by none other than Neil Peart on the last Rush Vapor Trails tour. This is why this guy is the best drummer in the world in my mind. http://www.michon.us/rush/2002VTNeilPeartSolo.wmv
As a drummer myself, I idolized Peart growing up. The guy is unreal. I must have listened to YYZ about 100,000 times by now. I listen to him play and always think, "How does he do that???" If you like drum solos, check out the drum duet Phil Collins and Chester Thompson did together while touring with Genesis. You can find it on the album Genesis Live: The Way We Walk, Vol. 2 (The Longs), track #6. Unbelievable.
Damnation, that dude is good! I wish Jimi or Eric or somebody would have cut loose towards the end, but tha '20's stuff was really cool! Thanks!
Hey Surfguy, Have you read Ghost Rider and have you heard about the new DVD that is coming out in August?
Neil is an icon. When I was growing up, your skills were defined by whether or not you could play the Tom Sawyer fills. If you could play YYZ....you got a free pass. Neil has made quite a comeback after some tragic events in his life. His wife died and right after that his daughter died. He quit playing, turned into a hermit, grew a full beard and rode a Harley across the country for a few years. Glad he's back! How many drummers has he influenced in the last 25 years? I don't think I can count that high! Vescey, you ever listen to any Dave Weckl?
For drum solo fanatics, this one is great. The kids only 12 years old too. Unbelievable to me. http://www.fireantsband.com/drumsolo.html It's a large download. I'll leave it on the site for a little while if anyone wants to check it out.
Sounds terrible on the recording and I know nothing about playing drums. I wish I could appreciate this.
The kid was awesome. Here I didn't think I could appreciate a drum solo. That kid was unbelievable. Tony Roister Jr. will be a name I'll be looking for. He might pop up some day again.
It was cool to watch young Tony's sticks flying. Nice flare to it all. Especially when he started tearing it up with one hand. Incredible.
Rudiments are so underestimated, that was a freaking class! To keep time for that long a period without appearing to break a sweat is unheard of, set a metronome to the piece and I'll bet he never gets off beat. Classic, thanks for sharing.
Yes, I know about the DVD which I look forward to as I didn't catch a show on the last tour. As far as Ghost Rider, I have read excerpts and followed discussions on it but I didn't read it. I want to read it eventually as I heard it was good but I'm not much into Neil's private life as some Rush fans are. I know about his tragedies and what-not but he has also had a very fortunate life as a great rock band drummer so I can't feel to sorry for the guy. It's kind of ironic that he values his privacy yet he writes a telling book on his private life, travels, and tragedies. Put it this way...I wouldn't want to go up to Neil if I saw him on the street and ask him for his autograph or compliment him on his drumming. He doesn't appreciate that kind of thing and thinks of it as imposing. He deals with the fame side of things by avoiding it altogether. It's funny...when Rush went to Brazil for the first time to play on this last tour and Neil/wife arrived at the airport...there were tons of fans there to greet Rush. Neil/wife had to wait on a car for like 15 minutes at the airport and he/wife kept their distance from all the fans. He didn't even acknowledge them with a wave or anything...he just stared straight ahead and away from them until his ride arrived. I don't think the Brazilian fans understood or liked it but Neil just lets Geddy and Alex deal with the fan base. The best circumstances to meet or discuss something with Neil is to be involved with some of his other hobbies, like cycling, traveling, and motorcycles. He is pretty good about interviews with drumming and cycling magazines. If your just a fan and let the cat out of the bag that you admire his talent or whatever, then he is inclined to make some unkind remark and bolt the scene. I've read the second hand accounts. I don't know why I bothered to talk about all that stuff. Just kind of went off in that direction. Neil was much more engaging early in his career. He even used to answer fan mail pre-Internet days and before he was put on a tall pedestal for life. I can certainly understand how he may want to disengage. Everyone and their mother thinks they know Neil Peart just based on his musical talent. He pretty much sums up what it's like in the song "Limelight". This drum solo came from a boot from the Toronto show I do believe. I did not record it obviously. I can't wait for the DVD version in DD 5.1 ... that will rock. I'll check out this other younger drummer when I'm not at work. thanks
I appreciate how you feel. After all you "can't pretend a stranger is a long awaited friend". However, the book is really more of a travellougue. It does talk about his tragedies in the beginning but mostly it's him relating his experiences on the road. Another book he wrote called "The Masked Rider" recalls his experiences cygling through Camaroon, Africa. As a matter of fact, it's that book (and Neil) who inspired me to start cycling. I've been riding about three years now and it's been the best thing for me with regards to exercise (used to be a slug). As a matter of fact, I'm off to do about thirty miles. (From my house in Oak Forest to the Heights then through River Oaks. Then I'll make my way to the West Loop and over to Memorial Park where I'll do some laps in the picnic loop and then down Washington to T.C. Jester and then back home.)
Now all Neil needs to do is find a singer that has a pair of testicles and they might have a decent band. Honestly, I didn't see Peart do anything there that I haven't already seen Mike Portnoy do...but the guy is definitely awesome.
You guys should check Mark Zonder of Fates Warning. He is as good as Peart and Portnoy, no doubt about it. The Holy Triumvirate of Drumming.
I've always like Rush and Neil is certainly one of the most influential rock drummers ever, but I've never thought of him as one of the best all-around players out there. There are jazz/fusion guys who can play circles around him and even he has admitted as much in interviews I've read. I once read something where he said he knew he just didn't have the feel and groove that so many great jazz and fusion drummers have and that he is in awe of players like Elvin Jones and Art Blakey. For rock (particularly hard rock), however, there are few guys who have had as much pure influence on chops and playing as he has. The guy was always a marvel when it came to innovating the way rock players approached the drums. It certainly puts him among the elite drummers who have ever lived.
