Neil Peart and Rush

I went to the Rush concert last night at Nissan Pavilion. The show was intense and the trio showed the crowd that they still have it. I guess several years away from the road didn't hurt the band's performance. They played a good mix of new and old Rush standards like Tom Sawyer, Limelight, Spirit of Radio and some tracks from the new album like Ceiling Unlimited and Ghost Rider.

On another note, since their last tour, libertarian drummer and lyricist Neil Peart suffered the loss of his daughter in a car accident followed shortly by the death of his wife to cancer. Before coming to the concert, I wondered how he was even able to function, let alone go on a major tour given these incredible losses. Four years is a long time for some things, but the loss of your partner of 22 years and a child you raised for 19 years is no small burden. Well, the answer to that question lies within the covers of Peart's new book, Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road. I didn't get a t-shirt or concert program last night, instead I left with a copy of Ghost Rider. Yeah, I know, I'm a geek. While sitting in my car waiting for the parking lot to empty enough to leave, I read the first 20-odd pages and it left me with a renewed respect for a man whose individualist philosophy expressed through his lyrics helped shape my own belief systems.

[goodreviews isbn=”9781550225488″]

One comment

  1. Neil peart has been the best drummer in the country since the bands first debut in 1974. i will never forget their debut song,”Finding My Way”. their old style still exists in their new songs. like as in the album 211203 whcih is coming out this March.

    3/3/2003 9:23:00

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