Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy cried watching Rush’s first reunion show: “Seeing this tour come to life, it is very obvious this needed to happen”
Rush have officially kicked off their Fifty Something world tour, and Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy is certainly not alone in feeling emotional about the band’s return.
In a post on social media, Portnoy shares that through watching a livestream of the show he found himself in tears, and believes that it’s now “very obvious” that the tour “needed to happen”.
The Fifty Something global trek celebrates over 50 years of Rush music, and sees Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee and new touring drummer Anika Nilles all paying tribute to the late Neil Peart, who sadly passed away in 2020.
READ MORE: “He would go, ‘What riff?’” Geddy Lee says he had to record all of Rush’s songwriting sessions because Alex Lifeson would forget “great” riffs just minutes after playing them
In his post, Portnoy – a huge Rush fan – says, “So many feelings and emotions today…I wasn’t there in person last night, but like so many of us around the world, I was glued to YouTube all night long…I watched the RushCon live stream in real time for the entire show as it was happening.
“What can I say that hasn’t been written already by everybody online today…? It was magical! The setlist was absolutely PERFECT! (and to think they still have around three other variations up their sleeves to come…) Anika absolutely KILLED IT in the best way imaginable.”
He goes on to add, “I was so happy for her…nailing all of the big Neil moments with a giant smile on her face the whole time! She really is the perfect choice for this! The tributes to Neil throughout the show were so tasteful and emotional. (Yes I’ll admit I cried at a few points).
“The production was absolutely INSANE (Major props to Howard Ungerleider), and most importantly of all, I am so happy for Geddy and Alex to be able to do this again! Seeing this tour come to life, it is very obvious this needed to happen. As not only a proper tribute to Neil, but most importantly to honour the legacy of this band. Geddy and Alex deserve it. And the fans deserve it as well…”
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The show took place at the Kia Forum in LA, the very same venue that hosted their fateful 2015 departing gig. Performing before 18,000 fans, the band honoured Peart with a rendition of Bravado, and a series of tribute montages were also shown onscreen throughout the entire evening.
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