Share Your Stories Of Meeting The Band Or Close Encounters...

[Rick N. Backer]

My daughters Make-A-Wish in 2008 was to meet Rush. She was their first MAW kid. We spent the afternoon with them including the sound check in Charlotte during the S&A Live tour. Sam got an All Access Pass and we also got 5th row seats to the show. Geddy dedicated "Mission" to Sam while she was watching the show from the stage. Unforgettable experience. Thanks MAW.

 

If anyone is interested, after Sam's MAW experience, she wrote a story for Ed over at RIAB. Here is a link to her story;

 

http://www.rushisaba...one-special-fan

 

Oh, that is simply wonderful. It actually brought a tear to my eye reading it. That is exactly how I always imagined the band members to act.

 

If I dare ask, how is your daughter now?

 

She has been cancer free going on 8 years now. She will be graduating with a Masters degree from the University Of Georgia in about a month. Sam is very much her own person. She has got about a dozen tattoos including a "P/G" logo on top of her left foot. I couldn't be more proud of how she has grown.

 

I'm a father. I can't imagine how happy that must make you. Literally.

[Lucas]

My daughters Make-A-Wish in 2008 was to meet Rush. She was their first MAW kid. We spent the afternoon with them including the sound check in Charlotte during the S&A Live tour. Sam got an All Access Pass and we also got 5th row seats to the show. Geddy dedicated "Mission" to Sam while she was watching the show from the stage. Unforgettable experience. Thanks MAW.

 

If anyone is interested, after Sam's MAW experience, she wrote a story for Ed over at RIAB. Here is a link to her story;

 

http://www.rushisaba...one-special-fan

 

Oh, that is simply wonderful. It actually brought a tear to my eye reading it. That is exactly how I always imagined the band members to act.

 

If I dare ask, how is your daughter now?

 

She has been cancer free going on 8 years now. She will be graduating with a Masters degree from the University Of Georgia in about a month. Sam is very much her own person. She has got about a dozen tattoos including a "P/G" logo on top of her left foot. I couldn't be more proud of how she has grown.

 

Mr JD, we toss the word "hero" around very easily in regards to entertainers, but your daughter is a true hero ..

 

Fantastic story

[blueschica]

My daughters Make-A-Wish in 2008 was to meet Rush. She was their first MAW kid. We spent the afternoon with them including the sound check in Charlotte during the S&A Live tour. Sam got an All Access Pass and we also got 5th row seats to the show. Geddy dedicated "Mission" to Sam while she was watching the show from the stage. Unforgettable experience. Thanks MAW.

 

If anyone is interested, after Sam's MAW experience, she wrote a story for Ed over at RIAB. Here is a link to her story;

 

http://www.rushisaba...one-special-fan

 

Oh, that is simply wonderful. It actually brought a tear to my eye reading it. That is exactly how I always imagined the band members to act.

 

If I dare ask, how is your daughter now?

 

She has been cancer free going on 8 years now. She will be graduating with a Masters degree from the University Of Georgia in about a month. Sam is very much her own person. She has got about a dozen tattoos including a "P/G" logo on top of her left foot. I couldn't be more proud of how she has grown.

 

That is awesome- wonderful to hear this update. And congrats on the upcoming graduation!

[JARG]

I was living in Austin during the Counterparts tour, and Rush did a Rockline interview the day before their Austin show. We (my ex-wife and I) figured they would be broadcasting from the local rock station, KLBJ, so we drove over to the station about 15 minutes before the interview was to air. The parking lot was almost completely empty. There were a couple of guys parked in the lot who had the same thought. They said they'd been there for about an hour and hadn't seen any activity, so we headed home and turned on the radio to listen to the interview.

 

At some point the interviewer let out that Rush was at the UT radio studio -- KUT -- so we grabbed my guitar and raced down to the Communications building on campus, where the radio station was located. We circled the building looking for a place to park when we noticed an idling Lincoln Towncar, complete with a driver, waiting in the alley behind the building. We also noticed a small knot of people, maybe 30 or 40, waiting by the back door to the studio. We quickly parked the car and joined the group of waiting fans.

 

Over time that group roughly tripled in size, and at some point near the end of the interview someone came out the back door and told the group that we'd have to clear a path to allow Geddy and Alex access to the car, which had pulled up closer to the door.. We complied and shortly thereafter, Geddy and Alex appeared. That nice path wasn't so nice after that! Geddy seemed more motivated to get to the car than Alex, who was hanging back near the door joking with fans.

 

Eventually Geddy moved closer to where we were standing, hastily signing autographs along the way. Some guy introduced himself as "Paul" and shook Geddy's hand. Apparently that was all he wanted to do because he didn't say anything else. A Neo-Max-Zoom-Dweebie of a Rush fan (you all know the type) squeezed in next to me and handed Geddy a HFY tour book for him to autograph. I took that opportunity to thank Geddy for all the good music they've produced over the years and to tell him that they were an inspiration to me and many others. He nodded at me and said "you're welcome" and handed the autograph to the Rush geek, who took it from him and said to Geddy, "but Neil was supposed to sign it". Geddy and I exchanged a "WTF" look and then he moved on to sign more autographs as he made his way to the car.

 

By this time Alex was also headed to the car and also by this time there was no path to speak of. The flow of the crowd was such that it was clear Alex would not be passing close enough to me for him to autograph my guitar, so I summoned my own Neo-Maxi-Zoom-Dweebie and yelled "King Lerxst!" and for a moment everyone went quiet (they probably thought I was gonna' shoot the guy or something). That got Alex's attention and he looked over at me. I took advantage of the hush in the crowd and said, "Would you please sign my guitar". He smiled a big smile and said, "Of course, my loyal subject".

 

He made his way over to me and I handed him my guitar and then offered him the brand new Sharpee I had brought with me. He instead grabbed someone else's Sharpee, which wasn't new at all. He turned my guitar over in his hands a couple of times and asked, "where should I sign it?" I said, "anywhere is fine, as long as it's visible". He then chose a spot, signed it, and handed it back to me. "Thanks man", I said. He said "you're welcome" and then proceeded on to the car which now was only a few yards away.

 

The next day I took my guitar to Guitar Resurrection and asked what I could do to preserve the autograph, which, because it was signed with an old Sharpee, wasn't particularly bold. They suggested I cover it with some clear pick guard material which I promptly did. Over the years the autograph has faded even more, but the memory of that day is still as sharp as ever.

 

Yours is way better than mine.

 

Longer and thicker, too. :)

[Rick N. Backer]

I was living in Austin during the Counterparts tour, and Rush did a Rockline interview the day before their Austin show. We (my ex-wife and I) figured they would be broadcasting from the local rock station, KLBJ, so we drove over to the station about 15 minutes before the interview was to air. The parking lot was almost completely empty. There were a couple of guys parked in the lot who had the same thought. They said they'd been there for about an hour and hadn't seen any activity, so we headed home and turned on the radio to listen to the interview.

