The bulk of the first and second discs were recorded at the World Music Theatre in Tinley Park, Illinois, during the 1997 Test for Echo tour.

The album was compiled and released by lead singer and bassist Geddy Lee and producer Paul Northfield in the wake of the deaths of drummer Neil Peart's daughter and first wife in 1997 and 1998, respectively.

At the time, Peart had declared to his bandmates that they should "consider [him] retired", leaving guitarist Alex Lifeson and Lee facing the possibility of the album being Rush's last.

The Japanese release of Different Stages includes "Force Ten" as a bonus track, and the lyrics for all songs on the album.

The concert featured on the third disc was released in 2017 in its complete form on the 40th anniversary edition of A Farewell to Kings.