#Live We attended Geddy Lee's Effin Life Book Event
We arrive at the event with thirty minutes to spare while others have been waiting since three to get a chance to see Geddy pop out of the venue. Fans had three options for getting into the venue. The first is through the VIP package, the State bar entrance (The restaurant attached to the Fillmore theatre for those who want to escape the cold Detroit air or the General admission. Surprisingly, all but the State bar line entered the venue swiftly. We watched as our parents joined the venue before we could even get our tickets. Now, since this is a review, we couldn’t bring in our camera. Sorry for the quality of the photos; we haven’t worked with our phone in the dark setting since last year at Smashing Pumpkins.
Once into the venue, you were given a copy of the book and let in, where ushers helped navigate them to their seats. Many fans asked the usual questions while waiting for the show to start. How long have you been a fan? What's your favorite album? Did you hear about his baseball collection? The usual, but the one question we had for the event was who this guest interviewer would be.
For the length of this tour, Geddy had a guest interviewer help navigate throughout the night. From Jay Baruchel, Eric McCormack, Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Matt Stone, and tonight Les Claypool. Every night was a mystery. We were soon going to find out as the lights dim, revealing what was originally a photo slideshow into a video. This video started with a zoom-in on Geddy's face before showcasing a variety of scenes from his tours/music videos. At the end of the video, a pop-up reveals the phrase, "Who's the mystery guest?" A small transition displays a white screen, and a signature indicates "Will Ferell" on the screen. However, that wasn't announced over the speakers as Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers emerged on stage. Those who weren't in on the joke needed clarification. What started as an internet joke became a run-on gag between them as they both looked alike.
The crowd cheered regardless of whether it was one or the other. Chad started talking about his childhood living in Michigan before jumping in on when he first got into the Rush fandom. Then, it was time to bring out Geddy. This was our first time seeing him in person, as we had only lived through the memories of our parents' experiences. We were so; seeing him felt like a distant uncle in the family tree of memories. Just like every uncle, he was excited to talk the shit about the past and a little bit about the future.
One of the things that stood out to us in this interview was Chad's perspective in this conversation. It wasn't so much about writing the book but a conversation about working on the live music. Which makes sense for a musician who wants to talk about musician-type conversation, and in a room filled with fans of the music, it was easier for them to get in. Of course, there were plenty of conversations about the late Neil Peart, from how he joined the band to how his work ethic shaped how they went on their tours. At this point, in our notes, we wrote a simple question: “Is Neil a Virgo?” Of course, we checked, and our judgment was spot on.
When they talked about the book, it started with the cover image. Geddy explains that his Wife, Nancy Young, took the cover before they were even considered a couple. The book starts with several writing prompts amid the pandemic, Neil's death, and his mother being diagnosed with dementia. These prompts acted as what he calls “Grief Work” and aided him through the ordeal. One of our favorite quotes of the night fit well with the book's overall theme: “ Grief needs to turn into remembrance.” The other was him joking about how bass/lead guitarists do nothing in the band: “We just pose, you do all the work.”
Right at this moment in the event, a warning announcement chimes in to give them the heads of their break. Their choice of warning was a comment that a woman in the front row was pregnant, and her water had just broken. They left before announcing the mini-docu series trailer about his show “Geddy Lee’s Bass Players Are human Too.” The show is available now on the streaming Paramount Plus.
Right after that, Geddy read a few passages of his book before getting into questions from the fans; these questions were sent in by the fans attending the show that night. After flagging down who asked the question, Geddy and Chad would answer them with variety. One of them was about his collection, and Geddy was excited to talk about his baseball collection heading to the Christie’s auction house yesterday; however, his group is massive. There were a lot of film-based questions that captured our attention as this was a topic in our family for a few years. He would be down to score a movie with a keen interest in dramas.
One of our favorite moments in the Q&A was the last question. A couple stood up, and right away, Geddy got excited as he later announced on the mic that they were part of the Rush tour family. They were one of several truck drivers who hauled their set/gear/etc to every tour stop. It was the most precious moment of the night to see that he still cared for his tour support no matter how long ago it was. With that, he ended with a note that there were a few demos he had worked on previously with the trio are now going to available for streaming/purchasing.
After the group photo, we found ourselves excited that we got the chance to experience this moment. We may have missed the R40 tour, but to say we got to see it was a start. Who knows? Geddy did mention he is working with Alex again on a few ideas. Stay Tuned.
GEDDY LEE – MY EFFIN’ LIFE IN CONVERSATION – world dates
DECEMBER 10, 2023 WOLVERHAMPTON, UK THE CIVIC AT THE HALLS GET TICKETS
DECEMBER 13, 2023 SHEFFIELD, UK CITY HALLGET TICKETS
DECEMBER 14 2023 GLASGOW, UKROYAL CONCERT HALLGET TICKETS
DECEMBER 17 2023 PORTSMOUTH, UK GUILDHALLGET TICKETS
DECEMBER 18 2023 LONDON, UKB ARBICANGET TICKETS
Geddy Lee brings to life his forthcoming memoir My Effin’ Life, which is out now. Link Here
The evening promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime event. After the curtain rises, Geddy Lee will give his fans a peek into the very fabric of his life: from a deep reflection of his family and childhood to a dive into the history of Rush; from the determined pursuit of music to the personal memories with his life-long friends and band-mates, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart. Joined on stage by a particular guest interviewer, Geddy Lee will be reading key passages from his forthcoming book My Effin’ Life; he will then share thoughts and stories taken from his experience. Fans will then have the chance to participate in a special Q&A, with Geddy Lee answering their questions directly.
“Writing this book has meant spending so much time living in the past. I’ve never lived my life looking anywhere but forward, which is why I resisted doing this kind of thing for so long. Being in a band all those years was reassuring because it was an ongoing thing. It felt like it was forever. There was always unfinished business: the next record, the next set design, the next tour. It’s been the theme of my life. But you need a lot more determination to proceed in the world of music without the comfort of your bandmates, and I can only hope that finishing this book will release me to return to what I do and love best”. – GEDDY LEE
ABOUT GEDDY LEE
Geddy Lee is a Canadian musician and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush. Lee joined Rush in September 1968, at the request of his childhood friend and guitarist Alex Lifeson.
An award-winning musician, Lee’s style, technique, and skill on the bass guitar have inspired many rock musicians. In addition to his composing, arranging, and performing duties for Rush, Lee has released a solo record, My Favourite Headache, in 2000.
Along with his Rush bandmates — guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart — Lee was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on May 9, 1996. The band also received the highest artistic honor in Canada by the Governor General in 2012, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. He was also given an honorary doctorate of Music in 2014 by Nipissing University.
Lee supports many causes through personal and band donations. He is known as an avid baseball fan and wine connoisseur.
Lee has been married to Nancy Young for over 35 years and they have 2 children.
