It’s is abundantly clear that Geddy Lee is not the kind of guy that is spending his golden years sitting in a recliner watching daytime television. Having finished another book, the legendary Rush bassist and lead vocalist is on the road again but this time the 13-city excursion should be a lot easier on the 70-year-old than the grueling, high-decibel outings of the past.

My Effin’ Life is the title Lee chose for his new memoir and somehow it seems appropriate even though I cannot say how or why.

I don’t yet have a copy of Lee’s new book but I certainly plan on reading it soon. I’m sure it’s filled with entertaining accounts of his 45 years playing with his dear friends Alex Lifeson and the late Neil Peart, considered by many to be the best rock drummer of all time.

It’s hard to pin down exactly when I became a Rush fan but if I had to guess, I would say that it was probably around 1976 when 2112 was released. Having been a fan of other progressive rock groups like Kansas and Yes, I suppose my fondness for Rush was inevitable. 2112 blew me away the first time I heard it and I’ve been a fan ever since.

Lee has revealed a few select teasers from the book like how they recruited Aimee Mann for backing vocals on Time Stands Still from their 1987 album Hold Your Fire. Mann was with ‘Til Tuesday at the time and since I was a fan of their music as well, it was rather cool to hear her on a Rush song. That kind of reminds me of the way I discovered Max Webster when Rush recorded Battle Scar with them in 1980 and it started showing up on FM radio.

This book tour will be a little different and not like the typical event where the author sits at a table and fans line up to have a few words and get their copy signed. This will look a little more like a concert in the sense that Lee will appear on stage alongside a host to answer questions that have been submitted in advance by the audience. Lee will spend a few minutes answering the questions he has selected and chatting with the audience member that submitted the question. Actor and Rush fan Paul Rudd was the first host that appeared with Lee at New York’s Beacon Theater on November 13th.

That appearance got pretty emotional when Lee addressed a question about the last time he saw his friend and former bandmate Neil Peart. Lee left him that day not knowing he would never see him again but surely knew that was a very real possibility.

On a decidedly lighter note, he also related how he had been a bit wasted on Southern Comfort while performing in Pittsburgh during their first official U.S. tour as a backing act for Uriah Heep in 1974.

Although he recently revealed that he and Lifeson have begun to start playing together again and even performed a few Rush songs together on stage at tribute event organized by Dave Grohl, they have made it clear that they have no intention of ever calling themselves “Rush.” I think that the majority of fans would fully support that decision since there can never be a replacement for Neil Peart and without him there can be no Rush.

Book Tour Dates:

November 13, 2023 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
November 15, 2023 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia
November 17, 2023 – National Harbor, MD – The Theater At MGM National Harbor
November 18, 2023 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre
November 19, 2023 – Cleveland, OH – State Theatre
November 21, 2023 – Montreal, QC – Theatre Maisonneuve
November 23, 2023 – Vancouver, BC – The Centre In Vancouver
November 24, 2023 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
November 26, 2023 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
November 28, 2023 – Los Angeles, CA – Orpheum Theatre
November 30, 2023 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
December 3, 2023 – Chicago, IL – Auditorium Theatre
December 4, 2023 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
December 7, 2023 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
December 10, 2023 – Wolverhampton, UK  – The Civic At The Halls
December 13, 2023 – Sheffield, UK – City Hall
December 14, 2023 – Glasgow, UK – Royal Concert Hall
December 17, 2023 – Portsmouth, UK – Guildhall
December 18, 2023 – London, UK – Barbican