 

At some point the interviewer let out that Rush was at the UT radio studio -- KUT -- so we grabbed my guitar and raced down to the Communications building on campus, where the radio station was located. We circled the building looking for a place to park when we noticed an idling Lincoln Towncar, complete with a driver, waiting in the alley behind the building. We also noticed a small knot of people, maybe 30 or 40, waiting by the back door to the studio. We quickly parked the car and joined the group of waiting fans.

 

Over time that group roughly tripled in size, and at some point near the end of the interview someone came out the back door and told the group that we'd have to clear a path to allow Geddy and Alex access to the car, which had pulled up closer to the door.. We complied and shortly thereafter, Geddy and Alex appeared. That nice path wasn't so nice after that! Geddy seemed more motivated to get to the car than Alex, who was hanging back near the door joking with fans.

 

Eventually Geddy moved closer to where we were standing, hastily signing autographs along the way. Some guy introduced himself as "Paul" and shook Geddy's hand. Apparently that was all he wanted to do because he didn't say anything else. A Neo-Max-Zoom-Dweebie of a Rush fan (you all know the type) squeezed in next to me and handed Geddy a HFY tour book for him to autograph. I took that opportunity to thank Geddy for all the good music they've produced over the years and to tell him that they were an inspiration to me and many others. He nodded at me and said "you're welcome" and handed the autograph to the Rush geek, who took it from him and said to Geddy, "but Neil was supposed to sign it". Geddy and I exchanged a "WTF" look and then he moved on to sign more autographs as he made his way to the car.

 

By this time Alex was also headed to the car and also by this time there was no path to speak of. The flow of the crowd was such that it was clear Alex would not be passing close enough to me for him to autograph my guitar, so I summoned my own Neo-Maxi-Zoom-Dweebie and yelled "King Lerxst!" and for a moment everyone went quiet (they probably thought I was gonna' shoot the guy or something). That got Alex's attention and he looked over at me. I took advantage of the hush in the crowd and said, "Would you please sign my guitar". He smiled a big smile and said, "Of course, my loyal subject".

 

He made his way over to me and I handed him my guitar and then offered him the brand new Sharpee I had brought with me. He instead grabbed someone else's Sharpee, which wasn't new at all. He turned my guitar over in his hands a couple of times and asked, "where should I sign it?" I said, "anywhere is fine, as long as it's visible". He then chose a spot, signed it, and handed it back to me. "Thanks man", I said. He said "you're welcome" and then proceeded on to the car which now was only a few yards away.

 

The next day I took my guitar to Guitar Resurrection and asked what I could do to preserve the autograph, which, because it was signed with an old Sharpee, wasn't particularly bold. They suggested I cover it with some clear pick guard material which I promptly did. Over the years the autograph has faded even more, but the memory of that day is still as sharp as ever.

 

Yours is way better than mine.

 

Longer and thicker, too. :)

 

Big f-in deal. Get in line on THAT one.

 

:)

[Lorraine]

I was living in Austin during the Counterparts tour, and Rush did a Rockline interview the day before their Austin show. We (my ex-wife and I) figured they would be broadcasting from the local rock station, KLBJ, so we drove over to the station about 15 minutes before the interview was to air. The parking lot was almost completely empty. There were a couple of guys parked in the lot who had the same thought. They said they'd been there for about an hour and hadn't seen any activity, so we headed home and turned on the radio to listen to the interview.

 

At some point the interviewer let out that Rush was at the UT radio studio -- KUT -- so we grabbed my guitar and raced down to the Communications building on campus, where the radio station was located. We circled the building looking for a place to park when we noticed an idling Lincoln Towncar, complete with a driver, waiting in the alley behind the building. We also noticed a small knot of people, maybe 30 or 40, waiting by the back door to the studio. We quickly parked the car and joined the group of waiting fans.

 

Over time that group roughly tripled in size, and at some point near the end of the interview someone came out the back door and told the group that we'd have to clear a path to allow Geddy and Alex access to the car, which had pulled up closer to the door.. We complied and shortly thereafter, Geddy and Alex appeared. That nice path wasn't so nice after that! Geddy seemed more motivated to get to the car than Alex, who was hanging back near the door joking with fans.

 

Eventually Geddy moved closer to where we were standing, hastily signing autographs along the way. Some guy introduced himself as "Paul" and shook Geddy's hand. Apparently that was all he wanted to do because he didn't say anything else. A Neo-Max-Zoom-Dweebie of a Rush fan (you all know the type) squeezed in next to me and handed Geddy a HFY tour book for him to autograph. I took that opportunity to thank Geddy for all the good music they've produced over the years and to tell him that they were an inspiration to me and many others. He nodded at me and said "you're welcome" and handed the autograph to the Rush geek, who took it from him and said to Geddy, "but Neil was supposed to sign it". Geddy and I exchanged a "WTF" look and then he moved on to sign more autographs as he made his way to the car.

 

By this time Alex was also headed to the car and also by this time there was no path to speak of. The flow of the crowd was such that it was clear Alex would not be passing close enough to me for him to autograph my guitar, so I summoned my own Neo-Maxi-Zoom-Dweebie and yelled "King Lerxst!" and for a moment everyone went quiet (they probably thought I was gonna' shoot the guy or something). That got Alex's attention and he looked over at me. I took advantage of the hush in the crowd and said, "Would you please sign my guitar". He smiled a big smile and said, "Of course, my loyal subject".

 

He made his way over to me and I handed him my guitar and then offered him the brand new Sharpee I had brought with me. He instead grabbed someone else's Sharpee, which wasn't new at all. He turned my guitar over in his hands a couple of times and asked, "where should I sign it?" I said, "anywhere is fine, as long as it's visible". He then chose a spot, signed it, and handed it back to me. "Thanks man", I said. He said "you're welcome" and then proceeded on to the car which now was only a few yards away.

 

The next day I took my guitar to Guitar Resurrection and asked what I could do to preserve the autograph, which, because it was signed with an old Sharpee, wasn't particularly bold. They suggested I cover it with some clear pick guard material which I promptly did. Over the years the autograph has faded even more, but the memory of that day is still as sharp as ever.

 

Yours is way better than mine.

 

Longer and thicker, too. :)

 

Never mind. :)

[Lorraine]

This thread has taken an interesting turn. :)

[presto123]

This thread has taken an interesting turn. :)

 

Oh....you mean some are curved as well......ha!

[Bhawk2112]

Alright, here it is. Everything here is how it happened. Can't believe it's already been 17 years ago now.

 

In early 1999 the clock was winding down on the venerable Maple Leaf Gardens. A dear friend of mine (and fellow Rush uber fan) had obtained tickets for the third to last game ever at the Gardens, the Leafs vs. the Capitals on January 30th. I was living in Chicago at the time, my friend was living in Kansas City. We made plans for a full-length visit to Toronto, replete with visits to the Hockey Hall of Fame and, of course, The Orbit Room. As many know, this was, in the Rush timeline, the "Dark Time." Neil had lost both Selena and Jackie and the future of the band was completely uncertain.

