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.

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

A new exhibit called MotoStars: Celebrities + Motorcycles opened on June 28, 2008, at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Columbus, Ohio. Featured in the exhibit is one of Neil Peart's BMW GS motorcycles, a full drum kit, and other memorabilia.

A gala VIP event was held on June 27. Information and directions for the museum are available here.

Labels: NEP motorcycling

My friend is selling some of her Rush collection on eBay, including some rare Neil Peart posters. You can check out the auction here:

Featured Rush Auction Items

Labels: auctions

Neil has posted a new update on his website. You can read it here:

When the Road Ends - June 2008

Labels: neilpeart.net, Snakes 2008, web article, written by NEP

Chris Stankee, Neil's artist rep for Sabian Cymbals, was asked to fill in for Lorne Wheaton (Gump), Neil's drum tech, for the Moline and St. Paul shows. Gump was having an emergency appendectomy.

Chris wrote an article about the experience on Sabian.com, including some great pictures.

Here are the two parts of the story.

Part 1

Part 2 

You can read more about this event (and what it's like to be sick on the road) on ThisGigSucks.com.

Thanks to Rushisaband and MonicaZ for the head's up about this story.

Labels: drums, NEP motorcycling, pictures, Sabian, web article

Neil has posted a new update on his website. You can read it here:

South by Southwest - May 2008

Labels: neilpeart.net, NEP motorcycling, News updates, written by NEP

I've added a new section to my website about Neil Peart's Modern Drummer Ask a Pro columns.

Go to the Ask a Pro section of my site to see these columns.

Labels: drums, Modern Drummer, written by NEP