First thing. His name is pEARt not Pert. Second. He wasn't just one of the best drummers. He was the best damn drummer that ever walked this planet, period. I followed this genius since 1974 when I was 13 years old. He alone changed my whole perspective not only playing drums, but, music as a whole. There will NEVER be another talent that can even come close to the level that this man rose to. He left a big hole in my and many others hearts when he died. This man was and is the goatiest of all G.O.A.Ts. RIP brother The " Professor" Mr. Neil Elwood pEARt.
I completely agree! I just discovered Rush a few months ago. Some of the drummers I have liked like Carl Palmer, etc., are great! But not in the same league as Peart. Neil was the GOAT ❤
The chirping sound is an ostinato pattern he is playing with his left foot. What is crazy is that he playing that fairly steadily while playing the rest of the drums with his right foot and hands at a different tempo! Listen back to it and try to tap you left foot to the chirping sound and then imagine how hard it would be to play the rest of it simultaneously. Definitely some mad skills!
Neil calls that "The Waltz", a brilliant piece of what drummers call "independence". In an interview, he said he started working on it during the tour, and had it perfected to where he could use it on stage during the tour. Fun fact: the tours were 14 ***years*** apart.
@@wizardsuth Neil is not an actual robot. His timing/tempo of the Ostinato varies quite a bit during this section, and does so nearly every time he performs it. There's also nothing wrong with that. It's nearly impossible to keep it completely consistent.
"The world is 4.5 billion years old, and you existed at the same time as Neil Peart. You are truly blessed." If you want to hear how the pure poetry of Neil's lyrics came together with Geddy's vocals and their instrumental compositions to tell a compelling story, be sure to check out 2112, or Cygnus X-1, Books 1 and 2. Neil Peart R.I.P 🥁 🥁 🐐 🐐
My favorite story about the Professor was the quote attributed to him, when asked what it was like playing drums for Rush, Peart is quoted as saying, "It's a lot like doing trigonometry while running a marathon at the same time."
Neal Peart and Roy Clark had one thing in common. The blur factor! Normal video cameras couldn't keep up with them! You need a high speed camera like the one's they use to film bullets!
The "chirping" is a tambourine on a pedal just left of his high-hat. He is maintaining 2 beats of 3 with the left foot, the third beat with his right, while playing in 4/4 and 7/8 with his hands.
Neil never claimed to be a drummer, but a percussionist, and we all miss him very much!❤ There are many jaw dropping performances from Neil, Geddy and Alex!
Neil was a drummer. Having an electronic mallet thingy on you kit and playing 2 or 3 notes on tubular bells doesn't make you a percussionist. Never seen a single interview where he claimed to be a percussionist.
Neil Peart was a drummer of drummers. A one man Drumline. He has been one of my most favorite drummers of all time. He was one the drummers who got me interested in the drums and I picked up the sticks for the first time when I was a 9 year old girl back in the 1970s. Now I'm a 54 year old mom of a special needs son and I play the percussions in my church choir today. Thank you Neil for being one of my inspirations. RIP Neil.
The "chirping" was triggered by his left foot. It may not be the highlight of the solo, but trying to keep that waltz beat while your arms are doing something else is soooooooo hard. As people have said before "He's your favorite drummers, favorite drummer" Take care ✌
Yep. Playing 3/4 with his feet and several different time signatures with his hands (one being Subdivisions in 7/8). It was always his goal to become limb independent.
The piece that inspired this section is "The Drum Also Waltzes" by Max Roach. Neil took the idea a bit further, but to be fair to Max, Max did it with a shuffle feel, with a dotted eigth rest thrown into the foot pattern, while Neil "just" does a constant "1 2 3" ostinato. Man, drummers just love to show off. 🤠🤘
@@barrydimmock5771 He practiced it for over a decade before it became natural to do anything, any time sig, over the feet ostinato, so don't feel bad. This performance was 20 years into the same pattern, so yeah, he really really killed it.
I started playing drums in eighth grade and a year later was lucky enough to see Rush live on the signals tour in 1982. My life changed forever that night. Rest in peace Neil, and thank you for inspiring me then and now.
If you are looking to do more Rush, I would recommend Xanadu from the “exit stage left” live album. One of their most complex arrangements and they play it even better than their studio version!
Xanadu is simply amazing. Three guys that sound like an entire symphony. If you check out their video for Xanadu you will see Geddy sing, play bass, play keyboards, and play 6-string guitar in one song. Most bands putting out stuff now can barely do one of those things. Of course, Alex and Neil are also crushing it!
And the video is almost perfectly edited. You get to see every drum roll, guitar neck switch. The only issue is that it doesn't show Geddy on the guitar neck until the last shot, which for most people miss because 4 new video screen pop up over the image.
Keep in mind... he's doing this about 2 hours into a 3 hour show. Oh... and he's doing the show after arriving by way of a 5 - 8 hour motorcycle ride. :)
What else can you say about neil peart, he was just phenomenal! Rush as a whole is a great band. I think neil tried tirelessly to be the best drummer he could be and it really shows.
Not only has he done the rolls like you said but when you paused it and it went back into the solo, he switched from match grip to traditional grip. he is just amazing.
I have listened to a thousand drummers and percussionists during my humble 59 years. Some very talented, some flashy, some fast, some unique .. but NOBODY has ever come close to holding a candle to Neil Peart. I have seen him in concert basically engineering a space shuttle while building a swiss watch on horseback. In some of the documentary pieces he has described training and learning to keep multiple rhythms in separate time signatures simultaneously, independently at the same time. I have never in my life ever seen another percussionist do THAT, and with perfect precision. Absolutely amazing human being. I so miss him. He was a treasure to the world. R.I.P. Neil !!!
