Ontario radio station “92.9 The Grand” has released the full press conference featuring Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush following their Sunday, March 29 comeback performance at the Juno Awards in Hamilton, Ontario.
The progressive rock veterans opened the awards ceremony by performing “Finding My Way”, a track from their 1974 self-titled debut album, Rush. The television appearance served as the official introduction of German drummer Anika Nilles, who is stepping into the lineup following the 2020 passing of Neil Peart.
Addressing the media, Geddy Lee discussed the band’s experience working and rehearsing with their newest member.
“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, because she’s a fantastic person, lovely, easy to work with and really deeply talented. So 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 too. She’s a bonus.”
The frontman expressed confidence that Neil Peart would approve of Anika Nilles, who previously toured with legendary guitarist Jeff Beck in 2022. She has spent the past year preparing with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson for the upcoming “Fifty Something” global tour.
“Neil is irreplaceable. And if he had something to say to us right now, he’d probably say, ‘You guys are idiots.’ But 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 Anika, it’s just another tribute to him. 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.”
In a recent interview with Classic Rock magazine, Anika Nilles detailed her initial rehearsal sessions with the legendary duo, highlighting the emotional weight of the undertaking.
“I had a few songs prepared before I flew over, and we played those. 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.”
The Juno Awards performance also featured keyboardist Loren Gold, who will accompany Rush on the road.
Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will launch their first official Rush concerts in 11 years this June at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California. The venue previously hosted the final Rush performance of the “R40” anniversary tour in 2015.
The 2026 North American leg of the “Fifty Something” tour will cover Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The itinerary initially consisted of 22 dates, which sold out immediately. The expanded schedule now features 58 shows across 24 cities, with over half a million tickets sold for 2026.
In February, Rush announced the addition of South American and European tour dates for early 2027. The schedule marks the band’s first European performances since 2013 and their first South American appearances in 17 years. The European leg will feature 24 shows across 13 countries. Billed as special “evening with” events, the band will perform two sets each night, building distinct setlists from a rotating catalog of more than 40 songs.
Rush “Fifty Something” 2026 Tour Dates:
- June 7, 9, 11, 13 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
- June 18 – Mexico City, MX – Palacio de los Deportes
- June 20 – Mexico City, MX – Palacio de los Deportes
- June 24, 26, 28, 30 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
- July 16, 18, 20, 22 – Chicago, IL – United Center
- July 28, 30, Aug. 1, 3 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
- Aug. 7, 9, 11, 13 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
- Aug. 21 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena
- Aug. 23 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena
- Aug. 26 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
- Aug. 28 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
- Sep. 2 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
- Sep. 4 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
- Sep. 12 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
- Sep. 14 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
- Sep. 17, 19 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena
- Sep. 23 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center
- Sep. 25 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center
- Oct. 5 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
- Oct. 7 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
- Oct. 10 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
- Oct. 12 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
- Oct. 15 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
- Oct. 17 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
- Oct. 25 – Washington D.C. – Capital One Arena
- Oct. 27 – Washington D.C. – Capital One Arena
- Oct. 30 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
- Nov. 1 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
- Nov. 5 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live
- Nov. 7 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live
- Nov. 9 – Tampa, FL – Benchmark International Arena
- Nov. 11 – Tampa, FL – Benchmark International Arena
- Nov. 20 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
- Nov. 22 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
- Nov. 25 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
- Nov. 27 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
- Dec. 1 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena
- Dec. 3 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena
- Dec. 10 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
- Dec. 12 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
- Dec. 15 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
- Dec. 17 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Rush “Fifty Something” 2027 UK And European Tour:
- February 19: Paris, FRA – La Défense Arena
- February 21: Berlin, GER – Uber Arena
- February 23: Amsterdam, NED – Ziggo Dome
- February 25: Munich, GER – Olympiahalle
- February 28: Cologne, GER – LANXESS Arena
- March 2: Hamburg, GER – Barclays Arena
- March 4: Stuttgart, GER – Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
- March 8: Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
- March 12: Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
- March 16: London, UK – The O2 Arena
- March 18: London, UK – The O2 Arena
- March 27: Kraków, POL – Arena Kraków
- March 30: Milan, ITA – Unipol Dome
- April 1: Basel, SWI – St. Jakobshalle
- April 4: Copenhagen, DEN – Royal Arena
- April 6: Oslo, NOR – Unity Arena
- April 8: Stockholm, SWE – Avicii Arena
- April 10: Helsinki, FIN – Veikkaus Arena
Rush “Fifty Something” 2027 South America Dates:
- January 15: Buenos Aires, AR
- January 22: Curitiba, BR
- January 24: São Paulo, BR
- January 30: Rio De Janeiro, BR
- February 01: Belo Horizonte, BR
- February 04: Brasília, BR
