In a new chat with Classic Rock, Geddy Lee explained Dave Grohl’s idea to not copy Rush.
“Dave [Grohl] just called me out of the blue and said, look, we’re going to put together a tribute, two shows, and Taylor would have loved you and Alex to be part of it,” the bassist said of the Taylor Hawkins tribute shows in September 2022.
He continued, “I said, well, you had me at hello. But he’s very wise, and he’s a very smart guy, Dave. He said, look, one thing we have to do is make sure it’s not just one drummer because you don’t want people thinking this is Rush 2.0.”
“And he brought Omar Hakim on board, and they both flew up to Toronto to rehearse with me and Al. They made everything so easy for us. Al and I were pretty nervous about doing that show, about being Rush again, and he did everything he could to put us at ease,” Lee further recalled.
The musician later shared an Instagram post about the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert. He said it reminded him of losing his bandmate Neil Peart. Geddy wrote, “So that happened! What a week it was in London. An incredible gathering of diverse and brilliant musicians from so many branches of the tree of rock and roll.”
The rocker went on to say, “Bonded by a single goal, to honor Taylor Hawkins. Led by the immeasurable talents and generous soul of ‘Super’ Dave Grohl, who wrapped us all in the welcoming warmth of the Foo’s and Hawkins’ family, despite the obvious pain that they are understandably still enduring.”
“And for Alex and myself, it was also an important moment to reflect on the loss of our own brother Neil. Truly an experience I shall never forget. Looking forward to the LA tribute on September 27,” Lee then noted.
Rush drummer Neil Peart died of brain cancer on January 7, 2020, at 67. He retired in 2015, and Rush disbanded soon after.
