Rush was finally able to wrap up their 4-show run in Texas this past weekend after multiple reschedules due to border issues and Geddy Lee's laryngitis diagnosis. Fans who weathered the reschedules were treated to a new, exclusive (so far) setlist that included BOTH 2112 in full AND the entire Moving Pictures album. They then took a short, 3-day break before kicking off their 4-show residency at Chicago's United Center last night to a sold out crowd. That show went off without a hitch and fans were treated to the expected Setlist A, the same that was played for night 1 in both LA and Fort Worth. The evening prior to the show, Alex and Geddy took some time out for dinner at Chicago's Au Cheval as seen here. Just like for LA and Fort Worth, Rush has a batch of Chicago-themed exclusive merch for the Chi-town shows, as seen in this Instagram post. The band will play 3 more shows at the United Center over the next 5 days before taking a 6-day break and picking things back up in NYC on July 28th.

Ever since Rush's Fifty Something tour was first announced there have been rumblings about the possibility of them playing The Sphere in Las Vegas - mostly fans and insiders speculating rather than anything concrete. But the rumors picked up this past week when Eddie Trunk mentioned on his Sirius XM radio show that a Rush Sphere residency was a "done deal" for 16-18 shows next year". Now The Sun newspaper has chimed in as well, reporting that a source told their Bizarre column the following:

... Rush has an enormous audience across North America. Even though they are Canadian, their music and success has been huge in the US. Their hits, history and live performances make them an attractive proposition. Talks have been secretly going for now for a while, but the word is that contracts could be locked down in the next couple of weeks. ...

So it sounds like there's definitely some meat to the rumors, but nothing has been finalized or confirmed yet. More information as we learn it.

Production Solutions & Entertainment Technology (PRG) provides LED, camera systems, and media servers for Rush's Fifty Something, and earlier this week posted a news article breaking down all the equipment and services that they provide, and giving a little peak behind the curtain. You can check out that article online here.

Rush discoverer Donna Halper was recently interviewed for Baltimore Positive to talk about Rush's unexpected reunion and her longtime relationship with the band. You can check out the full interview at this location (thanks Scott).

Outside of the music itself, one of the highlights of any Rush tour in recent years has been the hilarious backdrop videos. From the Tom Sawyer South Park Lil' Rush video (resurrected for this tour as well), Roll the Bones celebrity rap video, Harry Satchel, RASH, and countless others, Rush's tour videos are always fun and entertaining. Rush's Fifty Something tour features a new opening video titled Xanadudes which follows 3 characters who visit a haunted mansion in search of Rush, with all sorts of Rush Easter eggs scattered throughout. The 3 characters all seem to be representations of Geddy, Alex and Anika and are played by Canadian actors David Spence ("Geddy"), Kate Hargrave Murray ("Anika") and Taylor S. Gokyilmaz ("Alex"). The trio of actors recently appeared on an episode of Rush Roundtable on the Rushfans YouTube channel (#305) where they describe how they got the gig, the secrecy behind it, and how they are handling the newfound fame. You can check out the full interview below or on YouTube, and if you want to meet David, Kate and Taylor, they will be special guests for RushCon, which is returning for 2026 after a decade-long hiatus. RushCon 2026 will take place in its traditional home of Toronto later this summer over the weekend of August 7-9, coinciding with the band's hometown tour stops. The festivities will begin Friday evening with a welcome party and pre-show hangout at The Loose Moose. The main event will take place on Saturday at The El Mocambo with games, contests, guest speakers, and more, along with a Sunset Boat Cruise in the Toronto Harbor in the evening. Sunday will include a closing party and pre-show hangout at Henderson Brewing. You can get all the details and purchase tickets at RushCon.org. This won't be the only RushCon event on the tour however; they'll also be hosting a Madison Square Garden pre-show party on Saturday August 1st - the day of the 3rd of 4 MSG shows - with tickets available here.

One year ago today, on July 17, 2025 - Alex Lifeson sat in with Tom Morello's band for Limelight at their show at Toronto's Danforth Music Hall:

That's all for this week. Have a great weekend!!