Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash has given his enthusiastic support to the upcoming Rush reunion tour, calling the announcement “so cool” and “wonderful.” In a new interview with Loudwire Nights, Slash revealed that he had recently spent time with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson and could tell he was “itching to go out and play.”
Slash recounted meeting Lifeson for the first time a few years ago when the Rush guitarist made a cameo in a movie he produced, “The Breach.”
“We hung out and had a great time,” Slash said. “We went to dinner and talked about all kinds of different stuff. But I could tell that he was really itching to go out and play, and he didn’t wanna go out and play in just whatever throw-together thing. He wanted to do something, but he didn’t seem to know what he wanted to do.”
The Guns N’ Roses guitarist explained that he empathized with Lifeson‘s situation. “I know how I would feel. There’s a certain amount of frustration in not being able to just do what you wanna do,” he said.
Given that personal insight, Slash was overjoyed to hear the news of the 2026 “Fifty Something” tour, which will see Lifeson and Geddy Lee team up with new drummer Anika Nilles to celebrate the Rush catalog and the life of Neil Peart.
“So with this announcement, I thought, ‘Man, that’s so cool, that they’re gonna go out there and they’ve got a great drummer and they’re gonna go out there and play,'” Slash stated. “And she is going out there and honoring Neil [Peart]. And I think it’s wonderful.”
The “Fifty Something” tour, which marks the first official Rush shows in 11 years, has been a massive, runaway success. The initial dates sold out instantly, prompting Lee and Lifeson to add a second show to all 17 cities on the second leg of the tour, turning the run into a series of multi-night residencies in arenas across North America. The tour is now scheduled to begin on June 7, 2026, in Los Angeles.
Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee have avoided recording or performing under the Rush name since Neil Peart‘s death. They did, however, confirm that numerous drummers reached out soon after Peart‘s passing to express interest in filling the iconic drum role.
Rush – “Fifty Something” 2026 Tour Dates:
- June 7, 9, 11, 13 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum (Sold Out)
- June 18 – Mexico City, MX – Palacio de los Deportes (Sold Out)
- June 20 – Mexico City, MX – Palacio de los Deportes (New Date)
- June 24, 26, 28, 30 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena (Sold Out)
- July 16, 18, 20, 22 – Chicago, IL – United Center (Sold Out)
- July 28, 30, Aug. 1, 3 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden (Sold Out)
- Aug. 7, 9, 11, 13 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena (Sold Out)
- Aug. 21 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena
- Aug. 23 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena (New Date)
- Aug. 26 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
- Aug. 28 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena (New Date)
- Sep. 2 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
- Sep. 4 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre (New Date)
- Sep. 12 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
- Sep. 14 – Boston, MA – TD Garden (New Date)
- Sep. 17, 19 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena (Sold Out)
- Sep. 23 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center
- Sep. 25 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center (New Date)
- Oct. 5 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
- Oct. 7 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena (New Date)
- Oct. 10 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
- Oct. 12 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena (New Date)
- Oct. 15 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
- Oct. 17 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center (New Date)
- Oct. 25 – Washington D.C. – Capital One Arena
- Oct. 27 – Washington D.C. – Capital One Arena (New Date)
- Oct. 30 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
- Nov. 1 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena (New Date)
- Nov. 5 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live
- Nov. 7 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live (New Date)
- Nov. 9 – Tampa, FL – Benchmark International Arena
- Nov. 11 – Tampa, FL – Benchmark International Arena (New Date)
- Nov. 20 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
- Nov. 22 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center (New Date)
- Nov. 25 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
- Nov. 27 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena (New Date)
- Dec. 1 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena
- Dec. 3 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena (New Date)
- Dec. 10 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
- Dec. 12 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place (New Date)
- Dec. 15 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
- Dec. 17 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena (New Date)
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