Hello to SOR Nation! Vicki here, coming to you from Atlanta, GA.
I've been musing a lot on the RUSH tour lately, to say the least. It occupies my mind a lot, and whenever I think about it, two words come to mind pretty consistently: second chances.
In 2015, Rush retired from touring after a 40-year career. They held themselves to a standard of excellence until the very end.
I remember how I felt at my last show in 2015. Rush had been the soundtrack to my life since I was 14. When that final note rang out, the sadness was immeasurable.
I always held out hope they would reemerge somehow. That dream ended when Neil Peart died of brain cancer in 2020. To say I was devastated is the understatement of the millennium. I coped by writing a book in Neil's honor. I called it The Winter Garden. But I felt as though that garden would be frozen forever.
In the years that followed, Geddy and Alex said repeatedly and without hesitation that Rush was over.
It took me a long time to accept that reality. But eventually I did, sort of. That chapter of my life was closed for good, and it broke my heart.
Then everything changed in a single day. Geddy and Alex announced they were going back on tour, with the remarkable and relatively unknown Anika Niles. I could hardly believe it. Geddy said simply: "Music outlives tragedy." They were ready to play again.
I saw the show on June 11 in Los Angeles and was blown away. Not only did they sound extraordinary, but they smiled more than I had ever seen them smile. Their joy was contagious. They got their second chance.
And so do we.
Whatever mistakes we make or dreams we lose in life, there is always an opportunity to begin again. Give yourself permission to start over.
After all, Neil said it best: “Hope is what remains to be seen.”
Never did I dream I'd see Rush again!
What can you take a second chance on today?