Roadshow

For thirty years, drummer, author, and songwriter Neil Peart had wanted to
write a book about "the biggest journey of all in my restless existence: the
life of a touring musician." Finally, the right time, and the right tour . . .
In the summer of 2004, after three decades, twenty gold albums, and thousands
of performances spanning four continents, the band Rush embarked on a
celebratory 30th Anniversary World Tour. The "R30" tour traveled to nine
countries, where the band performed fifty-seven shows in front of more than
half a million fans. Uniquely, Peart chose to do his between-show traveling by
motorcycle, riding 21,000 miles of back roads and highways in North America
and Europe - from Appalachian hamlets and Western deserts to Scottish castles
and Alpine passes. Roadshow illuminates the daunting rigors of a major
international concert tour, as well as Peart's exploration of the scenic
byways and country towns along the way. His evocative and entertaining prose
carries the reader through every performance and every journey, sharing the
bittersweet reflections triggered by the endlessly unfolding landscape.
Observations and reflections range from the poignantly, achingly personal to
the wickedly irreverent. Part behind-the-scenes memoir, part existential
travelogue, Roadshow winds through nineteen countries on both sides of the
Atlantic, in search of the perfect show, the perfect meal, the perfect road,
and an elusive inner satisfaction that comes only with the recognition that
the journey itself is the ultimate destination. The inner workings of the
tour, the people Peart works with and the people he meets, the roads and
stages and ever-changing scenery - all flow into an irresistible story.