Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have grown accustomed to hearing from musicians who credit Rush as an influence, but on the band’s reunion tour, those musicians have been getting noticeably younger.
While the Toronto progressive-rock legends have inspired generations of musicians to pick up an instrument, Lee told the Star the age gap is becoming harder to ignore.
“We’ve had a lot of musicians come to the show, and a lot of them are much younger,” Lee said with a laugh.
“A few of them are — still even younger.”
At 73, Lee jokes there isn’t much direction for the band’s fan base to go but younger. Lately, members of the crew have noticed a subtle shift in the crowds. Longtime fans still make up the bulk of the sold-out audiences, but an increasing number of Gen Z concertgoers have been showing up, and they aren’t being drawn in by a viral TikTok trend.
Shortly after Rush’s Fifty Something reunion tour got underway in June, the duo learned that 27-year-old pop star Sabrina Carpenter had attended one of their Los Angeles dates with her entire family. She credited her father with introducing her to the band’s music, and named “The Trees” as her favourite Rush song.
It’s the kind of story Lee and Lifeson appreciate hearing, though the latter insists they never let it go to their heads.
“We just don’t think about that kind of stuff,” he said. “We do it because we love to do it.”
As Rush begins its four-date stop at Scotiabank Arena, the Star spoke with Canadian musicians spanning several generations about what the band means to them.
Kevin Comeau, bassist in rock duo Crown Lands
“I started playing bass when I was 11, and as a bass player, all roads eventually lead to Geddy Lee. As I was about to get into high school, Les Claypool was my favorite bass player, and I read in an interview that his hero was Geddy. So, I downloaded all of my uncle’s Rush records onto my iPod Nano. The first album I heard front to back was ‘A Farewell to Kings’ because it’s alphabetically their first album.
“Before I met (bandmate) Cody Bowles, I heard he was a big Rush fan, and so I went to a band audition thinking, ‘This is my time.’ Within a minute of meeting, I had mooned everybody in the room because I have Rush’s Starman tattooed on my butt. I made an immediate impression, obviously. Then I picked up the guitar and we started playing, faking our way through ‘Natural Science.’ I think that led to a really big connection between Cody (and me).”
Cody Bowles, vocalist and drummer in Crown Lands
“I first saw them on the Time Machine tour in 2010, and it was like seeing a superhero in real life. We aren’t a tribute to Rush; we are our own thing. But we have been shaped by their music, so much so that what comes out sometimes is pretty close. We wear those badges of association with honour because they’re our heroes.”
Molly Johnson, jazz singer
“I was always interested in their intelligent lyrics, and it took years before I learned that Neil Peart wrote them. Geddy was the one who had to get his head around them and sing those crazy lyrics while he was playing bass and keyboards. There’s a certain sense of camaraderie and strength in that band. I’m surrounded by musical geniuses all the time, but Geddy is in a world of his own in the way he sings.”
Sean Kelly, guitarist with Lee Aaron and Alan Frew
“Growing up in North Bay, it was a badge of honour playing in your high school band to be able to even attempt a Rush song, or even string a couple of riffs together. They represented nascent virtuosity. For teenagers, Neil’s lyrics were informed by what we were reading in school — ‘Tom Sawyer,’ for example. The early Rush stuff was especially about rugged individuality, which is pretty appealing when you’re a young person trying to find your identity.
“I always felt those three guys made a point of serving each other’s musicality, about moving the whole thing together. I think that’s the most valuable lesson, and friendship — a friendship in music.”
Jim Cuddy, member of Blue Rodeo
“From 1978 to 1981, Greg (Keelor) and I had a band called the Hi-Fis, a Toronto club act. We worked at this restaurant down on Carlton Street one of the first times Rush played Maple Leaf Gardens. We were blown away to learn they were from Toronto. In those days, you had no idea who was Canadian. It seemed like all famous bands were American. But Maple Leaf Gardens was really hallowed ground for us, and Rush dwelled in the constellation.
“The first time I went to see them was years later. I took my youngest son (Sam Polley), who was a Q107 devotee, to the Air Canada Centre in the 2000s. I remember being blown away by how good they were. It was a three-hour show, and every time they would start a song the crowd would go mental, as if they had never heard them play that song. They were throwing their arms in the air. It’s like, ‘For three hours you’re doing this? Wow!’ By then, I had gotten to know Geddy and Alex a bit, and so I liked them as human beings before coming to their music. This all kind of crept up on me.”
Danko Jones, frontman of Danko Jones
“A few generations have passed, so there are new Toronto representatives like the Weeknd and Drake. But when I was growing up, the only internationally known Canadian band that was recognized and respected was Rush. You couldn’t really go anywhere without being hit by some sort of Rush reference. For example, Geddy and Alex grew up in Willowdale, and so did I. It’s influential when people who used to live there are now in a touring rock band, because suddenly it’s attainable. It looked attainable, at least — until you started to try it out. Then you realize: I’ve got about 10,000 miles to go. I’m sure they inspired hundreds, if not thousands, of bands over the years in Toronto alone.”
These interviews were condensed and edited for clarity.
