This past Sunday evening, Rush surprised fans by opening up the 2026 Juno Awards ceremony in Hamilton, ON with a blazing performance of Finding My Way, giving everyone a preview of their new Fifty Something tour lineup with Anika Nilles on drums and Loren Gold on keys. The performance included a video backdrop of Rush through the years, and you can watch the whole thing below or on YouTube. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson had a post-show press conference and media availability, making the following comments to the Canadian Press:
... "You know, music lives beyond tragedy, beyond anything that can happen in your life. One thing we've learned over the last 10 years is that music is still a part of us, and so to play it now with someone as young and exciting as Annika, it's just another tribute to him," Lee said, speaking to reporters in the media room with guitarist Alex Lifeson.
"I think he'd be very pleased with our choice of drummer, and I think he would have a bit of a smirk on his face. A thumbs up, I hope," Lee added.
"We've been rehearsing with her on and off for about a year now. And now it's very comfortable and she's expressing her personality, which is nice to see. A fantastic person, lovely, easy to work with ... we consider ourselves so fortunate because she was really the only drummer we tried to work with and she's just been perfect for us. And she fires us up. She's a bonus." ...
During the press conference, the pair were asked about why they chose to play Finding My Way, and Geddy answered:
... "You really can't ask us what song to play. If we have to choose one song, it's almost impossible. We have so many. So we just asked management, and they said 'first song, first album.' ...
Alex Lifeson then added jokingly, "Also, it's the only song we know how to play". You can watch the entire press conference here.
The latest edition of the UK's Classic Rock magazine includes a massive cover feature on Rush and their upcoming Fifty Somethingtour titled The Unlikely Resurrection of Rush. The cover features a photo of the band with new touring drummer Anika Nilles, and also included in the issue are a massive tour poster along with a Grace Under Pressure 40th anniversary sticker as seen in this screenshot (thanks John at Cygnus-X1.net). Several excerpts from the issue have been posted online over the past week, including this one where Ged/Al address how they'll be opening the tour in LA where they last played with the late Neil Peart:
... "Likening it to "returning to the scene of the crime", Lifeson says: "Staring at that same clock where it ended, yeah." "Supremely stupid idea," Lee replies. "It's a massively stupid idea, because we're going to be so emotional already, that first show without Neil, and then to be in that building. What the fuck was I thinking?" Lifeson concurs: "Yeah, what were we fucking thinking?" Later in the interview, Lee continues: "Without Neil... I'll be frank. There are some songs you play where it kind of hits you, it's bad, and it feels weird. And it's appropriate that that happens. You know what I mean? "If we just picked up and went on without feeling any tug of anything, that would be absurd, that would be a whole other thing. And there'll be moments in both sets where we'll pay tribute to him. We're working hard on that, making sure that it's appropriate." Noting the "emotional and logistical aspect" of deciding to reunite as Rush, Lee adds: "There was nothing about this decision that came easily, except when Al looks at me, and I look at him in the studio and we go why the fuck shouldn't we do this?"...
There's also this excerpt where the pair talk about how they came to choose drummer Anika Nilles to fill Neil Peart's massive drum shoes:
... "We rehearsed for four days, and on the fourth day Ged and I sat down and we weren't sure," Lifeson reveals in the new issue of Classic Rock. "It wasn't quite working with the three of us. We were thinking that maybe we should continue with someone else, just to see how that might feel.
And on the fifth day, on the last day that we rehearsed, she took all our comments about feel, about Neil's feel and the way he played, and being very cognisant of the ability that he had, and bang! She nailed the songs all day. It was a real 'Wow!' moment.
"She suddenly changed gears, just like Al said, and it all suddenly clicked," adds Lee. "She took all that information, processed it, and applied it. That was the real turning point. We were playing, and she was smiling, and we had this eye contact. For a long time I've had that drummer/bass player eye contact thing, and that's so important to me, and it was so much fun. And I thought, man, if she comes on this ride, it's going to be so good for us because she brings a whole different energy, it's wonderful." ...
The issue includes a separate interview with the new drummer, and here's Anika's take on those first few rehearsals:
... "I had a few songs prepared before I flew over, and we played those," she says in an interview in the new issue of Classic Rock. "But during the session, we also talked a lot about Neil - about his view on music and drumming. We spoke a great deal about the feel of the songs. The most important point is simply to capture the feeling - that it feels right for the two of them to play their music again. And ultimately, it will feel right for the fans as well. We talked about that a lot. The first session was really about getting to know each other and seeing how we function together." ...
