With Rush back on the road, there's something really cool about watching Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson perform alongside Anika Nilles. Nobody's trying to replace Neil Peart—and no one ever will. But this tour has been a fantastic way to honor his lyrics, chops, and undeniable contributions to rock & roll and progressive rock. Every iconic drum fill and impossible lick feels like a celebration of the music Peart leaves behind.
But “La Villa Strangiato” reminds me of something else. Whenever people talk about Rush's musicianship, the conversation usually starts with Geddy's wizardry on bass or Neil's otherworldly drumming. Fair enough. They're legends, of course. However, Alex Lifeson deserves every bit of that same admiration. If you’re on the fence in terms of Lifeson’s place among rock’s greatest guitarists, maybe just play “La Villa Strangiato”.
It isn’t just a guitar player ripping through solos. Lifeston treats the guitar like the lead singer. Every movement has its own melody, personality, and mood. And somehow it all hangs together. The first forty seconds alone are wild. It goes from sounding like a medieval minstrel tune... to a flamenco-inspired passage... to something that feels like it was beamed in from the future. And it all goes together. Then come the solos. Each with their own feel, yet they all connect so naturally you hardly notice the transitions. The whole song just flows and those nine and a half minutes fly by.
“La Villa Strangiato” is a technical showcase. But that's never been the thing that draws me back. Plenty of musicians can play difficult things. And Rush can certainly play difficult things. But what Lifeson did here was move effortlessly between ambitious, jaw-dropping riffs to simple, minimalist phrases that stick with you long after the song ends. The music world misses Neil. But maybe it's about time we talked about Lifeson for a change.