Peart's R40 drum kit...

[Timbale]

I have very strong feelings about Peart's 2nd drum kit for the R40 tour (namely, that I think it sounded absolutely dreadful and was a complete wasted opportunity to have all those classic tunes sound good), but that is not what I was thinking about...

 

I found myself wondering the other day...with all of Neil's talk from '95 or so on about the ergonomics of his set up...isn't it actually kinda surprising that he was willing (or, I don't know, even "happy") to play an entire set of music on a kit that he felt wasn't good for his body?

 

Do you think that Geddy (who I imagine was the person behind the "reverse history" concept) had to do a hard sell on Neil to get him to do it...or do you think he figured it would actually be fun to play on his old configuration?  I just doesn't seem like something he'd be that into...but clearly he did it (aided by his deaf drum tech Lorne 😂)...

 

Thoughts?

[Timbale]

I guess I'm always interested in theoretical questions that most other people just aren't.  I suppose it's all moot seeing as the band ceased to exist in 2015 and Peart's been dead for 3 years.

[Lurkst]

I would've loved to have seen this tour to be able to properly pass judgement 

I'm no connoisseur of drum sounds but I've never noticed anything odd about that kit from listening to recordings of the tour. Watching the R40 DVD it does appear that Neil wasn't entirely comfortable behind it though.

 

[78jazz]

I don't think Geddy was behind it. I think Neil wanted to give it another shot.

 

In seeing some videos recently, the way his cymbals were set up appeared to be ever so slightly different from the way they were when he used that kit configuration. He also had his concert toms at the pre-AFTK height as well, and you could see how this altered his approach to the descending rolls (he would skip his highest-pitched mounted tom unless he started there or started from his snare and then moved up to them).

 

I think that if Neil had lived and any Vegas residences occurred, I don't think he would have gone back to that. The ergonomics of the double bass kit did not have the circular motion that he benefitted from later.

 

I am truly grateful I saw R40 twice. Seeing him on the double bass kit was the best way to go out.

[YYZ Working Man]

love them all but the Red Tamas rule......

[78jazz]

Agreed. Easily his best sounding drum kit of his career.