Neil Peart

Sorry if this has been posted before, but what is the deal with these DW ads Neil has going on? The shocker for me was not so much the one about his new custom-sized, mega bass drum, but the VLT snare thing and him potentially mothballing his old snares was quite a shock to me ...

Steve
 
Yeah, he's totally pimping the whole 23" bass drum thing, and the vertical grain shells.

I thought it was a little silly, that two-page ad in MD about the 23" bass. My first thought was, "is it really, seriously, honestly...any better than a 22"?". The ad was so dramatic...like Neil found the 23" kick to be so dramatically different that he absolutely had to have it. Of course, more obvious is, DW is just having him push it in their marketing...but it just seems silly to me.

My DW floor toms had vertical grain plies and honestly, there was no audible difference between that and my drums that didn't.
 
I am 45 and will be seeing him for the 14th time this july in Charlotte, NC.

There are some really good drummers out there past and present.

But I would never begin a conversation regarding drummers without mentioning him very early on.

I have seen Gadd, Bruford, Heyward, Hakim, Copeland, Smith, Carlock, Chambers, Thompson, Collins, White, Palmer, Bellson and would say that to me, he is as good as any of them.
 
Neil Peart's a great drummer.
It's just annoying to see people saying that Neil Peart, Travis Barker, Virgil Donati, Thomas Lang, You Get The Idea are the BEST or GREATEST drummer. There is no BEST or GREATEST drummer. Whether its your opinion, there is no BEST. All of these drummers are great and unique.

Besides that, does anyone else feel that Neil Peart sounds mechanical? Just my opinion.
 
Re: Any Neil Peart fans?

Thanks for the replies. I am sure that his name has popped up every now and again.

Is it true that he has never dropped a drumstick during a concert?

Just to mention, back in 1984, grace under pressure was my first concert. Imagine, Philadelphia spectrum, tons of craziness and a young 12 year old Richard with his dad in a 3 piece suit. "Pops, what is that smell?Something burning?"

Those were the days...


Richard

I've seen him drop a stick, Hold Your Fire show he dropped a stick. Dropping sticks happens. Nothing you can do about that except glue them to yourself maybe. I've seen him break sticks. I've even seen the whole band get completely lost during "Secret Agent" on the Counterparts Tour here in Austin; I mean they completely got all messed up and they got back into it without any problems at all. Truly great musicians those guys. I've even seen Peart stand up during a break in a song and do the Pete Townshend guitar arm thing then he sat back down and began playing. In 96 at the Test For Echo show in San Antonio, Lifeson's whole rig went out and the solo in "Subdivisions" was getting close. He stayed calm. The crew got it on just in time. Truly a great crew.
 
Hey any of you ever see this its amazing it really show how amazing he is and that he can play amazing on any size kit!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47yxLg2RyXM

(its at the buddy rich memorial concert)

I couldnt watch the video because my computer is messed up, but im pretty sure its the four piece kit thats purple sparkle. If you listen to the new RUSH album Snakes and Arrows, he pretty much only uses 5 or 6 drums, which is pretty dissapointing after being a Rush fan and listening to the old songs and loving the "Tom Sawyer Fill" and the "Limelight Ending" when you are a fan of Neil Peart and credit him for those things, its kind of a downer when he only uses a few of his many drums.
 
Re: Any Neil Peart fans?

I've seen him drop a stick, Hold Your Fire show he dropped a stick. Dropping sticks happens. Nothing you can do about that except glue them to yourself maybe. I've seen him break sticks. I've even seen the whole band get completely lost during "Secret Agent" on the Counterparts Tour here in Austin; I mean they completely got all messed up and they got back into it without any problems at all. Truly great musicians those guys. I've even seen Peart stand up during a break in a song and do the Pete Townshend guitar arm thing then he sat back down and began playing. In 96 at the Test For Echo show in San Antonio, Lifeson's whole rig went out and the solo in "Subdivisions" was getting close. He stayed calm. The crew got it on just in time. Truly a great crew.

Yeah, just recently I saw him drop a stick on the Snakes and Arrows tour, It actually bounced down onto the stage and Alex kind of kicked it to one of the front rowers.
 
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I agree with Jason, (I haven't read all gazillion replies) but Neil is consistent night after night, You may not be a Rush fan but every drummer needs to give neil the respect he deserves.

And His writing too, (Books as well as lyrics) has influenced me greatly. I have all 4 books and every one is a good read. I may not always agree with his philosophical views but we're all different. He has certainly played an influence in my drumming (And writing).
 
And His writing too, (Books as well as lyrics) has influenced me greatly. I have all 4 books and every one is a good read. I may not always agree with his philosophical views but we're all different. He has certainly played an influence in my drumming (And writing).

Well said Drumsword.
 
I just saw Rush 30th anniversary DVD.

I would say Neil Peart seems to be the best and best of all, I think , with that Perfect Keith Moon grooves. I dont think I can ever play like Neil Peart (I will try though) because his each and every stroke is so perfect and I dont see any imperfections in his playing. He doesnt make any funny faces or cheap show offs but just sit there (doesnt seem to sit still though!) with extreme concentration and play. Like someone said before, He plays just like it was studio recorded and thats make him a brilliant musician and a drummer.

The reality is every drummer is unique to me and plays well. In drumming I dont see the word "sloppy".
 
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Did anyone know that Neil Peart was rated the 2nd WORST lyricist by Blender Magazine? I think this is ridiculous. I'd like to see the writers of Blender create a 20 minute long sci-fi song.
 
Did anyone know that Neil Peart was rated the 2nd WORST lyricist by Blender Magazine? I think this is ridiculous. I'd like to see the writers of Blender create a 20 minute long sci-fi song.

I also found this incredible. It's ok not to like his style, but to say he writes bad lyrics is ignorant. He wrote some damn fine stuff back in the 70s and 80s, and is writing even deeper, more "real" material these days, since he pretty much left the fantasy themes.
Snakes & Arrows is packed with awesome lyrics.
 
...and he was incredible, of course. How he can play so fast and hard after all these years is mind boggling. He snapped one of those oak sticks on the bell of his ride during his solo and without missing a beat, tossed it and pulled out another.

He looks miserable while he plays...but he tore it up, for sure. The whole band was incredible.

I just wish I had brought my earplugs, I forgot on the way out the door...
 
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