VIDEO: Power trio Rush played at St. Catharines high school in 1974

When someone says “Laura Secord,” most minds instantly go to chocolates. However, in St. Catharines, there’s another option – Laura Secord Secondary School over on Niagara Street.

Present day students won’t know this but way back in 1974, a little-known Canadian band named Rush did a show in their auditorium for the students – some clad in plaid pants, “as was the style in the day.”

In fact, this particular show, the band’s first ever show in St. Catharines, on April 1, 1974 was exactly one month after they released their debut album, the self-titled “Rush.”

That original album came out on the band’s own record label, Moon Records, and only 3,500 copies were pressed at the time, produced by Dave Stock at Eastern Sound Studios in Toronto. (The band took the cheaper night sessions to save money.)

When a Cleveland DJ put the song “Working Man” onto the station’s playlist, it became so popular that those 3,500 albums were snapped up so the album was re-released and widely distributed by Mercury Records in Canada.

The attached video shows one of the few remaining shows for original drummer, John Rutsey, who because of complications due to diabetes and with an upcoming tour scheduled, he had to step away from the band.

Videos

Read More

He was, of course, replaced by local St. Catharines boy, the late Neil Peart, who at the time worked at his father’s farm equipment store just a few kilometres away from this particular high school concert. (Calling it a dance would be a bit of a misnomer – everyone is seated.)

Back in these days, bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson wrote all the songs. Peart would pick up that banner (though not instantly) when he joined the band.

For this show, the band played hit from the first album – “Need Some Love,” “Before and After,” as well as the two big hits, “Working Man” and “In The Mood.” Clearly they had some songs left over from the studio as they perform “Best That I Can” from their second album “Fly By Night.”

They also do their own unique take on The Beatles’ song “Bad Boy.” After these humble beginnings, the band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in 2013.