My grandma use to play Alabama on her old massive console system. I remember loving how wonderful it sounded. I would always ask her to play High Cotton. Lol
All Things Music. Past, Present and Future.....and more
- Thread starter Crazy Gnome
- Start date
My grandma use to play Alabama on her old massive console system. I remember loving how wonderful it sounded. I would always ask her to play High Cotton. Lol
Delmarva
Lunatic Member
Rapid Fire
Member
Anthrax - Fistful of Metal
![[IMG]](https://i.postimg.cc/Wbvv7Cfq/20260914-081118.jpg "[IMG]")
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Rapid Fire
Member
Fates Warning - Night On Bröcken
![[IMG]](https://i.postimg.cc/hP6FZGsG/20260914-095410.jpg "[IMG]")
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The Pretty Reckless - Dear God ( 2026 )
søren krabbe
Member
Time to geek out about the band RUSH—this might be a bit long, BUT it is absolutely worth the read. In early August 2026, a friend Rasmus and I flew from Copenhagen to Toronto to see the band Rush perform on their home turf; the band's original members grew up in Toronto and the surrounding area. We were there from Monday to Friday. We had tickets for Rush’s Toronto Show 3 (Tuesday) before we left home, and since we were staying until Friday, we decided to try and get tickets for Show 4 (Thursday). Fortunately, we succeeded—though it happened at the very last minute before the show started, thanks to a lousy Ticketmaster website that refused to cooperate. On our "day off"—Wednesday—we visited the idyllic little suburb of St. Catharines, where the band's late drummer, Neil Peart, grew up. I had come across a story in an article about the local church where Peart made his public debut as a drummer at the age of 14, back in 1966. The front doors were locked, but we walked around to the back, where a door was open. We stepped inside and called out "hello," and an elderly woman greeted us. We told her we were on a "Rush pilgrimage" and asked if we might see the church hall where Peart had made that aforementioned drumming debut during a school band's Christmas concert. And would you believe it—the elderly woman, Susan, had gone to school with Peart. She was two years older than him and knew him personally. As she put it: "He was just a kid, like the rest of us." She showed us the hall and happily shared what she knew, and we got photos of both the hall and her. It turned out that she not only knew him from his childhood but was also aware of the latest developments in the Rush saga; she was delighted to hear us confirm that Anika Nilles had been a perfect choice as the band's new drummer. Susan told us she had followed the story every step of the way—from Peart’s passing and the time when everyone thought the band would never play again, to the recent news that they were planning a return to the stage. She said she was overjoyed when she learned that Rush had hired a woman as their new drummer.
We were absolutely thrilled—almost childishly so—at the stroke of luck that led us to meet Susan at the church; we told her as much, then left with big smiles on our faces and love in our hearts.
BUT THE DAY was about to get even better.
Our next stop was Lakeside Park (also the title of a Rush song on the album Caress of Steel) and the Neil Peart Pavilion—a waterfront pavilion named in his honor after he passed away. Naturally, we met other Rush fans sightseeing there; throughout the trip, conversations with fellow fans were fantastic and effortless—like meeting family members, or colleagues in the same profession, or fellow congregants at church...
After that, it was time for lunch, so we headed to Scorecard Harry's—a local sports bar and burger joint (where our waitress, Shay, turned out to have a Danish mother, though sadly she didn't speak Danish herself).
We walked in and immediately spotted a very young-looking Asian guy wearing a "Rush in Toronto" T-shirt. He was sitting all alone at a table, eating a burger. We asked if we could join him, and he happily agreed. His name was Kim, and it turned out he was 22 years old and had come—all on his own—from South Korea with the sole purpose of seeing Rush live on their home turf.
He told us the story of how he discovered Rush, and that story is pretty amazing in itself.
He started playing bass three years ago at the age of 19; he asked on YouTube what the most difficult bass riff or line to learn was, and the Rush song "YYZ" came up. He had NO idea who Rush were, but he fell in love with the band immediately. He saved up money during his military service, and he spent his entire savings on concert tickets and a flight to Toronto—talk about dedication.
