Lee talked about the conflicting feelings they experienced at their most recent performance in a recent interview with Craig Charles of BBC Radio 6 Music. Regarding the dynamics of the group, Geddy Lee stated that he and guitarist Alex Lifeson found it difficult to accept Peart’s retirement in 2015. Both members desired to carry on touring despite Lifeson’s health problems. However, they had to honor Peart’s choice to shorten the tour. When the band played its final show in 2015, Peart was excited about his retirement and his future with his family, but Lee and Lifeson were dejected because they knew the band might not survive.
Regarding that, Lee said, “In a different sense, Neil was dealing with a few health issues of his own. And I believe that was the final straw for him. As a result, our moods were very different at the very last gig. Neil was in a dressing room, all smiles and excited about going into retirement and starting this new chapter of his life with his wife and little daughter. And then there was my dressing room with Alex, where we were kind of depressed because we knew that this might be the last time our band would ever play together. So, at that time, there were conflicting feelings. And, of course, it was only a year later that [Neil] was diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer. And, of course, none of that mattered anymore. That was a moot point then.”
Lifeson Couldn’t Play Guitar After Neil Peart’s Death
Alex Lifeson spoke about his feelings on the WFAN Network Show in 2020, following the death of Neil Peart. He clarified that he had not only not played the guitar much since Peart’s passing, but also that he was no longer motivated or inspired to compose new music or give performances. He declared:
I took a year or so off from playing regularly. Every time I pick up a guitar now, I just play around with it aimlessly for ten minutes or so before putting it down. Usually, I would pick up a guitar and play for a few hours without realizing how much time I was spending.
Lifeson’s closing statement will not sit well with Rush fans. He declared, “I’m not sure if we have enough motivation right now to accomplish anything. We still have a strong passion for music, and we’re proud of our accomplishments. But now things are different.
Later, we saw them perform once more on stage. However, Lifeson’s feelings at the moment were significant.
Geddy Lee On Peart’s Last Years
When Neil Peart received the bad news before his passing, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson handled it in different ways. On The House of Strombo Show, Lee discussed the difficulties he and Lifeson encountered in managing Peart’s illness.
He declared, “It was extremely difficult for his family to endure.” It was therefore a lot of back and forth. And it’s very difficult to function normally when you’re in that state because you can’t talk to anyone about it. After all, nobody should know. People bring up issues with you after they hear rumblings, and you brush them off. Thus, while it appears dishonest on the one hand, you are still faithful to your friend. Fuck the lying part. That wins.”
Lee talked about the different ways that he and Alex handled their grief.
He declared, “I would say that Al and I approach that in different ways. Al was helped by the fact that he threw himself into both small and large projects, never stopping to work. And I understand that because I did the same thing when we went through our first round of tragedies with Neil, back when he lost his wife and daughter. To put it another way, I threw myself into my solo record, and it fed me, if you will. And so for myself, I turned to writing and I turned to book writing, and that was a way for me to — not compete with that moment and those feelings, but a way to take stock and recharge my batteries differently.”
Rush did not play any concerts after 2015 and disbanded in 2018.
