What a Rush: RIP Neil Peart

Loss of a Legend

If you have any interest in reading this blog to any extent at all, then I am sure you are aware that Neil Peart just passed away. Pretty much everyone in the rock or drum community has given their feelings on social media in some way. Makes sense: this dude was an icon, someone who was a legend in songwriting and musicianship, along with every member of Rush. I believe that most people would argue that Neil Peart was the best drummer in the world. Now, that’s subjective of course, who really IS the best and what does that even mean? My point is that he was so good at what he did, he left that kind of impression on drummers and non drummers alike.

My dad got me hooked on Rush. He’s always been into all sorts of music, but Rush seemed to be “his” band, you know? I always appreciated the drumming since I can remember, but the rest of the band and the songwriting grew on me quickly as a teenager. I frequently wanted to play along to some of their tunes, though many of them were tricky for me to jam to.

R40

I remember when Rush was coming to town when I was about 15 years old. My dad was on top of getting tickets for us all to go and see them. I was SUPER stoked about it. However, there was a scheduling conflict. We had Trek planned over the week when Rush was coming to town (which is a pioneer experience thing my church plans every 4 years). I felt strongly that I needed to go to Trek instead. It was a hard decision initially since I REALLY wanted to see Rush. Plus, I to had to tell my dad and bro that I would not be going, which was made worse since I think my dad already bought tickets and they were $$$ – WOOF. Afterwards, I have no regrets at the sacrifice I made for that because my Trek experience was pretty pivotal in my faith which I hold very close.

BUT the story doesn’t end there (cuz you’d be tripping if I ended without a Rush resolution, right?). Shortly after returning home from my LDS mission, I heard about Rush coming to town for their R40 tour – the 40th year anniversary of Neil Peart being part of the band. I was ALL about hopping on board for this show. My dad and bro and I all ended up attending and I was blown away. Sure we were far away (tickets are expensive, dawg), but these dudes put on like a 3 hour show and, as per yoosh, gave Neil a solid chunk of time to blast us with a drum solo. This wasn’t just an amazing experience for myself as a drummer, but an awesome bonding experience with my dad and bro who are both downright into music. I got me an R40 tour shirt cuz I wasn’t sure if this would be the last time my Canadian friends pulled into town since they’d been doing these shows for so freakin’ long.

As we know, R40 was their last tour. I consider that a blessing that I made it out to see them live before they were done and maybe it was somewhat of a reward for the sacrifice I made as a teenager when I chose to go to Trek over Rush. Think what you will, but I believe it was a sign of solidarity from God saying “Hey thanks for putting me first, but I know you dig some Rush so here’s a chance to go rock out with them.” I am grateful for Neil’s musical influence on my as a drummer and lyricist.

A Tribute for the Ghost Rider

This might sound blasphemous to you Rush fans, but my favorite album by Rush is “Vapor Trails”. The whole album feels very cohesive and bleeds together well, but there is this powerful sense of nostalgia about each song. The chords and the bass lines give a sense of longing to many of the songs. Neil’s drums are solid as usual, but also not as flashy as we’ll see in other Rush albums, in my opinion, which adds to the somberness (?) or nostalgia of each song.

I bring this up because my tribute to Neil will be dropping in the next day or two. I’ll be performing a cover of “Ghost Rider” from Vapor Trails – perhaps the most nostalgic song on the album. It’s about Neil taking off on his motorcycle to travel and find healing after the loss of his daughter and his wife within a year of each other. A fitting tribute, in my opinion, now that he is with them again.

RIP Neil Peart.