A Show of Hands


A Show of Hands is a live album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1989. The band released a video of the same name, originally on VHS and LaserDisc, the same year. A DVD version was released as part of a box set in 2006, and as an individual DVD in 2007.

Recording

The majority of the performances on this album were from the 1988 Hold Your Fire tour, recorded in the American cities of New Orleans, Phoenix, and San Diego, and the British city of Birmingham. "Mystic Rhythms" and "Witch Hunt" were recorded in East Rutherford, New Jersey, during the 1986 Power Windows tour. The opening track "Intro" features The Three Stooges theme playing in the background; the band used this music to open many of their concerts during the 1980s.
Unlike All the World's a Stage and Exit...Stage Left, this album does not have any songs that had to be omitted for single CD release. The first two were released prior to the introduction of compact discs and were double album sets, whilst this album was initially released on CD so time restrictions were already taken into account.

Video release

The video was filmed at the first of two Birmingham shows which took place on 23–24 April 1988 at the city's NEC Arena - one of the sources of the live album. The song order and selection of the video are different from the live album.

Singles

All songs written by Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee and Neil Peart, except where noted.

Personnel

Certifications

Remaster details

A Show of Hands was remastered in 2011 by Andy VanDette for the "Sector" box sets, which re-released all of Rush's Mercury-era albums. A Show Of Hands is included in the Sector 3 set.