Promoting his autobiography, Rush legend Geddy Lee has been in the UK for a short run of five spoken word shows. The format is straightforward. A montage of photos is played on a screen above a cosy, warm, inviting sitting room simply furnished with a bookcase, two armchairs and a pair of lamps. Then, the guest interviewer is announced. This tour has seen Nicky Wire, Melissa Auf der Maer, and Phil Jupitus fulfil this role. An hour or so of relaxed chat leads to a quick interval before a Q&A session chaired by journalist Phil Wilding concludes the evening.
Geddy Lee – My ‘Effin Life
Portsmouth Guildhall – 17 December 2023
Words and Photography: Paul Hutchings
There’s a buzz of anticipation in the Guildhall as doors open. The queue for the merchandise is unsurprisingly long. A friend described Rush merchandise as an essential part of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It seems that this is true as I buy t-shirt, hoodie, hat and signed poster for a large amount of money. 
We take our seats. Row B is mere yards from the stage. Then the lights drop, the screen lights up, and the question pops up – please let us introduce the guest interviewer. The words “Blah, Blah, Blah, my ‘effin Lifeson” are displayed, and there is disbelief all around the venue.
It’s Alex!! As the Rush guitarist walks out onto the stage, there is an incredible reaction. Huge cheers and smiles on the faces of long-time fans as Alex Lifeson is here. I’m trembling. It takes a full five minutes for the cheering to subside before Alex can speak. “Welcome to my show,” he grins before he welcomes his bandmate of over 50 years onto the stage. 
A standing ovation at the start of a show. Isn’t it meant to wait until the end? The place erupts again as Geddy Lee walks on. It’s an emotional sight. Two-thirds of the greatest power trio of all time are on stage again.
“My work here is done,” laughs Geddy. This old man (me, not Geddy Lee!) is already very happy, and they haven’t even started the show yet!
What follows is captivating. It’s like peeking through an intimate window in time as two old friends reminisce over five decades of life together. Alex and Geddy work through numerous subjects with a humble, honest, and relaxed delivery. Geddy acknowledges that their recollections are subjective, with each of them recalling different things from incidents at the same time. 
We get taken way back to Neil Peart’s audition in 1974. Alex laughs as he describes the “goofy guy” who turned up with short hair and no shirt. And their pact, to listen to all three drummers before making a choice, which was rudely spoilt by the orange hair of the third auditionee.
They take a journey through the early albums, the arrival of 2112, the first UK tour, and the recording of A Farewell To Kings at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire. We hear stories of their early dope smoking, of Alex’s encounters with hotel security (more of that later), and the fun they had on the road. The story of them playing Paul Stanley Caress Of Steel is hilarious, and one could easily imagine the face of the Kiss legend as he heard Fountain Of Lamneth for the first and probably only time!
Laughs a plenty then, but sadness too. Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee talk about their helplessness as Neil’s daughter Selena dies in a car crash in 1997 and the grief that the band felt.
Geddy notes that Neil and wife Jackie flew to England to grieve, only to arrive in the UK on the day that Princess Diana was killed. We learn about the visits that they make to see their friend, the incredibly tragic cancer diagnosis that takes Jackie some ten months later, and the questions about the future of the Rush.
It takes several years for Neil to come around, pushed by new love Carrie, who knows nothing of his history but suggests that he might want to get back to doing “what he was good at”. For us Rush fans, we owe her a big debt. 
The recording of Vapor Trails is covered, with the tortuous year-long recording and the need to remaster it some years later. In contrast, we hear of the fun that Snakes & Arrows was to make and the joy of Clockwork Angels.
And we get closure. Closure for the fact that R40 never made it to the UK or Europe. Geddy and Alex both regret this. They reveal the agreement between the trio that they would do no more than 30 shows across the US and Canada, and the conflict between Alex and Geddy, who were getting into their groove but feeling despondent as the tour days shrank as Neil was becoming more excited about the end of touring and his opportunity to spend his time with his family. 
And then the brain tumour. A hush falls around the auditorium as Geddy and Alex relive those terrible days, their despair at the inevitable loss of their friend, and the poignant last visit in October 2019, a few months before Neil sadly passed.
It was handled with the dignity you would expect. There were more than a few tears rolling down faces at this point.
The first part ends with a bit of much-needed laughter as Geddy reads the part from the book about Alex’s cognac escapades. The guitarist is sat there, head in hand at the memories. But a big smile is always present, and as the duo walk off to rapturous applause, you know it was a special moment for them as well as the audience. 
In the interval, we get a bit of the newly released demos, Gone and I Am, You Are. As Phil Wilding comes out to join Geddy for the Q&A, the bassist explains how they were discovered. If you haven’t heard them, they come from 1999, part of the My Favourite Headache sessions, and they are both a real treat with Lee at his most tender and Ben Mink’s violin work superb. 
Not only do we get the Q&A with questions from the audience (pre-submitted), but Alex returns to add his own take on things. The questions are varied, from tone and set up of bass to the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert, as well as Geddy’s admission that he wouldn’t mind being a jobbing bassist in a band for a while! There is a discussion about the recent Paramount + four-part TV series and many more questions.
It’s a real opportunity to see Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson sparring with each other, their sense of humour working as well as it has for all these decades. 
And then we are done. It’s time for a final round of applause, the obligatory crowd photo, cheers, and a wave as two of the all-time legends of the rock world leave the stage.
It may be the final time we ever see them together in the UK. I would be okay with that. Being here for such a special event was something I can carry with me for the rest of my days. 
It was an extremely special evening. One I’ll never forget for the rest of my days. From the ear splitting roar when Lerxst walked out onto the stage to the thick silence (you could’ve heard a pin drop in the hall) as they talked about Neil’s final days. Highs and lows but like life, mostly highs!! Worth every second of the 6 hour round trip and getting into work the next day on 4 hours sleep 😆