Rush’s Geddy Lee Recalls Playing ‘YYZ’ With Taylor Hawkins, ‘He Nailed It’

Rush lead vocalist Geddy Lee took his Instagram account to pay tribute to Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who recently passed away. Lee recalled when they played with ‘YYZ’ with Hawkins and reflected on his performance.

Taylor Hawkins had a close connection to Rush over the years as he grew up listening to them. Besides that, Neil Peart was one of his musical heroes. He explained at every opportunity how much he learned from his playing. When Rush was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins presented them with a powerful speech.

After the induction ceremony, Grohl and Hawkins dressed in vintage Rush outfits, former as Alex Lifeson and the latter as Neil Peart. Producer Nick Raskulinecz, who worked with both Rush and Foo Fighters, also joined them as Geddy Lee. Then, they performed ‘Overture’ from Rush’s ‘2112.’ Following their performance, Lee, Lifeson, and Peart took over to play ‘Tom Sawyer’ and ‘Spirit of the Radio.’

In his Instagram post, Geddy Lee started his words by expressing his deep sadness over Hawkins’ sudden death and then praising his fantastic drumming skills, passion for music, and sincere character. Moreover, he recalled playing ‘YYZ’ with Taylor Hawkins back in 2008 during one of Foo Fighters’ shows. Lee remembered his great excitement and how he ‘nailed it.’ During one of his interviews, Hawkins had also said that playing with Rush was a dream-come-true moment for him, and he was so nervous about replacing Neil Peart.

Geddy Lee’s Instagram post read:

“My heart is truly breaking at the news of Taylor’s passing. A sweetheart of a man that radiated good vibes, a love of music, and a total monster on the drums. He was so, so happy the night Alex and I came up on stage to play ‘YYZ’ with him during the Foos show at the Air Canada Centre on March 23, 2008… His excitement was almost impossible for him to contain. And, of course, he nailed it!

Brother, you left us way, way too soon. Rest in peace, my friend.”

You can check out the photo Lee posted below.

Photo Credit: Geddy Lee – Instagram