Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson Will Tour as Rush in 2026

“After all that has gone down since that last show,” Geddy Lee stated, “Alex and I have done some serious soul searching and come to the decision that we fucking miss it.”
Richard Sibbald

Rush co-founders Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will go back to the roadway as Rush next year for a 50th-anniversary trip devoted to the memory of their late bandmate Neil Peart, they revealed today. German drum virtuoso Anika Nilles, who’s formerly backed Jeff Beck, will join them for the 12-date, seven-city Fifty Something Tour, which starts June 7 at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum– the exact same location where Rush played their last program with Peart in August 2015. “After all that has actually decreased because that last program, Alex and I have actually done some major soul browsing and pertained to the choice that we fucking miss it,” Lee stated in a news release. “And that it’s time for an event of 50-something years of Rush music.”

Lee and Lifeson, buddies because high school, invested the previous couple of years in a friendly public argument about the possibility of visiting once again without Peart, their drummer and lyricist, who passed away in 2020 after a peaceful fight with brain cancer. Lee informedWandererthat he ‘d been working to encourage Lifeson to head out, and even Paul McCartney had actually informed the duo that they required to visit once again. As just recently as last May, Lifeson was still resistant, a minimum of in public, informingWanderer,“There’s no possibility that we’re going to get a drummer and go back on the roadway as the renewal of Rush or something like that.”

Finding Nilles, a commonly well-known 41-year-old drummer– who takes place to be understood for playing in the type of odd time signatures that are Rush’s specialized– to enter what might be the most challenging open chair in all of rock might have made the distinction.”As all of us understand, Neil was irreplaceable,” Lee stated. “Yet life has lots of surprises, and we’ve been presented to another exceptional individual; an extraordinary drummer and artist who is including another chapter to our story while continuing her own remarkable musical journey. Her name is Anika Nilles, and we might not be more ecstatic to present her to our faithful and devoted Rush fan base, whom, we understand, will provide her every possibility to measure up to that near-impossible function.”

Peart’s widow, Carrie Nuttall-Peart, and child Olivia totally backed the trip in a joint declaration. “We are enjoyed support the Fifty Something Tour, commemorating a band whose music has actually resonated and influenced fans for generations, and to honor Neil’s remarkable tradition as both a drummer and lyricist,” they stated, including that “Neil’s musicianship was particular” and “as both drummer and lyricist, he was irreplaceable.”

In an unique relocation, Rush strategy to include other backing artists for the trip to “broaden our noise a wee bit,” stated Lee, who formerly dealt with both keyboards and bass while singing. He had actually formerly informedWandererhe was eagerly anticipating that method as a method to make exploring “more enjoyable, less work,” acknowledging “that we are a bit older now.”

Each program on the trip will include 2 sets drawn from a swimming pool of 35 tunes, covering the band’s biggest hits and fan favorites. The statement comes together with the release ofRush 50a 50-track anthology covering their whole profession.

Artist presales start Oct. 13, with basic on-sale beginning Oct. 17.

Hurry Fifty Something Tour Dates:
June 7– Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
June 9– Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
June 18– Mexico City, MX @ Palacio de los Deportes
June 24– Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena
June 26– Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena
July 16– Chicago, IL @ United Center
July 18– Chicago, IL @ United Center
July 28– New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
July 30– New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Aug. 7– Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
Aug. 9– Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
Sept. 17– Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Arena

From Wanderer United States.