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Rush’s Lee & Lifeson Surprise Fans At Foo Fighters Show

There were a few hints provided by Dave Grohl before the Foo Fighters show in Toronto on Saturday at the Air Canada Centre, but the fans may not have expected to see two members of legendary Canadian rock trio, Rush, appear on stage.

Rush bass player and lead vocalist Geddy Lee along with guitarist Alex Lifeson took the stage to perform with Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and ran through Rush’s challenging instrumental number, "YYZ."

Foo Fighters and the members of Rush have become acquainted by way of Nick Raskulinecz, a record producer who has worked with both groups and is given a lot of credit by Rush for the success of their most recent album, Snakes & Arrows.

Below are some fan-filmed videos from the show.

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Tags: Alex Lifeson, Foo Fighters, Geddy Lee, Rush, Taylor Hawkins

Recent Update on Neil Peart’s Site

The guy that is often considered the greatest rock drummer of all time, Neil Peart of Rush, has posted a new entry to his website.

I always make it a point to read every word he posts there, not only because I am a Rush fan, but also because he is such an interesting writer and he often writes about things that are totally unrelated to music that I find interesting.

With this most recent update, Peart talks about spending time in his native Canada during February and how much he loves being there during that time of the year.

He’s obviously someone who loves nature and the outdoors, and since I have an appreciation for those things as well, this latest entry was interesting to me. I’m sure here may be some people out there who find the subject as boring as watching paint dry.

Although I don’t share Peart’s enthusiasm for the winter season, I do sometimes appreciate the beauty of a winter day here in New Hampshire where I live. My problem with winter in this part of the world is that it is just too darn long. I often say that if spring started here around the end of January, I really wouldn’t mind winter all that much and might even come to appreciate it as much as Neil Peart does.

One item leaked out by Peart during this most recent update is a hint that he may be moving back to Canada. It seems he has been living in California for a while now and it appears he may be a little homesick and planning a move back to the Great White North.

Check out Peart’s latest post here.

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Tags: Canda, February, Neil Peart, Rush, Update

Rush To Release Snakes & Arrows Live

One of my favorite rock groups of all time, Rush, will be releasing a new live CD in early April. The material for this new CD was captured during "Part 1" of the Snakes & Arrows tour while they performed at the Ahoy Rotterdam arena in The Netherlands last October.

The new live album is scheduled for release on April 8, which is just three days before "Part 2" of the Snakes & Arrows tour gets underway with a first-ever performance in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Rock radio listeners can also expect to start hearing the live version of the Snakes & Arrows Track "Workin’ Them Angels" beginning on March 10 when the single is released to rock radio stations nation-wide.

I’ve taken a little heat in the past about my lack of interest in live albums and I confess that I have not changed my ways. However, since Rush — as alluded to earlier — is perhaps my favorite rock group of all time, it’s nice to hear that they are coming out with a new CD. I’m quite happy with my studio version, but more power to all the Rush fans who are eager to get their hands on the live version.

I should also point out that my lack of interest in live albums does not reflect on my feelings with regard to attending a live performance. Listening to a live CD and being present at a live performance are vastly different experiences and I might grab the chance to go see Rush live when they pass through my neck of the woods this summer.

Rush is scheduled to be on the road at least into the end of July, which will complete an ambitious tour schedule that will take them to some cities that they have not visited for ten or more years.

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Tags: April, Rush, Snakes & Arrows Live, tour, Workin Them Angels

DW’s Neil Peart Video Ads

This story will probably be of interest only to Rush fans and drum geeks like myself and involves what are essentially commercials for Drum Workshop drums. Peart fans don’t get to see the man doing much of anything beyond performing most of the time, so it was kind of interesting to see him doing these commercials. And how about that Phil Collins haircut!

Thanks to the Rush Message Board, I was able to locate these well-done videos on the Drum Workshop site and I enjoyed watching them.

Admittedly, I am a DW fan myself. Not because I have played them, but because I have heard enough good things about them from other drummers over the years and I have determined that whenever I purchase another kit someday (just for fun), it will probably be a DW kit. Unless I sit down at a DW kit and just don’t like them for some reason, of course.

As you might expect, Peart talks a lot about his own experience with his DW kit and he genuinely seems sold on the brand. I must admit I have a little bit of trouble believing that the VLT snare is exactly the right snare for every situation, but I’d be willing to give one a try if DW wants to ship one to me!

I picture my DW kit similar to Neil Peart’s kit but nowhere near as large. I like the red, although I prefer a darker shade and I’m not too crazy about the additional Snakes & Arrows designs on the shells. A bit too busy for my personal taste.

I was actually a bit surprised how well Neil did in front of the camera doing a little acting work. Maybe it’s his proximity to Hollywood these days, but whatever the reason, I think it came off quite well. I suspect it sure isn’t going to hurt DW’s business much to get such a convincing endorsement from someone like Neil Peart.

Tags: DW Drums, Neil Peart, Rush, Video