In a brand new interview with Leona Graham of U.Okay.’s Absolute Radio, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of RUSH spoke about their resolution to reunite for a tour in 2026 and 2027. The run of dates — Lee and Lifeson‘s first official reveals below the RUSH banner in 11 years — will start on the Kia Discussion board in Los Angeles, web site of the final RUSH live performance on the legendary Canadian band’s “R40” anniversary tour. Becoming a member of the duo on the trek will probably be German drummer Anika Nilles, who toured with legendary guitarist Jeff Beck in 2022 and has been rehearsing with Lee and Lifeson in preparation for the tour, dubbed “Fifty One thing”, which is able to rejoice RUSH‘s music, legacy, and the lifetime of late drummer and lyricist Neil Peart.
Reflecting on the primary rehearsals with Anika, which passed off in March 2025, Alex mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “She’s a beautiful individual. In order that was half of the search, can we discover any individual that is gonna be actually enjoyable to be with? She’s actually a beautiful individual. She laughs simply. She felt instantly snug. I feel she was fairly nervous in these first few days… However she labored actually arduous. She prepped for it. She had 5 songs, and we went by way of these songs. However by the fourth day, Ged and I, we talked and we had been fairly offered on it. There was one thing that simply wasn’t there fairly. And we talked to her in regards to the significance of the texture that Neil had in his drum preparations. After which on the fifth day, which was the ultimate day that we rehearsed — bang! — she simply nailed all these songs. And that turned all the things round. And we once more received collectively on the studio and thought, ‘Okay, that is actually gonna be value doing. Let’s discuss to her about it.’ And we introduced her in and requested her if she’d be keen to proceed. And she or he was actually passionate about it. After which we simply continued all year long. That was in March. After which we received collectively in June and August and November, and [we went through] extra materials. And she or he was feeling extra settled.”
Added Geddy: “However that was the second that the ultimate tumbler clicked into place. On that day he is describing, it was very very similar to that. We had all these questions, and that day these questions had been erased. And we knew we had somebody that may be enjoyable to journey with us down this highway. That is once we needed to get critical — ‘trigger we had been ranging from scratch. We had no crew, actually. We had no administration. We needed to be taught in regards to the trendy state of touring: how are we gonna put this present again on the highway? So, it has been numerous work, however we have surrounded ourselves with some nice folks. And now we’re on that highway.”
RUSH will carry out a number of reveals cities throughout Canada, the US and Mexico, starting June 7, 2026 at The Kia Discussion board in Los Angeles. These particular “night with” reveals will discover the band enjoying two units every night time. Every present will function a definite number of songs and RUSH will construct every night time’s setlist from a catalog of 40 songs together with their biggest hits and fan favorites.
Talking in regards to the setlist for RUSH‘s upcoming tour, Alex mentioned: “Yeah. [There will be] two units every night time. And our intention is to combine it up from one night time to the subsequent in a cycle of about 5 nights, so that each set may have different songs in them. In order that we are able to actually service the followers that like to return to our reveals a number of occasions, give them the chance to listen to different music. And it isn’t simply the identical present time and again. It is much more strain [on us], nevertheless it’s good. It is a problem. It retains you in your toes.”
Added Geddy: “Final night time we had been speaking to Anika. We noticed her in Berlin. We had been doing press there, and we had been rehearsing collectively a couple of days in the past. And there was this one track that we thought, ‘Oh, we should always add that to the set.’ We’re as much as 39 songs. And so I mentioned, ‘Anika, we’re including another track.’ She mentioned, ‘Noooo. I am simply getting snug with the first 25.’ So it is numerous strain on her, clearly. I feel she has the structure and the psychological capability to deal with it, ‘trigger she’s gonna be below scrutiny.”
Requested what tracks they’re most enthusiastic about enjoying, Geddy mentioned: “Oh, we’re not gonna discuss setlists but, as a result of there are only a few secrets and techniques on the planet of the Web now. And we all know it’s going to solely be a secret for one week, after which everybody will know. So, clearly there are the massive songs that folks know and love that we should play commonly and we need to play commonly. However there’s gonna be a turnover — about 40% of the set will probably be totally different night time to nighttime to nighttime. I feel we now have 5 totally different days’ value of units.”