In the interview with Geddy and Alex, Geddy reveals what songs they rehearsed:
... "We'd prepped five songs, but I think it might have been Limelight," says Lee. "We wouldn't have wanted something like YYZ as the first song, though we did run through it in those sessions. We played [Spirit Of] Radio with Anika too. I can't remember what else we played. We did Subdivisions, so it might have been that." "And that is a seemingly simple song for us," says Lifeson. "That's been fascinating to watch. So you get a sense of appreciation for the way the song is, but you also get a more acute appreciation for how Neil played. Because when you see someone else trying to capture his feel, you realise what kind of player he was, and the tightness of his attitude, the firmness in attack as well. "With Tom Sawyer, or even Limelight, you can't just shuffle through those songs, you have to be attentive. And, you know, stand up straight. And that's sort of where the feel comes from."...
Rush's Fifty Something kicks off in just 2 months from now on June 7th in LA, and we now know the secret location where they've been rehearsing; Toronto's Union Sound Company. Daniel McGill is an Engineer/Mixer/Producer at Union Sound and posted the following photos and message to Instagram last night:
Spent the better part of the last year engineering @rush in preparation for their upcoming tour. Congratulations @anika.nilles and @lorengold !! Absolute pleasure working with everybody. Stoked for the tour! #rush #r50 #whoa
Over the course of the last year, we have had the incredible honour of hosting RUSH, as they rehearsed towards their upcoming 'Rush 50 Something' tour. Starting in early April 2025, we saw the arrival of the band and their initial meetings with drummer, Anika Nilles. Anika is an unmatched talent, who is as kind and cool, as she is gifted. In the fall, we also saw the addition of keyboard player, Loren Gold - also an unmistakeable talent. Over the 2.5 months at Union, there were many laughs, lots of sushi, and a mountain of work - and a level of musicianship that the band has always been known for. We wish Alex , Geddy ,Anika Nilles, Loren Gold and their amazing crew all the best as they embark on this monumental world tour! w/Darren McGill
Kansas drummer Phil Ehart will be publishing his new memoir I Am Phil later this month, and co-writer Paul Braoudakis provided RIAB an exclusive excerpt from the book where Phil describes his love and respect for Rush and his friendship with Neil Peart. The excerpt begins with Phil describing how early in his career, Peart requested some of Phil's help contacting Slingerland drums about an endorsement; Ehart had been endorsing Slingerland for a few years at the time. Long story short, Slingerland were not interested because they did not care for Rush's music (!!). You can read the entire excerpt in this post, and pre-order I Am Phil at PhilEhart.net.
Collectionzz are commemorating the 50th anniversary of Rush's 2112 with a new pair of officially-licensed, limited-edition prints from illustrator Dave Kloc, along with a 3-piece set of pins. The 2112 anniversary prints are 12"x36" and come in both a Main edition and a Rainbow Foil edition. The Main edition is limited to 212 prints, while 76 of the Rainbow Foil editions are available. From the artist:
... when I was asked to illustrate a piece for the 50th anniversary of this masterwork, I was both excited and deeply intimidated. I wanted to show the band, in their era specific robes, that was for sure. And I knew I had to include the Temple of Syrinx and I wanted to show the push and pull of technology with the ancient learned ways so drew these glowing literary vacuum tubes throughout the piece. But most of all I kept returning to the lyric "Let the banners be unfurled. Hold the red star proudly high in hand." and that's what I started sketching and built the temple around that. Within the floating orbs that Geddy, Alex and Neil travel in - you'll see them with their instruments, bass, guitar, drumsticks and notebook - respectively. One of the things I've loved most about being a Rush fan is talking to other fans and seeing the enthusiasm that they all share for the band and the history they created. So I hope this piece exudes the same feeling that we all have as fans of the band, forever enjoying the connection to the music and Neil's timeless lyrics.
In addition to the prints is a 3-piece pin set depicting the faces of Geddy, Alex and Neil as drawn by artist Tom Whalen in their iconic 2112 kimonos sitting within the red star logo. Each pin is 1.25" hard enamel with glitter set on a galactic backer card. Both the prints and the pin set are available for purchase via the Collectionzz website while supplies last.
Alex Lifeson's Envy of None project vocalist Maiah Wynne recently posted a video of herself covering Rush's Tears off of 2112; a song she has been performing on her current tour. You can check out the cover below or on YouTube. Here are Maiah's comments from her Instagram post announcing the cover:
A little acoustic cover of Tears by Rush. A really beautiful song. I love playing it on my harp guitar - full version is up on my YouTube channel. I had fun playing this last night in St. Louis at the Pageant. Can't wait to see you all on the road! Touring across the US all of April. Tickets still available ❤️❤️
To check out Maiah live on tour, visit maiahwynne.com.
That's all for this week. Have a great weekend and Happy Easter!
