The one show that made Alex Lifeson want to quit music: “It was a whole rock ’n’ roll scene”
As far as one-of-a-kind bands go, there aren’t too many others who have managed to elevate themselves in the world of progressive rock to the same level of uniqueness as Rush have managed to.
By the end of the 1970s, the Canadian trio had become a dominant force in this world, but as is quite often the case with bands of their ilk, in order to get here, you’ve got to pay your dues playing alongside ill-fitting lineups. Every band wants to get to a position where they’re beloved by an audience that fully appreciates what they have to offer, but unfortunately, the price you have to pay when in your infancy is playing to the complete opposite of who you’re trying to impress.
Yes, it would make sense for promoters to put a band like Rush on a bill with similarly-minded outfits, whether prog, metal or just straight-up rock groups. After all, one of Rush’s earliest influences was another power trio in Cream, with Geddy Lee attempting to occupy the same role as Jack Bruce had done by singing at the same time as producing elaborate basslines, while Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart were filling the formidable roles of Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker.
If they’d risen to fame playing alongside other blues rock acts like this, maybe things would have been a little more painless, but as Lifeson revealed in a 2015 interview with Classic Rock, one of the most humbling experiences for the group was the occasion when they were invited to support New York Dolls at a show in their hometown of Toronto.
It doesn’t make sense for them to be playing alongside a revolutionary glam punk act, and at the time, Lifeson thought that this was the sort of moment where they thought they’d elevated themselves to the next level of notoriety. Getting the opportunity to support such a popular act of the moment is a big deal for a band in their nascent years, but New York Dolls couldn’t possibly have been a worse fit for them.
Lifeson proclaimed that this was an eye-opening occasion on many levels, and that the world they were suddenly thrust into was not only something they could have prepared themselves for, but also something that made him almost reconsider whether he’d made the right decision to pursue music in the first place.
“That crowd was excited to see the New York Dolls; not so much a local heavy metal band,” the guitarist laughed, reflecting on the experience. “Watching them backstage was all what you would expect. They were all drunk before they got on stage. They had girls back there. It was a whole rock’n’roll scene. We were typically Canadian and shy and stayed out of their way.” However, despite having enjoyed the experience of being surrounded by bona fide rockstars, the performance evidently didn’t land how the band had wanted.
Speaking about how he hitchhiked home after the show, he said he found himself in an unfortunate situation with some fans of the New York Dolls. “They said, ‘Yeah, they were great, but the opening act, God, they sucked,’” Lifeson continued. “The guy’s girlfriend turned back and saw the guitar and saw me, and her face just kind of froze. It was silent in the car, and I felt so crestfallen, I said, ‘We’ll get out at the next block, please.’ I got out of the car, and I wanted to throw my guitar away. That was the first really bad review that we got.”
It may have been a necessary stepping stone for the band in terms of becoming more notable, but at the same time, performing alongside ill-fitting acts also helped them learn that their style wasn’t going to be for everyone. There’s nothing more humbling than being told you suck, and Lifeson found that out the hard way.
