UPDATE - 10/21@11:23AM: Alex spoke to the media on the red carpet prior to the event for a short interview as seen in this video:
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UPDATE - 10/20@2:29PM: Here's another article on the event that includes a photo of Alex and Tom Cochrane (thanks RushFanForever).
UPDATE - 10/18@6:09PM: SOCAN Magazine also has a write-up about the ceremony, which includes a group shot from the finale performance that shows Alex on the left (thanks RushFanForever).
The 33rd annual SOCAN Awards took place at the Sheridan Centre Hotel in Toronto yesterday evening, and Rush's Alex Lifeson was in attendance to present fellow legendary Canadian musician Tom Cochrane with the SOCAN Cultural Impact Award for his 1991 hit song Life Is A Highway. When presenting the Award, Lifeson told the private audience of about 500 members of the music industry about his longtime friendship with Cochrane and his personal appreciation of the song as reported by Billboard:
... "I played with him on occasion and performed 'Life Is a Highway,' as well," ... "I am a friend, a collaborator, and like many, many others of his millions of fans around the world, I am a huge admirer of his work. Neruda is one of my all-time favorite records," Lifeson threw in of the 1983 album by Cochrane's original band Red Rider. "Tom is an amazing artist and songwriter, and with 'Life Is a Highway,' he created the perfect analogy of what we all go through. It is a magical blend of music and lyrics with an infectious chorus that sticks with you, and a theme that is inspiring and uplifting. It truly captures our journeys down the highway of life, the high roads, the detours, the dead ends, the U-turns, and especially the fear of running outta gas, the challenges that we all face in order to reach our destinations." Lifeson said the song's "joyous melody" is a hopeful reminder that no matter how many roadblocks life presents, "we will always find a way around them," adding, "It is the perfect message, especially over the past few years and what we've all experienced." ...
To cap off the evening's festivities, Lifeson joined musicians Bill Bell, Dala, Davide Direnzo, Molly Johnson, Jeff Jones, Sam Roberts and Julian Taylor for a performance of the song.
