Rush will be back on the road in 2026, and the band has already been rehearsing for some time with their new touring drummer, Anika Nilles. In an interview with The Guardian, Geddy Lee recalled what it was like to play with her for the first time. Although they felt something was off during the first days, by the fifth day she had “nailed it.”
Geddy Lee Talks about Anika Nilles learning Rush songs
“It has to start there (reproducing Neil Peart‘s playing). They have to be true to the arrangements, because that’s the expectation from the fans. But we don’t place any restrictions on her. When she is comfortable and confident in the arrangements, she’s free to enhance them with her own spirit.”
“And she will. But I don’t think we knew when she arrived what our expectations were, to be honest. When we started playing with her, something felt wrong. And I was, of course: ‘This is not gonna work.’ Those seemingly impossible fills were not a problem for her at all. What was difficult was understanding a relationship between snare, bass drum and hi-hat that’s different from her training.”
He continued:
“The first four days were up and down, and she was nervous, and she was jetlagged, and we were unsure. We had a little chat before the last day — ‘I don’t know, Al, is this going to work?’ We talked about all the things we liked about her, and what a work ethic she has, nice person and deep knowledge, deep technical ability. So there’s a lot of positives. So let’s not be hasty. And we went into that last day and she just fucking nailed it,” Geddy Lee said.
The guitarist Alex Lifeson also talked about her, saying: “She suddenly understood what we were talking about that whole week, not about the technical aspect, but about the stuff in between the big stuff, that Neil was just so amazing at and those internal dynamics that only another drummer can understand, and it clicked in her,” he said.
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