The Presto Tour was a concert tour by Canadian rock band Rush in support of their thirteenth studio album Presto.

Background The tour started on February 17, 1990 at Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, South Carolina and concluded on June 29, 1990 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Irvine, California, having performed to more than 650,000 fans. Opening bands that premiered in the tour included Mr. Big, Chalk Circle and Voivod. The stage production for each of the shows were presented with elements of the Presto cover art, which had featured lasers and Vari-Lites that were dropped from trusses on extensions as well as two giant inflatable rabbits, two sets of rear PA speakers on the back end of the stage floor to represent a quadrophonic effect on the sound which was engineered by Robert Scoville, and a projection screen that displayed video sequences and retro films throughout the performance. When the band performed in Toronto for two shows in May 1990, both shows had raised $200,000 for United Way for the demands on the band for complimentary tickets.

Reception Michael Hochanadel from the Daily Gazette opened his review stating that the visuals made the Rush concert at the Knickerbocker Arena on June 2, 1990, one of the biggest, brightest and overwhelming rock spectacles - with effects representing a 1970s arena rock throwback with the usage of lasers and haze. While criticizing the music's lyrics as being sometimes preachy, he stated that they were at the same time, anthemic and tackled subjects in a fairly obvious way, but added that they needed something to keep their songs from sounding too alike. Praising Lee's vocals, Hochanadel affirmed that his voice gave the songs emotion that the lyrics did not always earn.

Reviewing the Pittsburgh performance on June 7, 1990, Janice Haidet of The Vindicator stated that the band put a huge reliance on talent from the instruments they were using, treating a crowded arena of fans to a "searing rock and roll feast". Haidet noted that the band kept the audience standing on their seats with fists raised in time with the music, and Geddy Lee delivering extraordinary vocals that were presented by a balanced and clear sound mix - also noting the show as one of the best light shows in rock music, although outdone by Genesis and Pink Floyd. Peter B. King from the Pittsburgh Press who was in attendance at the same show that night, stated that the band had offered some of the best visuals seen at a rock concert, and expressed that Rush had delivered an intelligent, distinctive brand of "art rock".

Set list This is an example set list adapted from Rush: Wandering the Face of the Earth – The Official Touring History of what were performed during the tour, but may not represent the majority of the shows.

"Force Ten" "Freewill" "Distant Early Warning" "Time Stand Still" "Subdivisions" "Marathon" "Red Barchetta" "Superconductor" "Show Don't Tell" "The Pass" "Closer to the Heart" "Manhattan Project" "Xanadu" "YYZ" "The Rhythm Method" (Neil Peart drum solo) "Scars" "War Paint" "Mission" "Tom Sawyer" Encore "The Big Money" "2112: Overture" "La Villa Strangiato" "In the Mood" "Wipeout!"

