Hold Your Fire Tour


The Hold Your Fire Tour was a concert tour by Canadian rock band Rush, in support of the band's twelfth studio album Hold Your Fire.

Background

The band continued the trend of their usage of synthesizers, sequencers and onstage automation which continued from their Power Windows Tour, also featuring a laser system with red and green beams as well as a video screen that had animated segments of the three red orbs from the cover of Hold Your Fire. Opening bands on the North American leg included Chalk Circle, the McAuley Schenker Group, and Tommy Shaw. Wishbone Ash was the support act for the band's performances in Europe. The first three European performances at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England were recorded for the band's live album and video, A Show of Hands.

Reception

Reviewing the Lakeland concert on February 15, 1988, Philip Booth of the Lakeland Ledger who had given the concert a 'poor' review, criticized the band's performance, stating that the band "defined itself by self absorption to the max", referring to their music as "hollow" despite the state-of-the-art equipment they had, as well as calling their music "numbingly loud" and "repetitive". He closed his review, stating that the visuals and music couldn't compensate for Rush's musical substance, concluding that they were "overcooked". Jane E. Stephenson, a reader who had attended the performance, later sent a response to Booth to criticize him, defending the band's performance with a rebuttal that there were "ten thousand screaming fans" who were moved from the concert.

Set list

This is an example set list adapted from Rush: Wandering the Face of the Earth – The Official Touring History of what was performed during the tour, but may not represent the majority of the shows.
  1. "The Big Money"
  2. "Subdivisions"
  3. "Limelight"
  4. "Marathon"
  5. "Turn the Page"
  6. "Prime Mover"
  7. "Manhattan Project"
  8. "Closer to the Heart"
  9. "Red Sector A"
  10. "Force Ten"
  11. "Time Stand Still"
  12. "Distant Early Warning"
  13. "Lock and Key"
  14. "Mission"
  15. "Territories"
  16. "YYZ"
  17. "The Rhythm Method"
  18. "Red Lenses"
  19. "The Spirit of Radio"
  20. "Tom Sawyer"
  21. ;Encore
  22. "2112 Parts I & II: Overture/The Temples of Syrinx"
  23. "La Villa Strangiato"
  24. "In the Mood"