Hard to argue that, aside from his indisputably imaginative, technically precise, melodically infused percussion artistry, Neil is to rock/prog drumming what Buddy Rich was to swing/jazz drumming: Two men who pushed the boundaries of what the drum kit can produce as an instrument every bit the equal of those instruments we normally perceive as being the ones which "lead" the musical experience of the listener, i.e., guitar, keyboards. Neil's extraordinary artistic, technical and intellectual approach to his craft set a standard that will influence percussionists for years into the future. Indeed, Neil was a drummer nonpareil.
I love Rush, they're my favorite band... Sadly however I was born in 98' and I didn't learn about them until 2016, when I read a book and it made a reference to 2112, I had to listen to it and after I did I was like "woah, wtf... Best band" Which was real hard for me cause that was in 2016, 2 years after there last tour :(
I love at 10:58 he plays a little tune that I used to play on the piano as a kid. You would roll your knuckles along the black keys up and down to make that tune and he does it on his cow bells (if that's what they are).
Always remember that Neil was also the primary lyricist for the band. His writing is incredible and many of his lyrics are more powerful today than when they were written. Taking time to just read his lyrics without the music is time well spent. I can honestly say that his writing influenced the way I thought about things when I was young. Fan since 1974.
If I can, his last name is pronounced Peer-t, not Puhrt. Having said that, I loved your analysis and perspective here, which had great insight. He was a master drummer who experienced so much heartbreak and tragedy, and who wrote eloquently of fidning himself again. He is missed.
You are so lucky experiencing all this for the first time and it is about to get so good.. you don't have a clue you haven't even scratched the surface. If you truly want to appreciate Rush I would suggest you start at the beginning with their first album and listen to the songs all of them a lot of times it's in the obscure songs that no one ever mentions and you never hear on the radio where they really shine. That's the only way to appreciate a band like Rush it's just to listen to every song they have and familiarize yourself with their body of work then you can appreciate on the grander scale the scope of what they have done if you're just going to go by the songs that are on the radio and the songs everyone of a pure drive of the individuals to make the best music they could and to make it challenging so that they could be proud of it and would not get bored with performing it. they were a rare breed .they pushed themselves to be better. always experimenting with time/signature changes with tempos and octaves ,converging diverging, reconverging musical interludes. The whole gamut. Sometimes some of their best work wasn't very radio friendly and wasn't very well received by a lot of people the public rolling Stone Rock and roll Hall of Fame but they stayed true to who they were no matter what criticism they might receive they didn't let it sway them from their core goal and principles. That's what I do when I want to get familiar with a new band I've never heard of but I want to do it quickly I go through and listen to all the b sides and all the songs I've never heard anyone mention. I played guitar and been in and out of bands since 1972 and I've yet to see a band that was as talented committed and true to themselves as Rush.
That deer in the headlights look at 4:58 is the same one I have had since 2112 came out...then there is the knock me over with a feather look at 12:12 🤘🍻
It’s always refreshing to hear an expert give a review. Enjoyed hearing your perspectives and insights. Xanadu from their Exit Stage Left tour (1981) reveals another facet to their music. There’s a Remastered video with very good sound quality and good visuals. I think you would enjoy it.
I've seen it mentioned this is couple hrs into the show and fighting the flu..But lets not forget he was also in his 60s here and think the brain cancer had been diagnosed about this time too...got to see them 7 times and still sad we didn't get more RIP Professor you touched so many lives in ways you'll never know
Neil's kit a hybrid kit. Drum Workshop is his acoustic kit. Roland V-Drums are the main electronic kit. Neil uses a midi mallet and has triggers on the floor. All electronics are triggering a rack full of synthesizers and samplers. Neil triggers all sounds including the brass instruments during the jazz sequence of his solo. The solo is the actual halfway point of a Rush performance. Rush shows are 3 hours long
They did not know each other, they never met. From an interview with Neil. "I have to admit I hadn't been a fanatic about Buddy at all. That's perhaps another irony. I never got the chance to meet him, and what's even odder is that I never saw him play live. As a teenager I saw him play on television several times, but I wasn't a fanatic. I was an admirer - I guess that would be the right term. I always knew he was the best and I respected that. Unfortunately at that time my tastes seemed to lay elsewhere."
The keyboard is called a MIDI KAT, and we use it for pitched percussion like mirimba and glockenspiel. If you want to see what life was like before MIDI, I invite you check out Neil's kit when he was dragging (well, his tech Larry was) around real concert bells and tympani, circa '81.
The quintessential Peart in that solo right there. Great choice to review. I caught the Power Windows tour in '86 when Rush was on top of the rock world & Neil never rested, He kep refining his game & only got better, as demonstrated here. There's a reason every drummer in the world called him "The Professor." He was an autodidact at that!
Some fun facts about Neil Peart ( pronounced PEARt ) . That drum kit was laminated from trees that were preserved by silt and cold river water for 1500 years in Romania. Listen to this solo after he moves to the other part of the kit. As he is playing the toms, he is carrying different tempos with his hands and feet. The horns at the end are all him triggering pedals.
Yeah, he had a few kits over the years.. for an in-depth tour of one such kit, check out this vid about his "Time Machine" kit... ua-cam.com/video/g2R7vf3uZVA/v-deo.html
On top of EVERYTHING HE'S DOING on that kit, don't forget HOW LONG he ends up doing it. His stamina is nuts! And then, oh by the way, he still has to play all of the other songs in the set. Crazy.
