"I strip away the old debris, that hides a shining car
A brilliant red Barchetta, from a better, vanished time
Fire up the willing engine, responding with a roar!
Tires spitting gravel, I commit my weekly crime..."

Red Barchetta • Moving Pictures

Pre-Tour Supporting "PERMANENT WAVES"

The transition into a new decade brought notable structural shifts to Rush's live shows, bridging the gap between 1979's brief Summer Tour (Semi Tour of Some of the Hemispheres) and the official Permanent Waves Tour. During the '79 pre-tour, the band continued their tradition of road-testing material, giving audiences early previews of tight, energetic future hits like "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill." By the time the main tour launched, these tracks were finalized and joined by complex new additions like "Natural Science" and "Jacob's Ladder." To accommodate this influx of new music within a standard set time, the band had to heavily truncate their older 70s epics, systematically abridging "By-Tor & the Snow Dog," "2112," and both books of "Cygnus X-1." This era also highlighted the band's growing penchant for playfully altering their live arrangements, most famously injecting a reggae intro into "Working Man" and adding a new electric guitar prelude to their "La Villa Strangiato" encore.

Disclaimer: The tour dates and set list variations presented here have been rigorously researched and validated using a wide variety of sources, including published biographies, historical tour advertisements, online databases, and direct fan input.

While we have done our absolute best to make this archive as complete and accurate as possible, unrecorded set list changes and historical discrepancies do happen. Mistakes and omissions are always possible. If you notice any inaccuracies and have a verified source to help correct the record, please let us know so we can continue to improve the archive.