We are now just under 3 short weeks away from the kickoff of Rush's Fifty Something tour, when they'll open things up right back where they ended 16 years ago - at the Forum in Los Angeles. The tour will head across North America in 2026, hitting 24 cities and 58 shows from June 7th up through December 17th. They'll then take a month off before picking things up again in South America, where they'll play 9 shows across Argentina, Brazil and Chile, before heading over to Europe for the final slate of shows. They'll be hitting 4 dates in Germany on that leg, and German magazine Eclipsed are celebrating the occasion with a cover feature in their May edition. There's also a new cover feature and interview with Geddy Lee in the Dutch magazine De Bassist (thanks Rinus).
This year's RUSHfest Scotland takes place this weekend at Drygate Brewery and the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow with Envy of None's Maiah Wynne as the featured guest along with author Kevin J. Anderson. They are also running a fundraiser raffle for the Funding Neuro cancer charity, where the winner receives two great tickets to Rush's tour kickoff in Los Angeles on June 7th. You can make a donation for your chance to win at justgiving.com, and find out more about RUSHfest Scotland via rushfestscotland.co.uk. Pianist David Sanderson has also released a new album for RUSHfest Scotland which features unique and fresh interpretations of Rush's music on piano. The album is available as a limited edtion vinyl LP with just 300 copies made, each including access to a full digital download of the album, which is also available for purchase separately. All profits from sales of the album go to Funding Neuro , and you can secure your copy via Bandcamp.
Toronto-based progressive blues-rock duo Crown Lands consists of drummer/singer Cody Bowles and guitarist Kevin Comeau, who bonded over their shared obsession with Rush several years ago and formed Crown Lands shortly after. The duo released their self-titled debut album in 2020, and were named Breakthrough Group of the Year at the 2021 JUNO Awards, with the album also being nominated for Rock Album of the Year. The pair make no secret regarding their obsession with Rush - the Crowns Lands album includes a 10-part song with sections referencing Rush's work titled Context: Fearless Pt. 1. They made a demo of the song with former Rush producer Terry Brown, and later worked on the track with Nick Raskulinecz, co-producer of Rush's last 2 albums, and David Bottrill (who remixed Rush's Vapor Trails album). The pair also joined Alex Lifeson and others as part of an ensemble performance of a Led Zeppelin medley at the 2021 Andy Kim Christmas show. In 2023, the duo recently released their sophomore album Fearless, with the centerpiece of the album being an epic, 18-minute, 10-part, Rush-inspired (part 1 is titled Overture!) track titled Starlifter: Fearless Pt. II, which continues the story of Fearless from their 2021 single The Oracle. Their latest album Apocalypse officially releases today via InsideOutMusic), and Exclaim! marked the occasion by asking guitarist/bassist Kevin Comeau to rank what he thinks are Rush's 5 best songs. Topping the list was Xanadu:
Towering over all Rush songs is none other than "Xanadu": the 11-minute progressive rock epic re-telling of the epic 19th century Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem "Kubla Khan." If I had to show someone one song that displays everything that makes Rush special, it's "Xanadu." This is the duelling double-neck song. It's so ambitious that Alex and Geddy needed custom instruments just to play it. It's the first time the band incorporated Taurus Pedals and Minmoog, and the first time Neil began expanding his kit beyond traditional rock drums into orchestral percussion: he brought in tubular bells and chimes. A new era of the band was born with this song. I think this song is the first time the world heard the Alex Lifeson chord: the F#7add4. ...
On the latest episode of the Something for Nothing podcast, hosts Steve and Gerry bring on guest Sean Faust to help them count down the top five songs they hope Rush plays on the upcoming tour. You can listen to the episode below or wherever you get your podcasts:
15 years ago this past Monday, May 11th, animated versions of Rush were featured in the South Park episode Royal Pudding (Season 15, Episode 3).
That's all for this week. Have a great weekend!!
