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Rush is a Band

A blog devoted to RUSH:
Neil Peart, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson

Mon, Dec 23, 2024

Rush inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Fri, Apr 19, 2013@12:53PM | comments removed/disabled

UPDATE - 5/1@4:53PM: Here are a couple of interesting reviews of the Rock Hall induction: one from SoundProLive and another from 90.5 WCBE.

UPDATE - 5/1@4:50PM: Here's a nice write-up and review of Rush Rock Hall induction from Jordan at Echoes of Old Applause.

UPDATE - 4/26@11:33AM: Here are some interesting comments from Rock Hall nominating committee member Roy Trakin:

... Say what you want about the Canuck noodlers-and their appeal continues to elude this voter-they've carved out an impressive career doing things their way, without a nod to fashion past or present. And maybe their induction offers a valuable lesson to all us rock critic snobs. Perhaps it's time to withhold aesthetic judgments and reliance on our own personal tastes, and be more inclusive about those we choose to honor. And while music would seem to be the most subjective of all the arts-especially rock and roll, which has always been about acceptance-perhaps it's time to step back and at least try to be fair about who belongs, and who doesn't....

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UPDATE - 4/25@3:15PM: Soundgarden's Chris Cornell spoke a little about getting to play with Rush onstage at the induction ceremony in a recent Loudwire interview:

... Cornell ... got to rock alongside the members of Rush in one of the night's massive all-star jam sessions. He recalled, "I got to play onstage with Rush and 30 other people, but it didn't matter. It kind of occurred to me during rehearsal as the song ended and I looked back to cue off of the drummer and that drummer was Neil Peart." ...

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UPDATE - 4/25@8:36AM: Here's a short, red carpet Geddy Lee interview with Radio.com:

"I think [Beyond the Lighted Stage] probably did have an effect to a certain degree," he told Radio.com on the red carpet of the Induction ceremony. "The way the filmmakers put that story together, it showed what a vast and diverse audience we have, and what the effect of our music has been on young players. One of the criteria of the Hall Of Fame is influence, and it was easy to see that influence in that film."

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UPDATE - 4/22@10:47AM: Here's video of Rush's performance of The Spirit of Radio (thanks Thomas P):

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UPDATE - 4/22@9:58AM: Here's some better video footage of the Crossroads all-star jam at the end (thanks cold fire):

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UPDATE - 4/21@6:56PM: Here's a pre-induction video interview with Alex and Geddy from Billboard.com (thanks simont2112):

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UPDATE - 4/21@3:58PM: From the Toronto Star:

... For bassist and lead singer Geddy Lee, one moment in particular seems destined to enter his long-term memory. "Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins with our producer Nick Raskulinecz in kimonos and wigs and totally nailing '2112 Overture' was a beautiful, surreal moment," said Lee on Friday. "Maybe we can hire them to go out as us on tour?"...

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UPDATE - 4/21@3:51PM: Here's Rush's performance of Tom Sawyer (thanks Michael S) at the induction ceremony:

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UPDATE - 4/21@3:19PM: Here's some YouTube video (thanks Michael S) of Jann Wenner introducing Rush at the opening of the cermony. He gets out from Toronto and then the crowd erupts for a standing ovation lasting nearly 2 minutes:

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UPDATE - 4/21@11:13AM: Here's a post-induction interview with the band from HitFix:

"I think the collective voices of our fans, without question, put a hell of a lot of pressure on [the Hall] to seriously consider us... I had the people from the Hall of Fame coming up to me today thanking us because it's been the quietest it's ever been after the announcements are made, usually they are so beseiged with angry violent emails and such..." ... Lifeson added, "blah, blah, blah... "

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UPDATE - 4/21@10:52AM: Here's an Entertainment Weekly article covering the induction (thanks RushFanForever), and a gallery of photos from the evening over at the Rock Hall website.

UPDATE - 4/20@9:12PM: Here's a great article from Jeff Miers which showcases this quote once made by Rolling Stone senior editor and rock hall board member David Wild:

... "It ain't ever gonna happen. Regardless of their success, Rush have never achieved critical acclaim and no one will ever vote for them ... most of it gives me a headache... Technical proficiency is not a valid reason to induct an artist, and Rush really hasn't done anything unique." ...

