Clayton Call / Redferns – Neil Peart
Neil Peart with his DW drum kit in 2010.
Neil Peart, 67, the technically masterful drummer for classic rock power trio Rush, has died.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”et” dir=”ltr”>Neil Peart September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020 <a href=”https://t.co/NivX2RhiB8″>pic.twitter.com/NivX2RhiB8</a></p>— Rush (@rushtheband) <a href=”https://twitter.com/rushtheband/status/1215751793247969281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 10, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Peart joined guitarist Alex Lifeson and bassist/singer Geddy Lee in 1974 as drummer and primary lyricist of Rush, although he was not part of the Canadian band’s 1974 self-titled debut LP.
The highly influential percussionist was instrumental in the band’s work, starting with 1975’s Fly By Night as well as the 1976 concept album breakthrough 2112. Peart was known on stage for using an elaborate 360-degree drum kit, with extended solos in concert with elaborate passages in odd time signatures, with his lyrics often paying homage to fantasy and science fiction. His drumming style was considered flamboyant but precise, with prominent tom fills riddled throughout the band’s many epic tracks.
He was a mainstay in a power trio that was also mighty on the road, culminating with the band’s final tour in 2015, which grossed $37.8 million on 35 shows, which put the band at No. 42 on Pollstar’s Top 100Worldwide tours that year.