YYZ performed at Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert. Recorded from the front row! It was a dream come true to see Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson on stage again. Not Rush, but still awesome.
Omar Hakim is a legendary drummer and this is a great surprise. He didn't mimic the original entirely but put his own spin on it. He's a drummer more than qualified to do so.
The slop is almost fun!, as they were so perfect for 40 years(?) - And they haven't played in forever, and never played with a different drummer. Though I didn't love their later works, I would never give them shit for this "interesting" performance!
Alex was a little rusty, could have been the new guitar or loaned for the gig, but it's nice to see Alex and Geddy doing something together since Neils death.
Omar is LEGENDARY. No one can replace Taylor OR Neil, but we need to continue on. Omar is such a wealth of talent and experience. He is on of only a HANDFUL that could have pulled tis off.
@@morbidmanmusic Respectfully...I am a drummer/musician who has played every genre for over 30 years. I am sure, if you say so, that you could cover this song with the Foos. But, knowing the excellence of Taylor, that Dave trusted Omar with this song?? I knew that it would be right. Peace to you and healing for all that you have lost!!
I loved it! Sounded more "jazzy". What a great drummer, so good to listen to. I love music! Nothing compares with original, but everyone has a "interpretation" of things - and it's better when authentical ;)
Awesomeness!!!!! I think Larnell Lewis should have played the drums on this. They let him hear YYZ for the first time back stage, then have him come out and play with the band. :D
It's nice to see Alex and Geddy making music. The brother got skills for sure..it's different...but Neil put his soul into these songs..that's missing..but ,maybe a new evaluation of rush is coming
Having watched both the 2112 /working man and the YYZ performances, It is quite clear Alex and Geddy still have what it takes. However Dave Grohl( bless him) and Omar sounded a bit off. As others have pointed out, The drum kits weren’t quite correct to provide the cues and Dave particularly looked like he was struggling to keep up. Nice to see them both back on stage. I think they could do a Queen type revival, but I think they should look for an unknown drummer who maybe is playing in a Rush tribute band, at least this way, they will be fully conversant with the music.
We’ll, the kit obviously wasn’t equal to Neil’s, they had to work with what they had. It was passible, and I thought that Omar particularly was really good.
I think he played it like a pocket groove song and I wasn't a fan of his drumming style for this song. It was awesome to see Geddy and Alex playing on stage again for sure! Now go get Mike Portnoy on the drums and let's see a Rush tour in 2023
Hmm. . . this just goes to show what a tough act Neil is to follow. I think Alex and Geddy were quite nervous as they both seem to struggle somewhat. Perhaps a rehearsal might have been a good idea.Fabulous to see them play together on stage again though.
When playing with Rush - yes tough act to follow. I believe you would be SHOCKED to find out how many great albums you listen to which have Omar on drums. Omar is one of the most compete well rounded drummers ever.
Drums were on….he just played it different than Neil. Omar has played on hundreds of hit records spanning every genre but classical. Neil knew enough to stay in his lane
It’s kinda cool to see them play these songs with different styled drummers. But I would love to see them play some songs with Mike Portnoy. He would do the songs well while respectfully honoring Neal.
Great to see the guys having some fun. The drummer is obviously technical but I dont think he knew rhe song that well and filled till he found the band again, not just a different spin. Also, more a upbeat jazzy style. Imo Mike portnoy would have been the choice
Agreed. The section immediately following the Morse code open was kind of pebbles tossed in the mud, all three of them landing in different spots. He didn't recreate Neil's fills in general, which is fine, but he wasn't providing distinctive cues for ged/alex, which is not fine,, so some of the transitions weren't very clean. I don't mean to beat up on him though. I was just really happy to see Geddy and Alex playing together.
Best version without Neil. Omar adds his flavour to the song without over doing it and then retains some. Watch Alex after the 3:39 fill. Omar is so on point that Alex is totally blown away and turns to Omar. INCREDIBLE!!
Yes, it is not the same, nobody can bring Neil back and Geddy and Alex aren't touring either, so obviously a bit sloppier than in the Rush era but still.... so heart warming to see them play again (well, for me at least).
Shame they didn't have a few more tunes to play together … since Omar started to really find the pocket towards the end, it's not quite where Neil played, but it's still really cool.