"Xylophone" is a MidiKat mallet controller (or some variation thereof, he's gone through a couple versions, as has the company, but google that MidiKat and you'll find them). As you say, programmable xylophone layout instrument that he's replaced his (formerly) MUCH larger kit (full of orchestral and other percussions items) with to switch programs as needed for different sounds, thus reducing space and surely making the roadies happier over time... at one time it was ALL analog and massive until the early 80s when he began with simmons pads and then the MidiKat and continued from there. The horns section he was triggering with pad hits, up until he triggered the final jazz loop to play with, you have to watch each hand carefully to see when he hits the triggers (keeping in mind with the digital kit he can double-up, thus triggering a horn blast and tom hit simultaneously if needed, I don't know that he actually does that, but it's easily done). His last kits actually had hybrid drums, that were standard toms, retrofitted with digital triggers inside that could be "active or off" as needed while not interfering with the drums when only a normal kit was needed, thus again saving space. As others have indicated, he has dedicated left-foot trigger pedal that he used for the "chirping" and occassionally for other triggered sounds throughout the solo. With the switch to digital, he actually has an assistant off-stage making sure to switch programs in places where Neil can't "trigger switch" them himself (he used to have an emergency tiny little pad hidden in the toms (painted different colors a few times over the years), that he could hit to default the electronics to playable basics, I think that was before the tech was handling the changes for him as needed. He has actually given away many of his kits over the years in various drum magazine reader contests/giveaways, including this one I believe (not with all the electronics gear, but the fundamental drum kits). There are a select few VERY lucky kit owners in the world with genuine Neil Peart touring kits in their homes). And yes, seeing it live, is incredible, saw every show I could from the 90s through the very last tour, only missed one in those decades, (loved them much earlier, but going to concerts wasn't a thing for this country boy until my dad bought me my first tix for 17th birthday, which was incredible (2nd row from the stage right). RIP Neil!
Rush has always been one of my favorite bands, maybe because Neil is from my home town (had many dealings with his family owned Tractor Dealership as well back in the day, country living) or maybe because they are just great, it should be noted that Neil also wrote a good portion of Rush's songs
Hi from NYC. Do you know if St.Catherine's is still planning on installing the Peart statue in Lakeside Park? A friend and I were planning on a pilgrammage until covid, but I can't find any more info on the statue. Be well.🤘
Second snare work his right hand is in a traditional grip. Little nuisances in his playing is spectacular. The chirp almost tambourine sound is on his foot.
Now you need to check out Carl Palmer's(from Emerson Lake and Palmer) drum solo. The song is Karn Evil 9...live 1974 Cal Jam performance. Palmer was the 1st prog rock drum God. Simply outstanding! He and Peart are on another level. Palmer also had the 1st huge, revolving drum kit!
He's got two kits there. One electric and then his main set. He started on his electric kit and it of course as you noted, has triggers. Pedals triggers too. Your comments on tuning drums was hilarious (in a good way.) One guitarist I met one time talked about tuning a guitar and how important it was. I noted same for drums and he actually stated drums don't need tuning. I literally almost lost my mind. You noted marching band... During lunch breaks I used to tune all the drums. Hours.
It’s vastly understated that this is not a “stand-alone” piece of drumming. This is a slice from what is likely a 3 hour Rush show. Neil was a world class athlete with the most amazing talent flowing from his heart to his famed and feet.
Simply amazing..I've seen rush 80 times..never got boared...memorizing to watch live..this group iss in a class by themselves..first time I saw them live 79 cape cod coliseum new nothing about music at that time..I immediately picked up how special they were..by tor..fly by night necromancer..2112 ect..I was like that drummer was in human...
If you notice he switches how he holds the left stick at times, between a more traditional jazz method, like how most drummers are taught in band and orchestra for example, and the more hammering type grips that you see a lot with rock drummer. Neil is a percussionist, beyond just a drummer. He did lots of showcase performances apart from Rush where he performed with other noted percussionists, like Terry Bozzio (who used to perform with Frank Zappa, had an 80's band called Missing Persons, and toured with Jeff Beck). They had a sort of mutual admiration thing going on. Bozzio has quite a kit as well, which I believe is even larger than Neil's. It's 200 pieces, I think.
Neil didn't feel this was one of his best performances as he was dealing with having the flu. You mentioned Dream Theatre, they amongst many other bands were greatly influenced by Rush. I don't believe he was in any marching bands in school. He started playing drums at 13 and by 16 he was playing in a serious rock band. He joined Rush in the early 70's as their original drummer had health issues and wasn't able to tour. Neil was also the main lyrist for the band. Suggestions Xanadu from Exit Stage Left La Villa Strangiato official music video Where's my thing/Here it is live in Dallas Caravan from the Time Machine Tour live in Cleveland YYZ live in Rio One Little Victory live in Rio Working Man live in Cleveland Just a few suggestions 😀 Cheers
The man is very humble and quite in his band life. His drumming is as good as Bonham which is a constant debate. He admired other drummers and has no desire to compete. He has no need to. He inculcates all skills from other drummers so IMPROVE his ability. The constant chirp chip is his left foot which seems to run without effort during the most difficult process.
"Masters of Resonance"..Has an amazing documentary about how that kit was custom designed, and crafted exclusively for Neil..Geddy Lee once said, "we wanted to be the world's smallest symphony orchestra." The documentary is best enjoyed at your leisure.✌️
Mallet Kat, he programmed a lot of samples in thru triggers but, that Kat was a great addition. He did have tambourine set up with his kit combined with high hat I believe
Whenever possible, always watch live Rush performances. These guys are incredible musicians and it always comes through on their live performances. Anything from Exit Stage Left is phenominal!
