I first heard Rush when Fly By Night was getting some airplay (on Q107 I think...would have been in the fall of '75 or spring '76 when I was in my final year). It's hard to put my finger one what it was I found so captivating about it. I was into Yes and Floyd and Genesis at the time (bucking the early disco trend!) as well as some of the funk band like EWF, P-Funk, Sly, etc. The second I heard them, though, I was hooked. I'm pretty sure I own at least one copy of every album they ever released, often buying a CD remaster in addition to my original vinyl pressing. I saw them live somewhere around 50 times, including their R40 farewell tour at the ACC five years ago. I wondered at the time if there was more to their decision to stop touring than simply Niel's not feeling up to it any longer (he said due to tendinitis). So sad...I can't imagine how devastating this loss must be to Geddy and Alex (and of course his family).