Roll the Bones Tour

The Roll the Bones Tour was a concert tour by Canadian rock band Rush in support of their fourteenth studio album Roll the Bones.

Background
The tour kicked off October 25, 1991 at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario and culminated on June 28, 1992 at the World Music Theater in Tinley Park, Illinois, estimated to have performed to more than 960,000 fans. Guitarist Eric Johnson was the initial opening act in the autumn of 1991, following the band losing a Grammy nomination for "Where's My Thing?" to Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover". American rock band Primus were the opening act for Rush later on this tour when Johnson canceled his last two weeks on the first leg as an opening act, as well as Vinnie Moore and Mr. Big. Opening for the band's hometown show in Toronto, Ontario on December 16 was The Tragically Hip, which was set up as a benefit for United Way, alongside the Daily Bread Food Bank - in which the audience had donated fifty thousand pounds of food. The band included super-sized screens, laser lights and moving pictures throughout their performances.

In Sacramento on January 27, 1992, the band performed what they had considered their worst show, as they performed to an unruly audience who threw objects at the band throughout the performance. Prior to the show, Rush refused to perform "general admission" performances due to rowdiness, potential injury and death in the crowd, but was booked to perform the show and was unexpectedly general admission.

Reception
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's John Hayes, reviewing the Pittsburgh performance on October 28, 1991, opined that Rush had found an effective formula that held the attention of rock fans after the release of twenty albums and a long history of successful concert tours, later stating that the shows are kept alive by the "sheer talent" of the band members. Notifying the Roll the Bones Tour as one of the biggest productions on the road, he acknowledged the stage's usage of lasers, lighting, special effects, a rotating drum platform during Peart's solo and inflatable rabbits throughout the show.

Reviewing the Burgettstown concert on June 21, 1992, Kurt Bruner of the Observer-Reporter opened that the trio pulled no punches and was a knockout, sending the audience who was predominantly late 20s to middle aged reeling. He expressed on the usage of special effects and lighting, praising its usage in highlighting the songs performed, as well as the choreographed lasers and lights during Peart's drum solo, which he also noted as "outstanding", "superb" and as one of the memorable aspects of the show. He acknowledged the band, stating that they looked to be enjoying themselves without exerting much effort - as well as praising the stage design as simple, with only a ramp featured around the band.

The Toledo Blade's Ralph Kisiel, reviewing the Toledo performance, stated that Rush still showed that they could do their performances with "intensity" and "imagination". Noting on the audience, Kisiel commented that the overwhelming responses and emotions of the audience were whipped up quickly when the band performed crowd favorites, and when the show was over, had left fans satisfied. Kisiel continued, saying the band "clearly illustatrated that they can rock and rattle your bones for more than two hours".

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. For the encore, the band performed a medley of older material, which would feature a minute of each song for the medley. This was also the first and only Rush tour to not feature "YYZ" in the setlist since the songs release.


 * 1) "Force Ten"
 * 2) "Limelight"
 * 3) "Freewill"
 * 4) "Distant Early Warning"
 * 5) "Time Stand Still"
 * 6) "Dreamline"
 * 7) "Bravado"
 * 8) "Roll the Bones"
 * 9) "Show Don't Tell"
 * 10) "The Big Money"
 * 11) "Ghost of a Chance"
 * 12) "Subdivisions"
 * 13) "The Pass"
 * 14) "The Trees"
 * 15) "Where's My Thing?"
 * 16) "The Rhythm Method" (drum solo)
 * 17) "Closer to the Heart"
 * 18) "Xanadu"
 * 19) "Superconductor"
 * 20) "Tom Sawyer"
 * 21) ;Encore
 * 22) "The Spirit of Radio"
 * 23) Medley: "2112" (Overture) / "Finding My Way" / "La Villa Strangiato" / "Anthem" / "Red Barchetta" / "The Spirit of Radio" (reprise)
 * 24) "Cygnus X-1" (teaser)

Personnel

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