“Gordon’s daughter said to us, ‘Leave it to Rush to make The Way I Feel sound prog,’ so I think we succeeded”: Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee reunite for Gordon Lightfoot tribute
Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee paid tribute to the Canadian songwriting icon in Toronto
Alex Lifeson (L) and Geddy Lee (R) perform onstage at the 32nd Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony(Image credit: Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images)
Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson and bassist Geddy Lee made a surprise appearance at last Thursday's (May 23) Gordon Lightfoot tribute concert at Toronto’s Massey Hall. Lifeson and Lee were billed under the nom de plume “L+L” before revealing their identities and joining Canadian alt-country band Blue Rodeo on stage.
To the audience's surprise, Lifeson and Lee put their own spin on the Canadian songwriting great's The Way I Feel. The Rush duo also took the stage for an ensemble performance of Summerside of Life.
Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson w/ Blue Rodeo - The Way I Feel - LIVE - YouTube
“It was important for us to pay tribute to Gordon,” Lee tells Variety. “Not being folk or pop artists, Alex and I were looking for one of Gordon’s songs that might better suit our style of play and we found that in The Way I Feel. Its structure was loose and more open to interpretation than many of his more popular tunes.
“After the gig, Gordon’s daughter Meredith [Moon] said to us, ‘Leave it to Rush to make The Way I Feel sound prog,’ so I think we succeeded.”
In addition to this surprise performance, Alex Lifeson recently revealed that he's been jamming with Geddy Lee.
“It’s funny because we sound like a really bad tribute band for the first three or four run-throughs on these things,” he said. “It’s 'Oh, my God, what did I play there? Why did I play that so hard?
“And then muscle memory kicks in, and we’re having a ball doing it. It’s good for the fingers. We’re together in a room like we’ve always been. That’s been really good, but there’s no chance that we’re going to get a drummer and go back on the road as the rebirth of Rush or something like that.”
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In a recent Guitar World interview, Lifeson set the record straight on the prospect of a Rush reunion as well as his his recent gear endeavors under his Lerxst banner.
Blue Rodeo & Friends - Lightfoot Celebration Finale (Massey Hall 2024) - YouTube
Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.
