The Day I Met RUSH Changed My Life

Relive an unforgettable day in 1975 as I share my incredible story of meeting the legendary band Rush and working with their stage crew to set up Neil Peart’s iconic drum set—at just 17 years old! In this video, I take you behind the scenes of that epic encounter, offering rare insights into Rush’s early days, Neil Peart’s drumming genius, and what it was like to be part of their live show setup. Perfect for Rush fans, music history buffs, and anyone curious about 1970s rock, this personal tale is packed with nostalgia and exclusive memories. Watch now for a front-row seat to rock history—don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share your own Rush stories in the comments below!

[peterbishop]

Awesome tale. I'm glad that RUSH made such a good impression on you "back in the day". I didn't see RUSH until December of 76. By then, RUSH wasn't playing 600 seat gigs anymore. They were still selling out, but then it was the 18, 000 seat Market Square Arena. I saw every tour through CWA and met Alex and Geddy in 2007 in Cincinnati. They were both kind and chatted like I was the only person there. It was the only time I ever had front row tickets. It was a really good night!

[rickburr]

Pretty cool story. My wife and I saw RUSH in Austin, Texas. It was the first concert we went to when we were dating.

[the_stan_show]

The show was on September 21st, 1975. They were touring in support of the caress of steel album and not their first album as I had stated in the video. All of these details are available on Grok.

[the_stan_show]

Here are a couple of more details. Of course, the guy who stomped on stage during the setup and declared that he must use all his marshals was Alex Lifeson. The concert sound and lighting at Papa's dream was pretty primitive but I remember that we liked the show very much. It was sold out that night. About 600 seats.

[brucethegroovydogsguy]

I was there that night. My buddies and I trekked over from Tampa, arrived early, and was let in early. Some guy in Amish garb was painting a mural in the ante-lobby. We walked in and was delighted to see Rush playing Finding My Way, not knowing it was the sound check and we had been let in by mistake. You say you were in the balcony? If you remember, Geddy stopped after Finding My Way and asked "Who are these guys?" and then something like "I'm sorry, this is the sound check, you can't be in here..." and some guys came and escorted us out. We went out to our van and smoked a doob, then came back in to catch an opening band (house band?) - (all I remember is they played "Oh My My" substituting the line "will Papa's Dream ever come true" for it's guaranteed to keep you alive") playing. I guess this is when you were playing foosball? I dunno, but now I'm jealous!

Missed opportunity aside, it was a GREAT show. Only album out was the first one, with Rutsey on drums, so hearing Neil Peart and "Anthem" for the first time was an absolute mindblower. I had just turned 14 😵‍💫

[charlesdbruce]

Great story! Funny that a guy who wanted to book Christian rock bands ends up booking a band of atheists. 😆