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About Me
"Nothing to lose...maybe I had something to trade" - "The Big Wheel", 1991

I figured I'd say a little something about myself so you know who you're trading with. What started as a Rush trading site has turned into much more. Over the years I've added shows by other artists and they have easily outnumbered my Rush titles and can say most of my trades are non-Rush. When I sat down to design this site years ago I wanted it easy to read, navigate and be informative. This is the only trading site I know of that provides a somewhat substantial review of every single show. My collection has grown so much that I depend on this site to keep track of shows and refresh my memory of certain things and it's proven an invaluable resource.

Collecting live shows is just a hobby and I never accept money for them. On the other hand, I don't "give them away" either. I take trading seriously and mostly trade shows in return for getting more shows. Without that attitude I could never have grown my collection to it's current size.

It's been amazing to see bootlegs rescued from obscurity due to the rise of the Internet and something called a CD/DVD burner. I love music and, believe me, there's a lot of great stuff out there that's hardly ever been heard, let alone officially released (or never will). Sometimes a show will be released officially only to go out of print some time later.

While I think soundboard shows are most often superior to audience recordings, I won't ignore a show just because it's not a board. Sometimes a really good audience show will have much more dynamic range and ambience than boards. If the sound mix is right you could feel like you're at the venue watching the show. Sometimes board shows can sound flat or compressed to the point where it's best not listening to it at all. One great audience boot that comes to mind is The Dream Ignites by Rush. Keep in mind, it was recorded in the late 80's on a cassette recorder, yet it has been mistaken for a soundboard, that's how tight it is.

When it comes to Rush, I've been a fan ever since the release of "Grace Under Pressure" in 1984. I don't know of another 70's hard rock band that has managed to stay relevant, evolving musically with each new release, while continuing to sell millions of albums and maintaining (if not increasing) their loyal fanbase without ever selling out. I'm really into their tight, precise musicianship, professional attitude and how can you overlook Neil's lyrics? To me they are thought provoking, inspirational and with the release of "Vapor Trails", I would add "emotional" to that list. I recall the first time I heard "The Spirit Of Radio" I grabbed a dictionary to see what "unobtrusive" meant. I found myself often learning little things like that here and there...the lyrics always pulled me right in and made me think. I would say Rush is the blueprint for any band that wants to be successful without sacrificing creativity or using their image to sell records. Having said that, it's hard to believe Rush used to open for Kiss (who are using a much different blueprint) and Uriah Heep (who have only heard rumors of a blueprint).

Most importantly, I should mention that I've found their integrity to be inspiring. Here's a band that for 30 years has never once compromised yet still been able to achieve success (without critical acclaim) through enduring support from their fans. When I read the lyrics to songs like "The Spirit Of Radio", "Natural Science", "Closer To The Heart" or "A Farewell To Kings" (to name a few) I appreciate their attitude of  expecting a certain degree of integrity out of mankind in general, but more specifically, from our governments and creators of the music and art that fills our lives. Because of this appreciation, I feel that I'm a better person....and so my fondness of the band runs especially deep.

I trade these bootlegs not because I'm looking to make a profit or cheat the band in any way. I believe that only hardcore Rush fans will bother with bootlegs. And certainly, it's the hardcore fans that have already purchased (sometimes many times over) any releases the band has to offer commercially. I started collecting official releases on vinyl, some cassettes, then eventually cds. Soon came the inevitable Remasters. One big batch from Mercury and another from Atlantic. I bought them all. Bootlegs are icing on the cake. I'm not a "completist" and don't expect to own every Rush boot in existence. Of course, I'd like the best ones I can find (or at least the ones I think are best). I do love many other bands (as you can see on my "Other Artist" page) and many more are on the way.

I've found that ever since discovering Rush bootlegs, I appreciate the band on a whole new level. Listening to the studio albums are one thing, but hearing and seeing Rush live is another. By absorbing all these shows, I've been able to follow the growth in their live sound, which ultimately is their sound. If you've only heard Rush's studio albums, you're not getting the complete "picture", in my opinion. For example, I can't imagine only having heard "Rush In Rio" from the Vapor Trails tour. Some fans may never get to hear what the band has sounded like over the past couple tours, which is arguably the best they've ever played live. When I was a teenager I used to wonder what the Hemispheres tour must have been like. Without an official release from that tour I planned on never knowing. Now, after hearing the great soundboard shows A Desert Passage and Black Forest from that tour, I appreciate the band more from that era.

I'm not a Rush fanatic...just a big fan. Even though I was fortunate enough to meet Geddy and Alex backstage on the Vapor Trails tour, I don't think about what Geddy eats for breakfast or imagine myself playing basketball with Alex...that's not me (for that see the alt.music.rush newsgroup).  All I want to do is further explore their music and art through an extensive collection of unreleased live recordings...and that, "mein froinds", is priceless.

Thanks for your time and I hope to hear from you!

...roll the boots!

Ant
ant@rushtrader.com

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