This "solo" is actually a full composition, the structure of the entire song is written out, with segments left open for improvisation on top of the basic pattern! In the process of performing any one of the variations (Peart used the same basic parts, but restructured the order and length of each for each tour since "Vapor Trails), Peart demonstrates a large selection of techniques - he uses all three major grip variations, one section focuses on snare work, he has the tuned percussion sections, ostinato, crossovers, and more. In short, each variation is showcase of the drummer's art! One of the few drummers who is in the same class as Neil Peart is Terry Bozzio, who now performs solo on a huge kit that includes tuned drums! Check out his video from a performance at Sweetwater's "Gearfest 2013". The song is called "Pat's Changes", and is a good example of his solo composition and performance ... ua-cam.com/video/CroX237dzfY/v-deo.html
I always thought he looked tired during this solo. If you want to see one where he's fully energized, try the one he did in Rio: ua-cam.com/video/vRC4RAX4peE/v-deo.html
Neil was undoubtedly the best at what he did as a drummer and was, without question, the most influential drummer of his time. Power, Passion, Precision...Peart. BTW, pronounced Peert, like a P - ear - T.
Yes,... RUSH is an exceptional band. Like no other. The 2 vids you've done on them show them at the very end of their run. Go back 20 years and listen to those shows. They were phenomenal. They were old men here, and Neil was very sick here. He was diagnosed in 2017 with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. It's what killed him. That having been said,... the 3rd to last show on their FINAL stretch was miraculous like the old days!! Each and every show was good. Never a dull moment.
There is a video on UA-cam showing his drum tech setting up that gold kit...takes him 2 1/2 hours...if he is not in a hurry, said he had done it in 90 minutes once and wasn't happy
I’ve seen Rush 13 times over the years and even saw this unknown band called Van Halen open for them. Neil Peart is your favorite drummers favorite drummer. RIP
I agree with the recommendation for "Xanadu" (either the live version from "Exit Stage Left" or from the studio album, "A Farewell to Kings"), and add to it the instrumental masterwork (with some amazing guitar from Alex Lifeson) "La Villa Strangiato" from the "Hemispheres" album. Those two albums, and the next two ("Permanent Waves" and "Moving Pictures") comprise one of the greatest outpourings of creative, compositional and technical genius that I have ever heard, and maybe as there ever was. The only effort that comes close for me was Steely Dan's triumvirate - "Royal Scam," "Aja" and "Gaucho" from around the same time. You should look in on those, too.
check out drum solo in exit stage left live album and really check out acoustic kit and all the real chimes and stuff that he later used the electronic stuff for
If you are looking for more drum-related stuff, look at the Sully Erna/Shannon Larkin Godsmack Drum Battle. Sully is the lead singer and it's scary how good he is behind the kit
His solos in the 70s were shorter and more intense, which we all are in our youth (if you catch my drift). His kit was less eclectic but still complex with the electronics. He had a gong, tubular bells, chimes and more wood blocks. If you can look at concert footage from the Moving Pictures or Signals tours (or even earlier like Hemispheres) you’ll see what I mean…and his mustache was very impressive back then, too!
He played and recorded all those horns himself and then triggered those sounds with those extra foot pedals you saw by his left foot. If you watch you can see his left knee going up and down in time with all those extra sounds.
One thing that's bothering me (and it's a common error), it's pronounced "Peer-t" - he's metioned in a few times too. I don't know if you're aware but he's also been the band's lyricist since their second album (when he joined) and has written several books as well, mostly travel related.
Check out our first music video: ua-cam.com/video/k-rJnZFoekc/v-deo.html
He was a very bright man who decided to play drums for a carrer..He became known as the "professor" for very good reason..
First thing. His name is pEARt not Pert. Second. He wasn't just one of the best drummers. He was the best damn drummer that ever walked this planet, period. I followed this genius since 1974 when I was 13 years old. He alone changed my whole perspective not only playing drums, but, music as a whole. There will NEVER be another talent that can even come close to the level that this man rose to. He left a big hole in my and many others hearts when he died. This man was and is the goatiest of all G.O.A.Ts.
RIP brother
The " Professor" Mr. Neil Elwood pEARt.
I completely agree! I just discovered Rush a few months ago. Some of the drummers I have liked like Carl Palmer, etc., are great! But not in the same league as Peart. Neil was the GOAT ❤
The chirping sound is an ostinato pattern he is playing with his left foot. What is crazy is that he playing that fairly steadily while playing the rest of the drums with his right foot and hands at a different tempo! Listen back to it and try to tap you left foot to the chirping sound and then imagine how hard it would be to play the rest of it simultaneously. Definitely some mad skills!
Not only a different tempo but a different time signature. His feet are in 3 and his hands are in 4. Ridiculous.
Neil calls that "The Waltz", a brilliant piece of what drummers call "independence". In an interview, he said he started working on it during the tour, and had it perfected to where he could use it on stage during the tour. Fun fact: the tours were 14 ***years*** apart.
"Fairly steadily"? Why don't you try measuring Neil's timing before you level such an insult?
@@wizardsuth Neil is not an actual robot. His timing/tempo of the Ostinato varies quite a bit during this section, and does so nearly every time he performs it. There's also nothing wrong with that. It's nearly impossible to keep it completely consistent.
Not just the left, but the right kick as well. Boom, chirp, chirp, Boom, chirp, chirp, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, all the way through that section
"The world is 4.5 billion years old, and you existed at the same time as Neil Peart. You are truly blessed."
If you want to hear how the pure poetry of Neil's lyrics came together with Geddy's vocals and their instrumental compositions to tell a compelling story, be sure to check out 2112, or Cygnus X-1, Books 1 and 2.
Neil Peart R.I.P 🥁 🥁 🐐 🐐
My favorite story about the Professor was the quote attributed to him, when asked what it was like playing drums for Rush, Peart is quoted as saying, "It's a lot like doing trigonometry while running a marathon at the same time."
Neal Peart and Roy Clark had one thing in common. The blur factor! Normal video cameras couldn't keep up with them! You need a high speed camera like the one's they use to film bullets!
The "chirping" is a tambourine on a pedal just left of his high-hat. He is maintaining 2 beats of 3 with the left foot, the third beat with his right, while playing in 4/4 and 7/8 with his hands.
