The life-changing gig Rush’s Geddy Lee attended on his own
Rush frontman Geddy Lee has always been candid about his influences. He’s cherry-picked from many areas to establish his distinctive approach to bass playing and his band’s dynamic sound. In his time, the bespectacled frontman has provided an extensive list of compelling accounts about his favourites.
Unsurprisingly, his list of favourite artists is varied, ranging from classic rock acts like Led Zeppelin to modern boundary-pushers like Björk and Radiohead, along with the viscera of The Who. Regarding the latter’s seminal Live at Leeds album, he said: “What an amazing guitar sound on this album! And [Pete] Townshend even plays a few solos, which he usually never does. Was there anybody better at expressing themselves through power chords?”
One band that he has consistently named as a defining influence on his artistry is Cream, who he has even described as his favourite of all time. Notably, the psych-rock band were the first supergroup. Comprised of bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker, who were all at the top of their respective fields.
When listing ten tracks that influenced him during a 2013 interview on SiriusXM, Lee explained why Cream “changed my life”. Their importance to his story was crystallised one night when he went on his own to a gig of theirs in Toronto, after failing to convince any of his friends to go. He reflected: “Cream sort of changed my life. They blew my mind and I remember they were coming to Toronto. But I couldn’t get any of my friends interested to go see them. They were playing at Massey Hall. So I went down bought a ticket and I went by myself.”
Noting how Bruce’s bass playing was “just out of this world,” Lee continued: “I just had to see them. They were such an important band to me. Jack Bruce’s bass playing was just out of this world. Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, I mean they were the ultimate trio. The most influential band on my entire career in many ways.”
Offering another explanation of why that day was so significant, the Rush vocalist concluded: “The day I bought the ticket I was walking through a department store, because it was chilly out and all the televisions in the TV department had shots of Robert Kennedy. It was the day that Robert Kennedy was shot. So it’s another thing that I sadly never forget. But Cream were a really incredible band to me. It was incredible to see them live back in the day.”
Listen to the vintage interview with Geddy Lee on SiriusXM below.
