What a terrible loss. He influenced so many teenaged drummers, who strived to replicate his chops. He raised the bar for rock drumming for sure. Growing up, I always held Neil and Bill Bruford in a separate ecehelon. Now we have Gavin Harrison, who is setting a new standard. The groove goes on.
"Legend" doesn't even begin to describe Neil Peart as a drummer. And he wrote all of Rush's songs as well. His kit was incredible, and he knew how to use every bit of it. I've been here watching incredible performance after incredible performance all night: https://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Neil_Peart.html I didn't know that he also handled drums for the Buddy Rich Big Band and even produced albums for them. Buddy Rich is himself a drumming legend, so it's only appropriate that Neil Peart took up his mantle. What a loss but what a gift he was to the world of music.
Traveling and just heard this. All I can say is WOW!! I was hooked after "Anthem" came out in '75 and than the following year with "2112". He certainly had a way with words whether it be in the lyrics, his books, etc and he'll definitely be missed. Him and Bonham are the two greatest drummers in my lifetime. So sad to hear this!
Was reading earlier that this cancer strikes only 3 of every 100,000 people annually and usually strikes at age 64. And, the survival rate beyond 3 years at his age is either 1% or 7% depending on certain factors. He could have been asymptomatic for a while. Symptoms include headaches, nausea, vomiting, seizures, and memory loss. Eventually, the cranial pressure from the tumor would lead to unconsciousness. Without any treatment, survival rate is 3 months. Just very sad.
It has been amazing and healing to see all the well wishes and tributes pour in for Neil from bands, celebs and fans alike. This has been a weekend of reflection for me as I come to terms with this. There was no better way for me to deal with this than to seek out comments and tributes from social media and news of his passing. It feels like a family coming together mourning one of our own's passing. It's just been amazing and Neil would have been taken aback by all the fuss I would imagine. I'm sure he would have been overwhelmed by the response. I certainly hope his family and friends are taking solace in this outpouring...from all the lives he left his mark upon.
Was traveling all last week and on the road when I heard this. Absolutely devastating. I don't usually get emotional over someone that I've never personally met passing away, but this one was different. Teared up when I heard the news. I can't tell you how this man influenced me in my formative years - both musically and personally. I spent countless hours behind the kit, headphones on, trying to deconstruct every single fill from every single song. It's basically how I learned to play the drums. The same thing can be said for countless other drummers out there. For those of us too young to remember Buddy Rich, Neal was our Buddy Rich. The ICON that every young drummer aspired to be. RIP, Neal. Exit the warrior indeed....
I'm not even a drummer, but I've always had a tremendous appreciation for his talent, work ethic and creativity. You don't have to be a drummer to recognize that he put a lot more into his work than other musicians. He was not only a master of the drums, he was able to creatively include a wide variety of percussion into rock songs over a span of decades. He researched different beats, rhythms, and techniques from all over the world and throughout history in order to include them in his already-impressive ensemble. He made other music sound like crap and he showed what great music could be like if you put the work and effort into it. I wish I could thank him.
The funny thing is Neil is on record as saying he didn’t have the talent to play drums and it didn’t come naturally to him. He had to make up for it with hard work.
Primus announced “A tribute to kings tour” this summer where they’ll be playing Farwell to Kings in its entirety. tickets go on presale tomorrow 10
For the fans that feel like traveling to Neil's hometown. I'm not sure St. Catharines is ready for the mass influx of Rush fans who will crowd their town for this event. It should be a good one and I imagine there will be some great music and musicians. It would be nice if Alex and Geddy attended. They are also considering some kind of monument to erect in his honor and there is some kind of submission and selection process for ideas and to pick a winner: A Night for Neil: The Neil Peart Memorial Celebration concert and charity fundraiser will be held on Saturday, May 16th at the Meridian Centre in Neil Peart's hometown of St. Catharines, Ontario. Tickets for the event are now on sale to the general public and can be purchased via Ticketmaster. From the official press release:
Modern Drummer Festival 2020: A Tribute To Neil Peart concert will take place this Saturday (9/12 @ 7pm CDT). This is a drummer-oriented event and is not the 'A Night For Neil' - The Neil Peart Memorial event that was pushed back to October 17, 2020 due to Covid-19. Several drummers are slated to appear to pay tribute (with many performing from my understanding albeit not entirely sure), including Stewart Copeland (The Police), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Rick Allen (Def Leppard), and Danny Seraphine (Chicago) (among several others). I assume this is going to be some kind of streaming deal rather than a huge in-person concert event (which would have been very cool). It will be interesting to see if Alex and Geddy make an appearance. Neil Peart Tribute Concert https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/taylor-hawkins-chad-smith-danny-235314358.html Live Stream PPV ($12.99 - proceeds go to brain tumor research at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center) https://www.fite.tv/watch/modern-dr...817/?cjevent=3f081a27f2ce11ea81a300030a1c0e14
One year anniversary of The Professor’s death. There is an excellent, new article with insight into his illness and life after his illness diagnosis at link below. Ironically, it was written by a writer at Rolling Stone...who hated on Rush for years and years way back when. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/spirit-neil-peart-143054079.html
“What is a master but a master student?” Peart told Rolling Stone in 2012. That was quite a read. Thanks for sharing.
For the first time since Neil's passing in January 2020, the remaining members of Rush finally play together on stage at the Red Rocks - South Park 25th anniversary show with Primus and play an extended version of "Closer To The Heart". This was on 08/10/22. I have to admit I smiled the whole time watching this and got a little teary-eyed. It felt completely foreign without Neil back there but it is what it is.
