S.S. Professor Drum Kit Tour
Close encounter with Neil's drums - Page 2
The drums were set up in the Guitar Center parking lot on a small, covered stage, with a tarp stretched across the front. A budget rent-a-truck was parked behind the stage, and there was a Rush drum case was tucked underneath the truck. A Bozo Bop Bag was set up at the entrance of the drums.
My first thought was the drum kit didn't seem as gargantuan as you might imagine. My second thought was it was practically a museum piece--the details becoming even more noticeable at close range. There's something about the custom black finish and all that gold hardware. I started taking pictures.
It was only 3:00, and we soon learned they weren't going to start the clinic until around 4:30. It was 85-degrees with 100% humidity, so I was sweating pretty bad. (Fortunately, Guitar Center had a water cooler in their customer service area.)
We got some pictures in front of the drums (along with everyone else), and talked to other Rush/Neil fans. People had come from all over, but mostly from the west coast; many were wearing Rush shirts for this event.
Neil's drum tech Lorne Wheaton was hanging around, as were Chris Stankee and Bill Morgan of Sabian. I talked briefly to Chris and Bill, very nice guys. They were setting up the raffle that would be held at the end of the event. They also told us they had 30 or so pairs of Pro-Mark 747 S.S. Professor Tour sticks that you could put in your name to buy. I bought raffle tickets and put my name in for some sticks.
As I hung around, I heard rumors from the Guitar Center folks, as well as other people. We all knew that if Neil were going to show up, it would be in LA (he lives there). But I also knew that Neil usually didn't interact with fans at clinics or even on the road with Rush.
It was a long shot. And then I saw a few things that changed my mind...
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Page Updated 04/25/2020 08:51:19 PM