Neil never claimed to be a drummer, but a percussionist, and we all miss him very much!❤ There are many jaw dropping performances from Neil, Geddy and Alex!
Neil was a drummer. Having an electronic mallet thingy on you kit and playing 2 or 3 notes on tubular bells doesn't make you a percussionist. Never seen a single interview where he claimed to be a percussionist.
Neil Peart was a drummer of drummers. A one man Drumline. He has been one of my most favorite drummers of all time. He was one the drummers who got me interested in the drums and I picked up the sticks for the first time when I was a 9 year old girl back in the 1970s. Now I'm a 54 year old mom of a special needs son and I play the percussions in my church choir today. Thank you Neil for being one of my inspirations. RIP Neil.
That's why Neil is called the professor, he's your favorite drummers favorite drummer 😉
The "chirping" was triggered by his left foot. It may not be the highlight of the solo, but trying to keep that waltz beat while your arms are doing something else is soooooooo hard.
As people have said before "He's your favorite drummers, favorite drummer"
Take care ✌
Well said!
Yep. Playing 3/4 with his feet and several different time signatures with his hands (one being Subdivisions in 7/8). It was always his goal to become limb independent.
The piece that inspired this section is "The Drum Also Waltzes" by Max Roach. Neil took the idea a bit further, but to be fair to Max, Max did it with a shuffle feel, with a dotted eigth rest thrown into the foot pattern, while Neil "just" does a constant "1 2 3" ostinato.
Man, drummers just love to show off.
🤠🤘
I cannot even fathom doing that.
@@barrydimmock5771 He practiced it for over a decade before it became natural to do anything, any time sig, over the feet ostinato, so don't feel bad.
This performance was 20 years into the same pattern, so yeah, he really really killed it.
He is your favorite drummer’s favorite drummer, nuff said
I started playing drums in eighth grade and a year later was lucky enough to see Rush live on the signals tour in 1982. My life changed forever that night. Rest in peace Neil, and thank you for inspiring me then and now.
He is keeping that underneath osinato with his feet while playing poly rhythms against it. Ridiculously difficult
Neil continued taking lessons until the end.
If you are looking to do more Rush, I would recommend Xanadu from the “exit stage left” live album. One of their most complex arrangements and they play it even better than their studio version!
Xanadu is simply amazing. Three guys that sound like an entire symphony. If you check out their video for Xanadu you will see Geddy sing, play bass, play keyboards, and play 6-string guitar in one song. Most bands putting out stuff now can barely do one of those things. Of course, Alex and Neil are also crushing it!
And the video is almost perfectly edited. You get to see every drum roll, guitar neck switch. The only issue is that it doesn't show Geddy on the guitar neck until the last shot, which for most people miss because 4 new video screen pop up over the image.
I second that! If I could third and fourth that, too, I would!
Good suggestion 👌🏼
Just do it…you will be Amazed!
At no time does it look like he is working hard. Just effortless motion.
Keep in mind... he's doing this about 2 hours into a 3 hour show. Oh... and he's doing the show after arriving by way of a 5 - 8 hour motorcycle ride. :)
That's awesome. I know the feeling. We play 3-4 hours and they're exhausting.
@@ChasingAnthems watch working man live in cleveland time machine tour encore at end of 3 hour show 3 born in 52 and 53
And on that day he was feeling off: heavy cold at least. But soldiered on as knew this was video recording day for the tour.
What else can you say about neil peart, he was just phenomenal! Rush as a whole is a great band. I think neil tried tirelessly to be the best drummer he could be and it really shows.
Not only has he done the rolls like you said but when you paused it and it went back into the solo, he switched from match grip to traditional grip. he is just amazing.
R.I.P. professor, one of the best drummers, lyricist and human beings of all time! Good Canadian boy! 🇨🇦
I have listened to a thousand drummers and percussionists during my humble 59 years. Some very talented, some flashy, some fast, some unique .. but NOBODY has ever come close to holding a candle to Neil Peart. I have seen him in concert basically engineering a space shuttle while building a swiss watch on horseback. In some of the documentary pieces he has described training and learning to keep multiple rhythms in separate time signatures simultaneously, independently at the same time. I have never in my life ever seen another percussionist do THAT, and with perfect precision. Absolutely amazing human being. I so miss him. He was a treasure to the world. R.I.P. Neil !!!
Hard to argue that, aside from his indisputably imaginative, technically precise, melodically infused percussion artistry, Neil is to rock/prog drumming what Buddy Rich was to swing/jazz drumming: Two men who pushed the boundaries of what the drum kit can produce as an instrument every bit the equal of those instruments we normally perceive as being the ones which "lead" the musical experience of the listener, i.e., guitar, keyboards. Neil's extraordinary artistic, technical and intellectual approach to his craft set a standard that will influence percussionists for years into the future. Indeed, Neil was a drummer nonpareil.
I love Rush, they're my favorite band... Sadly however I was born in 98' and I didn't learn about them until 2016, when I read a book and it made a reference to 2112, I had to listen to it and after I did I was like "woah, wtf... Best band"
Which was real hard for me cause that was in 2016, 2 years after there last tour :(
I love at 10:58 he plays a little tune that I used to play on the piano as a kid. You would roll your knuckles along the black keys up and down to make that tune and he does it on his cow bells (if that's what they are).
Always remember that Neil was also the primary lyricist for the band. His writing is incredible and many of his lyrics are more powerful today than when they were written. Taking time to just read his lyrics without the music is time well spent. I can honestly say that his writing influenced the way I thought about things when I was young. Fan since 1974.
If I can, his last name is pronounced Peer-t, not Puhrt. Having said that, I loved your analysis and perspective here, which had great insight. He was a master drummer who experienced so much heartbreak and tragedy, and who wrote eloquently of fidning himself again. He is missed.
Only drummer or musician for that matter to go to each concert venues on his motorcycle! GO NEAL RIP!
