Rush announced earlier this week that they will be releasing a Rush 50 Super Deluxe Box Set compilation anthology in celebration of the band's 50th anniversary this Spring. We first learned about the box set back in early December when a pre-release listing for a Rush 50th anniversary Super Deluxe compilation set appeared on Apple Music with an expected February release. The listing included the entire tracklist but was eventually taken down. Then Classic Rock magazine's February edition hit store shelves late last month and included an extensive cover feature celebrating Rush's 50th anniversary. The article confirmed the box set was in the works, but did not include any additional details. In the weeks since the article was released, listings for the set have been slowly popping up online (and subsequently being removed), revealing more details. But this past Monday Rush finally made the official announcement, along with a few more details and an unboxing video. From the announcement:

On March 21, UMe/Mercury and Anthem Records label groups celebrate the half-century milestone marker for Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame icons with RUSH 50, a wide-ranging 50-track super deluxe anthology that encompasses the entirety of the band's long and storied career for the first time across all the band's label groups, bookended with the first ever reissue of their debut 1973 single and a live recording of the last song they ever performed together as a band at their final concert in 2015 at The Forum in Los Angeles. ...

"50? Is that all?...seriously...it's a cool collection...but look at all those songs - I'm exhausted just reading the effin list!" - Geddy Lee ...

The set will be available in five distinct configurations, including the (1) Super Deluxe Edition ($374.98), (2) Rush Store Exclusive Super Deluxe Edition, (3) 7-LP Deluxe Edition ($249.98), (4) 4-CD Deluxe Edition ($99.98), and (5) Digital Edition ($26.49). The Rush Backstage Store exclusive edition includes an additional four bonus lithos showcasing Rush through time, newly illustrated by FANTOONS from the characters created for the graphic novel depicting the band in the '70s, '80s, '90s and 2000s. As mentioned above, Rush 50 will be officially released on March 21st, and it can be pre-ordered via Amazon and other retailers. You can view all the details regarding the different configurations and what they include, along with the full tracklist at Rush.com.

The Stan Greenspon Holocaust and Social Justice Education Center in Charlotte, NC hosted Rush's Geddy Lee this past Monday evening for a community commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The event was billed as a special one-off extension of Ged's My Effin' Life In Conversation book tour, and it followed essentially the same format as his prior appearances. Geoff Edgers of the Washington Post was the guest interviewer, and the second half of the event featured a Q&A session. A local news station covered the event and posted this review along with a video news story:

... Lee said his parents had different attitudes after the Holocaust. His father never spoke about the events but his mother constantly gave them reminders about what could happen. "I find myself a beneficiary of the wisdom and the suffering that they went through," Lee said. Even though the Holocaust happened over 80 years ago, Lee says antisemitism's rise in recent years is alarming. He noted an increase of antisemitic attacks in Canada where he resides and expressed concerns about the spread of disinformation that is increasing hate against various groups of people. ... Lee recounted his longstanding friendship with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson and said they still often play music together. He spoke about their wild tours with Kiss in the 1970s and their atypical behavior compared to other rock bands. Lee expressed grief about Neil Peart's passing in 2021, remembering how the world-renowned drummer listened to Rush albums during his final days. "When Neil was very ill in his last months, he made it a point to listen to a different Rush album every day," Lee said. "In fact, the last conversation we ever had was he wanted to tell me how proud he was." ... At 71 years old, Lee says he is not ready to slow down. While he did not reveal any future music projects, Lee said he enjoys writing books and still hopes to produce work creatively. When asked about whether he would make a movie about his parents' Holocaust survival, Lee said it was possible. ...

Geddy himself posted some photos along with a short message to his Instagram following the event:

My heartfelt thanks to all - especially the survivors - that came out to hear my family's harrowing story of survival, and to mourn the inhumanity of 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. So hard to believe it's been 80 years since my mom and dad were liberated.

Grateful to everyone at the Stan Greenspon Holocaust Center @stangreensponcenter for the important educational work you do.

Special thanks to our superb moderator, Geoff Edgers for handling this sensitive discussion so brilliantly. ...

Here's a 9-minute video of Ged speaking from the event, and the Charlotte Observer conducted a phone interview with Ged in the lead up to the appearance which you can listen to online here. You can also check out a pdf copy of the program from the event here.

Back in October Alex Lifeson's Envy of None project with Andy Curran, guitarist Alfio Annibalini and vocalist Maiah Wynne, announced that they'd be releasing a new album in the Spring of 2025, and debuted a music video for the album's first single - Not Dead Yet. In December they released a second single titled Under the Stars, and earlier this month revealed the name and release date of the album. Envy of None's sophomore release is titled Stygian Wavz and will be available via Kscope Records on March 14th with pre-orders available here. The project also released a video for the album's title track which you can check out on YouTube. Envy of None's Andy Curran was recently interviewed for Ireland Public Media outlet RTE and spoke a bit about the new album among other subjects:

... "This track [Stygian Wavz] is a favourite of all four EONs. Despite the fact of the spartan lyrical content, this song features our sweet Maiah on lead vocals. Her harmonies and layers of vocals are literally symphonic! It's hard to put a finger on what style or genre this one is...and we're proud of that!" ...

Stygian Wavz will be released on a selection of formats including colored vinyl, standard black vinyl, CD, Blu-ray, digitally and as a special deluxe edition box set. For more details on all the various formats and what they include, visit this location.

Comedian Gary Gulman was recently interviewed for Forbes magazine and when asked about what alcoholic beverage he prefers, he brings up Rush and Neil Peart:

"... I'm not a big drinker. Occasionally I'll have a glass of champagne at a wedding. And I bought a bottle of Macallan after Neil Peart - the drummer from Rush - died. I'll have a shot in honor of him on his birthday or the day he passed away. ... I was listening to Geddy Lee's biography - he reads it and does such great voices and accents. He said that at a memorial for Neil, he and Alex Lifeson had a glass of Macallan and they also put one out for him - the band used to drink it together on important occasions. So I thought that was very lovely (laughs) and wanted to add that tradition to my life.... "

There was a Rush reference in a recent edition of the online comic strip Pooch Cafe, as seen here (thanks Craig M).

After a break for the Holidays, the RushRash podcast has posted several new episodes in the new year so far, and you can catch up on any you've missed at this location or wherever you get your podcasts. Some of the guests they've featured include Rush superfan Abe Siebel,
Paul Beaulieu of The Canadian Music Scene, and Rushbot the AI Rush fan.

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