Modern Drummer Festival 2020: Schedule, line-up and all you need to know about the fest honoring Rush drummer Neil Peart
The highly anticipated event that showcases world-class drumming artists is returning for its 20th annual fest. Titled 'Modern Drummer Festival 2020', the festival is paying special tribute to late Rush drummer Neil Peart. Notably, the event will kick off on his birthday, September 12. Prominent drummers such as Mike Portnoy, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith, Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters, Todd Sucherman of Styx, Charlie Benante of Anthrax, and many more are set to perform this year.
The festival is presented by Modern Drummer Magazine and will air live on the music streaming platform LiveXLive.
On August 27, Rush took to social media to thank Modern Drummer Magazine for their tribute. Sharing the event's poster, the band wrote in the caption, "Thank you to @modern_drummer for honouring Neil Peart on his upcoming birthday at their Modern Drummer Festival 2020."
Airdate
Tune in on September 12 at 8 pm. ET / 5 pm PT.
Where to watch
The festival will be broadcast live and you can stream on the LiveXLive platform here. You can also download the app on Google Play Store here.
Line-up
'Modern Drummer Festival' is known for its cutting edge performances from some of the world's best drummers and this year's line-up is just as exciting.
Featuring performances by:
Kenny Aronoff
Carmine Appice
Charlie Benante (Anthrax)
Gregg Bissonette (Ringo Starr)
Jason Bittner
Cindy Blackman-Santana
Keith Carlock
Dom Famularo
Alex Gonzalez (Maná)
Gavin Harrison
Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters)
Thomas Lang
Ray Luzier (Korn)
Mike Portnoy
Jim Riley (Rascal Flatts)
66 Samus
Kristina Schiano
Danny Seraphine
Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Wyatt Stav
Todd Sucherman (Styx)
Brian Tichy
And special appearances by:
John Good
Ari Gold
Eric Leiderman (Late Night with Seth Meyers)
Don Lombardi
Jonathan Moffett
Carl Palmer
Eric Singer (Kiss)
Chris Stankee (Neil Peart friend and Sabian cymbal rep)
Eddie Trunk
Rob Wallis
Tickets
Proceeds of ticket sales to benefit Brain Tumor Research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in memory of "Neil Peart/Dr Rudnick's Research."
For those who can't get enough of the epic festival, all tickets will allow re-watch access. Video from the live stream will be available within 48 hours after the show, and can be watched through till December 11, 2020.
For ticket purchases and more info, click here.
Neil Peart
Neil Peart is the iconic drummer for the rock band Rush who died at age 67 in January of brain cancer. Regarded as one the most innovative drummers in rock 'n' roll history, the legendary drummer was famous for his state-of-the-art drum kits, skillful playing style with intuitive offbeats and precise snaps of the drums and onstage showmanship. Peart had a keen interest in adding melodic percussion instruments such as chimes and vibes which added to Rush's signature sound, and not long after joining Rush as drummer in 1974, he added his lyrical abilities to the band as well.
He was famously influenced by science-fiction and Ayn Rand, author of 'The Fountainhead' and 'Atlas Shrugged'. Rush became recognized as a strong force in the music industry with elaborate albums that grew in sophistication and technicality, with lyrics that were regarded as storylines.