Rush members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are deep into preparations for their highly anticipated “Fifty Something” reunion tour. The massive 2026 and 2027 global trek will mark the duo’s first official shows under the Rush banner in 11 years, launching at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, the exact venue where the legendary Canadian rock trio concluded their “R40” anniversary tour.
Stepping into the monumental role left by the late Neil Peart is German drumming virtuoso Anika Nilles, widely known for her time touring with guitar icon Jeff Beck in 2022. The upcoming tour is designed to celebrate the expansive musical legacy of Rush while honoring the life and unmatched contributions of their beloved drummer and lyricist.
During a new, in-depth interview with producer and YouTube personality Rick Beato, the musicians discussed the daunting process of building a dynamic, 38-song rotation to be spread across four shows per city.
Asked if the ambitious setlist would feature tracks from every single album in the band’s catalog, Geddy Lee provided the following complete statement:
“I haven’t checked. I have not checked. I don’t think every record is represented, and some are over-represented for kind of obvious reasons. And what’s interesting, and one of the reasons I really wanted to go out on tour is there’s so many fan letters and messages I get from fans that became young musicians after our last gig. And they really would love to hear some of those songs. And so that’s an opportunity for them, and, of course, they’re not fortunate enough to hear Neil play those songs, but we’ll do our best to make them happy.”
Because the band is working with an entirely new rhythm section anchor, the rehearsal schedule had to be completely overhauled. Alex Lifeson detailed the stark contrast between their historical tour preparations and the intensive four-month boot camp required to get the current lineup stage-ready:
“Well, that’s the difference. In the past, we would plan a couple of months maybe, six weeks, on our own. We’d have a list of about four hours’ worth of music. Then we’d sort of whittle it down to what the show would probably be. And then we would have a month together. So you’ve already prepped, and then we’re together for a month, and then we would go into full production somewhere in an arena somewhere for maybe 10 days, and then the tour would start. So we have the benefit of four months, basically, of prep. This time around, Anika had to learn all these songs.”
Building on that point, Geddy Lee highlighted the unique challenge of teaching an outsider how to navigate the incredibly complex nature of their decades-old catalog. He praised Anika Nilles for her relentless work ethic and the fresh perspective she brings to the camp:
“And one important thing that goes unmentioned is when you’re preparing for a tour, when we would prepare for a tour with Neil, we’re working really on new material that we just recorded, because the old stuff we knew. For this tour, we’re starting from scratch and we’re really teaching an incredibly talented, exciting drummer that comes from a very different school of music how to understand 40 songs from this weird, idiosyncratic band. That’s a horse of an entirely different color. And that was difficult, but also exciting because when all the tumblers fall into place and she gets the vibe and she’s feeling it, and her and I are playing together, and we’re smiling. And it’s, like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be so much fun.’ And she’s embraced it. She’s an amazing talent, but she’s such a great person. She’s got the right attitude. She works hard. She’s not afraid to work hard. And she loves to play the same way we love to play, so we have that in common. Maybe every musician has that — I don’t know; I imagine so — but it’s been good for us to be around… And she brings something fresh. She brings a different story to our story. And I think that’s really nice. And I think our fans have responded to the fact that we didn’t get someone from another famous band and all that, ‘Well, you should’ve got this guy or that guy.’ This is a whole different feeling. It’s non-competitive. And we’re very lucky, ’cause she’s the only drummer we thought of. We tried out one drummer.”
The extended time in the rehearsal room has resulted in a deep, joyful musical connection. Alex Lifeson expressed immense enthusiasm about the current state of the band:
“And after this time together, we’ve really bonded. It’s not just about playing the songs and learning the music and playing it; it’s about really falling in love with each other. And there’s such a strong feeling, a joyful feeling of working together, playing together, and it just gets better and better and better as we progress with the songs. Now that we’re at the stage where we’re just playing everything and starting to get our pacing, it’s just so much fun. We just can’t wait every day to get back in here and do it.”
Integrating into Rush requires navigating relentless time signature changes and staggering technical demands. Geddy Lee shared a humorous anecdote about a recent setlist adjustment that pushed the new drummer to her limit, while also acknowledging the immense courage required to step into a role that will inevitably face intense scrutiny.
“We added one song, one extra song recently. And she freaked out. I knew she would freak out, but she freaked out. She said, ‘My hard drive is full.’ And this song has a lot of complicated time signature changes. And so we made a deal. We pulled two songs out in exchange for this one song. She said, ‘Okay.’ But she’s up for it. And that’s a very difficult seat to sit in. And some people will never forgive us for going on with somebody else. And she has the guts to sit in that seat, to accept that gig and take whatever fans are gonna dish out. And that’s not a small thing. That’s a huge thing. And it’s not out of arrogance. It’s out of confidence and respect for Neil. When you hear her talk about Neil, she really understands and appreciates his greatness. And none of this that happens is diminishing his greatness by one iota,” he concluded.
Neil Peart passed away on January 7, 2020, following a private, three-and-a-half-year battle with brain cancer. The band intentionally delayed the public announcement of his passing for three days to respect the family’s privacy, sending shockwaves through the global music community. In 2022, Geddy Lee publicly confirmed that the drummer had explicitly requested his diagnosis remain a secret, a decision that required the surviving members to be fundamentally dishonest with the press and fans during his final years to fiercely protect his privacy.
Rush made their first public live appearance with Anika Nilles this past March at the Juno Awards in Hamilton, Ontario, delivering a performance of “Finding My Way“—the opening track from their 1974 debut album, which stands as the only studio record in the band’s catalog recorded prior to Neil Peart joining the lineup.
The full-scale “Fifty Something” tour officially launches next month on June 7, 2026, at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Designed as “An Evening With” experience, the performances will feature no opening acts, with the power trio delivering two complete sets per night. The production has curated a rotation of 40 classic tracks to build unique, fluctuating setlists for each city.
The North American leg includes highly anticipated, sold-out multi-night stands in Chicago, Cleveland, Fort Worth, New York, and Toronto, alongside major stops in Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. The tour lineup will also be augmented by veteran keyboardist Loren Gold.
Following the North American run, the band will transition internationally into 2027. The South American dates will kick off on January 15, 2027, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and conclude on February 4, 2027, in Brasília, Brazil. Rush will then launch their European itinerary on February 19, 2027, in Paris, carrying the tour through to an April 10, 2027 finale in Helsinki, Finland.
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
