Two weeks ago on Sunday, October 5th, Rush stunned the music world when they announced that they had decided to go back on tour with new drummer Anika Nilles in a secret, private event at Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The difficult decision came over 10 years after the band's last tour, and 5 years after the death of longtime Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. The event itself was billed as an evening in conversation with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, hosted by Geoff Edgers, and also featuring Donna Halper introducing the band, but nothing regarding the subject matter was provided. The big news was revealed after Edgers read this question from a fan: will you ever tour again?. To say that Geddy's response surprised everyone is a gross understatement:

... you know, I kind of think that we should tour next year (Alex says 'Okay'). All right. All right. You talked to us into it. [applause] ...

After many cheers and applause, the pair then went on to describe their thought process in coming to the decision, and provided a few more details for fans. Attendees at the event were required to sign an NDA, and could not discuss the announcement until it was made official the next morning. I was lucky enough to attend the event and gave a rundown in this video on the RIAB YouTube channel. There's also this account from Cleveland's Dr. J of XStream Rock Radio, and Peter Chakerian of Cleveland.com's coverage here, along with Ultimate Classic Rock's rundown here. An edited video of portions of the event can be seen in this video. The official announcement of Rush's Fifty Something tour came in a press release and video the following day at 10AM:

... "It's been over 10 years since Alex and I have performed the music of RUSH alongside our fallen bandmate and friend Neil. A lifetime's worth of songs that we had put our cumulative hearts and souls into writing, recording and playing together onstage. And so, after all that has gone down since that last show, Alex and I have done some serious soul searching and come to the decision that we fucking miss it, and that it's time for a celebration of 50-something years of RUSH music. So in 2026 my BFF Lerxst (aka Alex Lifeson) and I are going to hit the road once again to pay tribute to our past and to Neil by performing a vast selection of RUSH songs in a handful of cities. No small task, because as we all know Neil was irreplaceable.

Yet life is full of surprises, and we have been introduced to another remarkable person; an incredible drummer and musician who is adding another chapter to our story while continuing her own fascinating musical journey. Her name is Anika Nilles, and we could not be more excited to introduce her to our loyal and dedicated RUSH fanbase, whom, we know, will give her every chance to live up to that near impossible role. Before we hit the stage, we also hope to add another musician or two to expand our sound a wee bit and free up Alex and I, in order to show off some of our new fancy dance steps.

Lerxst, Anika and myself, along with many of our longstanding crew members have been hard at work rehearsing and designing the kind of RUSH show you've grown accustomed to expect from us. We dearly hope you will come along and help us celebrate our history together." ...

The band understood that many fans would have mixed feelings about them deciding to tour as Rush but without Neil Peart, so they made sure to get the blessing of Peart's widow Carrie and daughter Olivia:

"We are thrilled to support the Fifty Something tour, celebrating a band whose music has resonated and inspired fans for generations, and to honor Neil's extraordinary legacy as both a drummer and lyricist.

Neil's musicianship was singular. Compositions of intricacy and power that expanded what rhythm itself could express. As both drummer and lyricist, he was irreplaceable. Inimitable in his artistry, and unmatched in the depth and imagination he brought to the lyrics that inspired and moved so many, he profoundly shaped how fans connected with him and the band, giving voice and meaning to their own lives.

As the band enters this new chapter, it promises to be truly unforgettable. We are excited to see how their new vision unfolds, and to hear this legendary music played live once again."

They will also be dedicating part of each show to honor Neil Peart in some kind of way, and a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to funding the Neil Peart Memorial at Lakeside Park. Although Peart's mother and sisters did not know of the announcement beforehand, they did give their blessing after the fact, with Neil's sister Nancy posting the following to the Peart Family Events Facebook group:

Hi Everyone!

Since my inbox is overflowing, it is much easier to write once in response to the hundreds of messages and 'how do you feel' questions. It was definitely surprising news this morning! Thank you to everyone for being concerned!

