Neil Peart -- The Latest News

As of this writing, Rush is currently on the final leg of their 2008 Snakes & Arrows tour. From what I've gathered, the tour has been successful, even though ticket sales are down.

On the Snakes & Arrows page, I've added a few links:

• Photo Gallery 2008 - Containing some great photo sets of The Gorge and Clark County, by Michael Thompson and Monica Z.
• A link to Snakes & Arrows photos from Rush.com.
• Photos added to the Latest Drum Setup page, including a photo of Neil's current warm-up kit and pictures of Neil's stage kit being set up.
• An archive of reviews, opinions, articles, and opinions on the Snakes Feeds page.
• A link to NeilPeartDrumsticks.com's Fans who received NEP drumsticks during the Snakes & Arrows tour

In my personal blog, I've added reviews of all the shows I attended:

1. Rush at Clark County Amphitheater - 6/1/08
2. Rush at the Gorge - 5/31/08
3. Rush at GM Place - Vancouver, B.C. - 5/29/08
4. Phoenix - Day 2 - Rush at Cricket (5/1/08)

Some of the more interesting stuff I'm come across in the news department:

Neil Peart has won DRUM! magazine's Drummer of the Year award for the second year in a row. The results are on newsstands in the August 2008 issue. To read last year's article, go to the digital version of DRUM! November 2007. Also, check out the article in the same issue entitled Neil Peart and Gary McCracken: A Two Prog Approach about the making of Battlescar. You can also read the article on Gary McCracken's site

Rush Never Sleeps: Rolling Stone -- If you haven't read this yet, check out the surprisingly positive article on Rush in Rolling Stone. For most Rush fans, this article appearing in RS is not unlike the fall of the Berlin Wall. However, this is not the first article that has appeared in Rolling Stone about Rush. An article about Rush by David Fricke, a longtime RS reporter, appeared in the May 28, 1981 issue: Rush: Power From the People. Like the current article, this one tries to decipher the Rush riddle that has eluded the popular media and rock critics.

Neil Peart's favorite cookie is the Pepperidge Farms' Nantucket (regular, not double chocolate). Neil's tour bus driver, Dave, recently posted a blog entry on his MySpace page about the elusive cookie -- and how they sometimes catch fire.

Finally, my friend's Rush Auctions are back. This week, you can get some great Neil Peart posters.

Labels: awards, drum sticks, drums, pictures, Site updates

• The Snakes & Arrows MVI DVD released this week. This DVD includes a 5.1 mix of Snakes & Arrows, and a 45-minute documentary about the making of this album.
• For you collectors out there, Lewis has created a NEP Snakes & Arrows replica kit -- Lego style! You can see it here.
• Michael at NeilPeartDrumsticks.com has posted pics of Neil's new drumsticks for the Snakes & Arrows tour. (Oh, and he also worked with Pro-Mark to design the version of these sticks Neil is using.)
• As the tour progresses, Ed over at Rushisaband is tracking each show (along with readers of his site). This is a great place to find out the latest info.
• If you can't wait to buy a tour book, John at Cygnus-X1.net has added the tour book to his site. You can check it out here.

Labels: drum sticks, pictures, Rush SnakesArrows

The contest at NeilPeartDrumsticks.com will end on Friday, June 15. So if you haven't entered, now's the time! Here's the official info from Michael who runs the site:

CONTEST AT NEILPEARTDRUSMTICKS.COM - 3 DAYS LEFT

Only three more days left to get your entry in at NeilPeartDrumsticks.com for the huge Neil Peart Drumstick Giveaway Contest.  Collector Michael DF Lowe has added a NEW item to the prize lots this week. One pair each of the new Snakes & Arrows Tour 2007 drumsticks. Drop in to the site to see the new sticks.  6 lucky winners will be the first to get these Snakes & Arrows sticks along with other limited edition drumsticks, old tour sticks, shirts, hats, stickers, etc.

Labels: contests, drum sticks