 

We arrived late Wednesday evening, leaving ourselves plenty of time for a long weekend that would culminate with the Leafs game on Saturday night. We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast on Palmerston Boulevard, right around the corner from the Orbit Room (the location of the b & b was strategically chosen, of course). Thursday we spent all day walking around and exploring the city (and taking each other's pictures in front of the Ontario government building in Moving Pictures poses, naturally) and a very nice fellow gave us tickets to see the pro lacrosse team that evening at the Gardens. A free bonus trip to the old barn!

 

Friday morning we head out to find a place to eat, and of course, TO in January, it was indeed, um, frosty. We walked passed the entrance to the Orbit Room and the sign in front said "Tonight - The Dexters!"

 

Oh my. Would Alex be sitting in tonight? Would we actually be able to see Alex freakin Lifeson play guitar in his cozy little nightclub?

 

Needless to say, we were more than a tad exited all day, pretty much like a couple of teenagers. My friend always had a special, well, place in her heart for Alex, it took her forever to pick out something to wear! We laid out our plans, how we would play it cool no matter what happened. Personally, I've always thought it is cool to meet celebrities and the famous, but this was on a whole 'nother level and I didn't want to go out of my way to be yet another awestruck fan. The first album I ever bought with my own lawn-mowing money was Moving Pictures in 1982 at the ripe old age of 12. I haven't missed a tour since Grace Under Pressure and proudly own pretty much every recording they've ever put out. But, to actually meet one of them....

 

The Orbit Room is a second floor establishment, to get up there you have to walk up a fairly steep flight of stairs. We get to the top of the stairs and stop to pay the cover, I look over, and there's Big Al himself, sitting on a stool off to the side of the stage, freshly lit DuMaurier in hand, talking to a couple. The place really isn't that big, bandstand on one end of a long room with a long bar on one wall and scant tables opposite. We rushed over to the bar and were lucky enough to get the last two seats. Here's where we plant for the evening! It was a typical bar crowd in a typical packed hot nightclub (which was fine due to the fact it was at least 400 below outside).

 

The Dexters started playing, bluesy grooves as I recall. After a song or two, Alex came up to join the band, playing the Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion I. One thing I remember vividly is even thought he was jamming on a blues tune, he definitely sounded like Alex Lifeson. I had pretty much told myself that I wasn't going to go up to him, just didn't feel like I had to. I thought just being there was enough. But then I started thinking. Rush could be done. Neil has been through the purest of hell and he never really liked touring anyway. Would this be the last chance I would ever get to see Alex play? I did agree with myself that well, hell, I'm sure never going to have this opportunity ever again! We sat and enjoyed the music and got into a lively conversation with a couple sitting next to us that was doing their best to convince us to scalp our Leafs tickets and use the money to go to one of the high-rise hotels and get a jacuzzi suite that overlooks the city. This was hilarious because 1) Once in a lifetime chance to see the Leafs in the Gardens and 2) my friend and I had a platonic relationship. Hilarious conversation nonetheless.

 

So, the Dexters finished their first set. Having knocked back my third CC Manhattan (Courage!) I decided, you know what, I'm going to go up to Alex Lifeson and tell him...thank you. Just that. It was all I really wanted to say to him anyway.

 

I walked towards the stage and Alex was sitting on a stool off to the side. Again, it's important to remember that in that setting, Alex seemed to be no big deal to any of the patrons there. I'm not so sure that many of the people there either had no idea who he was or it just wasn't that big of deal to begin with.

 

So, I walked up, and said (drum roll) "Alex?"

 

"Yeah!" he responded with a smile.

 

"Alex, I don't want to bother you or take up any of your time, but..."

 

Alex, with a dismissive smile, "Don't be silly!"

 

"Well, my friend and I came a long way in hopes of seeing you and enjoying your place here. I've been a fan off everything you've done for quite a long time and I just wanted to say 'Thank you'" as I stuck out my hand.

 

He shook my hand (first of all, Alex is a fairly large man in stature. Second of all, his hands are enormous), and said "No, thank you! Did you say you were he with someone?" I said yes and pointed down to my friend at the bar, "She's sitting over there, she's too nervous to come and say hi." Alex gave her a goofy smile and a exaggerated wave.

 

We laughed and I said, "Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you and shake your hand. I really appreciate all you've done with your music. I don't want to bother you, so have a great night." Or something along those lines. I've tried to keep most of the details of this evening as vivid in memory as possible, but as the nights grow colder, the children grow up and the old friends grow older...things can get a tad fuzzy from here to there.

 

I shook his hand again and he said "Thanks for the kind words," with an enormous smile. I walked back to the bar, feeling pretty damn good about myself, I must say! I got to tell Alex Lifeson thank you. That was more than enough for me.

 

But...the story does not end here.

 

I sat back down and my friend started hammering me with questions "what did he say? What was he like?" I told her what had went down and just how cool it was.

 

The bartender then walked up and put two fresh drinks on the bar. "These are on Big Al."

 

Whoa.

 

We were stunned with happiness and disbelief. Alex Lifeson just bought us a drink. Get outta town! We picked up our drinks and turned to each other with a toast and I said "Can't get any better than this!"

 

We then felt the presence of a large man behind the bar. Alex had come down to talk to us!

 

"So! You said you came a long way, where are you guys from?"

 

Again, whoa.

 

I told him Chicago and he instantly brightened up. "That's one of my all time favorite cities. Every time we pass through there I try to maximize the time." My friend told him Kansas City and he spoke warmly of all the great crowds they had gotten there going back to the 70s. I asked him what he had been up to aside from hanging out in bars, he laughed and said "I've been hanging out in so many lately I forgot why I came in the first place." I asked what was going to happen next and he said "I just don't know. Neil needs time and we are going to give him as much as it takes." I asked just how bad it was and he replied, "As bad as you can imagine. Of all the people I've ever known I've never seen anyone go down as fast as Jackie did. After Selena died she just gave up. We tried and tried but nothing worked. It was really horrible." Wanting to lighten the mood, I asked him if he still go a charge out of playing live, "Oh my god, yeah. I think about it all the time. Playing in a club or playing in front of a giant crowd, it doesn't matter. Playing live has always been the one thing that gives me pure joy."

 

Me: “So, what do you think, is it all ever gonna happen again?”

 

Alex: Grinning, held up crossed fingers.

 

It was at about this time in the conversation that something really really funny happened. The place was now beyond packed. A girl made her way up to the bar and handed Alex a glass and said, "can I get some ice water?" Hey, he was behind the bar, right? He said "sure" and started looking around behind the bar going, "Uhhh, yeah....ummmm...." As if on cue, the bartender swooped in, rolled his eyes and grabbed the glass out of Alex's hand. Alex turned to us and said, deadpan, "Obviously, I just put up the money for the joint."

 

I asked him a few more Rush-related questions (What were you saying during LVS on the Show of Hands video, my friend asked him why he doesn’t sing more, goofy stuff) and we were all getting that feeling that the conversation was winding to an end, and he handled it perfectly, thanking us once again for coming in and being such great fans. He gave us both two-handed handshakes (no wonder the guy is so good on guitar, again, his hands are huge) and off he went....back up to the stage.