We are very happy for Geddy and Alex that they want to keep playing while they can. As long as they feel they can keep that level up that created their music for 40 years then that is great for them!

We are also very happy at their female drummer selection, both for the fans and for herself ~hoping it will help keep away all of the negative comparison and not having to try and replicate the persona as a male may feel the need to. You can imagine those shoes to fill would be daunting to anyone so, great choice!

We certainly love seeing all of our tribute band friends play and never feel the need to 'compare', and just enjoy! So, for all of you on the fence, if you want to go and experience Geddy and Alex once again, enjoy!!! Maybe they will make a big donation to the Neil Peart Tribute being planned at Lakeside Park and help get it moving 🙂

All the best,
Nancy, Judy & Betty Peart

New drummer Anika Nilles made her first public statement about the tour via her Instagram last week:

Hey there,
the past few days have been quite overwhelming. I'm sure many of you feel the same. I want to take a moment to sincerely thank Geddy and Alex for their trust and for welcoming me on this incredible new journey with @rush . I also don't want to miss the chance to warmly welcome all the new faces here and to thank you for your kind and open-minded words - they truly mean a lot. At the same time, I'm deeply grateful to everyone who has followed and supported my journey over the years. We're all in this together now, and I couldn't be more excited about what lies ahead.

xx anika

Anika is an incredible drummer and a great person by all accounts, so I encourage everyone to check her out online by visiting her website and social media channels. Pre-sales for the tour launched last Friday, kicking off a storm of complaints (rightly so) from fans regarding the outrageous ticket prices, and confusing process. That said, the issue is not unique to Rush, and affects all major acts planning a tour these days. Live Nation/Ticketmaster essentially have a monopoly on the ticket industry, and it's nearly impossible for a band on the level of Rush to plan a tour without working within the constraints of that reality. That reality sucks for fans priced out of the process, but there's little to be done about it (although the DOJ has a lawsuit pending against TM/LN). The public on-sale for the tour kicks off today at 12PM LOCAL VENUE TIME, so fans will have another opportunity to purchase tickets. The band had initially announced that they'd be hitting 7 cities with 12 total dates; 2 shows in LA, Chicago, New York City, Toronto and Fort Worth, along with 1 show in Cleveland and another in Mexico City. Just 2 days after the initial announcement, they nearly doubled the tour by adding 2 more shows in the above cities and 1 more in Cleveland for a total of 23 shows:

Sun Jun 07 Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum
Tue Jun 09 Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum
Thu Jun 11 Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum
Sat Jun 13 Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum
Thu Jun 18 Mexico City, MX. Palacio de los Deportes
Wed Jun 24 Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena
Fri Jun 26 Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena
Sun Jun 28 Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena
Tue Jun 30 Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena
Thu Jul 16 Chicago, IL United Center
Sat Jul 18 Chicago, IL United Center
Mon Jul 20 Chicago, IL United Center
Wed Jul 22 Chicago, IL United Center
Tue Jul 28 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Thu Jul 30 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Sat Aug 1 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Mon Aug 3 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Fri Aug 07 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
Sun Aug 09 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
Tue Aug 11 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
Thu Aug 13 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
Thu Sep 17 Cleveland, OH Rocket Arena
Sat Sep 19 Cleveland, OH Rocket Arena

