"Hope: Live For The Art Of Peace" - Nominated for a Grammy

A live version of "Hope", subtitled "Live For The Art Of Peace", was included on the Songs For Tibet - The Art Of Peace benefit album released August 12, 2008.  This version was nominated for the Best Rock Instrumental Performance Grammy in 2009 (their sixth nomination). The winner was "Peaches In Regalia" by Dweezil Zappa, from Zappa Plays Zappa.

"'This album will focus people's attention on the importance of Tibet, the gifts of its culture, and the crisis the Tibetan people are facing today,' said one of the album's organizers, Michael Wohl. The album is due for global release on iTunes on August 5, three days before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. It will then be available through other outlets the following week, the statement said. Wohl, from the Art of Peace Foundation, said the timing of the release was deliberate. 'We wanted to express our support for the Tibetan people and their message of peace through music, a fundamental means of expression, at a time when the eyes of the world are on China.'" - AFP News, July 22, 2008

 "We also received a recording that Rush just did a few weeks back for us at a concert. Alex Lifeson did a rendition of 'Hope' that really breathes and let's you appreciate the subtleties of the composition. It differs from the studio version in tempo and tone. This was a fantastic contribution on so many levels (our only acoustic instrumental)." [According to the Art Of Peace website, the song was recorded May 25th, 2008, in Regina, Saskatchewan]. - ArtOfPeaceFoundation.org, July 26, 2008

"'I think this is our sixth [Grammy] nomination -- we're, like, the Susan Luccis of rock 'n' roll...We try not to put too much emphasis on that kind of stuff, but at the same time it's always a huge compliment, so you do get excited when something like that happens. It's certainly better than being ignored'...Rush was on tour for their 2006 studio disc Snakes & Arrows when they were approached by Rupert Hine, who had produced the band's 1989 album Presto, about contributing a track to the Tibet compilation. 'We remembered this acoustic track Alex plays live and is different every night, he sort of improvises on it, so we thought that would be an easy and beautiful solution to the problem,' Lee said. 'We just recorded it live and sent it to them.'" - London Free Press, February 7, 2009