A Show of Hands was released in 1989. The band released a video of the same name, originally released on VHS and laserdisc, the same year. DVD versions were later released in 2006 and 2007. The album was recorded in Birmingham (UK), New Orleans, Phoenix, and San Diego during the 1988 Hold Your Fire tour as well as in the Meadowlands (East Rutherford, NJ) during the 1986 Power Windows tour.

It was during this era that Jim Burgess of Saved By Technology that the complexities of a Rush studio recording could be recreated live. Offstage, someone set up the samples for the songs, but Geddy would trigger them himself: “It’s very important for me to do that, and not someone else. It’s a fine line, but I still have to be in the right place at the right time. If I hit a sequencer late, it’s my fault. That way, I’m still in control, and my organization and rhythm have to be impeccable.” – Geddy Lee, 1989 CD technology was also front-of-mind for the band during the time of this release. The double LP fit on a single CD, filling all but 12 seconds of the 74-minute physical restriction.

Tracklist
1. Intro (0:53)
2. The Big Money (5:52)
3. Subdivisions (5:19)
4. Marathon (6:32)
5. Turn the Page (4:40)
6. Manhattan Project (5:00)
7. Mission (5:44)
8. Distant Early Warning (5:18)
9. Mystic Rhythms (5:32)
10. Witch Hunt (Part III of Fear) (3:55)
11. The Rhythm Method (drum solo 4:34)
12. Force Ten (4:50)
13. Time Stand Still (5:10)
14. Red Sector A (5:12)
15. Closer To The Heart (4:53)