Geddy Lee recalls a bird visiting his hotel room on Rush‘s opening night, asked whether he has sensed Neil Peart on tour.
The poster for Rush‘s “Fifty Something” tour shows two birds sitting on a wire while a third flies away. On the night the tour opened, Geddy Lee says one turned up in his hotel room.
Asked by Joanne Wilder of Toronto radio station “Q107” whether he has seen any sign that Neil Peart is travelling with the band, the bassist and singer laughed before telling the story.
“Spooky question. Well, it’s funny. I’ll tell you a little story. After the opening night, we were staying in L.A., and I was texting Al [Rrush guitarist Alex Lifeson]. We were in the same hotel, but we were texting each other. And so my door to my room was open a crack. And I don’t know if you’ve seen the posters [promoting the ‘Fifty Something‘ tour] that have two birds on a wire and the one bird is flying away. I looked in front of me on the floor, and there was a bird on the floor that looked just like that bird in the poster. And I was kind of shocked. And I love birds, so I approached it, and it flew by me and flew into my bedroom and sat on the edge of my bed. And when I approached it, it was like it was looking at me, and then it flew out the door. So I quickly ran to the computer and was texting Al this crazy story that just had happened,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Lee was careful to say what he does and does not believe.
“Now, I’m not a guy who believes in all that mumbo jumbo,” Lee added. “But it was a kind of remarkable moment. And as I was texting him, the bird returned and just stuck its head in the doorway, like to give me another nod. And then I said, ‘Okay, bye,’ and it flew away. It was a crazy, crazy [thing to happen].”
That opening night, on June 7, took place at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, the same arena where Rush played their last show with Peart on August 1, 2015, closing out the “R40” tour. Lee and Alex Lifeson had not performed together as Rush in the eleven years since. The bird arrived hours after they walked back into that building.
Peart died on January 7, 2020 in Santa Monica, California, at 67, following a three-year illness with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. The band made the news public three days later, and the announcement drew tributes from musicians and fans across the world.
Lee and Lifeson revealed the reunion from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame stage in October 2025, framing it as a celebration of the catalogue and a tribute to their late bandmate. The initial dates sold out immediately, the run was doubled, and further shows were added on top of that, pushing the tour into early 2027.
Behind the kit is German drummer Anika Nilles, who played more than 60 shows with Jeff Beck and has four solo albums to her name. She worked through Peart‘s parts in detail before taking the seat. Keyboardist Loren Gold, a touring member of The Who and Chicago, has since been added to the lineup. The four made their live debut together at the Juno Awards in late March, Rush‘s first performance in more than a decade.
The tour runs as an “evening with” format across Canada, the United States and Mexico, with two sets a night and a different setlist at every stop, drawn from a working catalogue of around 35 songs.
Lee has been clear that the road has a limit. He said earlier this week that “there are only so many gigs left” in his body and ruled out recording new Rush material.
