In a recent chat with Cumulus Podcasts, Geddy Lee shared his thoughts on performing at the 2022 Taylor Hawkins Tribute Show following the death of his Rush bandmate Neil Peart in 2020.
Before this concert in LA, Lee and Alex Lifeson took the stage at a London show dedicated to the late Foo Fighters drummer. The singer described the London event with clear fondness:
“At the London show, the Wembley show, I was celebratory. I was honoring Taylor at the same time; I was playing again songs I loved and playing with new people. And the atmosphere at that gig was just magic. There was so much love. I know it sounds corny, but there really was so much love in that building.”
He continued:
“The Wembley was the most special gig, I think, I’ve ever done in my life in that regard. Every artist, artists I didn’t know, they were all there for the same reason. No ego, no hint of competitiveness. And I found it really rejuvenating. I really found it filled me up, and I realized I’ve missed this. I miss playing. I love being in this atmosphere where every musician is rooting for the other musician.”
The LA Stage Felt Like A ‘Crime Scene’
In both London and LA, Dave Grohl joined the duo, stepping in for Rush’s late drummer, whose last performance with them was in 2015. Lee shared his contrasting emotions about the LA show:
“But when I got to LA, I didn’t feel the same. There was something about being in that building that was really disturbing me, and I couldn’t put my nail. I couldn’t figure it out until I walked on stage and realized that this was returning to the scene of the crime.”
He also talked about how this realization affected him:
“And it just all fell together. And I realized, ‘Okay, this is the end of this period for me.’ The grief has to end, and something else has to replace it. What you replace that with is remembrance and respect and homage.”
Will Rush Ever Come Back?
Following Neil Peart’s passing, Lifeson and Lee ended Rush’s performances in 2020. But, after the Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts, the band’s former vocalist suggested that a reunion might be possible.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Lee mentioned a chat at an after-show party where Paul McCartney congratulated their performance and encouraged them to consider more shows. He explained:
“It had been a taboo subject, and playing those songs again with a third person was the elephant in the room, and that kind of disappeared. It was nice to know that if we decide to go out, Alex and I, whether we went out as part of a new thing or whether we just wanted to go out and play Rush as Rush, we could do that now.”
Contrasting Lee’s recent statements, Alex Lifeson in 2021 had a different view. He had told Eddie Trunk of SiriusXM:
“Rush ended in 2015. There’s no way Rush will ever exist again because Neil’s not here to be a part of it. And that’s not to say that we can’t do other things, and we can’t do things that benefit our communities and all of that.”
Accordingly, the surviving Rush members haven’t announced an official band reunion yet.
