Surviving Rush members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson reunited on stage last night (Aug. 10) for the first time since drummer Neil Peart’s January 2020 death as part of the 25th anniversary celebration of South Park at Red Rocks Amphitheater outside Denver. The musicians performed Rush’s “Closer to the Heart” with members of Primus and South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone joining in.
Beforehand, Lee and Lifeson appeared “live from Canada” on-screen in animated form, first complaining about the beloved South Park song “Blame Canada” and then deciding to “show up and jam.” In a knowing nod to what was to come, Primus performed “Closer to the Heart” the night before at the first South Park bash. Last night, Stone lent a hand on drums, even taking a brief solo at Primus frontman Les Claypool’s insistence.
Rush’s association with South Park dates back to 2011, when Lee and Lifeson appeared as themselves in the episode “Royal Pudding.” In response to the “princess of Canada” having been kidnapped, the duo records the heartfelt “Like a Fart in the Wind” in parody of Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind,” but the song actually makes the Canadian people feel worse, and Lifeson winds up shooting himself.
Primus, of course, recorded the beloved South Park theme song, and its members are longtime friends of Rush, having toured together in the 1990s. South Park: The 25th Anniversary Concert airs Saturday on Comedy Central and the following day on Paramount+.
Surviving Rush Members Reunite at South Park Bash Outside Denver
Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson joined Primus for a performance of 'Closer to the Heart'
Rush's Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee performing with "South Park" co-creator Matt Stone on Aug. 10, 2022, at Red Rocks outside Denver. (Photo: Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for Comedy Central)
