🎸 RUSH at Ivor Wynne Stadium – The Pink Floyd Fiasco That Nearly Killed It
#rushband #geddylee #alexlifeson #neilpeart @rush @shellecrow
If you’re a fan of Rush, classic rock chaos, or concerts gone wildly off the rails, this episode is for you.
Robert John Hadfield, Gary Casella, and special guest Shelle Crow go deep into a little-known chapter of Rush history: the 1979 Permanent Waves concert in Hamilton, Ontario—a performance that almost didn’t happen.
Why?
Because just four years earlier, Pink Floyd’s 1975 show at the same venue had ended in explosions, injuries, Batman on a zipline, and city-wide outrage.
This video pieces together the events using actual vintage newspaper articles. We talk about:
🤯 The Pink Floyd show that detonated a scoreboard and sent two electricians to the hospital
🦇 A real plan to zipline “Batman” across the stadium (canceled just in time)
😬 Politicians vowing “never again” to rock concerts in Hamilton
🎟️ Rush stepping in as hometown heroes to prove rock shows could still work
🤘 The calmest, most polite crowd Rush may have ever played to
🍦 Tickets sold next to a Dairy Queen (blizzard not included)
Along the way, the team offers reactions, speculation, and a hilarious sidetrack into cherry-dipped cones and Evel Knievel.
00:16 – “If you’re a fan of Rush, this video is for you.”
01:31 – Discovering the August 24, 1979 Rush concert
02:20 – “The Rush Is On Tonight” – concert preview article
04:03 – Pink Floyd’s 1975 “fiasco” detailed: explosions, injuries, nudity
07:17 – Batman on a zipline: the doomed Pink Floyd encore stunt
10:56 – Fast forward to 1979: Rush tries to redeem live music in Hamilton
15:05 – Rush gives up a bigger gig to support Hamilton
22:28 – Day-after review: “Crowd’s gold star behavior subdues Rush’s thunder”
26:16 – Debut of Freewill and Spirit of Radio live
34:15 – Cleveland Indians’ $3 beer night story & other ‘70s chaos
38:08 – Call for audience stories + Shelle Crow’s book shout-out
#ClassicRock #PermanentWaves #PinkFloyd #ConcertHistory #RockHistory #1970sRock #GeddyLee #NeilPeart #AlexLifeson #IvorWynneStadium #MusicDocumentary #RockFiasco #Audiomover #vinyl #vinylcommunity
