Calgary-area Rush fans show ‘incredible’ support for cancer fundraising effort

It’s a big weekend for Calgary-area fans of one of the biggest bands in music history.

The Firehouse Bar and Grill in Langdon, Alta. is hosting a tribute to the Canadian band Rush on Sunday.

Fans will have a chance to pay tribute and also support people battling the deadly disease that claimed the life of one of the band’s members.

The band’s drummer Neil Peart died of brain cancer in 2020.

The Peart Family Memorial Fund is involved in the Langdon event, which will feature a fundraising auction for the fund’s ‘Legacy in Bronze’ project that aims to construct a statue of Peart in the family’s hometown of St. Catherines, Ont.

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Neil Peart’s sisters have come from Ontario to meet fans at the Firehouse on Sunday and they’re also raising money for another effort that’s close to their hearts.

“Cancer support for patients,” Nancy Peart Burkholder told Global News.  “We have friends who are working three jobs, who have cancer, who can’t afford medication.”

Peart’s sisters see their fund’s work as an important part of carrying on their brother’s legacy.

“Neil was very big in giving to charity,” said Judy Peart Howe, “and we want to give now in his honour and his name.”

Teen musicians from the School of Rock Douglasdale House Band are part of the lineup taking the stage to pay tribute to Neil Peart.

“There’s no other music like it,” guitarist Mason Dyck said. “It’s awesome.”

Helping to organize the event has been a special experience for Firehouse staff.

“It brings attention to what Neil did and it continues his legacy,” Firehouse owner Greg Thompson said.

Rush fans are coming from far and wide to attend the event on Sunday afternoon.

“Flying in from England, all over the States,” said Nancy Peart Burkholder. “It’s incredible.”

For Neil Peart’s family, connecting with his fans is a rewarding experience.

“It’s great to listen to them,” Judy Peart Howe said. “They just want to tell us how much our brother meant to them.”