Well ... you were wrong Mr. Wild!! Here's what Wild tweeted last week:

#GodBlessRush. Many people never thought their day would come. I know because I was one of them. I was wrong.. #RockHall

Damn right. Thanks to RushFanForever for the heads up.

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UPDATE - 4/20@9:05PM: In honor of Rush's induction, this evening Hockey Night in Canada opened the show with Rush's Limelight and a mix of footage from hockey games and footage of the band. You can watch it on YouTube at this location. Thanks to anotherrrushfan for the heads up and BigLeaf for the video.

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UPDATE - 4/20@9:59AM: Here's some coverage from The Hollywood Reporter (thanks RushFanForever).

... Neil Peart was honored to be introduced by two rockers who play the same instrument and happen to be his friends. Said Peart: "Dave told me the other day that he was inspired to play drums by our 2112 album, and when I first heard Nirvana in the early 90s, I was galvanized by that and then what he's done since then. So I kind of consider it the praise of the praiseworthy, people that I respect who have respect for what we've done." ...

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UPDATE - 4/20@4:12AM: Cynthia Fox & Tony Scott of KLOS interview Alex Lifeson before yesterday's ceremony in this video, and in this Times-Colonist article Tom Morello and Jerry Cantrell sing praises to Rush (thanks RushFanForever).

UPDATE - 4/19@8:32PM: Here's a CTV video news story.

UPDATE - 4/19@7:29PM: Here's a National Post story covering the induction that includes some video of Rush getting a standing ovation at the Canadian House of Commons yesterday (thanks Bigleaf).

UPDATE - 4/19@6:51PM: John over at Cygnus-X1.net has compiled an extensive gallery of photos from last night's festivities. Thanks John!

UPDATE - 4/19@4:14PM: Spin magazine coverage (thanks liquidmuse3):

Hell hath no fury like a Rush fan scorned. For over a decade, the cult of the Toronto prog-rock power trio has been waiting for their idols to earn ingress into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... Last night at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles was their time, they had earned this and they had the Rush baseball jerseys to prove it. ...

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UPDATE - 4/19@4:09PM: Here's an article from the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Chuck Yarborough. And here's some red carpet video coverage from Entertainment Daily News. There are some great Rush-related interview snippets from Rush themselves, the Foo Fighters, and Tom Morello in there:

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UPDATE - 4/19@3:53PM: Here's a USA Today article covering the event:

... in a nod to the role ardent fans played in paving Rush's path to the hall, singer/bassist Geddy Lee thanked "the most passionate, incredible fan base around the globe ...for not only supporting and encouraging our musical progress over the years, but for the insistence of their voices, which has most certainly led us to this evening." ...

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UPDATE - 4/19@3:35PM: Here's another Rolling Stone article (thanks liquidmuse3). In this one they chat with Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawwkins about inducting Rush:

They didn't even say the name and the place went fucking crazy. That says it all. Honestly what's most important is that you survive 45 years of your life playing music. Surely its not the trophy or the plaque, but the fact that Rush finally were . . . I feel like their fans felt liberated. It was pretty awesome tonight to see Jann say, "And from Toronto," and the fans just went, "FUCK YEAHHH." Everyone at the tables were just like, Jesus! It was amazing. That's what it's all about. ... I'm still having a good time, man! I'm keeping the kimono!

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UPDATE - 4/19@2:58PM: Here's a Rolling Stone post-ceremony interview with the band (thanks liquidmuse3):

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UPDATE - 4/19@2:52PM: Here's Grammy.com's article covering the event:

... In what was arguably the most entertaining round of acceptance speeches of the evening, eloquent Rush drummer Neil Peart quoted Bob Dylan by saying, "The highest purpose of art is to inspire." Bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee joked that the ceremony was "a little overwhelming for a nice Jewish boy from Toronto" while adding this was an "honor we share with the fans." Alex Lifeson's speech can be hilariously summed up in one word: "Blah ...

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UPDATE - 4/19@2:12PM: Here's some video of the all-star jam of Crossroads (thanks ptaylor2112).