 

I remember getting home from that weekend and my brother asking me how my trip was. I grinned and said, "Oh, went to a Leafs game, did the tourist lunch at Wayne Gretzky's, went up the CN Tower and hit the Hockey Hall of Fame. Oh, and Alex Lifeson bought me a drink."

[presto123]

Alright, here it is. Everything here is how it happened. Can't believe it's already been 17 years ago now.

 

In early 1999 the clock was winding down on the venerable Maple Leaf Gardens. A dear friend of mine (and fellow Rush uber fan) had obtained tickets for the third to last game ever at the Gardens, the Leafs vs. the Capitals on January 30th. I was living in Chicago at the time, my friend was living in Kansas City. We made plans for a full-length visit to Toronto, replete with visits to the Hockey Hall of Fame and, of course, The Orbit Room. As many know, this was, in the Rush timeline, the "Dark Time." Neil had lost both Selena and Jackie and the future of the band was completely uncertain.

 

We arrived late Wednesday evening, leaving ourselves plenty of time for a long weekend that would culminate with the Leafs game on Saturday night. We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast on Palmerston Boulevard, right around the corner from the Orbit Room (the location of the b & b was strategically chosen, of course). Thursday we spent all day walking around and exploring the city (and taking each other's pictures in front of the Ontario government building in Moving Pictures poses, naturally) and a very nice fellow gave us tickets to see the pro lacrosse team that evening at the Gardens. A free bonus trip to the old barn!

 

Friday morning we head out to find a place to eat, and of course, TO in January, it was indeed, um, frosty. We walked passed the entrance to the Orbit Room and the sign in front said "Tonight - The Dexters!"

 

Oh my. Would Alex be sitting in tonight? Would we actually be able to see Alex freakin Lifeson play guitar in his cozy little nightclub?

 

Needless to say, we were more than a tad exited all day, pretty much like a couple of teenagers. My friend always had a special, well, place in her heart for Alex, it took her forever to pick out something to wear! We laid out our plans, how we would play it cool no matter what happened. Personally, I've always thought it is cool to meet celebrities and the famous, but this was on a whole 'nother level and I didn't want to go out of my way to be yet another awestruck fan. The first album I ever bought with my own lawn-mowing money was Moving Pictures in 1982 at the ripe old age of 12. I haven't missed a tour since Grace Under Pressure and proudly own pretty much every recording they've ever put out. But, to actually meet one of them....

 

The Orbit Room is a second floor establishment, to get up there you have to walk up a fairly steep flight of stairs. We get to the top of the stairs and stop to pay the cover, I look over, and there's Big Al himself, sitting on a stool off to the side of the stage, freshly lit DuMaurier in hand, talking to a couple. The place really isn't that big, bandstand on one end of a long room with a long bar on one wall and scant tables opposite. We rushed over to the bar and were lucky enough to get the last two seats. Here's where we plant for the evening! It was a typical bar crowd in a typical packed hot nightclub (which was fine due to the fact it was at least 400 below outside).

 

The Dexters started playing, bluesy grooves as I recall. After a song or two, Alex came up to join the band, playing the Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion I. One thing I remember vividly is even thought he was jamming on a blues tune, he definitely sounded like Alex Lifeson. I had pretty much told myself that I wasn't going to go up to him, just didn't feel like I had to. I thought just being there was enough. But then I started thinking. Rush could be done. Neil has been through the purest of hell and he never really liked touring anyway. Would this be the last chance I would ever get to see Alex play? I did agree with myself that well, hell, I'm sure never going to have this opportunity ever again! We sat and enjoyed the music and got into a lively conversation with a couple sitting next to us that was doing their best to convince us to scalp our Leafs tickets and use the money to go to one of the high-rise hotels and get a jacuzzi suite that overlooks the city. This was hilarious because 1) Once in a lifetime chance to see the Leafs in the Gardens and 2) my friend and I had a platonic relationship. Hilarious conversation nonetheless.

 

So, the Dexters finished their first set. Having knocked back my third CC Manhattan (Courage!) I decided, you know what, I'm going to go up to Alex Lifeson and tell him...thank you. Just that. It was all I really wanted to say to him anyway.

 

I walked towards the stage and Alex was sitting on a stool off to the side. Again, it's important to remember that in that setting, Alex seemed to be no big deal to any of the patrons there. I'm not so sure that many of the people there either had no idea who he was or it just wasn't that big of deal to begin with.

 

So, I walked up, and said (drum roll) "Alex?"

 

"Yeah!" he responded with a smile.

 

"Alex, I don't want to bother you or take up any of your time, but..."

 

Alex, with a dismissive smile, "Don't be silly!"

 

"Well, my friend and I came a long way in hopes of seeing you and enjoying your place here. I've been a fan off everything you've done for quite a long time and I just wanted to say 'Thank you'" as I stuck out my hand.

 

He shook my hand (first of all, Alex is a fairly large man in stature. Second of all, his hands are enormous), and said "No, thank you! Did you say you were he with someone?" I said yes and pointed down to my friend at the bar, "She's sitting over there, she's too nervous to come and say hi." Alex gave her a goofy smile and a exaggerated wave.

 

We laughed and I said, "Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you and shake your hand. I really appreciate all you've done with your music. I don't want to bother you, so have a great night." Or something along those lines. I've tried to keep most of the details of this evening as vivid in memory as possible, but as the nights grow colder, the children grow up and the old friends grow older...things can get a tad fuzzy from here to there.

 

I shook his hand again and he said "Thanks for the kind words," with an enormous smile. I walked back to the bar, feeling pretty damn good about myself, I must say! I got to tell Alex Lifeson thank you. That was more than enough for me.

 

But...the story does not end here.

 

I sat back down and my friend started hammering me with questions "what did he say? What was he like?" I told her what had went down and just how cool it was.

 

The bartender then walked up and put two fresh drinks on the bar. "These are on Big Al."

 

Whoa.

 

We were stunned with happiness and disbelief. Alex Lifeson just bought us a drink. Get outta town! We picked up our drinks and turned to each other with a toast and I said "Can't get any better than this!"

 

We then felt the presence of a large man behind the bar. Alex had come down to talk to us!

 

"So! You said you came a long way, where are you guys from?"

 

Again, whoa.

 

I told him Chicago and he instantly brightened up. "That's one of my all time favorite cities. Every time we pass through there I try to maximize the time." My friend told him Kansas City and he spoke warmly of all the great crowds they had gotten there going back to the 70s. I asked him what he had been up to aside from hanging out in bars, he laughed and said "I've been hanging out in so many lately I forgot why I came in the first place." I asked what was going to happen next and he said "I just don't know. Neil needs time and we are going to give him as much as it takes." I asked just how bad it was and he replied, "As bad as you can imagine. Of all the people I've ever known I've never seen anyone go down as fast as Jackie did. After Selena died she just gave up. We tried and tried but nothing worked. It was really horrible." Wanting to lighten the mood, I asked him if he still go a charge out of playing live, "Oh my god, yeah. I think about it all the time. Playing in a club or playing in front of a giant crowd, it doesn't matter. Playing live has always been the one thing that gives me pure joy."

 

Me: “So, what do you think, is it all ever gonna happen again?”

