34 Modern Drummer January 2016
34 Modern Drummer January 2016
Neil Peart
For his (record) ninth MD cover-story interview, Rush’s drummer holds a typically fl uid and intense discussion of soloing and set lists, the very real differences between his drumming past and present, and the much-speculated topic of his band’s future.
Say it ain’t so!
When Rush announced that its 2015 R40 run would likely be the “last major tour of this magnitude,” fans mused about the whys and hows as they snatched up tickets to see their heroes for perhaps the last time.
To celebrate forty years and counting, guitarist Alex Lifeson, bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee, and drummer Neil Peart conceived an elaborate reverse-chronology theatrical experience, where over the course of two sets the group would explore its deep catalog, beginning with its most recent material and working backward. Peart would even use two separate setups—his modern, fully realized kit for the fi rst set, and a replica of his legendary late-1970s kit for the epic progressive pieces occupying the second set.
Years after being universally recognized as the world’s preeminent progressive rock band, Rush’s profi le has only continued to rise, with recent documentaries, feature-fi lm
cameos, a fi rst Rolling Stone magazine cover, and—fi nally— induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Through it all, Peart has continued to progress as a player, even though he’s got nothing to prove. Now in his sixties, Neil is still devoted to his craft, still hungry, still practicing, still learning, and still expanding his creative boundaries through continued lessons. “The audience doesn’t need to know all the technical stuff ,” Peart says. “They just need to know that I went through the trouble. Care has been taken. And that’s the nature of our band and the nature of each of us individually. So our audience can trust that aspect of it.” Modern Drummer meets Peart backstage in his dressing room at the New Jersey stop of the R40 tour. The drummer greets us and apologizes for being sock-less. He lies on the couch and points to his feet, which look like Father Time– aff ected, wear-and-tear evidence of half a century of bringing the power night after night.
by Ilya Stemkovsky
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