BIG-TIME RUSH FAN

Dream Theater maestro JOHN PETRUCCI geeks out on Permanent Waves, Alex Lifeson’s “How is that even possible?” solos and the undeniable majesty of Rush

- JOE BOSSO

JOHN PETRUCCI makes no bones about it: He’s a lifelong, dedicated Rush fanboy. “Oh, you can definitely call me that,” he says.

“I adore Rush, and I’ll never stop geeking out on them. For me, and probably a lot of people from my generation, Rush is a band that has been part of the fabric of my life. And it goes beyond their music and extends into everything they’ve done. They always stuck to their guns and did exactly what they wanted. Their live shows were always presented in a unique and special way. Quite simply, there’s no band quite like Rush.”

It’s a view that has been shared by most members, past and present, of Petrucci’s band, Dream Theater. “Keyboard players aren’t always as big into Rush as much as guitarists, drummers and bass players,” he says. “I know that Jordan Rudess was more influenced by ELP, Genesis and Gentle Giant. But when I met [bassist] John Myung at Berklee, we clicked right away on Rush, and then [drummer] Mike Portnoy was a tying factor — he was way into them. Rush were a major part of our conversations.”

In fact, Petrucci reveals that Dream Theater’s original name, Majesty, was derived from a Rush song. “I think we were listening to ‘Bastille Day’ and we were commenting on how majestic it sounded. Suddenly, we were like, ‘We should call the band Majesty.’ So right from the beginning, Rush were influencing our choices.” [Of course, Majesty is also the name of Petrucci’s signature model by Ernie Ball Music Man.]