Rush co-founders Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will return to the road as Rush next year for a 50th anniversary tour dedicated to the memory of their late bandmate Neil Peart, they announced Monday. German drum virtuoso Anika Nilles, who’s previously backed Jeff Beck, will join them for the 12-date, seven-city Fifty Something tour, which kicks off June 7 at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum — the same venue where Rush played their last show with Peart in August of 2015. “After all that has gone down since that last show, Alex and I have done some serious soul searching and come to the decision that we fucking miss it,” Lee said in a press release. “And that it’s time for a celebration of 50-something years of Rush music.”
Lee and Lifeson, best friends since high school, spent the last few years in a friendly public debate about the prospect of touring again without Peart, their drummer and lyricist, who died in 2020 after a quiet battle with brain cancer. Lee told Rolling Stone that he’d been working to convince Lifeson to go out, and even Paul McCartney had told the duo that they needed to tour again. As recently as last May, Lifeson was still resistant, at least in public, telling Rolling Stone, “there’s no chance that we’re going to get a drummer and go back on the road as the rebirth of Rush or something like that.”
Finding Nilles, a widely acclaimed 41-year-old drummer — who happens to be known for playing in the kind of odd time signatures that are Rush’s specialty — to step into what may be the most intimidating open chair in all of rock may have made the difference. “As we all know, Neil was irreplaceable,” Lee said. “Yet life is full of surprises, and we’ve been introduced to another remarkable person; an incredible drummer and musician who is adding another chapter to our story while continuing her own fascinating musical journey. Her name is Anika Nilles, and we could not be more excited to introduce her to our loyal and dedicated Rush fanbase, whom, we know, will give her every chance to live up to that near-impossible role.”
Peart’s widow Carrie Nuttall-Peart and daughter, Olivia, fully endorsed the tour in a joint statement. “We are thrilled to support the Fifty Something tour, celebrating a band whose music has resonated and inspired fans for generations, and to honor Neil’s extraordinary legacy as both a drummer and lyricist,” they said, adding that “Neil’s musicianship was singular” and “as both drummer and lyricist, he was irreplaceable.”
In a novel move, Rush plans to add other backing musicians for the tour to “expand our sound a wee bit,” said Lee, who previously handled both keyboards and bass while singing. He had previously told Rolling Stone he was looking forward to that approach as a way to make touring “more fun, less work,” acknowledging “that we are a little bit older now.”
Each show on the tour will feature two sets drawn from a pool of 35 songs, spanning the band’s greatest hits and fan favorites. The announcement comes alongside the release of Rush 50, a 50-track anthology spanning their entire career.
Artist presales begin October 13, with general on-sale starting October 17.
Rush 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
