Rush are back. On Saturday night (July 11), the band returned to the stage for the first time since bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee was sidelined by laryngitis and bronchitis — an illness that forced the postponement of two shows on their “Fifty Something” tour. Fan-filmed footage of the full July 11 concert at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas has surfaced online.
The comeback caps a bumpy stretch for the run, which launched June 7 in Los Angeles and stands as Rush‘s first tour in more than a decade — and their first since the 2020 death of legendary drummer Neil Peart.
Lee‘s diagnosis had knocked out the band’s June 30 and July 2 dates at Dickies Arena. The July 2 show had already been rescheduled once — originally set for June 24 before “travel and border-related delays” disrupted the production. Rush‘s earlier Fort Worth performances on June 26 and June 28 marked their first North Texas concerts since the “R40” tour rolled through in 2015.
After finishing their four-night Dickies Arena stand on Monday, July 13, the “Fifty Something” trek heads to Chicago for four nights beginning July 16.
The tour is Rush‘s first outing with a retooled lineup: founding members Lee (vocals, bass) and Alex Lifeson (guitar) are joined by German drummer Anika Nilles, who toured with guitar great Jeff Beck in 2022, and keyboardist Loren Gold, a familiar touring hand for both The Who and Chicago. Each night draws from a pool of nearly 40 Rush classics across two sets built as a celebration of Peart‘s life and legacy.
Demand has been enormous. The 2026 leg, spanning Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, opened with 22 dates that sold out instantly, prompting the band to add more; the run now totals 58 shows across 24 cities, with over half a million tickets sold. In February, Rush tacked on South American and European dates for early 2027 — their first European shows since 2013 and their first South American appearances in 17 years.
The band first performed publicly with Nilles at Canada’s Juno Awards in Hamilton, Ontario in late March, playing “Finding My Way“, the opening track from their debut album and the only Rush LP without Peart. That set marked Lee and Lifeson‘s first as Rush since wrapping their 40th-anniversary tour in 2015, though the two have occasionally performed under their own names, including tributes to Gordon Lightfoot and Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.
Peart died in January 2020 following a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. He was 67. The band waited three days to announce his passing, which touched off an outpouring of grief from fans and musicians worldwide.
Rush — Dickies Arena setlist (July 11, 2026):
Set 1:
- “Xanadu”
- “Dreamline”
- “Subdivisions”
- “Headlong Flight”
- Neil Peart Tribute Collage 1
- “Bravado”
- “Red Sector A”
- “La Villa Strangiato”
- “Anthem”
- “New World Man”
- “The Spirit Of Radio”
Set 2 (Moving Pictures):
- “Tom Sawyer”
- “Red Barchetta”
- “YYZ”
- “Limelight”
- “The Camera Eye”
- “Witch Hunt”
- “Vital Signs”
- Neil Peart Tribute Collage 2
- “Time Stand Still”
- “Closer To The Heart”
- “2112 Part I: Overture”
- “2112 Part II: The Temples Of Syrinx”
- “2112 Part VII: Grand Finale”
Encore:
- “By-Tor & The Snow Dog”
- “Working Man”
