A Pattern So Grand and Complex

"We're not geniuses, we're just regular guys who are interested in things." — Neil Peart

On August 1st, 2015, Rush played their final show at the Forum in LA. I was there, just as I had been for so many Rush shows over the years. That show felt different — special in a way that we weren’t really prepared for. For months leading up to it, there were rumors that this would be the last show and after the final encore of “Working Man,” when Neil came out from behind his drum kit to take a bow with Alex and Geddy, the rumors became true. Over 40 years and thousands of shows, Neil never took a bow out front — instead, he just put down his sticks and quietly left the stage. As he wrote in “Limelight,” he simply couldn’t pretend a stranger was a long-awaited friend.

I've been following a thread for over 40 years that started with a borrowed Rush record and led me to books, ideas, and work I couldn't have predicted. This iteration is about where that thread goes when you really pull it.

LINKS

Rush

Rush live 6/7/26 in Los Angeles (Full Show)

Neil Peart “Innerview” w/Jim Ladd (1980)

Neil Peart’s last interview w/ Jim Ladd (2015)

Neil Peart on Moving Pictures w/Strombo

Rush Article Archive

Neil Peart’s Favorite Books of All Time

Hugh Syme

Roger Dean

Storm Thorgerson

Taken by Storm: The Art of Storm Thorgerson and Hipgnosis