Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, nervous? You bet.
Despite more than 50 years together, the Rush members say planning their reunion tour has brought the kind of jitters you might expect from a young band just starting out.
“We all have a little nervousness,” Lee told the Toronto Star. “It’s been a while.”
Maybe they will rest easier knowing that their surprise appearance at the Juno Awards last Sunday went off with a bang.
The prog-rock legends opened the show with their aptly titled 1974 song “Finding My Way,” marking their first public performance with new drummer Anika Nilles and the next chapter in the band’s history.
It offered fans a taste of Rush’s highly anticipated Fifty Something reunion tour, which begins on June 7 in Los Angeles and includes four Toronto dates in August.
Nilles has been under the microscope for months, with Rush fans scouring old YouTube clips of the 42-year-old German drummer, and debating whether she could fill the seat of Neil Peart, who died of cancer in 2020.
It’s a daunting task for anyone, as Peart is widely considered one of the greatest rock drummers of all time.
The incredible pressure she faced wasn’t lost on Lee and Lifeson ahead of their Junos performance.
“Our concern was really pumping her up, helping her relax, high-fiving and hugging — trying to make sure she wasn’t overawed by the experience,” Lee explained shortly after leaving the Junos stage in Hamilton.
“That’s the thing you tell each other: We’ve done a million gigs, guys. This is just another one — even though it was our first.”
Nilles, they added, understands the weight on her shoulders. While she didn’t grow up on Rush’s music, Lee said she has been “incredibly respectful” of the band’s legacy.
“She had to learn our music from scratch, so it was quite a job,” he said. “She’s been working on 38 songs for almost exactly a year.”
One of the biggest challenges, Lee said, was capturing Peart’s trademark feel as a drummer, whom many praised as precise and powerful behind the kit.
“That feel is intrinsic in Rush music,” he said.
Lifeson added that he’s happy with the symmetry provided by their two new members. Keyboardist Loren Gold, whose resumé includes work with the Who and Chicago, is also joining them on tour.
“We’ve really developed a nice rapport amongst the four of us,” Lifeson said.
“We laugh a lot and we joke a lot. You’re nervous up there, but it dissipates quickly. Once you start playing, looking at each other, smiling and getting smiles back, then you’re set.”
With just over two months before the tour begins, Lee and Lifeson, both 72, say the real work is underway. They know the material inside out, but now they have to sustain an energetic two-hour set each night, with tour dates that continue into April 2027.
“That’s a tall order in our tender years,” Lifeson said.
“It’s very exciting to look at this task ahead of us … and how to be successful at it — meaning, live through it.”
