When Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson announced, last year, that they had chosen a drummer to join them for a few more Rush shows, I was at once squealingly excited and deeply fearful. I mean, I knew intellectually that there is no way the guys would agree to go out with a less than fantastic drummer, but the emotions do not play by the same rules as reason. Well, I found a few videos and a few expert opinions, and that allayed much of my worry. And then a few months ago we go the video from the Juno awards and that was very promising. But there were a few lingering, irrational concerns. Was she good enough?
Well, I'm back from the opening show.1
There is a lot that could be said about things like song selection (we go La Villa Strangiato and YYZ!), and the tributes to Neil (sniffling back tears), and how incredible Time Stand Still sounds with Aimee Mann harmonizing on stage, and on and on but I'll let other cover that.
The answer is unambiguous.
All the delicacy and subtlety on display in the videos I've seen of her earlier work was there, but when Neil's drum parts demand The Beast she's got that too.2 The crowd's reaction to the first big fill in Tom Sawyer was emphatic, and Geddy's reaction to that was something to witness.
1 Thanks to Mrs. NoSwampCoolers for deciding that this was going to happen while tickets were still available.
2 And while she looks completely different from Neil, in the hard parts her face carried the same grim determination. But when the drum chart was merely fast and demanding joy and satisfaction would break through.
