hard rockrushalex lifesongeddy leebudweiser stage
22:16 Wednesday, 22 May 2024
When the Forum at Ontario Place was demolished in 1994 to make way for a shiny amphitheatre, fans mourned the loss of the venue’s famous revolving stage and free summertime shows, reports Toronto Life. But the new Molson Amphitheatre’s improved sound, sightlines and seating, plus an inaugural slate of artists that included R.E.M., Megadeth and Boyz II Men, quickly drowned out complaints. (As it turned out, Toronto concert-goers were willing to pay to be rocked, socked and serenaded.) Canada’s answer to the Hollywood Bowl and Red Rocks, the Amp - known as Budweiser Stage since 2017 - has hosted about a thousand shows and more than eight million fans over the past three decades. It has become Drake’s warm-weather home base, featured a purple-robed David Bowie, contended with flocks of dive-bombing seagulls and had a metalhead truly deserving of the name fished from its waters. The stories from the stage are legion, and we’ve collected 22 of them.
In the following excerpts, Rush members, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, share there memories of the storied venue:
Alex Lifeson: "The gigs were magical - beautiful summer nights spent looking out over the audience. But there are a couple of standouts, as a performer and a fan. In 1998, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were in town. Geddy Lee and I went backstage before the show and chatted with them for a bit. We reminisced about Led Zeppelin dates in Toronto that we’d gone to as teens and how exciting they were for us. Then Page and Plant set up a beautiful little spot by the monitors so we could watch the show from there. Years later, we were the ones playing, and Gordon Lightfoot came with his daughter, who wanted to meet the band. They arrived just before we went on, and it was the first time I met Gordon. I’m a huge fan, so spending time with him was very cool."
Geddy Lee: "Rush played a bunch of shows at the amphitheatre - we’ve experienced profound emotions and triumphs in that space. One of my standout memories was from a night I wasn’t even there: it was on a Wednesday evening in 2015, when Foo Fighters were headlining. Dave Grohl had recently fractured his leg, and he was sitting on a custom throne. At stage left was Dave’s mom, Ginny, and her special guest: my mother, Mary. The two of them had become friends during an interview for Ginny’s book about moms of rock stars. During the show, the Foos broke into a rendition of 'Tom Sawyer', and my 90-year-old mom started beaming from ear to ear. I was on tour in the US, and my phone blew up with photos and videos sent by folks who were in the crowd."
Read the full feature at TorontoLife.com.
