A Farewell to a King
A Farewell to a King
How I fell in love with the band RUSH and the masterful drumming of Neil Peart
It was September of 1976, and I had just returned home to the suburbs of Philadelphia after fnishing my summer job as a line cook at the Jersey shore to go back to school. I was a 16 year old drummer in neighborhood garage band and music was everything to me. One fall afternoon while visiting a local record store, an album caught my eye and on the cover was this massive drum kit. My first thought was, holy shit, whoever plays those, must be really good, hell, it didn't matter, I was intrigued and bought the double album without hearing a single note. The album?
RUSH'S "All the World's a Stage" and from that day on I was hooked.
RUSH had now become my favorite band. Though my story was not unique, I was just like millions of teenagers coming of age, discovering a new band, and since no one I knew had heard of them yet, they were mine. So, I took that album everywhere I went and played it for anyone who would listen. I was on a mission to spread the gospel of my new favorite band, RUSH, and their amazing drummer/lyricist, Neil Peart.
RUSH is a fascinating trio, which sounded like 5 guys playing. They are a musician’s band; literate, daring, and uncompromising. RUSH sounded a bit like Zeppelin, and sounded a bit like YES, were they PROG? Were they rock? What the hell were they? I didn't care. They were fucking original and musically they were head and shoulders above the rest. I loved them and still do.
I obsessively listened to RUSH and anxiously awaited each new release.
Their performances were amazing, and I was fortunate enough to see them play 3 times during what I consider their golden age. I saw; A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, and Moving Pictures and I still have the programs.
On January 7, 2020, I heard the heartbreaking news that Neil died from a three-and-a-half-year-long battle with brain cancer. I was heartbroken and still am. Though, it all now makes sense to me why RUSH stopped touring when they did. He was extremely sick.
Finally, coming to grips with what happened to one of my heroes, helped ease the sense of loss. So, today I just celebrate the band, lyricist, drummer, writer, and life of this musical genius that gave me such joy.
I am now 62 years old, and every time I listen to RUSH, I become that wide-eyed, sixteen-year-old discovering my favorite new band all over again.