 

Alex: Grinning, held up crossed fingers.

 

It was at about this time in the conversation that something really really funny happened. The place was now beyond packed. A girl made her way up to the bar and handed Alex a glass and said, "can I get some ice water?" Hey, he was behind the bar, right? He said "sure" and started looking around behind the bar going, "Uhhh, yeah....ummmm...." As if on cue, the bartender swooped in, rolled his eyes and grabbed the glass out of Alex's hand. Alex turned to us and said, deadpan, "Obviously, I just put up the money for the joint."

 

I asked him a few more Rush-related questions (What were you saying during LVS on the Show of Hands video, my friend asked him why he doesn’t sing more, goofy stuff) and we were all getting that feeling that the conversation was winding to an end, and he handled it perfectly, thanking us once again for coming in and being such great fans. He gave us both two-handed handshakes (no wonder the guy is so good on guitar, again, his hands are huge) and off he went....back up to the stage.

 

I remember getting home from that weekend and my brother asking me how my trip was. I grinned and said, "Oh, went to a Leafs game, did the tourist lunch at Wayne Gretzky's, went up the CN Tower and hit the Hockey Hall of Fame. Oh, and Alex Lifeson bought me a drink."

 

 

Great story. Thanks so much for posting. I'm really surprised Alex went into the Neil tragedy stuff. Alex ended up having to wait a few more years after your story before Rush reconvened. On a side note: I find it really hard to find reputable pictures anywhere on the internet of Selena and Jackie. Not being disrespectful, I've just always been curious what they looked like. There is a brief picture of both I believe at the end of Neil's Work In Progress instructional video, but the picture is kind of taken from the back with them sitting on a bench or something.

Edited April 18, 2016 by presto123

[LittleRushmonkey]

Alright, here it is. Everything here is how it happened. Can't believe it's already been 17 years ago now.

 

 

That sounds amazing! Alex does seem like a genuinely nice guy.

[Xanadu]

Alright, here it is. Everything here is how it happened. Can't believe it's already been 17 years ago now.

 

 

That sounds amazing! Alex does seem like a genuinely nice guy.

 

Yes, and thanks for sharing the story. Very cool experience! It was a little long, but not that bad. People are such whiners. :eyeroll: ;)

[Wil1972]

He nodded at me and said "you're welcome" and handed the autograph to the Rush geek, who took it from him and said to Geddy, "but Neil was supposed to sign it". Geddy and I exchanged a "WTF" look and then he moved on to sign more autographs as he made his way to the car.

 

 

:o Wow ...

 

 

By this time Alex was also headed to the car and also by this time there was no path to speak of. The flow of the crowd was such that it was clear Alex would not be passing close enough to me for him to autograph my guitar, so I summoned my own Neo-Maxi-Zoom-Dweebie and yelled "King Lerxst!" and for a moment everyone went quiet (they probably thought I was gonna' shoot the guy or something). That got Alex's attention and he looked over at me. I took advantage of the hush in the crowd and said, "Would you please sign my guitar". He smiled a big smile and said, "Of course, my loyal subject".

 

He made his way over to me and I handed him my guitar and then offered him the brand new Sharpee I had brought with me. He instead grabbed someone else's Sharpee, which wasn't new at all. He turned my guitar over in his hands a couple of times and asked, "where should I sign it?" I said, "anywhere is fine, as long as it's visible". He then chose a spot, signed it, and handed it back to me. "Thanks man", I said. He said "you're welcome" and then proceeded on to the car which now was only a few yards away.

 

The next day I took my guitar to Guitar Resurrection and asked what I could do to preserve the autograph, which, because it was signed with an old Sharpee, wasn't particularly bold. They suggested I cover it with some clear pick guard material which I promptly did. Over the years the autograph has faded even more, but the memory of that day is still as sharp as ever.

 

:haz: Cool story!

[x1yyz]

Alright, here it is. Everything here is how it happened. Can't believe it's already been 17 years ago now.

 

In early 1999 the clock was winding down on the venerable Maple Leaf Gardens. A dear friend of mine (and fellow Rush uber fan) had obtained tickets for the third to last game ever at the Gardens, the Leafs vs. the Capitals on January 30th. I was living in Chicago at the time, my friend was living in Kansas City. We made plans for a full-length visit to Toronto, replete with visits to the Hockey Hall of Fame and, of course, The Orbit Room. As many know, this was, in the Rush timeline, the "Dark Time." Neil had lost both Selena and Jackie and the future of the band was completely uncertain.

 

We arrived late Wednesday evening, leaving ourselves plenty of time for a long weekend that would culminate with the Leafs game on Saturday night. We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast on Palmerston Boulevard, right around the corner from the Orbit Room (the location of the b & b was strategically chosen, of course). Thursday we spent all day walking around and exploring the city (and taking each other's pictures in front of the Ontario government building in Moving Pictures poses, naturally) and a very nice fellow gave us tickets to see the pro lacrosse team that evening at the Gardens. A free bonus trip to the old barn!

 

Friday morning we head out to find a place to eat, and of course, TO in January, it was indeed, um, frosty. We walked passed the entrance to the Orbit Room and the sign in front said "Tonight - The Dexters!"

 

Oh my. Would Alex be sitting in tonight? Would we actually be able to see Alex freakin Lifeson play guitar in his cozy little nightclub?

 

Needless to say, we were more than a tad exited all day, pretty much like a couple of teenagers. My friend always had a special, well, place in her heart for Alex, it took her forever to pick out something to wear! We laid out our plans, how we would play it cool no matter what happened. Personally, I've always thought it is cool to meet celebrities and the famous, but this was on a whole 'nother level and I didn't want to go out of my way to be yet another awestruck fan. The first album I ever bought with my own lawn-mowing money was Moving Pictures in 1982 at the ripe old age of 12. I haven't missed a tour since Grace Under Pressure and proudly own pretty much every recording they've ever put out. But, to actually meet one of them....

 

The Orbit Room is a second floor establishment, to get up there you have to walk up a fairly steep flight of stairs. We get to the top of the stairs and stop to pay the cover, I look over, and there's Big Al himself, sitting on a stool off to the side of the stage, freshly lit DuMaurier in hand, talking to a couple. The place really isn't that big, bandstand on one end of a long room with a long bar on one wall and scant tables opposite. We rushed over to the bar and were lucky enough to get the last two seats. Here's where we plant for the evening! It was a typical bar crowd in a typical packed hot nightclub (which was fine due to the fact it was at least 400 below outside).

 

The Dexters started playing, bluesy grooves as I recall. After a song or two, Alex came up to join the band, playing the Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion I. One thing I remember vividly is even thought he was jamming on a blues tune, he definitely sounded like Alex Lifeson. I had pretty much told myself that I wasn't going to go up to him, just didn't feel like I had to. I thought just being there was enough. But then I started thinking. Rush could be done. Neil has been through the purest of hell and he never really liked touring anyway. Would this be the last chance I would ever get to see Alex play? I did agree with myself that well, hell, I'm sure never going to have this opportunity ever again! We sat and enjoyed the music and got into a lively conversation with a couple sitting next to us that was doing their best to convince us to scalp our Leafs tickets and use the money to go to one of the high-rise hotels and get a jacuzzi suite that overlooks the city. This was hilarious because 1) Once in a lifetime chance to see the Leafs in the Gardens and 2) my friend and I had a platonic relationship. Hilarious conversation nonetheless.

