It always strikes me how Neil is the shyest person in the group, and yet he is the most articulate and talkative.

3 of the coolest guys in rock &roll. These guys are at the top of the league on each instrument and not one bit of ego amongst them.

"Why do all these fans come back to see you guys play ?" Could have something to do with the music, and the lyrics, being out of this world. Utter brilliance.

“It was family time”.... he had just lost his family. My gosh I cried at this point. Rest In Peace, beautiful Professor. Forever Fan here. So proud you are all fellow Canadians ✊🏻🇨🇦❤️

Beyond the lighted stage did bring me back to Rush after years of not really listening to them. I had over listened at one point and then lost interest because their music lost that mystery. Staying away for some time and listening again after a break it's like stumbling on a cherished childhood memory and brought me back huge.

I saw them in Austin during R40 and I have to say they're the best band to have as a first concert

I'm quite shocked, yet impressed that Neil let the talk about the "difficult times" last that long. Though, I was relieved when he interjected about bringing the interview on to happier times and more positive topics.

Neil smiling makes me happy omg

Neil is such a private guy. Those questions should not be asked or answered on both parties. He doesn't do meet and greets and he doesn't do any press it all because he doesn't like facing people asking about that, plus he is just very private in general

Neil is in a comfortable place hence the reason for the interview. The whole not doing meet & greets is just his personal choice and I respect that, On the other hand I'm sure if you randomly ran into him out in public I'm sure he wouldn't run away from a "normal" thank you for your work and a hand shake/photo just my opinion.

and I can't believe how down to Earth these 3 guys are given how much success they had!!

A band who stayed together for that long and still like each other. I guess it's not impossible, but rare.

No egos, great character, good humour, and immense talent. We are the lucky ones guys!!

John Roberts and Rush go wayyyyyy back. He's probably the one reporter who can ask those questions.

Love these guys like brothers...Exit stage left was my second concert. I have never seen 3 more equally (enormously) talented people with similar outlooks and personalities anywhere else in the world. When they are gone, it will truly be a sad day.

just wanted give Neil a big hug you could see how upset he got... beyond all the enjoyment their music has given me over the last 35 years they are such nice genuine guys........... sorry I borrowed your rush alums bro I would sneak them out of his room listen to them then carefully put them back without him knowing moo who haha that's how I got hooked ...........

best band ever

Its so great to see Neil laughing & smiling. Neil you are great!

I was watching this show from very close to where they are shooting this interview. The best band ever!

Caress of Steel is a beautiful album, one of the best albums ever. I am 47 y/o and couldn`t tell how many hours of joy they have provided me over the years. Some people just don`t understand music and can`t feel music. I believe these people are emotionally frigid.

Their personalities only make me like the band and their music more! So humble and down to earth.

Neil, Geddy, Alex, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for rising above your difficulties and doing music as only you three, together can do!

"What you love trumps what you hate." Wow!

This is why Neil doesn't do press or meet-n-greets.

So true. Never did the phrase "don't go there" apply better than here.

One of the best interviews in years! I nearly shed a tear at one point :-D

great clip and seeing the band (again) so much like a family...makes the last 30 years of being a Rush fan totally worth it.

Saw them in Boston around this time. Epic.

A smile for every tear..............

Arguably the best Trio Rock Band of all time..

neil seemed to be holding back tears,you could tell how he looked away like he was fighting it. he could have gotten rude but that was a classy move by him to say on to happier times. me being a drummer i followed neil through all the modern drummer interviews too. thats why he didnt speak in public for years cuz he said it was still too painful,and you could tell right there that it hit him. hang in there neil. you are one reason i pick up my drumsticks everyday.

Rest in peace Neil. We miss you. You were a good man.

42 years and still rockin'.

3 members, 3 best friends, 3 world class musicians.

Wow - go Neil!! So good to see him out & enjoying the huge outpouring of respect & acknowledgement they are finally, and rightfully, receiving.

