Rush was joined by special guest Aimee Mann during the four-night opening stint of their Fifty Something tour in Los Angeles, but it turns out Mann almost said no to the gig.
The singer joined the band to reprise her part on “Time Stand Still” from 1987’s Hold Your Fire. But she reveals in an Instagram post that she initially wasn’t keen on doing it.
Mann posted a hand-drawn comic with the caption “What I did last week,” where she explained how her guest appearance came about.
“Way back in March, I got an email from Geddy Lee, from the band Rush. But I was quite frankly in a s***** place and couldn’t imagine doing it,” she explains on top of the drawings. “I was in such a hole I couldn’t even answer one way or the other. I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t try.”
Apparently she finally agreed, and goes on to say the band “were so kind and welcoming.” She writes, “I felt protected by their bubble of music and Canadian warmth, and buoyed aloft by their fans.”
Within the drawings, she reveals what was going on in her head after being asked, including her worry about the size of the KIA Forum, where Rush was playing, and her original plan, which was to “just apologize profusely and explain that I’m a crazy person.”
There are also drawings depicting Lee welcoming her, as well as one of the pair onstage together.
The Rush 50 Something tour heads to Mexico City for two nights, Thursday and Saturda. A complete list of dates can be found at Rush.com.
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