You can hear the emotion in Alex Lifeson’s description of what happens when Rush walks onstage again. After more than a decade away, fans aren’t simply watching a band return. “It’s really more of a family reunion than it is a concert,” Lifeson says.
Rush launched its Fifty Something tour June 7 in Los Angeles, marking the band’s first tour in more than 10 years and its first since the 2020 death of drummer Neil Peart. Lifeson says the reaction has been overwhelming.
“People are crying, and they’re laughing, and they’re high-fiving,” he said. “They’re just getting an escape for a few hours from this crazy world.”
Lifeson says he and Geddy Lee are also having a blast, with new drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold fully embracing the band’s sense of humour.
“We feel so comfortable and happy,” he said. “I think we’re playing as well as we can, and we’re also having a riot on stage and goofing around.”
Lee says getting there was anything but easy. Preparing for the tour took years, with an intense final stretch of rehearsals.
“People think you can just walk up on stage and play three hours’ worth of those songs,” Lee said. “I’ve got news for you — even the guys that wrote those songs have to work really hard to perfect them.”
Nilles had the biggest mountain to climb, learning roughly 43 songs in a year. Lee says the drummer worked incredibly hard, including remotely from Germany before joining Lee and Lifeson in Toronto.
“She’s a brilliant player technically, but she’s also a brilliant person,” Lee said.
The band eventually played a full show 24 nights out of 27 days before opening night.
And new Rush songs? Don’t hold your breath.
“No,” Lee said when asked if the current lineup might work on new material. “We have enough to do. We’re still trying to remember the old songs and play them.”
The Fifty Something setlist comes from a pool of more than 40 Rush classics, with two sets each night celebrating Peart’s life and legacy.
The 2026 tour has expanded from its original 22 dates to 58 shows across 24 cities, with more than half a million tickets sold. South America and Europe dates are also scheduled for early 2027.
For Lee, there’s no hiding how much this return means.
“Every night out there is — for me, I just can’t wipe the smile off my face,” he said. “It’s a joyous moment for me.”
Is Rush’s Fifty Something tour eventually going to spring board into a new album?
