Rush Members ‘Speechless’ at Ohio State Marching Band Tribute to Group
Surviving Rush members said they were "speechless" after seeing a video of the Ohio State University Marching Band performing the music of the influential Canadian prog-rockers over the weekend.
The Buckeyes' tribute happened at halftime on Saturday (Oct. 9) during their home game against the Maryland Terrapins in Columbus, Ohio.
The marching band added extra drums in honor of the late Neil Peart, the Rush drummer who died last year. The percussion section used 20 more toms and 20 more cymbals than usual, with the percussion players at the front of the group, per Ohio State News.
The Buckeyes played several classic Rush tunes during the showcase, called "The Music of Rush," including "Tom Sawyer, "Red Barchetta," and "Fly by Night." At one point, the marching band moved together to spell out "2112" and "XYZ," the titles of two other Rush songs.
One formation replicated Rush's guitar parts as the bolstered percussion section, led by the band's five percussion alternates for the week, drummed away in celebration of Peart.
Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson seemed pleased with the tribute, retweeting a video excerpt of it on Saturday. "We're speechless," they remarked, adding hand clap emojis.
The Buckeyes' football team, currently ranked sixth in the nation, beat Maryland 66-17.
In other Rush news, Lifeson last week revealed that he may be done with extensive touring. Lee got out of the pandemic blues by starting on his memoir.
See footage of the marching band tribute below.