I was fortunate enough to get to see them 19 times and his solos were phenomenal every time.
If you check out Exit stage left, the drum solo is on YYZ, well worth listening to.
You are so lucky experiencing all this for the first time and it is about to get so good.. you don't have a clue you haven't even scratched the surface. If you truly want to appreciate Rush I would suggest you start at the beginning with their first album and listen to the songs all of them a lot of times it's in the obscure songs that no one ever mentions and you never hear on the radio where they really shine. That's the only way to appreciate a band like Rush it's just to listen to every song they have and familiarize yourself with their body of work then you can appreciate on the grander scale the scope of what they have done if you're just going to go by the songs that are on the radio and the songs everyone of a pure drive of the individuals to make the best music they could and to make it challenging so that they could be proud of it and would not get bored with performing it. they were a rare breed .they pushed themselves to be better. always experimenting with time/signature changes with tempos and octaves ,converging diverging, reconverging musical interludes. The whole gamut. Sometimes some of their best work wasn't very radio friendly and wasn't very well received by a lot of people the public rolling Stone Rock and roll Hall of Fame but they stayed true to who they were no matter what criticism they might receive they didn't let it sway them from their core goal and principles. That's what I do when I want to get familiar with a new band I've never heard of but I want to do it quickly I go through and listen to all the b sides and all the songs I've never heard anyone mention. I played guitar and been in and out of bands since 1972 and I've yet to see a band that was as talented committed and true to themselves as Rush.
That deer in the headlights look at 4:58 is the same one I have had since 2112 came out...then there is the knock me over with a feather look at 12:12 🤘🍻
I saw this show R-30 , in Seattle Washington. They played for close to 3 hours. Great show.
The left foot was doing the tambourine sound and how he can keep that rhythm with everything else he was doing is amazing. He was the GOAT.
It’s always refreshing to hear an expert give a review. Enjoyed hearing your perspectives and insights. Xanadu from their Exit Stage Left tour (1981) reveals another facet to their music. There’s a Remastered video with very good sound quality and good visuals. I think you would enjoy it.
I've seen it mentioned this is couple hrs into the show and fighting the flu..But lets not forget he was also in his 60s here and think the brain cancer had been diagnosed about this time too...got to see them 7 times and still sad we didn't get more RIP Professor you touched so many lives in ways you'll never know
Neil Peart R.I.P. I was lucky enough to see Rush live when they played Dublin on their Time Machine Tour, one of the best gigs I've ever been to
Neil's kit a hybrid kit. Drum Workshop is his acoustic kit. Roland V-Drums are the main electronic kit. Neil uses a midi mallet and has triggers on the floor. All electronics are triggering a rack full of synthesizers and samplers. Neil triggers all sounds including the brass instruments during the jazz sequence of his solo. The solo is the actual halfway point of a Rush performance. Rush shows are 3 hours long
Just pick a song you haven't heard yet and you won't be disappointed at all ❗✌️🤘. All of their songs are great❗🤘 RIP NEIL WE MISS YOU SO MUCH ❗✌️🤟🤘🙏
100%
Neil's solo's are an experience. No other drummer thought through their solo's like Neil. Never boring and always at the top of the world.
At the end of his solo, Neil was paying tribute to his mentor and friend, Buddy Rich, famous drummer from that era......
They did not know each other, they never met. From an interview with Neil.
"I have to admit I hadn't been a fanatic about Buddy at all. That's perhaps another irony. I never got the chance to meet him, and what's even odder is that I never saw him play live. As a teenager I saw him play on television several times, but I wasn't a fanatic. I was an admirer - I guess that would be the right term. I always knew he was the best and I respected that. Unfortunately at that time my tastes seemed to lay elsewhere."
Their live performance in Cleveland is incredible!
glad i turned on my pc and seen this Cheers
Had the pleasure of seeing Rush 53 times including the final show at the Forum in LA .... Blessed indeed
The keyboard is called a MIDI KAT, and we use it for pitched percussion like mirimba and glockenspiel.
If you want to see what life was like before MIDI, I invite you check out Neil's kit when he was dragging (well, his tech Larry was) around real concert bells and tympani, circa '81.
He once said that he was never very talented but he was tenacious
I have to write it... like in many comments before: I still miss him very much. For me the best drummer of all time.
Neil played all legs and arms together. Someone special we lived to hear. Keepem coming.
The quintessential Peart in that solo right there. Great choice to review. I caught the Power Windows tour in '86 when Rush was on top of the rock world & Neil never rested, He kep refining his game & only got better, as demonstrated here. There's a reason every drummer in the world called him "The Professor." He was an autodidact at that!
Some fun facts about Neil Peart ( pronounced PEARt ) . That drum kit was laminated from trees that were preserved by silt and cold river water for 1500 years in Romania. Listen to this solo after he moves to the other part of the kit. As he is playing the toms, he is carrying different tempos with his hands and feet. The horns at the end are all him triggering pedals.
😳amazing!
Yeah, he had a few kits over the years.. for an in-depth tour of one such kit, check out this vid about his "Time Machine" kit... ua-cam.com/video/g2R7vf3uZVA/v-deo.html
On top of EVERYTHING HE'S DOING on that kit, don't forget HOW LONG he ends up doing it. His stamina is nuts! And then, oh by the way, he still has to play all of the other songs in the set. Crazy.
“He’s got melody as well”. 💯 That’s what I like best.
"Xylophone" is a MidiKat mallet controller (or some variation thereof, he's gone through a couple versions, as has the company, but google that MidiKat and you'll find them). As you say, programmable xylophone layout instrument that he's replaced his (formerly) MUCH larger kit (full of orchestral and other percussions items) with to switch programs as needed for different sounds, thus reducing space and surely making the roadies happier over time... at one time it was ALL analog and massive until the early 80s when he began with simmons pads and then the MidiKat and continued from there.