 

So, the Dexters finished their first set. Having knocked back my third CC Manhattan (Courage!) I decided, you know what, I'm going to go up to Alex Lifeson and tell him...thank you. Just that. It was all I really wanted to say to him anyway.

 

I walked towards the stage and Alex was sitting on a stool off to the side. Again, it's important to remember that in that setting, Alex seemed to be no big deal to any of the patrons there. I'm not so sure that many of the people there either had no idea who he was or it just wasn't that big of deal to begin with.

 

So, I walked up, and said (drum roll) "Alex?"

 

"Yeah!" he responded with a smile.

 

"Alex, I don't want to bother you or take up any of your time, but..."

 

Alex, with a dismissive smile, "Don't be silly!"

 

"Well, my friend and I came a long way in hopes of seeing you and enjoying your place here. I've been a fan off everything you've done for quite a long time and I just wanted to say 'Thank you'" as I stuck out my hand.

 

He shook my hand (first of all, Alex is a fairly large man in stature. Second of all, his hands are enormous), and said "No, thank you! Did you say you were he with someone?" I said yes and pointed down to my friend at the bar, "She's sitting over there, she's too nervous to come and say hi." Alex gave her a goofy smile and a exaggerated wave.

 

We laughed and I said, "Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you and shake your hand. I really appreciate all you've done with your music. I don't want to bother you, so have a great night." Or something along those lines. I've tried to keep most of the details of this evening as vivid in memory as possible, but as the nights grow colder, the children grow up and the old friends grow older...things can get a tad fuzzy from here to there.

 

I shook his hand again and he said "Thanks for the kind words," with an enormous smile. I walked back to the bar, feeling pretty damn good about myself, I must say! I got to tell Alex Lifeson thank you. That was more than enough for me.

 

But...the story does not end here.

 

I sat back down and my friend started hammering me with questions "what did he say? What was he like?" I told her what had went down and just how cool it was.

 

The bartender then walked up and put two fresh drinks on the bar. "These are on Big Al."

 

Whoa.

 

We were stunned with happiness and disbelief. Alex Lifeson just bought us a drink. Get outta town! We picked up our drinks and turned to each other with a toast and I said "Can't get any better than this!"

 

We then felt the presence of a large man behind the bar. Alex had come down to talk to us!

 

"So! You said you came a long way, where are you guys from?"

 

Again, whoa.

 

I told him Chicago and he instantly brightened up. "That's one of my all time favorite cities. Every time we pass through there I try to maximize the time." My friend told him Kansas City and he spoke warmly of all the great crowds they had gotten there going back to the 70s. I asked him what he had been up to aside from hanging out in bars, he laughed and said "I've been hanging out in so many lately I forgot why I came in the first place." I asked what was going to happen next and he said "I just don't know. Neil needs time and we are going to give him as much as it takes." I asked just how bad it was and he replied, "As bad as you can imagine. Of all the people I've ever known I've never seen anyone go down as fast as Jackie did. After Selena died she just gave up. We tried and tried but nothing worked. It was really horrible." Wanting to lighten the mood, I asked him if he still go a charge out of playing live, "Oh my god, yeah. I think about it all the time. Playing in a club or playing in front of a giant crowd, it doesn't matter. Playing live has always been the one thing that gives me pure joy."

 

Me: “So, what do you think, is it all ever gonna happen again?”

 

Alex: Grinning, held up crossed fingers.

 

It was at about this time in the conversation that something really really funny happened. The place was now beyond packed. A girl made her way up to the bar and handed Alex a glass and said, "can I get some ice water?" Hey, he was behind the bar, right? He said "sure" and started looking around behind the bar going, "Uhhh, yeah....ummmm...." As if on cue, the bartender swooped in, rolled his eyes and grabbed the glass out of Alex's hand. Alex turned to us and said, deadpan, "Obviously, I just put up the money for the joint."

 

I asked him a few more Rush-related questions (What were you saying during LVS on the Show of Hands video, my friend asked him why he doesn’t sing more, goofy stuff) and we were all getting that feeling that the conversation was winding to an end, and he handled it perfectly, thanking us once again for coming in and being such great fans. He gave us both two-handed handshakes (no wonder the guy is so good on guitar, again, his hands are huge) and off he went....back up to the stage.

 

I remember getting home from that weekend and my brother asking me how my trip was. I grinned and said, "Oh, went to a Leafs game, did the tourist lunch at Wayne Gretzky's, went up the CN Tower and hit the Hockey Hall of Fame. Oh, and Alex Lifeson bought me a drink."

 

 

But seriously, what an incredibly wonderful evening! I'm glad you and your friend had such a great interaction with Alex, but I am even more pleased to know that he truly is such a nice guy. Thanks for reposting the story, and if anyone has issues with it being too long then that's their problem :P

[catherine]

The stories are awesome. Thanks to everyone who shared one! I can't even imagine meeting them. I am not the fan girl type but I would totally flip to meet them. Who knows, maybe they will record again in Nashville and I can go haunt Music Row?

[x1yyz]

The closest I've come to meeting them was having eye contact with Geddy and Alex while at their shows. Going from what Neil talked about in his Roadshow book, he and the others probably recognized me after seeing me at several shows in a row, so I'll just pretend that actually happened :D

[JohnnyBlaze]

Alright, here it is. Everything here is how it happened. Can't believe it's already been 17 years ago now.

 

In early 1999 the clock was winding down on the venerable Maple Leaf Gardens. A dear friend of mine (and fellow Rush uber fan) had obtained tickets for the third to last game ever at the Gardens, the Leafs vs. the Capitals on January 30th. I was living in Chicago at the time, my friend was living in Kansas City. We made plans for a full-length visit to Toronto, replete with visits to the Hockey Hall of Fame and, of course, The Orbit Room. As many know, this was, in the Rush timeline, the "Dark Time." Neil had lost both Selena and Jackie and the future of the band was completely uncertain.

 

We arrived late Wednesday evening, leaving ourselves plenty of time for a long weekend that would culminate with the Leafs game on Saturday night. We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast on Palmerston Boulevard, right around the corner from the Orbit Room (the location of the b & b was strategically chosen, of course). Thursday we spent all day walking around and exploring the city (and taking each other's pictures in front of the Ontario government building in Moving Pictures poses, naturally) and a very nice fellow gave us tickets to see the pro lacrosse team that evening at the Gardens. A free bonus trip to the old barn!

 

Friday morning we head out to find a place to eat, and of course, TO in January, it was indeed, um, frosty. We walked passed the entrance to the Orbit Room and the sign in front said "Tonight - The Dexters!"

 

Oh my. Would Alex be sitting in tonight? Would we actually be able to see Alex freakin Lifeson play guitar in his cozy little nightclub?

