I was there at this Nashville concert, and what a show !!! I was never the same after that drum solo. I had been playing 10 years when I started trying to play Rush, after about 6 months I had to start taking lessons. Being first chair for 3 years in school only gets you halfway toward playing Rush, technique wise, and that's just on one drum. Lessons progressed I started building my set up. Add another bass drum, add another mounted tom, add concert toms, add a floor tom, another crash, a swish, two splashes, a Gong, two sets of chimes, Temple blocks, cowbell tree. I'm lucky I was working for the phone company at that time. Still lots of cash laid out over about a 6-year period ( Ludwig & Zildjian ). After several years of lessons I knew what I had to do, so I quit taking lessons. I had been playing about 17 years at the point that I got proficient at single stroke rolls, I was up to 64th notes. Adding accents to it took several more years. That cowbell tree and Tom part of the solo was still bending my brain though. I kept wondering how the hell could it be so hard when he makes it look so easy. Hahaha ! The years passed at a slow grind, and while I was playing stuff I never thought I would be capable of that cowbell tree just kept laughing at me. Well to shorten this up I finally got it. I think it was around the 30-year point of playing. Now I'm 67 ( I think ) and had shoulder surgery 3 years ago, and I'm still struggling to get it back. I'm afraid it might not happen, but as long as I can breathe and move I'm going to keep trying. The second time is harder than the first. If you can believe that. At least I still have my hand speed. It's going for crashes and cowbells and stuff like that that is giving me fits. If anyone is so inclined I could sure use some prayers. If you do thank you so much. The point of this is don't ever give up. You haven't failed unless you quit trying.