The horns section he was triggering with pad hits, up until he triggered the final jazz loop to play with, you have to watch each hand carefully to see when he hits the triggers (keeping in mind with the digital kit he can double-up, thus triggering a horn blast and tom hit simultaneously if needed, I don't know that he actually does that, but it's easily done).
His last kits actually had hybrid drums, that were standard toms, retrofitted with digital triggers inside that could be "active or off" as needed while not interfering with the drums when only a normal kit was needed, thus again saving space. As others have indicated, he has dedicated left-foot trigger pedal that he used for the "chirping" and occassionally for other triggered sounds throughout the solo. With the switch to digital, he actually has an assistant off-stage making sure to switch programs in places where Neil can't "trigger switch" them himself (he used to have an emergency tiny little pad hidden in the toms (painted different colors a few times over the years), that he could hit to default the electronics to playable basics, I think that was before the tech was handling the changes for him as needed. He has actually given away many of his kits over the years in various drum magazine reader contests/giveaways, including this one I believe (not with all the electronics gear, but the fundamental drum kits). There are a select few VERY lucky kit owners in the world with genuine Neil Peart touring kits in their homes).
And yes, seeing it live, is incredible, saw every show I could from the 90s through the very last tour, only missed one in those decades, (loved them much earlier, but going to concerts wasn't a thing for this country boy until my dad bought me my first tix for 17th birthday, which was incredible (2nd row from the stage right). RIP Neil!
Rush has always been one of my favorite bands, maybe because Neil is from my home town (had many dealings with his family owned Tractor Dealership as well back in the day, country living) or maybe because they are just great, it should be noted that Neil also wrote a good portion of Rush's songs
Hi from NYC. Do you know if St.Catherine's is still planning on installing the Peart statue in Lakeside Park?
A friend and I were planning on a pilgrammage until covid, but I can't find any more info on the statue.
Be well.🤘
@@MrRezRising not sure it might be I know they had picked an artist last year to do the statue, but I will look into it further and let you know
@@jeffwotherspoon3867 Ty. If it's the one with the tribute video, yes, it's beautiful and very fitting. His life story deserves a statue.
Second snare work his right hand is in a traditional grip. Little nuisances in his playing is spectacular. The chirp almost tambourine sound is on his foot.
Neil Peart is the Professor, that’s his nickname on the drums he is simply the best drummer ever hands down!!!
Now you need to check out Carl Palmer's(from Emerson Lake and Palmer) drum solo. The song is Karn Evil 9...live 1974 Cal Jam performance. Palmer was the 1st prog rock drum God. Simply outstanding! He and Peart are on another level. Palmer also had the 1st huge, revolving drum kit!
Was that the one where Greg Lake broke a guitar string while changing instruments, and Carl had to vamp while he strung and tuned the new one?
@@DeaconBlues117 truly don't know.
He's got two kits there. One electric and then his main set. He started on his electric kit and it of course as you noted, has triggers. Pedals triggers too.
Your comments on tuning drums was hilarious (in a good way.) One guitarist I met one time talked about tuning a guitar and how important it was. I noted same for drums and he actually stated drums don't need tuning. I literally almost lost my mind. You noted marching band... During lunch breaks I used to tune all the drums. Hours.
It’s vastly understated that this is not a “stand-alone” piece of drumming. This is a slice from what is likely a 3 hour Rush show. Neil was a world class athlete with the most amazing talent flowing from his heart to his famed and feet.
Simply amazing..I've seen rush 80 times..never got boared...memorizing to watch live..this group iss in a class by themselves..first time I saw them live 79 cape cod coliseum new nothing about music at that time..I immediately picked up how special they were..by tor..fly by night necromancer..2112 ect..I was like that drummer was in human...
Neil is/was every other drummers Hero
The 3/4 section (the 'chirping sound' section) is based on a drum solo by Max Roach called 'The Drum Also Waltzes'.
|Did you notice throught that one section how is feet are in one time signature and tempo and his hands are in a completely different one?
If you notice he switches how he holds the left stick at times, between a more traditional jazz method, like how most drummers are taught in band and orchestra for example, and the more hammering type grips that you see a lot with rock drummer. Neil is a percussionist, beyond just a drummer. He did lots of showcase performances apart from Rush where he performed with other noted percussionists, like Terry Bozzio (who used to perform with Frank Zappa, had an 80's band called Missing Persons, and toured with Jeff Beck). They had a sort of mutual admiration thing going on. Bozzio has quite a kit as well, which I believe is even larger than Neil's. It's 200 pieces, I think.
Neil didn't feel this was one of his best performances as he was dealing with having the flu. You mentioned Dream Theatre, they amongst many other bands were greatly influenced by Rush. I don't believe he was in any marching bands in school. He started playing drums at 13 and by 16 he was playing in a serious rock band. He joined Rush in the early 70's as their original drummer had health issues and wasn't able to tour. Neil was also the main lyrist for the band.
Suggestions
Xanadu from Exit Stage Left
La Villa Strangiato official music video
Where's my thing/Here it is live in Dallas
Caravan from the Time Machine Tour live in Cleveland
YYZ live in Rio
One Little Victory live in Rio
Working Man live in Cleveland
Just a few suggestions 😀
Cheers
Main Monkey Business has been my go to instrumental for awhile now.
Nice summation.😎🤘
The man is very humble and quite in his band life. His drumming is as good as Bonham which is a constant debate. He admired other drummers and has no desire to compete. He has no need to. He inculcates all skills from other drummers so IMPROVE his ability. The constant chirp chip is his left foot which seems to run without effort during the most difficult process.
Neil was a prolific author. I’d recommend you read his books. Also filled the role as lyricist.