 

Needless to say, we were more than a tad exited all day, pretty much like a couple of teenagers. My friend always had a special, well, place in her heart for Alex, it took her forever to pick out something to wear! We laid out our plans, how we would play it cool no matter what happened. Personally, I've always thought it is cool to meet celebrities and the famous, but this was on a whole 'nother level and I didn't want to go out of my way to be yet another awestruck fan. The first album I ever bought with my own lawn-mowing money was Moving Pictures in 1982 at the ripe old age of 12. I haven't missed a tour since Grace Under Pressure and proudly own pretty much every recording they've ever put out. But, to actually meet one of them....

 

The Orbit Room is a second floor establishment, to get up there you have to walk up a fairly steep flight of stairs. We get to the top of the stairs and stop to pay the cover, I look over, and there's Big Al himself, sitting on a stool off to the side of the stage, freshly lit DuMaurier in hand, talking to a couple. The place really isn't that big, bandstand on one end of a long room with a long bar on one wall and scant tables opposite. We rushed over to the bar and were lucky enough to get the last two seats. Here's where we plant for the evening! It was a typical bar crowd in a typical packed hot nightclub (which was fine due to the fact it was at least 400 below outside).

 

The Dexters started playing, bluesy grooves as I recall. After a song or two, Alex came up to join the band, playing the Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion I. One thing I remember vividly is even thought he was jamming on a blues tune, he definitely sounded like Alex Lifeson. I had pretty much told myself that I wasn't going to go up to him, just didn't feel like I had to. I thought just being there was enough. But then I started thinking. Rush could be done. Neil has been through the purest of hell and he never really liked touring anyway. Would this be the last chance I would ever get to see Alex play? I did agree with myself that well, hell, I'm sure never going to have this opportunity ever again! We sat and enjoyed the music and got into a lively conversation with a couple sitting next to us that was doing their best to convince us to scalp our Leafs tickets and use the money to go to one of the high-rise hotels and get a jacuzzi suite that overlooks the city. This was hilarious because 1) Once in a lifetime chance to see the Leafs in the Gardens and 2) my friend and I had a platonic relationship. Hilarious conversation nonetheless.

 

So, the Dexters finished their first set. Having knocked back my third CC Manhattan (Courage!) I decided, you know what, I'm going to go up to Alex Lifeson and tell him...thank you. Just that. It was all I really wanted to say to him anyway.

 

I walked towards the stage and Alex was sitting on a stool off to the side. Again, it's important to remember that in that setting, Alex seemed to be no big deal to any of the patrons there. I'm not so sure that many of the people there either had no idea who he was or it just wasn't that big of deal to begin with.

 

So, I walked up, and said (drum roll) "Alex?"

 

"Yeah!" he responded with a smile.

 

"Alex, I don't want to bother you or take up any of your time, but..."

 

Alex, with a dismissive smile, "Don't be silly!"

 

"Well, my friend and I came a long way in hopes of seeing you and enjoying your place here. I've been a fan off everything you've done for quite a long time and I just wanted to say 'Thank you'" as I stuck out my hand.

 

He shook my hand (first of all, Alex is a fairly large man in stature. Second of all, his hands are enormous), and said "No, thank you! Did you say you were he with someone?" I said yes and pointed down to my friend at the bar, "She's sitting over there, she's too nervous to come and say hi." Alex gave her a goofy smile and a exaggerated wave.

 

We laughed and I said, "Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you and shake your hand. I really appreciate all you've done with your music. I don't want to bother you, so have a great night." Or something along those lines. I've tried to keep most of the details of this evening as vivid in memory as possible, but as the nights grow colder, the children grow up and the old friends grow older...things can get a tad fuzzy from here to there.

 

I shook his hand again and he said "Thanks for the kind words," with an enormous smile. I walked back to the bar, feeling pretty damn good about myself, I must say! I got to tell Alex Lifeson thank you. That was more than enough for me.

 

But...the story does not end here.

 

I sat back down and my friend started hammering me with questions "what did he say? What was he like?" I told her what had went down and just how cool it was.

 

The bartender then walked up and put two fresh drinks on the bar. "These are on Big Al."

 

Whoa.

 

We were stunned with happiness and disbelief. Alex Lifeson just bought us a drink. Get outta town! We picked up our drinks and turned to each other with a toast and I said "Can't get any better than this!"

 

We then felt the presence of a large man behind the bar. Alex had come down to talk to us!

 

"So! You said you came a long way, where are you guys from?"

 

Again, whoa.

 

I told him Chicago and he instantly brightened up. "That's one of my all time favorite cities. Every time we pass through there I try to maximize the time." My friend told him Kansas City and he spoke warmly of all the great crowds they had gotten there going back to the 70s. I asked him what he had been up to aside from hanging out in bars, he laughed and said "I've been hanging out in so many lately I forgot why I came in the first place." I asked what was going to happen next and he said "I just don't know. Neil needs time and we are going to give him as much as it takes." I asked just how bad it was and he replied, "As bad as you can imagine. Of all the people I've ever known I've never seen anyone go down as fast as Jackie did. After Selena died she just gave up. We tried and tried but nothing worked. It was really horrible." Wanting to lighten the mood, I asked him if he still go a charge out of playing live, "Oh my god, yeah. I think about it all the time. Playing in a club or playing in front of a giant crowd, it doesn't matter. Playing live has always been the one thing that gives me pure joy."

 

Me: “So, what do you think, is it all ever gonna happen again?”

 

Alex: Grinning, held up crossed fingers.

 

It was at about this time in the conversation that something really really funny happened. The place was now beyond packed. A girl made her way up to the bar and handed Alex a glass and said, "can I get some ice water?" Hey, he was behind the bar, right? He said "sure" and started looking around behind the bar going, "Uhhh, yeah....ummmm...." As if on cue, the bartender swooped in, rolled his eyes and grabbed the glass out of Alex's hand. Alex turned to us and said, deadpan, "Obviously, I just put up the money for the joint."

 

I asked him a few more Rush-related questions (What were you saying during LVS on the Show of Hands video, my friend asked him why he doesn’t sing more, goofy stuff) and we were all getting that feeling that the conversation was winding to an end, and he handled it perfectly, thanking us once again for coming in and being such great fans. He gave us both two-handed handshakes (no wonder the guy is so good on guitar, again, his hands are huge) and off he went....back up to the stage.

 

I remember getting home from that weekend and my brother asking me how my trip was. I grinned and said, "Oh, went to a Leafs game, did the tourist lunch at Wayne Gretzky's, went up the CN Tower and hit the Hockey Hall of Fame. Oh, and Alex Lifeson bought me a drink."

Yup, this is the story I remember. The ice water girl bit is good stuff. :)

 

Thanks for the repost. :cheers:

 

Edited to add:

My memory can be quite good sometimes and when I search it, I swear there was a photo to match this story. Is there?

Edited April 19, 2016 by JohnnyBlaze

[JohnnyBlaze]

There was a story posted on here a while back about some dude who met John Rutsey at some bar about 10-15 years ago. Apparently the two spent a few hours just chatting over drinks. Despite being a Rush fan, he didn't know ((recognize)) who Rutsey was at the time and it was the bartender who let him in on it. The story was a lot more detailed of course and went into what John was like.

