11/24: YYZ/Temples of Syrinx/Tom Sawyer Medley (LIVE)

At first glance, these songs don't seem to go together. I try to solve the mystery.

Look around this world we made
Equality our stock in trade
Come and join the brotherhood of man
Oh, what a nice contented world
Let the banners be unfurled
Hold the red star proudly high in hand

This medley comes from the Grace Under Pressure — 1984 Tour album, and at first, it wasn’t entirely obvious to me why the guys chose these three songs to stitch together into a medley. But I have a theory.

First up, “YYZ,” which is named for the airport code of the Toronto International Airport, the hub that serves the guys’ home town. Even in the ‘80s, the airport was highly computerized, with terminals at every ticket kiosk. Ticket agents and air traffic controllers used the computers to direct millions of people what to do and where to go.

Which is exactly what the priests of the Solar Federation do in “Temples of Syrinx.” That song tells the story about a futuristic totalitarian state that uses computers to track and control its citizens: e.g., Our great computers fill the hallowed halls—kind of like an airport.

So then where does “Tom Sawyer” fit in? Well, as a celebration of individual freedom, I suspect the song mainly serves as a thematic contrast to “Temples of Syrinx.” However, “Tom Sawyer” is also in part a travelogue: Enter the warrior/ exit the warrior and Riding out the day's events / the river hint at the protagonist being on a journey.

And how would Tom Sawyer travel if he were alive today? Probably by using the airport.

It’s a medley about travel! Maybe the band was just a liiiittle road-weary at the time, and in need of some time at home.