Opinion Piece: Should Lifeson and Lee continue under the name "Rush"? No, Rush was three integral individuals that made up the whole, the machine that was Rush. I would be disappointed if they ever referred to themselves as "Rush" again but I am pretty sure Lifeson and Lee feel the same way, so I am not concerned. Maybe they could do what Page and Plant did and maybe intersperse some Rush material into shows with mostly new Material? Maybe, just maybe. But it would never be "Rush". One offs, tributes, etc. are double edged swords. While interesting and exciting for everyone, including the audience, we all know, there is a larger than life presence absence at the center of any stage that Lifeson and Lee climb onto. For me, its more bitter than sweet. It's like watching a ghost, its haunting and sad. Omar Hakim was not just Bowie's drummer, he has been and is a highly sought after session drummer who has played on some major hit records.
Alex and Geddy have both stated in the past that there is no Rush without Neil. So no, I don’t believe we will ever see a reincarnation of Rush as a band.
We just love the girl gnawing her 💅 @ 4:30 with a terrific view 👀but continues to chew 🤤oblivious to this jam, "What's YYZ", she texts Idk, silly human... 🖖 🤘chewed 2 fingers down to the knuckle🤘
First time I ever heard Geddy play out of key. Sounds like he’s sharp, probably a full step. It’s ok by me. No one is perfect and that’s the first one I have heard in 40 years so, carry on Geddy🙏🏻
The only shame is that Taylor and Neil are gone, it’s a live TRIBUTE performance to two great drummers with two great drummers, grab your DVD if you want The Professor’s version.
It’s awesome seeing Geddy and Alex back on stage again but you can tell they miss Neil 😢 the performance of a song they’ve played a thousand times is nowhere near as polished obviously
To me it sounds like Alex didn't even rehearse the old Rush tunes at all as he figured he has played them thousands of times so no need. But he'd never had a 7 year layoff - you could tell he was rusty, muffing the first time through riffs and nailing them the next time. At 1:10 Geddy plays that whole riff what sounds like a semi-tone sharp. This is probably the sloppiest they have played since before their first album came out. As a musician I forget songs if I don't play them for just a month so I can't say much - it's nice to see they are actually human :D Great to see them playing again.
yep ,, Ged was definately one fret sharp for sure ,, loved it anyways !! there will always be a special place in my heart for RUSH !! good on Ged and Alex for showing up to this amazing event !!
I heard this live and after 40 years of listening, I though I heard (gasp) Ged make a mistake. Oh, well they still rocked my world by coming together again.
I have seen Rush live many times since the late 70s. That´s the first time I have seen a screw up in a song. Then I say to myself - 1 mistake in 40 years, I set the bar high for Rush. Looking forward to the second tribute in the US. Wondering will they change the choice of songs or replace Omar Hakim.
Uh - no. He just played with his own twist even thigh I agree he should have played note for note. Omar Hakim has played on hundreds of hit records spanning fusion jazz, pop, funk, rock, metal, straight jazz….every single genre except classical. Neil stayed in his lane.
Drummer I'm sure is great but he just was not quite grooving with it as he should have. Lacking punch and propulsion. Also a few minor timing errors throughout. Cool player but sounds like he did not put quite enough rehearsal into it - just too different from Neil's driving sound.
I know personally several drummers that would have done a better job of this - that "5 minutes" comment is exactly the problem, it sounded like he never encountered the song. This is NOT "jam" music, its highly orchestrated and if you are not going to take the time to do it properly - best to leave it to someone who WILL put in the effort. @@user-nv2gw1tt5o
amazing drummer but as a life long rush fan I found YYZ a bit disappointing. I know YYZ between Rush and Foos has historical context, but I would have rather Dave stayed on the kit and played Spirit of Radio or something (in the event he couldnt handle YYZ). As amazing as Hakim is, the drums felt inappropriate and I think that was the reason why this performance seemed sloppy. Maybe Dave would have done better (if he simplified the drums if need be) since he is presumably a bigger Rush fan than Hakim. Or maybe just have swapped it out for Spirit of Radio or Red Barchetta, something simpler that Ged has no issues singing
