Rush is a Band

A blog devoted to RUSH:
Neil Peart, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson

Thu, Mar 28, 2024

RushCon article in the St. Catherines Standard

Tue, Jul 18, 2006@10:25AM | comments removed/disabled

[Rolling his bones to a sacred rock 'n' roll location; Japan may be home, but Port Dalhousie is never too far away for Rush fan Seiji Harada]

I found this article in the St. Catherines Standard online. In case you don't know, Port Dalhousie near St. Catherines, ON is the childhood home of Neil Peart. RushCon's Sunday activity was a bus trip to Lakeside Park (from the song) in Port Dalhousie. I was at RushCon but I didn't make this event. Matthew Van Dongen of the Standard spoke with many of the RushCon entourage including Seiji Harada (who I had the honor of meeting Friday night) who comes all the way from Japan every year.

... Harada has made the trip to all six RushCons. Initially, he didn't speak a lot of English, so communication with his fellow fans was a challenge. He could, however, sing songs from every Rush album from memory, noted Irwin. And in this crowd, as long as you know the language of Rush, you're going to have plenty of friends. "Every album is fantastic. Progressive. One of a kind," said a beaming Harada, who has improved his language skills with every trip. Being surrounded by folks who understand that feeling is worth the trip alone, according to Harada. "That is my favourite (part.) The affection of people," he said. The music, of course, is also great. ...

They also spoke with Chad of the tribute band Toronto Airport (one of the better Rush tributes out there).

... Fans had live entertainment all weekend, courtesy of Florida-based Rush tribute band Toronto Airport. Don't expect to understand the name unless you're a true Rush fan. The call letters of the Toronto Airport are YYZ - the name of a popular instrumental piece on Rush's Moving Pictures album. "Normally, not very many people get it," said bassist Chad Kulscar. "Here, most people get it." Kulscar said the band has played several RushCon events - and although it's fun, it's also "intimidating. If you make a mistake, everyone will know," he laughs. "They know the music. Everyone here knows everything." ...

NOTE: Posts over 10 years old are partially archived. All comments, images and other embedded media have been removed.

Share