RIP Neil Peart: Rush And The "Permanent Wave"

I’ve been thinking about the news of the death of Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart, this morning. Probably like most Rush fans, I have been reminiscing about my youth and how I became a Rush fan as a teenager in the late 70’s on top of the bluffs of North Mississippi on a fishing lake where my dad had built a lake house in 1975. I attracted to early Rush hit songs such as “Working Man” and “Fly By Night” among several others that I listened to on my Hi-Fi Pioneer component stereo system at my dad’s lake house where we were known to have unsupervised notorious basement parties among our other teenage friends long before the days of the cell phone, internet and cable TV. But mainly we had a pool table in the basement that was the center of our attention.

I am honored to say that I was able to be under the same roof with Mr. Peart or “the professor” as he was also known and I witness his incredible drumming skills and tremendous performances during the album tours of “Hemispheres” in 1979 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis and twice in 1981 during the “Moving Pictures” tour-once in Memphis and once in Jackson, Miss. Also, again in Memphis during the “Signals” tour in 1982 and finally 29 years later in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena during their “Time Machine” tour.

The concert in Nashville was April 3, 2011 and on April 5, 2011, Rush was to play in Louisville. I had to go to Scottsville, Ky., to work the next day on April 4, 2011, and on my way back to Bowling Green from Scottsville, I saw Neil Peart riding his BMW motorcycle on Ky. 231 heading towards Bowling Green as he passed me in my truck. I figured he had taken U.S. 31-E north out of Nashville in order to crossover into Kentucky and then on up on I-65 to Louisville for the next show. He was known to take the backroads on his motorcycle as he went from gig to gig. The two other band members, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee flew by plane between gigs. Believe it or not, Mr. Peart looked over at me and I waved to me as he passed me.

Getting to see Mr. Peart ride his motorcycle past me on that highway was not by chance, but a synchronized magical moment in time and space that I will cherish the rest of my life. Thank you, Mr. Peart for that “permanent wave” and all your years of entertaining Rush fans all over the world.