Looking for a better drum teacher?
RUSH drummer Neil Peart’s new instructional DVD, Taking Center Stage: A Lifetime Of Live Performance, will be released on October 14.
Filmed in various locations over the course of a year, Neil Peart takes you on a behind-the-scenes look at RUSH’s 2010-11 ‘Time Machine’ Tour. I saw two shows on this tour (one in Irvine, CA and the other in San Diego, Ca) and I can’t wait to see all this incredible material. The DVD includes rare and exclusive footage of Neil’s personal pre-tour rehearsals and backstage events at a RUSH concert (including a visit to the sound check, and an unprecedented backstage interview as Neil warms up for the show). Neil also presents a detailed look at every single song in the tour’s set list. Each song features analysis and demonstrations by Neil, which are coupled with a detailed PDF eBook containing transcription of his parts. At the end of each song discussion, the viewer is transported onstage to a RUSH concert to see the actual live performance of the song from the perspective of the drum cameras only. Running time: 6 hours, 40 minutes of pure bliss.
RUSH will also be releasing a new live DVD and Blu-ray titled Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland on October 25. The disc will contain footage of RUSH’s April 15 concert at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio filmed by award-winning documentary makers Banger Productions from Toronto in Canada, who have received international critical acclaim for their previous movies Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, Global Metal and the RUSH documentary called Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage.
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RUSH’s Cleveland performance of its “Time Machine” show was filmed as a tribute to the U.S. city that first played the band’s music. Cleveland is remarkable for being one of the very first U.S. cities where RUSH performed, in addition to being the first city to provide American airplay. This also marked RUSH’s first live full-length filming on U.S. soil. The “Time Machine” tour was an evening with RUSH, where the band performed its classics, gave us a taste of the future (two new songs ‘BU2U‘ and ‘Caravan‘ from the upcoming RUSH record Clockwork Angels) and for the first time ever played the Moving Pictures album live in its entirety.
RUSH bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee recently spoke to The Plain Dealer about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band’s upcoming 20th studio album, Clockwork Angels, for which a release date has not yet been set.
“We’ve got about seven songs written,” Lee said. He added, “When you hear the first two songs ['BU2B' and 'Caravan'], which we’re playing live now, they definitely have a heavier sound. It’s the heavier side of RUSH in the early going. But when I think of all the songs that we’ve written already, there’s quite a lot of diversity there. I think — I hope — RUSH fans will like it. We’re certainly going to work hard to make it a great record, as we always try.”
In case you missed it, below is a video of Neil’s recent performance on ‘Drum Solo Week’ on The Tonight Show with David Letterman.
RELATED: Rock 'n' Roll: Nostalgic for the summer of 1971
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