As mentioned in a Rush updates post from just after the New Year, Prog Magazine published a special, year-end edition (Prog #166) of the magazine early last month with a cover feature reading The Ultimate Review of 2025. The special issue looks back on prog rock's biggest stories, concerts, and music from the past year, including Rush's surprise announcement of their Fifty Something tour in October. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are one the several artists pictured on the cover, with a tagline reading, RUSH: The upcoming tour. Why it's happening and what we can expect. The issue includes a short article written by Philip Wilding where he talks about how - if 2025 is remembered for one thing - it would "most likely will be Rush announcing they were going back out on the road, with German drummer Anika Nilles, for their R50 shows". However, there are no new interview segments or new information regarding the tour itself, with Wilding making reference to a couple of past conversations he had with Geddy, and talking about fan complaints of ticket prices. John at Cygnus-X1.net has transcribed the entire article and made it available online here.

Rush will be releasing their long-anticipated 40th anniversary Grace Under Pressure box set in one month from today on March 13th, with pre-order/pre-save links available here. The set will feature a brand-new Terry Brown album mix commissioned by Rush, the first-ever release of the complete concert film and album of the September 21, 1984 Maple Leaf Gardens show, and liner notes from Geddy Lee reflecting on the album over 40 years after its release. Physical editions of the set will be available as a Super Deluxe version only, either with 4-CDs or 5 LPs. In addition, a Super Deluxe Digital Edition and a Dolby Atmos Digital Edition will be made available, along with the Grace Under Pressure Tour: Live in Toronto 1984 being made available to video DSPs. Rush has also posted the previously-unreleased video for Kid Gloves from the set to YouTube, and you can check it out at this location. You can get all the details as to what is and isn't included in the release in this post.

Rush's biggest selling and most successful album - 1981's Moving Pictures - celebrated the 45th anniversary since its release yesterday and Ultimate Classic Rock celebrated the occasion with this article highlighting 5 interesting tidbits about the iconic album, including the fact that Tom Sawyer was almost left off the album:

The lead single from Moving Pictures, "Limelight," reached No. 55 on the U.S. charts, and the third single, "Tom Sawyer," did even better - peaking at No. 44. The latter track has gone on to become Rush's most famous song, but in 2023 bassist / singer Geddy Lee revealed that he almost gave up on it. "It was a very difficult song to record," he told NPR's World Cafe. "Every turn, something was going wrong.... there were all these technical difficulties... nothing was working. And, at one point, I thought, 'Maybe we just forget this song and move on."

Rush will be releasing a reissue of of their debut album on 180g black vinyl, and are currently taking pre-orders via the Rush Backstage Club with a slated release date of February 25th. The album had previously been released on 200g vinyl as part of a 40th anniversary box set called Rush Rediscovered back in 2014. Although those sets are now out of print, they can still be found for purchase online for right around the same price (around $40-50) as what they are asking ($39.98) for the black vinyl release (one example here), and that doesn't come with all the extras. Just sayin'.

Author Daniel Bukszpan will be following up his 2024 book Rush at 50 with a new Rush book celebrating the 50th anniversary of Rush's 2112, which released in March of 1976. Rush And 2112: 50 Years comes in at 176 pages and will release next month on March 10th, with pre-orders now available. From the press release:

... Rush and 2112: 50 Years tells the complete story behind this landmark album through:

* A deep exploration of how 2112 was created and why it remains the band's masterpiece
* Track‑by‑track analysis, including insight into the iconic 20‑minute "2112" suite
* Historical context on the state of rock in the mid‑70s and the band's evolution in the decades that followed
* Rarely seen photography, including performance shots, candid off‑stage moments, and archival images
* Interviews and commentary that illuminate the band's creative process and enduring influence

Rush's impact on rock music and popular culture is undeniable. With over 40 million records sold and a fiercely devoted global fanbase, the band continues to inspire musicians, writers, and listeners across generations. This volume captures the virtuosity, innovation, and spirit that made Rush one of the most celebrated rock bands of all time.

Rush and 2112: 50 Years is an essential volume for fans old and new - a definitive tribute to a record that changed everything. ...

There was another Rush Fly By Night reference in the online comic Pooch Cafe this past week (thanks John B). There's a big, white dog character who calls himself By-tor the Snow Dog, who guards the Pooch Cafe during the long months of winter. The character originally showed up in a strip last January 26th.

The University of Minnesota Women's Gymnastics team posted a video this past week where the gymnasts reveal what their Pre-meet Hype Song is. The very 1st girl in the video is Senior Gianna Gerdes, and her hype song is ... none other than Rush's 2112! In the video comments someone remarked, "2112, the ENTIRE song? That's beyond incredible". To which she replied "the makeup routine is 20mins & 33sec" (that's the exact length of 2112). That girl was raised right! Thanks to my big bro Mike S for the heads up.

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That's all for this week. Have a great weekend everybody!