That'd be a cool repost if anyone can find it.

Edited April 19, 2016 by JohnnyBlaze

[Lurkst]

Me and a mate were steaming drunk one Saturday night and decided to phone the Orbit Room (transatlantic) to ask Alex when Victor was being released as we were fed up waiting.

He wasn't in.

 

[TemplesofLamneth]

I had a dream the night of R40 Bristow that I met them.... alas thats as far as Ill get.

[Xanadu]

There was a story posted on here a while back about some dude who met John Rutsey at some bar about 10-15 years ago. Apparently the two spent a few hours just chatting over drinks. Despite being a Rush fan, he didn't know ((recognize)) who Rutsey was at the time and it was the bartender who let him in on it. The story was a lot more detailed of course and went into what John was like.

That'd be a cool repost if anyone can find it.

 

If it's the same story I saw on Facebook, the one other detail I remember is that Rutsey paid for his meal and left before the guy could thank him. When he met Alex and Geddy and told them this story they both said, "that's John".

[JohnnyBlaze]

There was a story posted on here a while back about some dude who met John Rutsey at some bar about 10-15 years ago. Apparently the two spent a few hours just chatting over drinks. Despite being a Rush fan, he didn't know ((recognize)) who Rutsey was at the time and it was the bartender who let him in on it. The story was a lot more detailed of course and went into what John was like.

That'd be a cool repost if anyone can find it.

 

If it's the same story I saw on Facebook, the one other detail I remember is that Rutsey paid for his meal and left before the guy could thank him. When he met Alex and Geddy and told them this story they both said, "that's John".

That's the one!

[Boots]

I found a really cool Rush story by Tery the admin at the Stephen King website. I just had to share it:

 

Okay. It's long but here's the story of why I love Rush so much:

 

On Monday, November 2, 2009 my mother died suddenly. No warning, no indication, nothing. She was seventy. My stepfather, with whom I have not had the best relationship, decided to have her cremated before I could get down to Vegas. I flew down the day after she died. Somehow he talked her sisters into not having a memorial of any kind. She wouldn't have wanted a "fuss made," he said. As if a memorial is for the dead. My feelings were not taken into account. Somehow, I made it through that week. On Sunday, November 8, Barry and I were coming back from the store when we were hit head-on. We saw the car in our lane but had nowhere to go, with a creek and guardrail to our right. So we collided. Luckily, it was an elderly woman going slowly. If it had been someone driving faster with a bigger car, we might not be here. As it was, we got an ambulance ride, me in a neck brace. X-rays showed no broken bones so we got a prescription for Percodan and sent home.

 

Barry hadn't been injured as badly as me. He did bend the steering wheel but escaped relatively unscathed. I had pain in my chest; like an elephant with its ass on fire was sitting on me, at first. That eventually got better but it turned out that my sternum and three ribs were broken. That took a bone scan to find and several months of the pain just not going away. The months that I would have normally been grieving became an exercise in swallowing that grief. To quote a great writer, I was out of touch with love in the land of the living.

 

In April, Barry was surfing the web when he saw that Rush was coming to the area in August. Why not? So he got tickets and life went on, out of touch with life in the land of the loving. Now, Barry had lost his best friend the March before Mom died. Mark was the biggest Rush fan - with them since the first album. I do believe that Mark was somehow responsible for Barry seeing that concert announcement. So, on August 8th, 2010, we set off for the White River Amphitheater. We left early since we'd never been there before, bringing lunch and sitting in the parking lot. We got to hear sound check, even. Our seats were right in the center, just up from the floor; we had a great view. But the view was just the beginning. What happened with me that night is best described in Bag Of Bones, about Mike Noonan walking through a forest when there is a sonic boom. The woods fall silent after the noise, not a sound. Then "a finch began to sing." The other birds joined in until it was business as usual, "and I got on with mine." When I came across that passage on a re-read, it stopped me cold. This was exactly what had happened on that August night. A bit later Mike comes to the realization that a neighbor he encounters is that finch. "The first bird to sing into my silence." That description stayed with me.

 

Since that August, Rush has been my true north. Their music, some of which was new to me since I'd fallen out of touch with their work for many years, inspired me. It made my heart sing. It made me start creating again. I picked up the guitar again, after 25 years. I read Neil's books: Ghost Rider was particularly apropos and touched me deeply. Slowly, my ship began to right itself. With this last tour, I decided to try once more for a signed item. I chose 3 pictures I had taken during the Clockwork Angels tour and printed them at the Rite-Aid (ooo, fancy!). I decided that I needed to enclose a short note (some people had told me that helps sometimes). So I wrote them a brief version of what you've read, including that they were my "first bird." I sent the package to the Seattle venue and crossed my fingers.

 

When making signs for this tour, I decided that my Seattle sign would refer to that letter, hoping that they would have read it and get the reference. So I made this 9x11 sign; small because I was in the front row and so I could set it in my lap. The night of the show, I was so excited! I was sitting right in front of Geddy all night. Now, you know I have had a crush on Alex since 1981, when I first saw Rush, and that I love his antics (and watching him play) but Geddy is fun to sit in front of, too (I sat in front of him on my last CA show and had a ball!). I put my sign on my lap and enjoyed the show. My dream of sticks didn't materialize but I didn't have anywhere else to put the sign so I kept it on my lap. During "Jacob's Ladder," as Geddy was at his keyboard waiting for his part, I looked up to see him looking down at me. Our eyes met for a second and he gave me the sweetest smile. What could I do but return it?

 

When Alex came over to Geddy's side of the stage during 2112, I snapped a couple of great pics of him (which you may have seen). Just before he headed back over to his side of the stage, he looked down at me and mouthed, "You're very welcome."

 

So. I knew then that they had read my note and that they knew. They knew what they had done for me, how they had touched my life. There was a sense of relief and release and, with that, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

 

Two nights later, Lydia (the fan liaison whom I had met in Vancouver and to whom I'd mentioned the pictures I'd sent) spotted me at the Portland show and hand-delivered my package. I waited until after the show and asked Kelly and Kristi (2 of my Rush friends) to witness the great moment; I knew they'd understand. Now those 3 pictures have pride of place on my mother's antique china cabinet. Kind of a full circle kind of thing.

 

I will be forever grateful to those three men for helping me "get back on." They gave me my life back.

[RUSHHEAD666]

I've had a few encounters over the years. One with Alex thanks to my ex hot wife. The second one you all know. My Neil encounter. Backstage at the Concord Pavilion on the "Vapor Trails" tour.

 

No need to repeat these.....

 

 

Never met Geddy.

 

I will live.

[RUSHHEAD666]

Oh I do have a second Neil story. I remember accidentally winding up behind Neil's bus on the way to the Concord Pavilion on the S&A Tour I think.

I remember calling Cindy. Nobody's Hero is her screen name on here.

 

I think she actually typed my experience following Neil's bus to the gig in real time.

 

It's probably on here somewhere. Classic.