Rush to receive keys to hometown of Toronto

Neil Peart, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson
Neil Peart, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson (Image credit: Getty)

Rush are to be honoured by their hometown of Toronto this weekend.

The trio of bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart, will receive the keys to the city from mayor John Tory at the opening of the Lee Lifeson Art Park in Willowdale, Toronto, on September 17.

Tory says: “For 40-plus years, Rush has rocked the world with 39 albums and 70-plus singles and are third all-time for most consecutive gold or platinum albums. They have also given back to community through charitable work for UNICEF, United Way and Toronto Food Bank.

“From Willowdale to the world – the key to the city is theirs. Congratulations Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart.”

The honour is being called the ‘Key To YYZ’ named after the 1981 Rush instrumental, which took its name from the identification code of Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

In 2014, the North York Community Council in Toronto gave approval for the Lee Lifeson Art Park in Willowdale – the area where Lee and Lifeson grew up.

Meanwhile, Peart has just released his latest book Far And Wide, which charts his journey across North America on his BMW motorcycle during the band’s 2015 R40 tour – which is thought to have been the band’s last major road trip.

It’s available to buy from Rush’s online store.

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Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.