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Neil Peart, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson

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Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson to induct YES into the Rock Hall tonight, Geddy to perform with YES; open thread and live updates

Fri, Apr 7, 2017@2:30PM | comments

UPDATE - 5/14@9:49AM: The Rock Hall has now uploaded the entire Rockin' the Free World Super Jam video on their official YouTube channel here (thanks RushFanForever).

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UPDATE - 5/9@9:43AM: Here's a truncated version of the all-star jam from the 2017 Rock Hall induction ceremony (thanks RushFanForever).

UPDATE - 5/1@2:02PM: Here's Geddy and Alex inducting YES, and YES's performance of Roundabout featuring Geddy on bass from the HBO broadcast of the Rock Hall induction ceremony:

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UPDATE - 5/1@1:51PM: Geddy performing with YES made Rolling Stone magazine's 10 Best Moments from the induction ceremony (thanks RushFanForever):

After a glowing speech in which he praised Yes for helping him tune "into a wider world of possibilities ... where music seemed to have no limitations," Rush's Geddy Lee strapped on his bass and joined his heroes to perform "Roundabout," the first track on Yes' 1971 album Fragile. Steve Howe began the tune with light, exploratory lines on guitar, but the song roared to life when the rhythm section arrived, buoyed by Lee's bulldozing bass notes. His fandom and talent translated into a jolt of energy for the whole band, which helped "Roundabout" hit with the same wallop as the stadium-killer "Owner of a Lonely Heart." ...

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UPDATE - 4/9@9:37AM: YES posted the following thank you message to their fans regarding their Rock Hall induction (thanks RushFanForever):

A Huge THANK YOU to all our fans from YES
To all our incredible fans,

Last night was truly a special evening for us. We can't thank you enough for all the continued support you've shown us throughout the decades and for helping to get YES into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Thank you, as well, to Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee from RUSH for the wonderful induction, and to Geddy for the amazing bass playing on "Roundabout". What a tribute to Chris!

We're looking forward to seeing everyone this summer on the YESTIVAL tour. And contrary to what you may have heard, YES has no plans to tour with the guys from ARW next year.

We do, however, have our own exciting plans to celebrate YES's 50th Anniversary in 2018, which we will announce this summer during our 2017 YESTIVAL Tour. For more details, go to yesworld.com

- YES - Steve, Alan, Geoff, Jon and Billy

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UPDATE - 4/8@2:07PM: Billboard's 11 Unforgettable Moments From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2017 Ceremony:

After Geddy Lee helped "right a wrong" by inducting Yes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rush bassist joined his prog-rock heroes onstage for a crushingly loud run-through of "Roundabout." Speaking to Billboard backstage about it, Lee said, "I just wanted to make sure I didn't fuck it up. They are without question my favorite band." He did, however, point out it was "bittersweet" to take over for late Yes bassist Chris Squire, who passed away in 2015 and didn't live to see his band recognized. He did Squire justice, though: Lee and Yes (with Jon Anderson back on vocals for the first time since 2004) rocked with more precision than any other performer that night.

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UPDATE - 4/8@11:01AM: Video of Geddy and Alex press conference after the show:

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UPDATE - 4/8@10:52AM: There are also a ton of photos from the ceremony of both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson on the Gettyimages site, including red carpet, backstage and performance photos.

UPDATE - 4/8@10:34AM: Here's a post-induction Rolling Stone interview with Geddy Lee (thanks RushFanForever):

... "As I said during my speech, I was turned on to them through their second album Time and a Word," Lee told Rolling Stone after exiting the stage. "I've been a huge fan ever since, just an over-the-top fan of them for years." As a bassist, Lee was thrilled to be able to perform "Roundabout," a song he considers to be "one of the great bass songs ever written, in the history of recorded music." After already agreeing to induct Yes, Lee had been asked to join them for a performance by the late and influential bass player Chris Squire's widow and the remaining members of the band. "Seeing as I was going to be here anyway, why not?" ...

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UPDATE - 4/8@10:30AM: There are a ton of videos of the ceremony floating around YouTube now. Here are a few of them.

Alex and Geddy introducing YES. Rolling Stone also posted a transcription of the speeches here:

YES induction acceptance speeches:

Roundabout with Geddy Lee on bass:

Rocking in the Free World all-star jam including Geddy and Alex:

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Tonight's the night. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will have the honor of inducting YES into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 2017 induction ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn this evening. It also looks like Geddy will be sitting in on bass for YES' performance of Roundabout, and - according to these tweets - we'll see both Geddy AND Alex jump in for the all-star jam at the end of the show. It should be a great time. I'll be attending the official live simulcast party at the Rock Hall here in Cleveland tonight, which is the only other location to see the live ceremony outside of the Barclays Center. I'll be using this thread to post updates throughout the evening - mainly via Twitter @rushisaband. I've embedded my twitter feed below for convenience. If you are attending the show, let us know if you have any updates, photos or video to post; just send email to rushisaband@gmail.com, tweet @rushisaband, or post in the comments on this thread.

Related Posts:
[Geddy Lee plays Roundabout with YES at Rock Hall induction ceremony rehearsals earlier today]
[Alan White on Yes' upcoming Rock Hall induction and the possibility of Geddy Lee performing with the band]
[CORRECTION: Geddy Lee will NOT perform with Yes at the band's 2017 Rock Hall induction]
[Rush to induct Yes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]
[Rush congratulate Yes on their 2017 Rock Hall induction]

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