RIP Neil Peart

Man...that's a serious downer. Huge part of my teen years and onward. Glad I got to see them a few times before they retired.
 
Man, this one really hits hard. Back in my teens in the early 90s, Rush was the first band that I would just replay songs over and over and over....

My dad got Roll the Bones in '91 and I remember cruisin' around in his gold Toyota work van blasting Dreamline and RTB with the windows down, and it was just something so different and fresh.

Then when Counterparts came out, my high school buddies and I got that and immediately started exploring the back catalog. Moving Pictures, Power Windows... and then my mind was totally blown when we started spinning 2112, Hemispheres, AFTK, and Permanent Waves. I had those albums on constant loop for years... my buddies and I would obsess about the lyrics, the grooves, the breakdowns, and the pocket that Geddy and Neil created.

Like many of you, Rush is the band that I've seen more than any other. Dozens of shows, and many of them multiple times per tour. So much great music, and so many thoughtful and inspiring lyrics. To this day, I still use lyrics from various songs in everyday conversations - Mostly unnoticed from my wife or average passers-by, but every once in a while someone recognizes them and there's an instant bond/friendship that is created. I thank you for that, Neil!

I'm just so glad his legacy was recorded with so many albums and live BluRay/DVD concerts. I'll be watching through them over the next few days. It's been a couple years since I've binged through them.

In addition, in an interview about Neil's favorite songs around 2006, he listed Porcupine Tree's "Open Car"... which turned into an immediate purchase of Deadwing for me, and the introduction of PT and Steven Wilson's music, which is my current favorite active band.

Thank you Neil, for decades of enjoyment and inspiration you've given me!
 
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I bought Archives (the first 3 Rush records together) at Tower Records in Times Square in 1978. I was hooked and they’ve been my favorite band since. Saw them numerous times, eventually taking my son to their shows as well. Even read 2 of Neil’s books (given to me by my son). I’m devastated. He/they have meant so much to me.
 
Saw Rush live twice and I'll never forget what an amazing talent Peart was.

Sad news RIP Neil !
 
I heard this news as I was leaving work and I immediately choked up and was incredibly upset; I shed a tear driving home which I've never, ever done for someone I didn't personally know. This news hit me very hard...I can't find the words to express my sorrow at the loss of such a remarkable talent, a truly humble man who was an absolute giant, and someone who I derived a lot of inspiration from, both musically and personally, since 1975. My formative musical outlook was shaped by Rush and Neil; their integrity and constant drive to be....better is a foundation that has been embedded into my musical pursuits for decades.

This lyric from Neil always moved me deeply:

Time stand still
I'm not looking back
But I want to look around me now
Time stand still
See more of the people
And the places that surround me now
Time stand still

Freeze this moment
A little bit longer
Make each sensation
A little bit stronger
Experience slips away...
Experience slips away...
Time stand still

They take on such a deeper meaning now that he is gone, and are especially touching since he overcame so much adversity in life and picked himself up and carried on. I don't have a lot of musical heroes but he was definitely one......much, much respect Mr. Peart. I will miss you. Thanks for the ride.
 
I'm a huge Rush fan......gutted!

RIP Neil. What joy yourself & your bandmates have given me since 'discovering' Rush around 1980(Permanent Waves) while still in high school. Soundtrack of my life since then. I quickly bought all the previous albums & never missed another tour.

Thanks for all the amazing drumming, songs & lyrics......and for simply being such a decent human being through it all. You were & will continue to be a huge inspiration to countless people. Bravo!

I wish you could have enjoyed a well deserved long & happy retirement & seen your young daughter grow up. Cancer Sucks:disrelieved:
 
Such a loss. Besides being an incomparable drummer, he was a man in search of life meaning. I hope he found it.
 
“If the future's looking dark,
We're the ones who have to shine.
If there's no one in control,
We're the ones who draw the line.
Though we live in trying times,
We're the ones who have to try.
And we know that time has wings,
So we're the ones who have to fly.”
― Neil Peart

“Without knowing it, I had identified a subtle but important part of the healing process. There would be no peace for me, no life for me, until I learned to forgive life for what it had done to me, forgive others for still being alive, and eventually, forgive myself for being alive.”
― Neil Peart, Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road


“I can worship Nature, and that fulfills my need for miracles and beauty. Art gives a spiritual depth to existence -- I can find worlds bigger and deeper than my own in music, paintings, and books. And from my friends and family I receive the highest benediction, emotional contact, and personal affirmation. I can bow before the works of Man, from buildings to babies, and that fulfills my need for wonder. I can believe in the sanctity of Life, and that becomes the Revealed Word, to live my life as I believe it should be, not as I'm told to by self-appointed guides.”
― Neil Peart, The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa


“The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect,
So hard to earn so easily burned
In the fullness of time,
A garden to nurture and protect
It's a measure of a life
The treasure of a life is a measure of love and respect,
The way you live, the gifts that you give
In the fullness of time,
It's the only return that you expect”
― Neil Peart

“If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.”
― Neil Peart
 
So sad. Rush was my favorite prog band ever, and a huge influence. My band from the eighties/nineties used to cover Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ, Marathon. Neil was my favorite drummer (with Gavin Harrison now) and an incredible lyricist. That was THE band I wish I had the opportunity to see live
 
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