best concerts bar none. What a fantastic band. I want to rewind the clock a little and see them again. RUSH night was always special. That’s the simplest way to describe them. RUSH is special. Phenomenal live band! They never missed, super clean, super tight and super accurate live. Just the best concert experience you can hope for and I’ve seen EVERYONE numerous times each! My concert list is stupid ridiculous and goes back decades. You simply can’t beat RUSH live. SOOO much fun live! Great memories. You’d leave these concerts with a big, stupid, permagrin on your face that would last well into the next day! People would wonder what the hell is wrong with you for being a nonstop smiling idiot. 😆 I simply did not care how I looked, I couldn’t hear them anyway because of the ringing in my ears! So many great nights.

Among other things, as the "rear gear" got smaller and more sparse, there needed to continue be areas where the stage techs could move around without being distracting. The dryers and whatnot provided cover.

Analog kid live. You must not miss out on the masterpiece that is 2112. (The animation video)

Sorry if already covered, but the reason for the dryers is, I understand: Most guitar or bass players run their instrument through pedals, then to their amp and cabinets. Those cabinets are miked, which runs to the board. Geddy runs his bass from the pedals right to the board, so no huge amps and cabinets needed, so his humor was to replace them with other stuff, like drying machines on this tour.

This is 100% live. You can tell be the difference from the studio version.

I have several possible guesses: "Time Stand Still", "Roll The Bones", "Test For Echo", "Half The World", "New World Man" :)

the reason for the dryers was because they say its hard to do your laundry on the road .sometimes during the show you will see a stage hand come out and do his laundry.

Two more Rush songs waiting for your reaction - Closer to the Heart from the Different Stages tour video, and Entre Nous from Snakes and Arrows tour. Keep up the outstanding work. You can't go wrong with Rush!!

About the dryers (and sorry if this has already been addressed. Didn't scroll the comments): Geddy decided at one point to plug directly into the mixing board with his bass and synths, while Alex kept on plugging into his amps directly. Thus, the washers, dryers and vending machines were introduced to back up Geddy while on stage. It was just a whim on his part, but one that went on for years.

I don’t think any band had as much fun on stage as Rush. This is the perfect video, the people of Rio, who know how to enjoy music, sang in unison to a song that has no lyrics.

It's already been recommended in another comment (or ten)...but, I'm going to go and throw it out there again in the spirit of...radio? No, that's not it. In the spirit of making sure that it gets in front of you... "The Garden"...Live from the Clockwork Angels tour. The music is amazing...the visuals are stunning...it is the epitome of "can't miss" when it comes to Rush. (That is, after the usual suspects from the early 80's.)

I'm guessing 'La Villa Strangiato' for the next reaction, I have no idea how many three word songs do rush have in their discography though.

Just FYI, from the RUSH concerts I've been to in Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦, with the washing machines, towards the end of the concert, they open the dryers and take out some Rush shirts and throw them into the crowds, which was so fun to see! Thanks for reviewing their songs. It's been a blast! My favorite RUSH song has always been Spirit of Radio, and thier most under rated song is LOSING IT. Thanks and keep smiling! Happy holidays 🙂👍🇨🇦

I'm sure you have your list of Rush songs you plan to react to. I hope Everyday Glory is on that list. While it may not be as popular as the others, there is something magical in its positivity in the face of such dark themes. The lyrics are impactful.

Imagine living thousands of miles away, even decades in the past, and then hearing tens of thousands of fanatical people “singing” in glorious unison to a song that has no, none, zero lyrics?!? THAT, is the power of RUSH(.) 🤘🏼

New subscriber from Rushmas! I've been thoroughly enjoying your journey into this amazing band's discography. My guess for your next react: Time Stand Still. That one is really heartfelt and thoughtful. As for further recommendations: I'd say that, now that you've explored a pure instumental piece in YYZ and a longer epic in Xanadu, that two songs are upcoming that would be fantastic ones to check out: 2112 and La Villa Strangiato. 2112 is Rush's magnum opus: it's sort of *the* Rush song, especially for the more operatic side of the band's catalogue. Given that you've heard Xanadu, you'll likely adore 2112. La Villa Strangiato is a longer, more complicated instrumental than YYZ, but it's utterly captivating. It feels far more like an orchestral piece of music than a rock song. Those are only 2 of the *many* tracks that I could recommend. There are literally 50 others I could recommend to you easily. So, if you *want* to do Rushmas 2024, you absolutely could!

Show Don't Tell, and Roll the Bones are well known three word songs. The Camera Eye, Anagram for Mongo (DEEEPEST OF DEEP CUTS THERE), The Analog Kid, La Villa Strangiato, Where's My Thing?, The Twilight Zone, Something for Nothing, and Fly By Night are about the only three word titles I can think of.

During another tour there was rotisserie ovens cooking chicken behind Geddy. A crew member in a chicken costume would come out and baste the chickens during the show.

Ok now that you have seen them live. 2 you have to see: Working Man Live in Cleveland and Neil's Drum solo in Frankfurt.

My guess is Time Stand Still. Love your reactions to my beloved band, Rush. 2112 is awesome! I love your cat as well.

the garden live is a masterpiece