CANADIAN HEROES - Rush's Drum Tech

Neil Peart from the Canadian rock group Rush is frequently cited as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time. His solos are unparallelled, his technique unequalled, but it is his drum set that is truly legendary: That's why this week's Canadian Hero is the guy who's in charge of setting it up. That guy, though he couldn't possibly do it all alone, is Lorne Wheaton. According to drummerworld.com, it takes four stagehands under Wheaton's supervision three and a half hours to set up the drums.

To Johnada, anyone who is willing to spend his career making sure there's a symbol in just the right place for Peart to us one time each concert (at the five minute mark of an eight and a half minute solo, no less) is a true Canadian Hero. Bravo, Mr. Wheaton. Bravo.

The kit in action:



If you want more information about the current Snakes and Arrows set, there's a video of Wheaton explaining all the details in the multimedia section of the band's website. Non-Canadians are encouraged to listen for the very Canadian pronunciation of "process" a few minutes in.