A lot has changed in the industry since Rush last toured, so the band turned to Cliff Burnstein's Q Prime to manage the tour, which stands to be quite different from past Rush tours. Past tours generally saw the band performing 40-ish shows, but rarely more than 1 in any given city, with a night off in-between, and 3-hour sets including an intermission. With this new paradigm, the band is essentially doing mini-residencies in just a few cities - having fans come to them, rather than the opposite. Something that makes a lot of sense given the fact that Geddy and Alex are now in their '70s. They also won't be playing 3-hour sets, but Geddy has indicated they will still be over 2 hours long, and - unlike in the past - they'll be rotating setlists regularly and have about 35 songs already slated. It's very possible that more shows will be added to the tour, but more likely in Europe than any more North American cities (at least on this initial leg). Geddy and Alex have publicly stated a few times over the past decade that they regret having skipped Europe on the last tour, so adding additional mini-residencies over in London, Germany, etc. seems likely at some point; South America is also not out of the question. If the tour is a success and Ged/Al's health holds out, there's always the possibility of them adding another leg in the future as well. There are several contests going on in various cities to win some tickets. Check your local news sources for details, but some that we are aware of are through SiriusXM for Toronto, iHeartRadio (Toronto, NYC), and Loudwire for Chicago. Also of note, Rushcon has announced a return for the new tour, and plan to have an event the weekend of the first 2 shows in Toronto.

Geddy Lee's latest book 72 Stories from the Collection of Geddy Lee released last Tuesday, and this past weekend Geddy Lee visited the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City for a 72 Stories signing event at the Museum where Museum President Bob Kendrick interviewed Geddy about the book in front of an audience of around 500 folks, and then signed copies for fans. You can watch video of the interview below or on YouTube at this location. After the event, Geddy Lee put up an Instagram post with a few photos along with this message:

Thanks to all the kind folks that came out to support the Negro Leagues Museum as well as my book, 72 Stories. An inspiring place that holds within its walls an important aspect of American history and is deserving of support and preservation. I had a blast with the ever gracious and masterful story teller Bob Kendrick. (Waiting for your book Bob!) Yet, I could not leave without pausing to stand between the statues of two of the greatest players to ever grace a ball-field, the mighty catcher Josh Gibson and "The Maestro" Martin Dihigo. ...

On a related note, the Toronto Blue Jays took on the New York Yankees in the MLB American League Division Series at the Rogers Centre in Toronto earlier this month (the Jays ended up advancing to the ALCS), and Geddy Lee was there. Ged was called out on the broadcast as they showed him sitting in his seats behind home plate, and he (and Rush's Tom Sawyer) also starred in a hype video that the Jays released prior to the game as seen here.

The Rheostatics will be releasing their new album The Great Lakes Suite featuring Rush's Alex Lifeson on November 21st. That same weekend the band (including Alex) will be hosting a pair of SOLD OUT shows at TD Music Hall in Toronto where they'll be performing the album live. This past week they announced the album release along with the debut of the album's first single, Inland Sea. From v13.net:

... The album celebrates the influential band's incredible 45-year anniversary, and features 18 tracks of primarily improvised music and spoken word, performed by longtime members Dave Bidini, Dave Clark, Don Kerr, and Tim Vesely, with newer additions Kevin Hearn and Hugh Marsh, alongside legendary guitarist Alex Lifeson.

The single "Inland Sea" arrives today, a shimmering reflection on the mystery and majesty of the Great Lakes, accompanied by a whimsical video directed and animated by JUNO Award-winning filmmaker and illustrator Sarah Legault. The piece weaves together historic maritime paintings by Robert McGreevy with artwork by Kevin Hearn, Jared Tait, Martin Tielli, and John Sherbourne, creating a dreamlike voyage.

Alex Lifeson's Envy of None project with Andy Curran, guitarist Alfio Annibalini and vocalist Maiah Wynne have signed an exclusive worldwide co-publishing agreement with Anthem Music Publishing. The deal was announced via Billboard yesterday:

... The deal centers on expanding creative and commercial opportunities for the group's latest album, Stygian Wavz, released in March via Kscope. Anthem will work closely with the group to secure global sync placements, licensing and strategic initiatives for standout tracks such as "The Story" and their newest single, "Thrill of The Chase." Jason Klein, CEO of Anthem Music Group, emphasized the significance of the partnership, "given our long-term relationship with Rush and Coney Hatch," adding, "This partnership allows us to shine a brighter light on the incredible songwriting and sonic depth that Envy of None brings to the table." Wynne echoed the sentiment, calling Anthem "family" and expressing excitement for the collaboration. ...