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenueAttendance / Capacity / Gross
January 14, 1988Hampton, VirginiaUnited StatesHampton Coliseum??? / ??? / ???
January 15, 1988Raleigh, North CarolinaUnited StatesReynolds Coliseum??? / ??? / ???
January 17, 1988Birmingham, AlabamaUnited StatesBirmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Coliseum5,892 / 12,500 / $97,218
January 18, 1988Jackson, MississippiUnited StatesMississippi Coliseum??? / ??? / ???
January 20, 1988Dallas, TexasUnited StatesReunion Arena??? / ??? / ???
January 21, 1988San Antonio, TexasUnited StatesConvention Center Arena??? / ??? / ???
January 23, 1988Oklahoma City, OklahomaUnited StatesMyriad Arena??? / ??? / ???
January 24, 1988Shreveport, LouisianaUnited StatesHirsch Memorial Coliseum5,289 / 10,000 / $84,624
January 26, 1988Little Rock, ArkansasUnited StatesBarton Coliseum??? / ??? / ???
January 27, 1988New Orleans, LouisianaUnited StatesUNO Lakefront Arena7,000 / 8,500 / $119,000
January 29, 1988Houston, TexasUnited StatesThe Summit12,765 / 17,064 / $206,907
January 30, 1988Austin, TexasUnited StatesFrank Erwin Center10,567 / 12,494 / $160,848
February 1, 1988Phoenix, ArizonaUnited StatesArizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum12,346 / 12,660 / $203,709
February 3, 1988San Diego, CaliforniaUnited StatesSan Diego Sports Arena11,182 / 11,182 / $187,793
February 4, 1988Inglewood, CaliforniaUnited StatesThe Forum27,586 / 27,586 / $483,257
February 5, 1988Inglewood, CaliforniaUnited StatesThe Forum27,586 / 27,586 / $483,257
February 15, 1988Lakeland, FloridaUnited StatesLakeland Civic Center10,000 / 10,000 / $172,725
February 16, 1988Pembroke Pines, FloridaUnited StatesHollywood Sportatorium12,352 / 12,352 / $201,333
February 18, 1988Jacksonville, FloridaUnited StatesVeterans Memorial Coliseum5,809 / 7,500 / $90,833
February 19, 1988Pensacola, FloridaUnited StatesPensacola Civic Center7,020 / 7,500 / $99,405
February 21, 1988Memphis, TennesseeUnited StatesMid-South Coliseum5,691 / 12,065 / $91,056
February 22, 1988Nashville, TennesseeUnited StatesNashville Municipal Auditorium??? / ??? / ???
February 23, 1988Cincinnati, OhioUnited StatesRiverfront Coliseum??? / ??? / ???
February 25, 1988Rosemont, IllinoisUnited StatesRosemont Horizon22,984 / 25,962 / $391,772
February 26, 1988Rosemont, IllinoisUnited StatesRosemont Horizon22,984 / 25,962 / $391,772
February 28, 1988Peoria, IllinoisUnited StatesPeoria Civic Center??? / ??? / ???
March 1, 1988St. Louis, MissouriUnited StatesSt. Louis Arena10,971 / 11,500 / $175,032
March 2, 1988Indianapolis, IndianaUnited StatesMarket Square Arena7,456 / 13,500 / $115,568
March 4, 1988Detroit, MichiganUnited StatesJoe Louis Arena31,808 / 31,808 / $556,640
March 5, 1988Detroit, MichiganUnited StatesJoe Louis Arena31,808 / 31,808 / $556,640
March 7, 1988Toronto, OntarioCanadaMaple Leaf Gardens20,490 / 32,000 / $458,181
March 8, 1988Toronto, OntarioCanadaMaple Leaf Gardens20,490 / 32,000 / $458,181
March 10, 1988Montreal, QuebecCanadaMontreal Forum11,379 / 12,500 / $221,891
March 11, 1988Quebec City, QuebecCanadaColisee de Quebec9,580 / 11,800 / $186,810
March 12, 1988Ottawa, OntarioCanadaOttawa Civic Centre??? / ??? / ???
April 2, 1988Omaha, NebraskaUnited StatesOmaha Civic Auditorium7,609 / 12,000 / $125,549
April 4, 1988Bloomington, MinnesotaUnited StatesMet Center8,664 / 10,500 / $151,620
April 5, 1988Milwaukee, WisconsinUnited StatesMECCA Arena9,605 / 9,605 / $164,133
April 7, 1988Kansas City, MissouriUnited StatesKemper Arena9,524 / 11,200 / $152,609
April 9, 1988Louisville, KentuckyUnited StatesLouisville Gardens3,965 / 5,000 / $62,668
April 10, 1988Dayton, OhioUnited StatesHara Arena5,430 / 7,500 / $85,069
April 21, 1988BirminghamEnglandNational Exhibition Centre Arena33,000 / 33,000 / $313,500
April 23, 1988BirminghamEnglandNational Exhibition Centre Arena33,000 / 33,000 / $313,500
April 24, 1988BirminghamEnglandNational Exhibition Centre Arena33,000 / 33,000 / $313,500
April 26, 1988GlasgowScotlandScottish Exhibition and Conference Centre9,000 / 9,000 / $85,550
April 28, 1988LondonEnglandWembley Arena26,100 / 26,100 / $261,000
April 29, 1988LondonEnglandWembley Arena26,100 / 26,100 / $261,000
April 30, 1988LondonEnglandWembley Arena26,100 / 26,100 / $261,000
May 2, 1988RotterdamNetherlandsAhoy Sportpaleis11,540 / 11,540 / $403,900
May 4, 1988FrankfurtWest GermanyFesthalle??? / ??? / ???
May 5, 1988StuttgartWest GermanySchleyer-Halle??? / ??? / ???

Personnel