The Moving Pictures Tour was a concert tour by Canadian rock band Rush in support of their eighth studio album, Moving Pictures.

Background While preparing to enter the studio to record Moving Pictures, the band performed an isolated number of shows from September 11 to October 1, 1980 with Saxon as a support act. The tour began in Kalamazoo on February 20, 1981 and concluded on July 5 in East Troy. Max Webster, FM, Goddo and The Joe Perry Project were also opening acts for Rush on the tour. The March 27, 1981 performance in Montreal was recorded for the band's live album, Exit... Stage Left and its accompanying video. Each show was estimated to have cost $40,000 and featured back-projected film, pyrotechnics, and dry ice. 905,000 fans attended the shows overall, with the band making an estimated $4 million by the end of the tour.

Reception John Griffin from the Montreal Gazette who attended the performance in Montreal, noted that Geddy Lee's vocals sounded like a guinea pig with an amphetamine habit, but praised both Lifeson, referring to his guitar playing as ordinary at best, and Peart, acknowledging his drumming as an interesting aspect that he made so little of the massive drum kit.

Don Adair, a reporter from the Spokesman-Review opened his review of the band's show in Spokane, stating that the band gave the nearly full coliseum their money's worth, stating that it was heavy metal all the way complete with flash pot and thunderous decibels. Adair praised the band as a healthy rock and roll band, stating that it wouldn't bait the kids with pandering Van Halenesque sex and booze references, and healthy to do a two hour show with minimum posturing and carry the show with their orchestrated music. He also praised the lighting and effects that contributed to the dynamics of the performance which were designed by Howard Ungerlieder. He however, criticized that the music took it far too seriously, calling it pretentious.

Roman Cooney from the Calgary Herald opened his review of the Edmonton performance, comparing Geddy Lee's vocals to a cat, but continued by stating that the band continued to push the heavy metal tide a little farther from imbecility. He claimed that if the band continued to spoil the heavy metal image and making their concerts more musically arresting than before, the group would be taken more seriously. Cooney commented on Peart's drum solo, noting it as "startlingly innovative". He later commented on the rest of the show with the band switching back and forth between "creative, exciting rock" and "insipid, banal exercises in needless noise and commotion". He concluded his review, stating that the band is becoming more adventurous on stage, being able to recreate the excitement their music had on vinyl.

Set list These are example set lists 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.

1980 Setlist "2112: Overture/Temples of Syrinx" "Freewill" "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" "Xanadu" "Limelight" "The Trees" "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres – Prelude" "The Spirit of Radio" "Closer to the Heart" "Beneath, Between and Behind" "Tom Sawyer" "Jacob's Ladder" "A Passage to Bangkok" "Natural Science" "Working Man" "Finding My Way" "Anthem" "Bastille Day" "In the Mood" (with Neil Peart drum solo) Encore "La Villa Strangiato"

1981 Setlist "2112: Overture/Temples of Syrinx" "Freewill" "Limelight" "Book II: Hemispheres – Prelude" "Beneath, Between and Behind" "The Camera Eye" "YYZ" (with drum solo) "Broon's Bane" "The Trees" "Xanadu" "The Spirit of Radio" "Red Barchetta" "Closer to the Heart" "Tom Sawyer" "Vital Signs" "Natural Science" "Working Man" "Book II: Hemispheres – Armageddon" "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" "In the End" "In the Mood" "2112: Grand Finale" Encore "La Villa Strangiato"

Tour dates + List of 1980 concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and opening act(s) Date City Country Venue Opening Act(s) Attendance GrossSeptember 11, 1980HamptonUnited StatesHampton ColiseumSaxon4,283 / 10,000$34,820September 12, 1980CharlotteCharlotte Coliseum5,047 / 9,200September 13, 1980CharlestonCharleston Civic Center3,068 / 13,500$25,894September 14, 1980NashvilleNashville Municipal Auditorium7,251 / 9,900September 16, 1980Baton RougeRiverside Centroplex8,500 / 10,500September 18, 1980North Fort MyersLee County Civic Center3,149 / 7,000September 19, 1980Pembroke PinesHollywood Sportatorium5,722 / 15,533September 20, 1980LakelandLakeland Civic Center10,000 / 10,000$84,600September 21, 1980JacksonvilleJacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum3,509 / 12,000September 23, 1980CincinnatiRiverfront Coliseum4,616 / 17,500September 25, 1980PhiladelphiaThe Spectrum14,324 / 14,324$120,483September 26, 1980LandoverCapital Centre15,895 / 18,000September 27, 1980South YarmouthCape Cod Coliseum7,181 / 7,181$61,637September 28, 1980SpringfieldSpringfield Civic Center2,200 / 7,500September 30, 1980AllentownAllentown FairgroundsOctober 1, 1980PortlandCumberland County Civic Center