Greatest guys and greatest band of all fucking time

I saw these guys May 2011Sheffield, front row. Geddy Lee was looking me in the eyes throughout most of the concert, i was honoured to be even in the presence of these guys it was so amazing, rush are the greatest! :)

wow yeah its like hes finally outta his shell so kewl to see him like this

The R&R HOF is a farce. Will never step foot in the place until Rush is inducted. Three of the most talented musicians ever, awesome and ageless music, humble, kind guys. What more could we fans ask for???

Here here. I've always had so much respect for Neil for having the strength of character to be able to come back from what he went through. Losing your child must be agony enough but to then lose your soul-mate/companion in life after so long together has to be such a trauma,and so soon after losing his daughter too. Amazingly strong man.

They never stopped loving what they do.

These guys ooze genuine humanity and class from start to finish. I barely even listen to pop and rock music anymore (I've transited to jazz and classical as I've gotten older), but I still love these guys and listen to them regularly.

Great music and three amazing talents who seem like three really cool down to earth guys

I was at this show that day. Great time as always.

Rush fans will always love them because the never sold their souls to the pop machine

Hey, Neil is a classic introvert trying to be more open. He was the kid in the Subdivisions video (as most Rush fans were), and it is pleasure to hear from him, even if he is a little less finessed than others as far as interacting with the media. As for short concise answers, he is an intelligent, deep man whose ideas don't fit the sound bite framework, but when is come to communicating deep ideas in fewer words he is the author of most of the poetic, honest lyrics behind Rush's music.

These guys are SO REAL !!

It's so nice to hear Neil after all these years of silence

Aside from the tactless question, this is just another interview that further convinces me that these three gents are pure class....what consummate people and musicians....I know exactly why the fans still keep coming...their music, like the Beatles, sounds as good now as it did decades ago....

If this was 40 years ago , it would be a "MuchMusic" interview with all four of them.

PLEASE PLAY LIVE IN GREECE! BEEN WAITING A LIFETIME!

Thumbs down for the cold questions about Neils life... hearing Neil say "onto happier subjects" stabbed me in the heart... I still can't get my head around the fact Neil himself is gone now.

Rush 4 Ever. keep Rockin Boy's. We love you.

Oh God ...Let Rush live FOREVER.

I find it interesting that so many times when I go to listen to Rush, so many times Caress Of Steel is the album (dating myself a bit) that I listen to. I so agree with you guys. Great sounds and instruments all around. The Fountain of Lamneth is incredible. Glad many others agree! I listen to all of them up to Signals, but that one is a gem. I also like the new song from what I have heard so far. April 18th.

John Roberts was a VJ back in Toronto on Much Music back in the 80's!

Poor Neil. I love how he is so nice to the reporter, even though he brought up Neils personal life and the tragic death of his daughter and wife. Neil is just such a nice guy.

"I Love You Man!" Pretty funny movie and Rush is a part of it which added to my enjoyment of it.

That's because he knows that John Roberts won't ask embarrassing questions! They know him because he was once a VJ at Muchmusic like 30 years ago. And he's a great interviewer too.

Three truly humble and nice guys. Geddy's friendship is the kind you don't see a lot of.

The support Alex and Geddy gave to Neil during those dark times and then again towards the end of his life tells you all you need to know about their humanity and values. If this isn’t a band you can admire then I don’t think such a band exists. Amazing music, amazing people.

Why do we love RUSH so much? Because they never sold out. RUSH is the only band EVER who's members are NOT individually expendable.

Another thing, neil was very pro for when saying "on to happier subjects". He stopped the conversation but yet still happily was gonna be a nice and talk about his bike riding afterwards..

Great to see John Roberts, interview Rush after all these years. Back in Toronto with the New Music, on Citytv he was known as J.D. Roberts. But Neil was visibly uncomfortable discussing that time involving his family. John Roberts should have known better due his shared history with this band.

love that album! love fountain!

I love how talkative Neil is in this interview, he's so interested in talking that he even interrupts Geddy a few times.