UPDATE - 4/19@1:47PM: Here's a Rolling Stone article titled Rush, Public Enemy Get Emotional Backstage at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony with these great comments from Dave Grohl:

... Minutes after inducting Rush into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame late last night at L.A.'s Nokia Theatre, Dave Grohl stood outside his dressing room, still wearing the vintage white kimono he sported as the Foo Fighters nailed "Overture." "It's terrifying to play your favorite song in front of your favorite band," he said. "It's one thing to sit in the basement to sit in the basement and woodshed 2112, and it's another to stand in front of Rush in a fucking kimono and a wig. Tonight was one of the most special nights of my life."

Grohl's biggest moment? "I met Neil Peart for the first time at rehearsal. This man was as influential to me as any religion. And he said, 'So nice to meet you, can I make you a coffee?' And he made me a coffee. Later on that night, I went to dinner and had a couple glasses of wine and I started fucking crying, because my hero made me a coffee." ...

And regarding Alex's blah speech:

"That's performance art right there," Morello said, cracking up while watching the speech on a backstage monitor next to Chuck D, who added, "Understood. He said it all right there." What was Lifeson trying to say in his speech? The band laughed off the question in our interview. "Enough words preceded it," Lifeson said. "God only knows," said Lee. "We're done here. I've got some serious drinking to do." ...

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UPDATE - 4/19@1:29PM: Here's a live blog of the events from backstage at last night's ceremony from HitFix's Melinda Newman (thanks ptaylor2112). She did a great job of capturing the atmosphere backstage and got a lot of impromptu interviews from the inductees and performers:

Yay! Rush is backstage. I ask Geddy Lee to expand about the band's fans' role in getting them inducted. Their fans have been extremely ardent. "I think the collective voice put pressure on the [Hall]," Lee says. "I had people from the Hall of Fame tell me it's the quietest it's been after the inductees were announced. They're normally so besieged with angry emails." Not this time... or at least not by Rush fans. I'm sure the still disgruntled Kiss fans kept their email inboxes filled. Neil Peart added that he thinks the fans' loyalty comes in part from the fact that the band the its fans have grown up together. "We've evolved naturally and grown up and expressed that in our songs. They're part of the team."

Chuck D was genuinely excited to be playing with Rush, and Chris Cornell cut his interview short because he had to go see Rush - one of his favorite bands - play.

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It really happened; I was there. Last night at a ceremony at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, Rush was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here's a rundown of the events. The evening kicked off with an introduction from Hall of Fame Chairman Jann Wenner - whose mere mention of the words from Toronto garnered a two-minute-long standing ovation for Rush. Rush seemed to enjoy themselves the entire evening from that moment on. They were sitting at a table right in front of the stage with manager Ray Danniels, Anthem's Pegi Cecconi, their wives and producer Nick Raskulinecz. They were the last act to be inducted. When Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins came out the crowd went nuts. Here's some video (thanks Scott G). Grohl kicked off his speech by asking the question when the f**k did Rush become cool?

And here's Rush's acceptance speech. Neil was up first, then Geddy said a few words, then Alex said ONE word ... over and over again. That word was blah. It was beautiful:

And one of the coolest moments of the evening was when Dave Grohl (as Alex Lifeson), Taylor Hawkins (as Neil Peart) and Nick Raskulinecz (as Geddy Lee) donned the 2112 robes complete with wigs, and cranked out a version of 2112: Overture. Here's the video:

Rush were the backbone of the all-star jam to Cream's Crossroads at the end of the evening. From RollingStone.com:

... The closing jam, on Cream's version of "Crossroads," began with a moving cross-genre moment, with Chuck D and DMC rhyming "the blues gave birth to rock n' roll" as Lee and Peart played their version of a breakbeat. The guitar jam itself was up to the greatest Hall of Fame closers ever, moving from Morello's interstellar scratching, to Gary Clark's raw rootsiness, to Lifeson's full-on Eric Clapton tribute. By the end, Chuck D and the members of Rush were exchanging hugs.

I'll be updating this thread with more coverage from around the internet. There won't be any updates post this week due to all of the Rock Hall induction coverage. I'll pick things up again next Friday.