Envy of None released their second album Stygian Wavz back in March via Kscope Records. Last month the project released The Thrill - a 3-track single including an alternative version of Stygian Wavz's 4th track Thrill of the Chase, a demo version, and the album track itself. In addition to a digital release, they will also be releasing The Thrill as a 12" colored vinyl version with all proceeds donated to UNHCR's response to the Ukraine emergency - available exclusively from the band's merch store here. Vocalist Maiah Wynne was a recent guest on Metal Mayhem ROC to discuss the album, The Thrill, and her thoughts on Rush reuniting for a tour:

... It's very exciting. It's such an exciting announcement and I didn't know until the day of the announcement. I knew there was some announcement, but they have to be so secretive about it because, they didn't want the news getting out. Andy [Curran] knew, but he was sworn to secrecy. Had to sign an NDA and all this stuff. And he's like, "I really wish I could tell you, but I can't". And then the news came out. But I think I had kind of suspected that maybe something was going on from hints that Alex had kind of given. But it's very exciting and I'm really, really happy for him. ...

Alex Lifeson and Mojotone are commemorating Rush's 50th anniversary with the release of the Lerxst R50 Collection, a trio of limited-edition products including the R50 CHI Combo Amp, R50 By-Tor Pedal, and R50 Blah Blah Wah Pedal. Each item is dressed in an R50-branded black-and-gold finish, and limited to just 50 pieces worldwide, with all three items available exclusively at the Lerxst Reverb Store. For all the details, visit alexlifeson.com, and check out this video of the Lerxst R50 Chi in action.

Legendary KISS guitarist Ace Frehley passed away yesterday in Morristown, New Jersey at the age of 74. KISS and Rush developed a close friendship back in the early '70s when Rush opened up for KISS on several of their early tours. Rush was particularly fond of Ace Frehley, who loved telling stories of both bands' antics on the road. He particularly liked telling the story of The Bag; from Frehley's 2011 biography No Regrets:

... I have so many road stories, but one that always comes to mind is the tour we did in the summer of 1975 with Rush opening for us. I always liked Rush (and still do). After a few weeks on tour I started to get to know the guys in the band, and their very funny tour manager, Howie. One thing led to another and before long Peter and I were getting visits from the Rush boys. It usually turned into late evenings filled with beer and grass and whatever else was around. Alex Lifeson, the band's guitarist, used to do this hysterical routine with a large paper laundry bag. He'd draw a ridiculous giant face on the bag with a black marker and put it over his head with a couple of holes poked in it so he could see and breathe. Everyone in the room at this point was either drunk or stoned, but usually a little of both. Anyway, Alex would go into this routine with the bag over his head and while smoking a joint out of his eye he put everyone into total hysterics. He really milked the routine until everyone was gasping for air! ...

I am sad to have to report some more bad news; longtime RIAB reader - and my friend - Darren Michaloski (aka RushFanForever) passed away suddenly last month. No one other than myself has contributed more articles and information to RIAB over the years than Darren. If you are a regular reader, you'll know that I always give a shout-out to readers when they provide content for the site, and I thanked RushFanForever many times over the years. I did a quick search through my site, and over the 20+ year history of rushisaband.com, I've written over 6000 blog posts; Darren made contributions to about one-fourth of those. Darren was one of my earliest and most loyal readers, and I'd interact with him online on a regular basis. I spoke with him on the phone once or twice, but never was able to meet him in person as we were on different sides of the continent. So for one last time, thank you RushFanForever for all your help and friendship over the years. I will miss you.

"Every pitch, a new opportunity is born." 🙌

Geddy Lee and @rushtheband get us set for Blue Jays #Postseason baseball on Sportsnet ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/NVxwJAggHh

- Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 4, 2025

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