Mr. Big bass virtuoso Billy Sheehan talked about his musical relationship with Rush from a fan perspective, explaining to Metal Master Kingdom how it took him a while to really sink his teeth into the catalog of Canadian prog masters:
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“I was never really a Rush fan. Now why? Because just there was no time really. When I started to come up, getting busy, playing more, I didn’t have time to get involved in listening to other bands. So I just never got into Rush.
“In the early days, I was into Genesis, King Crimson – a lot of prog stuff. I was in a prog band that did covers in clubs – Return to Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, King Crimson, Genesis…
“So when I heard Rush, a couple of albums in they were beginning to get a little bit progressive. But I already kind of heard the original progressive rock and locked into that, so it was hard for me to bring in anything new. And again, I didn’t really have time to listen to a lot of stuff, so I didn’t know much of them. I’ve just heard some things on the radio.
“So when we [Mr. Big] went to tour with them and I got to see them every night – then I really became a Rush fan. As a matter of fact, on the [1989’s] ‘Presto’ tour, they had a song called ‘The Pass.’ I love that song!
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“And then, all the older material – I really got into it. And I just loved the band. But more importantly, the people that are in that band are some of the finest people I’ve ever met. Kind, generous, just really wonderful. They allowed Mr. Big to come up on stage and jam the last song with them. Just great!
“Geddy [Lee] is the grand master. I have his solo record, [2000’s] ‘My Favourite Headache.’ Bass tone – mind-blowing, great. Just a wonderful guy. Neil [Peart], of course – a legend. Alex [Lifeson] too. Just great, great playing.
“So I was so glad that I didn’t completely miss out on Rush experience by being on tour with them and getting to know them and see them perform every night. Canada should be very, very proud of their songs.”