We knew this day would come, but perhaps it has arrived a bit sooner than many of us expected.
Canadian progressive trio Rush seems to be at its end. Earlier this year, guitarist Alex Lifeson made mention of his battle with arthritis, but noted that it was far from the end of Rush. However, it seems that drummer Neil Peart has a different story, as he will be putting the sticks down and retiring from music.
Speaking with Drumhead Magazine:
Lately Olivia [Louise, Neil’s daughter] has been introducing me to new friends at school as ‘My dad – he’s a retired drummer.’ True to say, funny to hear.
“And it does not pain me to realize that, like all athletes, there comes a time to… take yourself out of the game. I would rather set it aside then face the predicament described in our song ‘Losing It’ [‘Sadder still to watch it die, than never to have known it’].
Bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee had made mention that the 40th anniversary tour may possibly be the last one. It seems that that will indeed be the case.
With twenty albums under their belt, though, it’s hard to fault them for wanting to call it quits. “Good run” doesn’t even come close to describing the magnitude of Rush’s career and their far-reaching tendrils of influence.
-KG
Image courtesy of Jesse Grant, Getty Images