In answer o the Interviewers question , Q -What is it the makes RUSH so evergreen? A- The Music is great and the playing of the music is exceptional.

love the starman in the backround

Boy you're not kidding. Neil handled the question well, but to think about what he went through back then and to come back at anytime is pretty fuckin amazing.

The interviewer John Roberts or J.D. as us Canadians like to call him is an icon in Canadian broadcasting. He started off at City T.V. here in Toronto and went on to be a V.J. at Muchmusic and the host of The New Music television program. He was also on of the earliest most vocal supporters of Rush. He's seen Interviewing them backstage in Toronto during the Moving Pictures tour in the Beyond the Lighted Stage documentary. His is a very close friend of the bands and I'm certain that he did not ambush Neil by bringing up "the dark time". He's as professional as they get and am sure went over the questions before the tape started rolling.

ive seen some damn good shows there at lakewood. its only an hour and a half from my house. the sound there is great.

It's standard for news interviewers to ask questions like that. It wasn't malicious or intended to annoy or insult or hurt Professor Pratt.

it was an act of divine intervention that Neil came into Alex and Geddy's lives, they didn't have to compromise because they are so fucking talented

Neil sat on the talking chair, lol. Love these guys!

I listened to Caress of Steel recently, what a great rock album!

i was at this show too. totally kicked ass. trying to get tix to the show this november

I remember when my uncle passed away suddenly,,,, The noise my grandmother made at his funeral.... I wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy

Iv seen them five times in portland oregon

JD Roberts is completely unrecognizable.

this was a great show at Ontario Place!!

DJ Roberts love it. Much Music

Caress of Steel is my favorite Rush album, bar none!!!

RUSH fan 4 LYFE.

WOW. way to kill a good mood roberts. everybodys joking and laughing,bubbleing with conversation,then WHAM frozen funeral on a stick,you are the life of the party J.D.

Geddy's shirt -- there are SECRET MESSAGES in it! Howard Ung. cameo around 4:35. Amazing -- they still have many of the same crew still working for them also.

John Roberts use to be a VJ at Much Music in Toronto what he first started out, and interviewed rush many times back in the eighties. Search around youtube for' VJ Roberts and much music. It's funny to see them together after 30 years back then they were both broke and now they are multimillionaires

There's RUSH...then there's every one else !!

"On the happier subjects" I wouldn't want to talk about that either I can't blame Neil for changing the subject.

"We fooled 'em again!" hahaha Lerxst is a classy guy Love these guys so much

Verison Wireless Ampitheater. Great place to see a show. I saw STP there, and it was great. I'll bet rush sounded awesome there.

Remember John Roberts well from his days at Much Music. He has a great voice and I like his interviewing style. I bet he fought off every other CNN official for this interview. ;)

what John Roberts says at 4:30 about the reasons Bono and Stewart Copeland told about why their groups still played together or just splitted up could be very convincing and make some sense if I do not know a story about some little group whose all the members but the drummer met each other at 14 or 16 years and years later in the peak of their fame they just exploded... you know these guys from Liverpool...

wow Neil is NOT the quiet one... cool to see... and I think he may NOT be squirming at the 'dark years' question- he fields quite comfortably... this is cool- thank you for posting and thank you KZfaq

JD Roberts and Rush, bet these guys go way back.

At 8:35 Neil is like, "Ok man that's enough". The interviewer was poking his nose around where it didn't belong.

Watched this AFTER the final show...

Neil's daughter died in a car crash in 1997 then 10 months later his wife passed away from cancer he then left the band till 2001. during that time he rode his motorcycle all over north and central america.

How neil got through it has been covered, not in detail, but the pieces are there for those who care. It involved a quarter million miles, a damn lot of oil changes, and some soul searching amidst the hum of a BMW straight four , the whine of a gearbox, the sound of tires on pavement, the wind whipping around his helmet, and the people he met along the way. That's all anyone but Neil really needs to know.

fuck me !,,i remember john roberts on much music on the metal hour...it's really surreal to see him doing this, and with Rush no less ! now i feel old..

@rushforever2011, They formed in 1968, but didn't release their first album until 1974.