The music community is mourning the loss of legendary drummer Neil Peart, who passed away Tuesday after a private, three and a half year battle with brain cancer.
Peart was the drummer and lyrical mastermind behind Canadian rock band Rush, who spawned classics "Tom Sawyer" and "Limelight." Peart completed the Rush trifecta in 1974, six year's after the band's original formation, joining founding member Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee. For years, he served as the band's heartbeat, offering new techniques and perfecting the art of the in-concert drum solo.
Aside from his masterful drumming technique, Peart was also an accomplished wordsmith. He cited literature as a heavy influence in his lyrics, with themes ranging from the philosophical to the mythological. He also penned several books – both fiction and nonfiction – documenting stories from the road and from his personal life.
Peart dealt with many layers of grief in his personal life, after his wife and daughter tragically died just 10 months apart. He transferred his pain into his 2002 memoir "Ghost Rider," which documented his remedial motorcycle journey across the United States.
In 2015, Rush performed their last show together. They were on the road celebrating Peart's 40th anniversary in the band, on a trek dubbed the R40 Live Tour. They took the stage at The Forum in Inglewood on August 1st and performed a 26-song set, stacked with a variety of songs spanning their entire career as well as some sweet, sweet drum solos.
They opened with a pair of songs off their nineteenth and final album, Clockwork Angels: "The Anarchist" and "Headlong Flight" (the latter featuring a mini "Drumbastica" drum solo).
The rest of the first set included songs like "Far Cry," "One Little Victory" and "Animate," as well as a special guest appearance by violinist Jonathan Dinklage (yes, actor Peter Dinklage's brother!) during "Losing It."
The second set commenced with fan-favorites "Tom Sawyer" and "Red Barchetta" before getting into cosmic tracks from 1976's 2112 and 1977's A Farewell to Kings like "2112 Parts I-VII" and "Xanadu."
They returned for an encore of "Lakeside Park," "Anthem" and "What You're Doing," before performing their last song together, "Working Man."
Check out the full setlist below:
In a statement, Lee and Lifeson wrote, in part, "It is with broken hearts and the deepest sadness that we must share the terrible news that our friend, soul brother and bandmate of over 45 years has lost his incredibly brave battle with brain cancer."
Neil Peart will be remembered as one of the most inventive drummers of our time and will be truly missed.
