The time is now again! Rush will kick off their first tour in over a decade in just 2 short days from now at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, right where things ended back in 2015. The band's Fifty Something tour will then make its way across North America, hitting 24 cities and 58 shows throughout 2026 before taking a break and heading to South America and Europe in 2027. Their South American tour will see them play 9 shows across Argentina, Brazil and Chile before heading across the pond to close out the tour with 21 dates throughout Europe. Just as with tours past, RIAB will have an open thread posted on the day of every show that I'll keep updated with news and information as it becomes available. The social media landscape has changed drastically since Rush's last tour, and tour spoilers will be nearly impossible to avoid without complete radio silence. That said, RIAB will not be posting any tour spoilers directly to the home page or its social media channels, although we can't guarantee the same for the comments, re-posts, etc. Each show will have a separate setlist link that I'll be posting the set to, but that will require you to actively click on it to see any spoilers. RIAB also has a very loose definition of spoiler, so be warned. That's enough on that subject; now let the speculation begin. The band has been rehearsing close to 40 songs for the tour that they will rotate in over a 4-ish night stretch, with each show being around 2.5 hours, and including around 20-25 songs. There will be a portion of each show dedicated to the late Neil Peart, although details of what form that will take have not been revealed. It's also not clear whether they will include an intermission or not, although I believe their original plan was to not include one (although that may have changed). Speaking of rehearsals, yesterday Rush posted this hilarious short video of Geddy Lee rehearsing with his dog Dottie to their Instagram:

Dottie and I are working hard to get ready for the 50 Something Tour...but dang, she's so competitive!!
(and adorable ❤️)
Rush Fifty-Something Tour kicks off this Sunday June 7 at The Forum!

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Rush announced via their newsletter earlier this week that they'll be setting up outdoor merch stands at 4PM on show days for all the LA dates, located at the southwest side of the Forum in Lot H/J, where they'll be offering limited-edition event tees, lithos and tourbooks. They also announced that they'll be making available a new limited-edition version of Rush Golden Ale at select venues, as well as online at craftbeerclub.com. The artwork for the front of the can was revealed, but the other side is a secret ... And the Rush Backstage Club is running a contest to win a signed Rush Fifty Something tour poster which you can enter here.

If - like most of us - you won't be able to attend opening night ... No problem! RushCon has you covered. They'll be hosting a Rush Tour Opening Night Watch Party via their YouTube channel featuring Chaz N Schatz from the RushRash podcast (I was a guest on their show back in 2024). From the announcement:

RUSHCON PRESENTS: THE RUSH TOUR OPENING NIGHT FAN WATCH PARTY

Rush is back, and the tour kicks off Sunday, June 7th at The Forum in Los Angeles.

✨ Can't be there in person? GET SPOILED WITH US INSTEAD!✨

RushCon is hosting a live online fan watch party for everyone following opening night from home. Here's what you'll get:

Live updates from the Forum
Real-time fan reactions
The setlist, as it happens
Photos from inside

Our on-the-ground correspondents will be feeding us everything as it unfolds, and our hosts will be live the whole night, breaking it all down with you. It's the next best thing to being there: the community, the hype, the FOMO, all in one place.

Featuring Chaz N Schatz from the RushRash podcast. 🤘

Watch live: youtube.com/@RushCon - Sunday, June 7th , 6:30pm PT / 9:30pm ET

📣 At the show? Be our eyes and ears. We'd love your photos, your reviews, your point of view from inside the Forum. Message us here on Facebook or email info@rushcon.org.

Set a reminder, subscribe to the channel, and get spoiled with us!

Also if you weren't aware, just like the band themselves, RushCon 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. The event will take place at The Rutherford with exact timing TBD.

In a tragic twist of fate, Neil Peart's good friend and motorcycle riding partner Michael Mosbach has been diagnosed with Glioblastoma - the same type of cancer that took Neil Peart and his younger brother Danny. Michael doesn't have health insurance, so a GoFundMe has been set up to help. From RushCon's post announcing the fundraiser:

Michael Mosbach, a dear friend to so many of us, has been diagnosed with brain cancer and is facing surgery and a long road of recovery ahead.

If you've been around the Rush world for any length of time, you know Michael. Many of you knew him as "Praetorian" on tour. He was Neil Peart's longtime friend, his motorcycle partner for many years, and head of security for the band. He has spoken at RushCon and given so much to this community. Now he needs us.

His friend Tim Starace has set up a fund to help with Michael's recovery, the medical costs ahead, and care for his beloved dog Jones while Michael gets through this.

Anything you can give matters, and so does sharing this. Please pass it along to anyone who knows and loves Michael.

Michael had surgery this past Tuesday and is doing well, and is awaiting test results. Please help if you can.

That's all for this week. Let the tour commence!! Have a great weekend - especially all of you who are attending any Rush shows.