Geddy Lee and his guitar collection coming to Calgary May 25
Big news for Rush fans — Geddy Lee is bringing some of his most prized guitars to Calgary.
Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Bass Exhibit opens May 26 at the National Music Centre, featuring about 10 per cent of the musician's personal collection of instruments.
"You're going to see five keynote instruments from Rush's recording and performance career," Adam Fox, the National Music Centre's director of programs told The Calgary Eyepopener. "You're going to see instruments that are curiosities from around the world, and then you're going to see instruments that are significant from the big manufacturers Rickenbacker, Gibson, Epiphone and Fender."
Some of the 26 instruments were displayed at the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently, but this is an even larger cross-section of of his personal collection.
It's divided it into five different categories which reflect the framework of his new book, Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass, which he will be promoting on a cross-Canada tour — and yes, he's coming to Calgary, May 25.
Details are still being worked out, but Fox says Lee will make an appearance at Studio Bell for a special Q&A event, the night before the exhibit opens to the public.
One of the greatest 'of all time'
"Getty Lee is one of the great bass players of all time," Fox said. "He's revered around the world for his ability and the fact that he could also sing, and multiple octaves while doing so is pretty spectacular."
Fox, who calls himself a huge Rush fan, always pictures Geddy Lee with a double-neck Rickenbacker — but says every fan is different.
"That's the thing about Rush, they've got a career that spans four decades, so he played a lot of basses. So I think it depends on your perspective, what touchpoint or entry point you had for Rush."
The collection of bass guitars tell the story of Rush through the years.
"There's the instruments that he calls my favourite headaches, and so he's got five instruments that he points to. You can kind of look at Rush's career through that lens — you've got that '72 jazz bass that was featured on Tom Sawyer.
"You've got that double neck Rickenbacker, which is what I associate with some of the early Rush. And then you've got other instruments that show you the evolution and progress of the band."
Fox says Rush was a forward-looking band and their musical instruments reflect their evolution.
"Geddy is a curator, you're getting a sense of his own attention to detail. My biggest takeaway from this exhibition is his passion for music and for these instruments, and what they mean as kind of totems or representatives of this musical form that he loves. The didactics and all the interpretive material are all written by Geddy himself, and shared, really personally, so you get an insight into his personality."
For more information on Geddy Lee's Calgary appearance, keep an eye on the National Music Centre website.
With files from The Calgary Eyeopener.