Unsurprisingly, we had a wonderful day; we took Kim along for the rest of our tour of the area—he was relying on public transport, whereas we had rented a car he could ride in instead. Niagara Falls—a beautiful sight—and plenty of Rush fans to chat with. On the way back to Toronto, we stopped at a local ice cream parlor and factory out in the countryside. There, by his own account, Kim saw a living cow for the very first time.
When we returned to Toronto late that evening, we dropped him off at his hotel and promised to stay in touch. And we have—in a later message, Kim told us that before his Toronto trip, he had felt completely alone in his love for Rush, but now he feels like part of a club—or a church—of like-minded Rush fans.
I shared this whole story on a Rush fan page here on Facebook. There was a competition regarding the best experiences associated with traveling a long way to see Rush on their home turf in Toronto, and our experiences have now resulted in the three of us winning something that—to outsiders—is VERY BIZARRE.
Last night, we won a piece of flooring from the recording studio—the legendary—though sadly burned-down—Le Studio in Morin Heights; and not just any piece of flooring, but a section of parquet from the exact spot where Neil Peart’s drum kit stood during a number of Rush recording sessions—including the aforementioned track "YYZ," which Kim learned as his first Rush bass lesson.
It is worth noting that when I decided to enter the contest, I had no idea what the secret prize would be. Peak nerdiness—and classic Rush fan behavior.
We were absolutely thrilled—almost childishly so—at the stroke of luck that led us to meet Susan at the church; we told her as much, then left with big smiles on our faces and love in our hearts.
BUT THE DAY was about to get even better.
Our next stop was Lakeside Park (also the title of a Rush song on the album Caress of Steel) and the Neil Peart Pavilion—a waterfront pavilion named in his honor after he passed away. Naturally, we met other Rush fans sightseeing there; throughout the trip, conversations with fellow fans were fantastic and effortless—like meeting family members, or colleagues in the same profession, or fellow congregants at church...
After that, it was time for lunch, so we headed to Scorecard Harry's—a local sports bar and burger joint (where our waitress, Shay, turned out to have a Danish mother, though sadly she didn't speak Danish herself).
We walked in and immediately spotted a very young-looking Asian guy wearing a "Rush in Toronto" T-shirt. He was sitting all alone at a table, eating a burger. We asked if we could join him, and he happily agreed. His name was Kim, and it turned out he was 22 years old and had come—all on his own—from South Korea with the sole purpose of seeing Rush live on their home turf.
He told us the story of how he discovered Rush, and that story is pretty amazing in itself.
He started playing bass three years ago at the age of 19; he asked on YouTube what the most difficult bass riff or line to learn was, and the Rush song "YYZ" came up. He had NO idea who Rush were, but he fell in love with the band immediately. He saved up money during his military service, and he spent his entire savings on concert tickets and a flight to Toronto—talk about dedication.
Unsurprisingly, we had a wonderful day; we took Kim along for the rest of our tour of the area—he was relying on public transport, whereas we had rented a car he could ride in instead. Niagara Falls—a beautiful sight—and plenty of Rush fans to chat with. On the way back to Toronto, we stopped at a local ice cream parlor and factory out in the countryside. There, by his own account, Kim saw a living cow for the very first time.
When we returned to Toronto late that evening, we dropped him off at his hotel and promised to stay in touch. And we have—in a later message, Kim told us that before his Toronto trip, he had felt completely alone in his love for Rush, but now he feels like part of a club—or a church—of like-minded Rush fans.
I shared this whole story on a Rush fan page here on Facebook. There was a competition regarding the best experiences associated with traveling a long way to see Rush on their home turf in Toronto, and our experiences have now resulted in the three of us winning something that—to outsiders—is VERY BIZARRE.
Last night, we won a piece of flooring from the recording studio—the legendary—though sadly burned-down—Le Studio in Morin Heights; and not just any piece of flooring, but a section of parquet from the exact spot where Neil Peart’s drum kit stood during a number of Rush recording sessions—including the aforementioned track "YYZ," which Kim learned as his first Rush bass lesson.
It is worth noting that when I decided to enter the contest, I had no idea what the secret prize would be. Peak nerdiness—and classic Rush fan behavior.
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Have some Blues/Jazz playing the M12 Radio at work, took a quick lunch break and the cafe had corn chowder! Super good with a little hot sauce in it. 