# Presto tour

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 concerts :
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| February 17, 1990 | Greenville | United States | Greenville Memorial Auditorium |
| February 19, 1990 | Jacksonville | United States | Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum |
| February 20, 1990 | St. Petersburg | United States | Bayfront Center |
| February 22, 1990 | Miami | United States | Miami Arena |
| February 23, 1990 | Orlando | United States | Orlando Arena |
| February 25, 1990 | New Orleans | United States | Lakefront Arena |
| February 26, 1990 | Houston | United States | The Summit |
| February 28, 1990 | San Antonio | United States | Convention Center Arena |
| March 1, 1990 | Dallas | United States | Reunion Arena |
| March 3, 1990 | Kansas City | United States | Kemper Arena |
| March 5, 1990 | St. Louis | United States | St. Louis Arena |
| March 6, 1990 | Cincinnati | United States | Riverfront Coliseum |
| March 8, 1990 | Auburn Hills | United States | The Palace of Auburn Hills |
| March 9, 1990 | Auburn Hills | United States | The Palace of Auburn Hills |
| March 20, 1990 | Edmonton | Canada | Northlands Coliseum |
| March 21, 1990 | Calgary | Canada | Scotiabank Saddledome |
| March 23, 1990 | Vancouver | Canada | Pacific Coliseum |
| March 24, 1990 | Portland | United States | Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| March 26, 1990 | Seattle | United States | Seattle Center Coliseum |
| March 28, 1990 | Sacramento | United States | ARCO Arena |
| March 30, 1990 | Oakland | United States | Oakland Coliseum |
| March 31, 1990 | Oakland | United States | Oakland Coliseum |
| April 2, 1990 | Inglewood | United States | Great Western Forum |
| April 3, 1990 | Inglewood | United States | Great Western Forum |
| April 5, 1990 | San Diego | United States | San Diego Sports Arena |
| April 7, 1990 | Costa Mesa | United States | Pacific Amphitheatre |
| April 8, 1990 | Phoenix | United States | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| April 20, 1990 | East Rutherford | United States | Brendan Byrne Arena |
| April 22, 1990 | Uniondale | United States | Nassau Coliseum |
| April 24, 1990 | Philadelphia | United States | The Spectrum |
| April 25, 1990 | East Rutherford | United States | Brendan Byrne Arena |
| April 27, 1990 | Philadelphia | United States | The Spectrum |
| April 28, 1990 | Rochester | United States | War Memorial Auditorium |
| May 1, 1990 | Atlanta | United States | The Omni |
| May 2, 1990 | Charlotte | United States | Charlotte Coliseum |
| May 4, 1990 | Richmond | United States | Richmond Coliseum |
| May 5, 1990 | Largo | United States | Capital Centre |
| May 7, 1990 | Providence | United States | Civic Center |
| May 8, 1990 | Hartford | United States | Hartford Civic Center |
| May 10, 1990 | Worcester | United States | The Centrum |
| May 11, 1990 | Worcester | United States | The Centrum |
| May 13, 1990 | Quebec City | Canada | Colisée Quebec City |
| May 14, 1990 | Montreal | Canada | Montreal Forum |
| May 16, 1990 | Toronto | Canada | Maple Leaf Gardens |
| May 17, 1990 | Toronto | Canada | Maple Leaf Gardens |
| June 2, 1990 | Albany | United States | Knickerbocker Arena |
| June 4, 1990 | Baltimore | United States | Baltimore Arena |
| June 5, 1990 | Hampton | United States | Hampton Coliseum |
| June 7, 1990 | Pittsburgh | United States | Civic Arena |
| June 8, 1990 | Richfield | United States | Richfield Coliseum |
| June 10, 1990 | Cuyahoga Falls | United States | Blossom Music Center |
| June 11, 1990 | Cincinnati | United States | Riverbend Music Center |
| June 13, 1990 | Columbus | United States | Cooper Stadium |
| June 14, 1990 | Noblesville | United States | Deer Creek Music Center |
| June 16, 1990 | East Troy | United States | Alpine Valley Music Theatre |
| June 17, 1990 | East Troy | United States | Alpine Valley Music Theatre |
| June 19, 1990 | Bloomington | United States | Met Center |
| June 20, 1990 | Omaha | United States | Omaha Civic Auditorium |
| June 22, 1990 | Englewood | United States | Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre |
| June 24, 1990 | Salt Lake City | United States | Salt Palace |
| June 26, 1990 | Sacramento | United States | Cal Expo Amphitheatre |
| June 27, 1990 | Mountain View | United States | Shoreline Amphitheatre |
| June 29, 1990 | Irvine | United States | Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre |

## Personnel

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