LIVE IT ALL AGAIN WITH THE OFFICIAL “A NIGHT FOR NEIL” CD, SPECIAL EASTER EGG AND NP50 COMMEMORATIVE SHIRT!
The “A Night For Neil” Story
Finally, the “A Night for Neil” CD, remembering the event held on October 22, 2022, has been produced and is ready to be distributed. Yes, it took just as long to prepare this very special CD memorializing and celebrating the life of Neil Ellwood Peart as it did to hold the event at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario, which was postponed due to COVID-19.
Overtime Angels was approached with the idea to orchestrate this special event by Martin Urionaguena one week after Neil’s passing on January 7, 2020.
Our charity. formed in 2014 because of the impact Rush’s music had made on our lives, was honored to take on the challenge. Neil was very fond of what we did and donated many items to our charity.
We were in communication with Neil’s parents and siblings to receive their blessing and we listened to their thoughts on the event. They suggested a memorial portion as well as a celebration segment. We wholeheartedly agreed.
Our ideas for the show and script were designed to pay tribute to a man who was a part of our life‘s portfolio. We did not want to have performers on stage who mispronounced his name or didn’t understand the meaning behind his words and the impact he had on our lives.
During the elongated lead up to the event, we went through many trials and tribulations, including three different producers. Each had their own ideas or wanted to change the way we dreamed of constructing the show. Our first producer even caused us to lose tens of thousands of dollars.
When you have a small budget for production, lights and sound you can only do so much, so everything had to come from the heart. Producer Andy Stinton understood what we were trying to accomplish and took us to the finish line in a very short period.
Conversations with the late Taylor Hawkins were instrumental in creating “A Night for Neil”, however three months prior to the final show date, a conversation with one person changed everything.
Three hours of deep and genuine talk with Doane Perry of Jethro Tull, who read a 35-minute eulogy for Neil at his memorial in LA, put the icing on the lemony cake.
Doane was a dear friend of Neil’s and shared with us personal stories that allowed us to go deeper into our hearts to construct the final product. After hearing what the show was all about, he said that Neil would have loved every minute of what we were accomplishing. We couldn’t be more grateful for Doane’s candid and heartwarming talks that allowed us to put the pieces of the puzzle together we knew were missing.
If it wasn’t for all the cancellations, we would have never spoken to Doane. Things happen for a reason, eh?
The performers for “A Night for Neil” were chosen due to their unique interpretations of specific, heartfelt songs (even 2112 is made more emotional when performed with strings!)
Neil’s words were not only inspirational, but also helped pull many out of hard times. The messages and emails we received prior to this event describing depression, rape, incest, abuse and suicide, combined with the Doane’s conversations, drove us construct the show the way we did. This was about a man whose words inspired people.
The final proceeds for the event, after expenses, allowed Overtime Angels to pay back our losses and donate $40,000 to four different cancer hospitals that were in and around the St. Catherines’ area.
We thank all the fans who attended and supported “A Night for Neil”. The CD and a very special “Easter egg” are available by donating $35 (In Canadian dollars with exchange rate reflected in the cart) to our charity (plus shipping).
We are also excited to offer a one-of-a-kind, special edition T-shirt, designed by our good friend Hugh Syme, commemorating the first concert where Neil performed at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh on August 14, 1974.. This was just a few weeks after the “new guy” became a member of Rush 50 years ago. The shirt is available as a package with the CD or sold separately. T-shirts will be pre-ordered and shipped out within 30 days of the order.