Tour dates + List of 1990 concertsDateCityCountryVenueAttendanceRevenueFebruary 17, 1990GreenvilleUnited StatesGreenville Memorial Auditorium7,230 / 7,230$137,370February 19, 1990JacksonvilleJacksonville Memorial Coliseum7,254 / 7,500$128,279February 20, 1990St. PetersburgBayfront Center7,094 / 8,400$124,838February 22, 1990MiamiMiami Arena13,541 / 13,541$245,662February 23, 1990OrlandoOrlando Arena12,156 / 12,156$220,650February 25, 1990New OrleansLakefront Arena9,204 / 9,204$165,113February 26, 1990HoustonThe Summit13,153 / 13,153$240,119February 28, 1990San AntonioConvention Center Arena9,656 / 11,468$158,698March 1, 1990DallasReunion Arena15,666 / 15,666$239,509March 3, 1990Kansas CityKemper Arena12,145 / 16,000$224,682March 5, 1990St. LouisSt. Louis Arena12,750 / 12,750$228,309March 6, 1990CincinnatiRiverfront Coliseum13,032 / 13,032$235,968March 8, 1990Auburn HillsThe Palace of Auburn Hills27,622 / 28,000$572,440March 9, 1990March 20, 1990EdmontonCanadaNorthlands Coliseum7,500 / 13,049$132,900March 21, 1990CalgaryOlympic Saddledome8,107 / 11,754$109,720March 23, 1990VancouverPacific Coliseum12,701 / 12,701$185,993March 24, 1990PortlandUnited StatesVeterans Memorial Coliseum8,931 / 9,300$169,689March 26, 1990SeattleSeattle Center Coliseum12,299 / 12,299$219,410March 28, 1990SacramentoARCO Arena12,236 / 12,236$232,602March 30, 1990OaklandOakland Coliseum26,124 / 26,124$509,436March 31, 1990April 2, 1990InglewoodGreat Western Forum28,000 / 28,000$535,300April 3, 1990April 5, 1990San DiegoSan Diego Sports Arena12,000 / 12,000$218,300April 7, 1990Costa MesaPacific Amphitheatre13,856 / 18,861$298,250April 8, 1990PhoenixArizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum13,669 / 13,669$243,040April 20, 1990East RutherfordBrendan Byrne Arena18,717 / 18,717$350,944April 22, 1990UniondaleNassau Coliseum15,546 / 15,546$302,391April 24, 1990PhiladelphiaThe Spectrum14,130 / 14,130$256,937April 25, 1990East RutherfordBrendan Byrne Arena13,138 / 14,953$241,334April 27, 1990PhiladelphiaThe Spectrum14,130 / 14,130$256,937April 28, 1990RochesterWar Memorial Auditorium8,418 / 8,418$158,866May 1, 1990AtlantaThe Omni12,186 / 12,186$221,384May 2, 1990CharlotteCharlotte Coliseum7,985 / 16,003$155,708May 4, 1990RichmondRichmond Coliseum6,819 / 9,543$126,152May 5, 1990LargoCapital CentreMay 7, 1990ProvidenceCivic Center11,888 / 12,100$231,816May 8, 1990HartfordHartford Civic Center11,991 / 12,513$229,535May 10, 1990WorcesterThe Centrum21,897 / 23,344$413,870May 11, 1990May 13, 1990Quebec CityCanadaColisée Quebec City10,540 / 11,500$181,500May 14, 1990MontrealMontreal Forum12,128 / 12,800$208,301May 16, 1990TorontoMaple Leaf Gardens rowspan="2" rowspan="2" May 17, 1990June 2, 1990AlbanyUnited StatesKnickerbocker Arena14,335 / 14,335$267,232June 4, 1990BaltimoreBaltimore Arena5,671 / 14,000$110,585June 5, 1990HamptonHampton Coliseum7,227 / 9,124$133,699June 7, 1990PittsburghCivic Arena11,049 / 12,500$209,462June 8, 1990RichfieldRichfield Coliseum15,539 / 15,539$310,780June 10, 1990Cuyahoga FallsBlossom Music CenterJune 11, 1990CincinnatiRiverbend Music Center8,089 / 8,089$163,802June 13, 1990ColumbusCooper Stadium9,654 / 15,000$207,515June 14, 1990NoblesvilleDeer Creek Music Center7,904 / 18,062$135,198June 16, 1990East TroyAlpine Valley Music Theatre40,269 / 60,000$886,384June 17, 1990June 19, 1990BloomingtonMet Center10,725 / 10,725$201,864June 20, 1990OmahaOmaha Civic Auditorium5,349 / 8,000$105,643June 22, 1990EnglewoodFiddler's Green Amphitheatre rowspan="2" rowspan="2" June 24, 1990Salt Lake CitySalt PalaceJune 26, 1990SacramentoCal Expo Amphitheatre14,355 / 14,355$327,218June 27, 1990Mountain ViewShoreline Amphitheatre15,400 / 20,000$287,931June 29, 1990IrvineIrvine Meadows Amphitheatre 15,000 / 15,000$337,203

Personnel Geddy Lee – vocals, bass, keyboards Alex Lifeson – guitar, backing vocals Neil Peart – drums

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