The electronic marimba is a MalletKat not sure what sample system it is triggering thoughm
Check out Neil's drum solo on Snakes and Arrow tour back in 2007.
Check out his pre Synth drum set, he had orchestra bells, wood blocks, chimes, gongs, etc. Looked like an orchestra pit up there.
"Masters of Resonance"..Has an amazing documentary about how that kit was custom designed, and crafted exclusively for Neil..Geddy Lee once said, "we wanted to be the world's smallest symphony orchestra." The documentary is best enjoyed at your leisure.✌️
Mallet Kat, he programmed a lot of samples in thru triggers but, that Kat was a great addition. He did have tambourine set up with his kit combined with high hat I believe
Whenever possible, always watch live Rush performances. These guys are incredible musicians and it always comes through on their live performances. Anything from Exit Stage Left is phenominal!
This "solo" is actually a full composition, the structure of the entire song is written out, with segments left open for improvisation on top of the basic pattern! In the process of performing any one of the variations (Peart used the same basic parts, but restructured the order and length of each for each tour since "Vapor Trails), Peart demonstrates a large selection of techniques - he uses all three major grip variations, one section focuses on snare work, he has the tuned percussion sections, ostinato, crossovers, and more. In short, each variation is showcase of the drummer's art!
One of the few drummers who is in the same class as Neil Peart is Terry Bozzio, who now performs solo on a huge kit that includes tuned drums! Check out his video from a performance at Sweetwater's "Gearfest 2013". The song is called "Pat's Changes", and is a good example of his solo composition and performance ...
ua-cam.com/video/CroX237dzfY/v-deo.html
Can you imagine doing this every show.
The man the legend 🙌
The audio and video clips are triggers by a sequencer which is triggers by the symbols so he is playing the whole band
I always thought he looked tired during this solo. If you want to see one where he's fully energized, try the one he did in Rio: ua-cam.com/video/vRC4RAX4peE/v-deo.html
I get frustrated that the RIR solo never gets any reaction vids. I agree he is much more energized during that one.
Neil was undoubtedly the best at what he did as a drummer and was, without question, the most influential drummer of his time. Power, Passion, Precision...Peart. BTW, pronounced Peert, like a P - ear - T.
RIP Neil!
Check out "Working Man" from the "All the World's a Stage" album and skip to 9:17 for another solo from The Professor.
I just love that he tosses in cowbell because ... why not!!?
He was also the primary lyricist for RUSH
Yes,... RUSH is an exceptional band. Like no other. The 2 vids you've done on them show them at the very end of their run. Go back 20 years and listen to those shows. They were phenomenal. They were old men here, and Neil was very sick here. He was diagnosed in 2017 with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. It's what killed him. That having been said,... the 3rd to last show on their FINAL stretch was miraculous like the old days!! Each and every show was good. Never a dull moment.
There is a video on UA-cam showing his drum tech setting up that gold kit...takes him 2 1/2 hours...if he is not in a hurry, said he had done it in 90 minutes once and wasn't happy
I’ve seen Rush 13 times over the years and even saw this unknown band called Van Halen open for them. Neil Peart is your favorite drummers favorite drummer. RIP
Funny thing, I saw a no name band called Primus open for them in the 90's. 🤘🤠🤘
@@MrRezRising Isn't it cool when you can say that you saw these amazing bands opening for one of the most amazing bands ever...
Ok….you should check out Xanadu…. Exit Stage Left version…..or La Villa Strangiato…..either way…..your welcome.
I agree with the recommendation for "Xanadu" (either the live version from "Exit Stage Left" or from the studio album, "A Farewell to Kings"), and add to it the instrumental masterwork (with some amazing guitar from Alex Lifeson) "La Villa Strangiato" from the "Hemispheres" album. Those two albums, and the next two ("Permanent Waves" and "Moving Pictures") comprise one of the greatest outpourings of creative, compositional and technical genius that I have ever heard, and maybe as there ever was. The only effort that comes close for me was Steely Dan's triumvirate - "Royal Scam," "Aja" and "Gaucho" from around the same time. You should look in on those, too.
check out drum solo in exit stage left live album and really check out acoustic kit and all the real chimes and stuff that he later used the electronic stuff for
THE QUINTESSENTIAL ROCK DRUMMER! 👍
A LEGEND
The Professor may be gone and in Heaven now but he left his legacy for us to enjoy. RIP Neil Peart.
If you are looking for more drum-related stuff, look at the Sully Erna/Shannon Larkin Godsmack Drum Battle. Sully is the lead singer and it's scary how good he is behind the kit
Neil Peart John Bonham and Keith Moon the goats. I've seen Rush 9 times actually played at my high school in 74 Neil's kit kept growing . Go Canada
R I P Neal. I had the pleasure of seeing Rush live in 1978 on their 2112 tour.
76 mon. 76
His solos in the 70s were shorter and more intense, which we all are in our youth (if you catch my drift). His kit was less eclectic but still complex with the electronics. He had a gong, tubular bells, chimes and more wood blocks. If you can look at concert footage from the Moving Pictures or Signals tours (or even earlier like Hemispheres) you’ll see what I mean…and his mustache was very impressive back then, too!
He played and recorded all those horns himself and then triggered those sounds with those extra foot pedals you saw by his left foot. If you watch you can see his left knee going up and down in time with all those extra sounds.
Not just a pedal. He uses several electronic drums on his right side. Also electric cymbals and a black trigger pad adjacent to the snare.
I seen Rush 9 Times
For All the Worlds a Stage Me and my Best Friend walked through a Door We were right above him on Working Man
It was Crazy
One thing that's bothering me (and it's a common error), it's pronounced "Peer-t" - he's metioned in a few times too. I don't know if you're aware but he's also been the band's lyricist since their second album (when he joined) and has written several books as well, mostly travel related.
cross over and unders simply mesmerising