Anika Nilles has officially released the music video for her new track, “Drip“. The song, which was co-written by Anika and Nevell, is featured on the drummer’s fourth studio album, False Truth, originally released in September 2025.
The German musician recently made international headlines after being selected to step behind the kit for the legendary Canadian rock band Rush. She will be filling in for the late Neil Peart as the band embarks on their highly anticipated surprise “Fifty Something” reunion tour later this year.
Although Anika Nilles did not begin her professional drumming career until the age of 26, she has rapidly established herself as a premier talent in the music industry. Her impressive resume includes embarking on world tours alongside guitar icon Jeff Beck, headlining her own sold-out shows, and securing multiple industry awards. Furthermore, her thrilling and creative online performances have amassed a staggering 20 million views worldwide.
Known for a sophisticated style and a level of musical finesse rarely witnessed behind the drum kit, she serves as an ongoing inspiration to drummers across the globe. Fiercely determined, she approaches the kit not just to keep the beat, but to craft melodic percussive instrumentation through rhythmic complexities that traditionally sit within other sections of a band.
Her signature sound serves as a melting pot of diverse musical influences, seamlessly blending elements of rock, pop, jazz, and funk. Her vibrant personality as a performer remains a focal point as she consistently explores new ways to build a compelling narrative from behind the drum riser.
In a new interview with the U.K.’s The Guardian, Lee and Lifeson discussed their initial rehearsal sessions with Nilles, which took place back in March 2025.
When asked if they expected their new drummer to reproduce Peart‘s iconic parts exactly, Lifeson explained their philosophy.
“It has to start there. They have to be true to the arrangements, because that’s the expectation from the fans. But we don’t place any restrictions on her. When she is comfortable and confident in the arrangements, she’s free to enhance them with her own spirit.”
However, Lee admitted that finding their groove together was not an instant process. He openly shared his early doubts about the collaboration.
“And she will. But I don’t think we knew when she arrived what our expectations were, to be honest. When we started playing with her, something felt wrong. And I was, of course: ‘This is not gonna work.’ Those seemingly impossible fills were not a problem for her at all. What was difficult was understanding a relationship between snare, bass drum and hi-hat that’s different from her training.”
Despite a rocky first few days, the trio decided to push forward.
“The first four days were up and down, and she was nervous, and she was jetlagged, and we were unsure. We had a little chat before the last day — ‘I don’t know, Al, is this going to work?’ We talked about all the things we liked about her, and what a work ethic she has, nice person and deep knowledge, deep technical ability. So there’s a lot of positives. So let’s not be hasty. And we went into that last day and she just f**king nailed it,” Geddy said.
Lifeson echoed that sentiment:
“She suddenly understood what we were talking about that whole week, not about the technical aspect, but about the stuff in between the big stuff, that Neil was just so amazing at and those internal dynamics that only another drummer can understand, and it clicked in her.”
Geddy and Alex had already discussed their first rehearsals with Anika earlier this month during an interview with Leona Graham from the U.K.’s “Absolute Radio.”
Alex said at the time:
“She’s a wonderful person. So that was half of the quest, can we find somebody that’s gonna be really fun to be with? She’s really a lovely person. She laughs easily. She felt immediately comfortable. I think she was quite nervous in those first few days… But she worked really hard. She prepped for it. She had five songs, and we went through those songs. But by the fourth day, Ged and I, we talked and we were quite sold on it. There was something that just wasn’t there quite. And we talked to her about the importance of the feel that Neil had in his drum arrangements. And then on the fifth day, which was the final day that we rehearsed — bang! — she just nailed all those songs. And that turned everything around. And we again got together at the studio and thought, ‘Okay, this is really gonna be worth doing. Let’s talk to her about it.’ And we brought her in and asked her if she’d be willing to continue. And she was really enthusiastic about it. And then we just continued throughout the year. That was in March. And then we got together in June and August and November, and [we went through] more material. And she was feeling more settled.”
Geddy added:
“But that was the moment that the final tumbler clicked into place. On that day he’s describing, it was very much like that. We had all these questions, and that day those questions were erased. And we knew we had someone that would be fun to travel with us down this road. That’s when we had to get serious — ’cause we were starting from scratch. We had no crew, really. We had no management. We had to learn about the modern state of touring: how are we gonna put this show back on the road? So, it’s been a lot of work, but we’ve surrounded ourselves with some great people. And now we’re on that road.”
Lifeson confirmed the band is preparing around 40 songs to ensure variety.
“Yeah. [There will be] two sets each night. And our intention is to mix it up from one night to the next in a cycle of about five nights, so that every set will have other songs in them. So that we can really service the fans that like to come to our shows multiple times, give them the opportunity to hear other music. And it’s not just the same show over and over. It’s a lot more pressure [on us], but it’s good. It’s a challenge. It keeps you on your toes.”
Lee noted that the workload for Nilles is immense, as the band continues to add tracks to the setlist.
“Last night we were talking to Anika. We saw her in Berlin. We were doing press there, and we were rehearsing together a few days ago. And there was this one song that we thought, ‘Oh, we should add that to the set.’ We’re up to 39 songs. And so I said, ‘Anika, we’re adding one more song.’ She said, ‘Noooo. I’m just getting comfortable with the first 25.’ So it’s a lot of pressure on her, obviously. I think she has the constitution and the mental capacity to handle it, ’cause she’s gonna be under scrutiny.”
Lee also insisted on keeping the specific tracks under wraps for now.
“Oh, we’re not gonna talk about setlists yet, because there are very few secrets in the world of the Internet now. And we know it’ll only be a secret for one week, and then everyone will know. So, obviously there are the big songs that people know and love that we will have to play regularly and we want to play regularly. But there’s gonna be a turnover — about 40% of the set will be different night to night to night. I think we have five different days’ worth of sets.”
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
