Classic Rock
Geddy Lee says Peart would probably call him and Alex “idiots” for reunion
A Rush reunion was something not many people expected to happen, since the late drummer Neil Peart was an essential part of the band, not only as a musician but also as its main lyricist. Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee recruited the talented German drummer Anika Nilles to play with them, and when asked by reporters what Neil would have said about their comeback, Lee replied that he would probably have called them “idiots” but also that he would have liked Anika.
Geddy Lee says Peart would probably call him and Alex “idiots” for reunion
“Neil is irreplaceable, and if he had something to say to us right now, he’d probably say, ‘You guys are idiots!’ But, you know, music lives beyond tragedy, beyond anything that can happen in your life. One thing we’ve learned over the last 10 years is that music is still a part of us, and so to play it now with someone as young and exciting as Annika is just another tribute to him. I think he’d be very pleased with our choice of drummer, and I think he would have a bit of a smirk on his face and thumbs up,” Geddy Lee said.
Rush’s first performance since the comeback announcement took place at the Juno Awards, presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. It marked the first time Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson publicly performed with their new touring drummer, Anika Nilles. The song they chose was “Finding My Way” from their debut album, which they played in full for the first time since 1976.
Rush 2026 tour dates
June
- 7 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
- 9 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
- 11 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
- 13 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
- 18 – Mexico City, MX – Palacio de los Deportes
- 24 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
- 26 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
- 28 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
- 30 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
July
- 16 – Chicago, IL – United Center
- 18 – Chicago, IL – United Center
- 20 – Chicago, IL – United Center
- 22 – Chicago, IL – United Center
- 28 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
- 30 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
August
- 1 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
- 3 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
- 7 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
- 9 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
- 11 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
- 13 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
- 21 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena
- 26 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
September
- 2 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
- 12 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
- 17 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena
- 19 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena
- 23 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center
October
- 5 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
- 10 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
- 15 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
- 25 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
- 30 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
November
- 5 – Hollywood, FL – Seminole Hard Rock Live
- 9 – Tampa, FL – Benchmark Arena
- 20 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
- 25 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
December
- 1 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena
- 10 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
- 15 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Rush 2027 tour dates
January
- 15 – Buenos Aires, AR – Movistar Arena
- 22 – Curitiba, BR – Arena da Baixada
- 24 – São Paulo, BR – Allianz Parque
- 30 – Rio de Janeiro, BR – Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos (Engenhão)
February
- 1 – Belo Horizonte, BR – Estádio Mineirão
- 4 – Brasília, BR – Arena BRB Mané Garrincha
- 19 – Paris, FR – La Défense Arena
- 21 – Berlin, DE – Uber Arena
- 23 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
- 25 – Munich, DE – Olympiahalle
- 28 – Cologne, DE – LANXESS Arena
March
- 2 – Hamburg, DE – Barclays Arena
- 4 – Stuttgart, DE – Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
- 8 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
- 12 – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
- 16 – London, UK – O2 Arena
- 18 – London, UK – O2 Arena
- 27 – Kraków, PL – TAURON Arena Kraków
- 30 – Milan, IT – Unipol Dome
April
- 1 – Basel, CH – St. Jakobshalle
- 4 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena
- 6 – Oslo, NO – Unity Arena
- 8 – Stockholm, SE – Avicii Arena
- 10 – Helsinki, FI – Veikkaus Arena