+ List of 1981 concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and opening act(s) Date City Country Venue Opening Act(s) Attendance GrossFebruary 20, 1981KalamazooUnited StatesWings StadiumMax Webster7,888 / 8,596February 21, 1981DubuqueFive Flags Arena3,945 / 5,200February 22, 1981DavenportPalmer Alumni Auditorium4,500 / 4,500February 24, 1981La CrosseLa Crosse Center4,608 / 7,000February 26, 1981ChicagoInternational Amphitheatre39,416 / 39,416$450,856February 27, 1981February 28, 1981March 1, 1981March 2, 1981MilwaukeeMecca Arena9,741 / 9,741$98,990March 4, 1981St. LouisCheckerdome22,788 / 22,788$212,824March 5, 1981March 7, 1981LouisvilleFreedom Hall8,145 / 8,145$66,671March 8, 1981DaytonHara Arena8,000 / 8,000$44,000March 10, 1981EvansvilleRoberts Municipal Stadium5,054 / 10,500$39,585March 11, 1981IndianapolisMarket Square Arena16,000 / 16,510$121,363March 13, 1981DetroitCobo Hall34,809 / 34,809$353,100March 14, 1981March 15, 1981March 21, 1981LondonCanadaLondon Ice HouseFM6,000 / 6,000March 23, 1981TorontoMaple Leaf Gardens39,180 / 39,180March 24, 1981March 25, 1981March 27, 1981MontrealMontreal ForumMax Webster14,055 / 14,055March 28, 1981OttawaOttawa Civic CentreFM9,349 / 9,349April 3, 1981TucsonUnited StatesTucson Community CenterMax Webster8,407 / 8,407April 4, 1981PhoenixArizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum14,137 / 14,137April 5, 1981AlbuquerqueTingley Coliseum10,153 / 10,153April 7, 1981HoustonSam Houston Coliseum18,926 / 18,926April 8, 1981April 10, 1981DallasReunion Arena15,439 / 15,439April 11, 1981San AntonioConvention Center14,118 / 14,118April 12, 1981Fort WorthTarrant County Convention Center13,766 / 13,766April 14, 1981Little RockT.H. Barton Coliseum5,251 / 10,250April 15, 1981JacksonMississippi Coliseum6,676 / 10,000$62,339April 16, 1981MemphisMid-South Coliseum9,537 / 9,537$83,523April 18, 1981MobileMunicipal Auditoriumrowspan="7" 9,772 / 9,772April 19, 1981New OrleansMunicipal Auditorium8,100 / 8,100April 21, 1981ShreveportHirsch Memorial Coliseum8,182 / 8,182April 23, 1981Kansas CityKemper Arena24,438 / 24,438$230,280April 24, 1981April 25, 1981Oklahoma CityMyriad Arena13,552 / 13,552April 26, 1981TulsaTulsa Assembly Center5,287 / 8,000May 6, 1981PittsburghCivic ArenaFM13,265 / 13,265$140,020May 7, 1981RichfieldRichfield Coliseum30,600 / 30,600$275,890May 8, 1981May 9, 1981BuffaloBuffalo Memorial Auditorium15,020 / 15,020May 11, 1981BinghamtonBroome County Memorial Arena5,558 / 7,000May 12, 1981RochesterRochester Community War Memorial10,130 / 10,130$107,100May 13, 1981SyracuseOnondaga County War Memorial Auditorium7,072 / 8,200May 15, 1981Glens FallsGlens Falls Civic Center6,759 / 6,759$66,000May 16, 1981LandoverCapital Centre37,252 / 37,252May 17, 1981May 18, 1981New York CityMadison Square Garden17,292 / 17,292$195,000May 20, 1981UniondaleNassau Coliseum10,567 / 12,500May 22, 1981PhiladelphiaSpectrum15,423 / 15,423$137,703May 23, 1981BostonBoston Garden11,406 / 11,406$120,391May 24, 1981ProvidenceProvidence Civic Center10,408 / 10,408$93,251June 1, 1981DenverMcNichols Sports Arena14,572 / 14,572June 3, 1981Salt Lake CitySalt Palace12,228 / 12,228June 5, 1981OaklandOakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena23,752 / 23,752$212,668June 6, 1981June 7, 1981FresnoSelland Arena6,995 / 6,995$66,291June 9, 1981San DiegoSan Diego Sports Arena12,339 / 12,339$114,670June 10, 1981InglewoodThe Forum29,344 / 29,344$275,240June 11, 1981June 12, 1981AnaheimConvention Center7,321 / 7,321$74,884June 14, 1981Long BeachLong Beach Arena12,796 / 12,796$131,438June 15, 1981Las VegasAladdin Theatrerowspan="2" 7,450 / 7,450$89,400June 16, 1981RenoCentennial Coliseum6,500 / 6,500June 18, 1981SeattleSeattle Center ColiseumFM24,640 / 24,640$237,324June 19, 1981June 20, 1981PortlandMemorial Coliseum9,780 / 9,780$98,944June 21, 1981SpokaneSpokane Coliseum6,172 / 6,172$53,930June 23, 1981VancouverCanadaPacific ColiseumGoddo11,645 / 11,645$121,668June 25, 1981EdmontonNorthlands Coliseum11,363 / 11,363$129,661July 2, 1981BloomingtonUnited StatesMetropolitan Sports CenterThe Joe Perry Project23,690 / 23,690$249,390July 3, 1981July 4, 1981East TroyAlpine Valley Music Theatre28,211 / 40,000$394,900July 5, 1981

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

References Citations

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