Watch Mike Portnoy cover Rush classic YYZ for charity

Mike Portnoy (Image credit: Paulie Z/YouTube)

Mike Portnoy recently got together with bassist Stu Hamm, guitarist Paulei Z and keyboardist Walter Ino to play a lockdown cover of the Rush classic YYZ.

The four musicians hooked up to help raise money for the David Z Foundation, which provides aspiring musicians with the tools they need to make their mark on the music industry.

The foundation is named after musician David Zablidowsky who died in 2017 in an automobile accident.

In the video, Portnoy can be seen sporting a Neil Peart basketball top, with all four musicians delivering a fabulous rendition of the track that originally appeared on Rush’s landmark 1981 album Moving Pictures.

Rush drummer Peart died in January following a three and a half year battle with brain cancer, with Portnoy later raising money for brain cancer research by playing a selection of his favourite Rush tracks on a tiny drum kit that was then auctioned for charity.

Artists

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.