Rush is a Band

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Neil Peart, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson

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In the lead-up to its closing and renovation, Geddy Lee reminisces about Massey Hall in new CBC interview

Wed, Jun 13, 2018@6:07PM | comments

UPDATE - 6/13@11:20PM: Here's another video with Geddy describing the first show he saw at Massey Hall (thanks TheSphere1729):

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Toronto's famous Massey Hall music venue will close at the end of June for a two-year, $140 million renovation. In the lead-up to the closing, the CBC ran a story earlier today where they reminisce about the iconic venue with some of the many performers who played there over the years, including Rush's Geddy Lee:

The room makes me smile ... It's mixed up with so many great memories, both as a fan and as a performer.

They also chat with members of the Barenaked Ladies, who first played Massey Hall in 1993 where they did a four-night run, breaking the record for consecutive shows by a rock band that had previously been held by Rush. Rush sent the band a bottle of champagne along with a congratulatory note as described by BNL's Ed Robertson:

"I held onto that bottle for two hours, telling everyone 'This is from Rush! This is from Rush!'"

Geddy Lee also spoke about Rush's All the World's a Stage, which Rush recorded over a three-night stint at Massey Hall back in June of 1976:

It was the first time we recorded live. The first time the recording track was going during a performance, which makes you hyper-aware of every note you play ... That was a young band just starting to break through in the United States. It was also our first live album so we thought, is there any more appropriate place than - A) a homecoming show - B) multiple nights that you can record in case you screw one up you've got 2 more to fall back on. And C) it was Massey Hall! - it was the hall that we'd always dreamed of playing.

You can check out the full story online here.

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