Welcome to my review of Different Stages.

Well, I must say, this was a real treat for me. I've been listening to them almost EIGHT hours EVERY work night now for the past 2 1/2 years. I just never get bored with them. After all, they HAVE given us so much to choose from...and now this package of goodies! How much better can they be to us?! Thanks so much boys! OK now, on with my review...

SET 1
awesome intro
great choice of lead off songs
Geddy's vocals are awesome in "Limelight"
I love Geddy's greeting to the crowds and the lead into "Driven". The crowd went crazy during the duet between Geddy and Alex. I listened through the headphones and so I was able to hear someone in the audience say, "It's ok Alex, shake it up." Then they called out for "By-tor" and the crowd went crazy again. Man it would have been nice to have been there! "Bravado" is such a pretty song, and it sounds as good as ever here too. I loved the different ending that they did on that song. "Animate" was great. These guys haven't lost anything through the years. Most bands will lose their tightness as time passes. I guess that's where you separate the boys from the men. Having been best friends and sticking together all these years has really paid off for them! I loved hearing Geddy, the way he sings "a peaceful state, a submissive trait"...the way he trails the word "trait" was awesome. "Show Don't Tell" was as good live as the studio version. I still find it fascinating that with all those sounds there are only 3 guys making all this awesome music. I loved Geddy's little holler at the end of
"Show Don't Tell". That sorta thing puts you right in the audience at the live concert. And..."The Trees"...what can I say about that song that probably hasn't already been said. I love the lyrics to this song. It's an adorable song with a sad ending. POOR TREES!!!!!!! I just love the instrumental parts in all their songs. They seem to be having so much fun up there with each other. The farm at the end was cool. You could hear the dog barking and even a cow. Did anyone else hear that?
Geddy was really blessed with an awesome voice wasn't he?! After all these years and he can still hit those high notes. Incredible! Did you notice that beautiful ending to "Nobody's Hero"? Getting into "Closer To The Heart" was fun in the middle of the song. That instrumental section was great! Geddy and Alex are so in sync with one another and then they have the best drummer to go along with them. Are we blessed to have them or what?! I LOVE THESE GUYS! "2112" sent the crowd roaring and boy did they get into doing that song. The audience was pumping the guys and the guys were doing it right back to them. I would have loved to seen them do this concert. The audience was really getting a great show in Chicago, that's all I can say. The band would play a few chords and the audience would respond with a cheer all in rhythm with the song. It really sounded great. Then Geddy came in and got into the rest of the song. I just love what this man can do with his voice. God, what he does with that bass in this song is wonderful. I just can't find enough adjectives to describe this band without being redundant.
So ends Set 1.

Set 2
"Test For Echo" sounded almost as precise as the studio version which, in my opinion, is very good. When the "Analog Kid" started however, it was clearly a live recording sound. But the boys did an excellent job naturally. "Freewill" started out the same, and in the middle of the song Alex really got down. It was awesome. It was evident with the crowd too. In "Roll The Bones", Geddy starts feeling the groove. Alex and Neil were awesome in their parts as well. I love to hear Neil speak his verses in this song. Then when Geddy comes back I love that wail at the end of his part and then Neil ends his part by saying "Cause We're Here". Geddy gets his last part in on the keys which is totally kewl. "Stick It Out" was done superbly. When Geddy introduces "Resist", he really sounds Scottish doesn't he! I love the keyboards in that song. Geddy also shows how he can still hit those high notes. He has that catch in his voice that I personally think is awesome. I love the instrumental " Leave That Thing Alone". Alex and Geddy are great on the strings in this song! They vary just a tiny bit in the middle, but it's beautifully done. Geddy keeps the keys pretty much as they are in the studio version. I love how that songs ends on this cd, and it leads right into the percussion solo for Neil with "The Rhythm Method". What is there left to be said? All that I would say has probably been said thousands of times before and better worded than I could ever do. This man is phenomenal! The crowd truly loved that song. The soft beginning of "Natural Science" follows so naturally that they seem to all fit together like some sort of machinery. I just love to hear Geddy's vocals in this song, as well as Alex's lead and Geddy's bass strings. "The Spirit Of Radio" is next and Geddy really cuts loose in this song. I think it is so awesome when he yells out "Oh-h-h Chicago". He sounds as though he really got into his audience as they did the band. And then, for some reason, it sounded as though some speakers were knocked over or something, and then the 1-2-3-4 countdown to "Tom Sawyer". This too was done with the guys all showing their great talents. I feel like I'm being redundant with my comments but that's how I truly feel about each and every song. Then Geddy thanks the crowd and says goodnight. Of course the band started right into "YYZ" instead of leaving. The audience loved it too, because they seemed a little more vocal at that point.
So ends Set 2

Set 3
"Bastille Day" starts off this set. This was not recorded in Chicago but in London on February 20, 1978. Neil and the boys were great doing this song. In "By-Tor & The Snow Dog", it was awesome to hear Alex play lead and to hear the very deep voice in the background. I don't know who does that, but it was really kewl. On this song, the audience had a chance to participate a little. The crowd was really happy when Geddy announced the next song, "Xanadu". What a perfect job they did on this song! Neil was as great on the bells as he was, of course, on the rest of his drum sets. I don't know if it was my equipment or what, but this cd seemed to be recorded at a very slightly slower speed in some spots. It wasn't just this song, but the cd set 3 as a whole. In "Farewell To Kings", although the musical portion of the song was awesome, the vocal's didn't seem quite up to par on this track. I'm wondering if it was the sound system Geddy used over there for his singing portion. Overall though, the song was great. "Something For Nothing", on the other hand, seemed to be right on the money. I loved the way "Cygnus X-1" was done. You could here the audience come alive on this song, clapping and hollering "Professor", and doing a small "duet" with the band. This song is a real concert-type song because you can really go off into space with the band. The audience applauded after that song too. "Anthem" was done really well and Geddy gave his vocal chords a real working out on that song. He experimented a little with "Working Man" and it sounded pretty decent. It was real "rocky" ( as in Rockin'). The band also made a medley out of it with "Fly By Night", and "In The Mood". It made for a pretty interesting twist for the 3 songs. Then Geddy spoke to the London audience very briefly and wound up the medley with a drawn out ending that sounded really good. This cd was finished up by doing "Cinderella Man". I have no idea what was done in the middle of that song, but it sounded so funny. Maybe it was something Alex did on his strings. This song was done so nicely, and then Geddy and the band thanked London and that was it.
So ends Set 3 and "Different Stages"