VIDEO: Rush's Neil Peart performs drum solo on The David Letterman Show

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Rush's drum master Neil Peart finished off Drum Solos Week on the Letterman Show in smashing style
Rush's drum master Neil Peart finished off Drum Solos Week on the Letterman Show in smashing style (Image credit: Scott D. Smith/Retna ./Retna Ltd./Corbis)

Neil Peart did it! When MusicRadar spoke to Rush's master sticksman earlier this week, he was a tad concerned how he would whack down his eight-minute-plus monster solo from the current Time Machine tour to TV standard length to conclude Drum Solos Week on The Late Show With David Letterman.

"I decided I'd have to do a mental edit, accelerate the changes and minimize the improvisational parts and so on," Peart told us. "At the rehearsal, during my first attempt, I had it down to about four minutes and 50 seconds, and the producers were giving me these worrisome looks." Peart's second run-through was more acceptable: "I got it down to about four minutes and two seconds."

Well, as you can see in the above video, the Rush drum legend pulled it off last night (9 June) in smashing style. Bravo, Neil! A brilliant display of grace, power, supreme musicianship - and yes, mental editing. (By the way, be sure to read our exclusive, in-depth interview with Neil Peart in which he talks about drum solos right here.)

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Joe Bosso
Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.