Earlier this week, Alex and Geddy had been requested by U.Okay.’s Planet Rock what the “challenges” are of placing the “Fifty One thing” tour collectively. Alex responded: “We at all times rehearsed rather a lot, and up to now we’d rehearse on our personal individually for perhaps a month, after which we’d get collectively and rehearse for a month, after which we might do a few weeks, full-production rehearsals in a venue. So by the point you hit the stage on the primary present, you are seasoned; it is just like the twentieth present. The distinction this time round is that we’re rehearsing for a few 12 months — severely — earlier than the [first] present. We simply actually wanna be at our absolute peak by the point we begin the tour in earnest.”
Geddy added: “And it is rather a lot for Anika to tackle. Regardless that we’re rusty on some songs, they’re mendacity within the grooves within the mind someplace, and it comes again. However she’s ranging from scratch. And she or he’s ranging from scratch attempting to fill the footwear of a man whose footwear are inconceivable to fill. So she has her work minimize out for her. However she’s extremely, deeply gifted, each technically and from a musical data standpoint. She’s received a unbelievable work ethic. She’s simple to be round. She’s an incredible individual, and he or she’s able to tackle the inevitable scrutiny of RUSH followers. And thus far they have been very welcoming, they have been very heat, and he or she’s actually appreciative of that.”
Geddy went on to say that the overwhelmingly optimistic response from RUSH followers to the tour announcement took him and Alex unexpectedly.
“Initially the tour we wished to do was simply going to be six or seven cities and we might thought we might do these small residencies,” Lee defined. “And once we introduced it, folks went loopy, and we had been greatly surprised. Our new administration was very heartened and really bullish. They thought the reveals would do nicely, clearly, however we did not anticipate them to promote out in a couple of days. It was madness. And so we had not been ready for something past that. However administration at all times thinks forward. And we had hoped that we might come to the U.Okay. within the fall of 2026, however we could not get the dates. So we added an American leg, which can also be promoting extremely nicely. And so lastly we are able to arrange coming over to Europe and the U.Okay. [in 2027].
“So it is rather a lot to tackle,” Geddy admitted. “We have not accomplished a tour that huge in a few years, so we’re simply gonna guarantee that it’s effing observe excellent.”
The 2026 leg of the “Fifty One thing” tour, which is able to cowl Canada, USA and Mexico, initially consisted of twenty-two dates, which offered out instantly, prompting the addition of extra reveals. The tour now totals 58 reveals throughout 24 cities, with over half 1,000,000 tickets offered for 2026.
Earlier this week, RUSH introduced the addition of South America and Europe tour dates to the “Fifty One thing” tour, in early 2027. The dates would be the first time the band has performed in Europe since 2013 and 17 years since visiting South America.
For “Fifty One thing”, Lee and Lifeson will probably be accompanied by Nilles and keyboard participant Loren Gold (THE WHO, Roger Daltrey).
RUSH invitations followers to get nearer than ever with elevated methods to expertise the tour: a particular VIP program with the 2112 Platform Expertise, and curated journey packages for these journeying in to see the present.
VIP packages might embrace meet-and-greet entry, an autograph signing session and manufacturing tour, entry to the Xanadu pre-show VIP lounge, unique merch items, and extra.
Every journey package deal features a two-night keep at a curated resort, premium tickets to the present, a limited-edition present, a Rush Welcome Pack, Transportation Cross and extra unique goodies.
On October 6, 2025, followers received the information through a RUSH publication from a house video that introduced the celebration of upcoming dates with Lee and Lifeson at Geddy‘s dwelling studio.
Peart died in January 2020 after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of mind most cancers. He was 67 years previous.
RUSH waited three days to announce Peart‘s passing, setting off shockwaves and an outpouring of grief from followers and musicians all around the world.
Since Peart‘s demise, Lifeson and Lee haven’t recorded any new music or carried out dwell below the RUSH title, though each of them confirmed that a number of drummers reached out to them within the days after the legendary drummer’s passing about the potential for stepping in for Neil.
