New Rush Music? Geddy Lee Says Working With Anika Nilles “Would Be Fun”
Photo by Vtpeters at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rush fans may be hearing more than just classic songs when the band returns to the stage in 2026. In a new interview, bassist and singer Geddy Lee opened the door to the idea that new music could come after the group completes its major “Fifty Something” tour. While nothing is set, Lee made it clear that the creative spark is still there, and working with drummer Anika Nilles could be part of that future.
The Canadian rock group, known for its complex songs and loyal following, is preparing for a large run of shows across North America. Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson will be joined by Nilles, a German drummer who toured with Jeff Beck in 2022. Her role is significant, as this marks the band’s return without longtime drummer Neil Peart, who died in 2020.
Music Plans Put on Hold
Lee explained that he had already been thinking about writing again before the tour plans took shape. “My intent, before we got into this celebration of RUSH’s history, was to put some music together,” Geddy said. “Now, I assumed I would be doing that on my own, not with Alex, but when we started jamming, I started seeing the possibility of doing something with Alex — but all of that went on hold now because there’s too much work. There’s too much work to do for this tour to even think about that. But if we manage to survive the tour, and go back to Canada and have a rest, who knows what’ll happen, but I suspect some music will eventually come out.”
He also shared his thoughts about Nilles in a creative setting. “It would be fun to see what [Anika] can do in a creative situation. Like, that would be fun. But it’s all speculation until it isn’t, so…”
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A Tour Years in the Making
The “Fifty Something” tour begins June 7, 2026, at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles. These “evening with” shows will feature two sets per night, with rotating song choices drawn from a list of 35 tracks. The concerts will cover cities in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
Demand has been strong. After the first dates were announced in October, tickets sold out fast. The band added more stops, including shows in Chicago, Cleveland, Fort Worth, New York, Toronto, Boston, and Washington, D.C. The run is set to stretch into late 2026.
Facing the Road Again
Lee told CBC News he feels both excited and surprised by the response. “Well, I’m a bit overwhelmed right now, to be honest. Alex and I took a long time trying to figure out if we could actually do this ever again. And when we did finally decide, of course people were optimistic, but we really didn’t expect the kind of overwhelming response our announcement has brought forth out of our fanbase. It’s just been a remarkable few weeks around our homes, but very exciting — very exciting.”
The biggest question was how to move forward without Peart. “Well, of course it was a very difficult decision to go back on the road, and that was the main stumbling block, obviously. How do we replace the irreplaceable, so to speak? And we have been fortunate to have been introduced to the name Anika Nilles…”
Meeting Anika Nilles
Lee said his bass tech first suggested Nilles after touring with Jeff Beck. She later came to Canada for quiet rehearsals. “And by the end of it, we were convinced that this would be a go for us. Yeah, she’s just a tremendous player.”
He admitted the process was not simple. “Oh, of course. When she first came over here [to Canada], we started playing some of the songs… she was not a RUSH fan… it was a bit of a daunting task.” Still, he praised her work ethic and attitude.
Getting Back in Shape
Preparing for the shows has meant physical effort. “I’m getting ready. I’ve been playing diligently for about a year and a half now… I’ve been working out pretty regularly trying to get my fingers, these little digits, back in shape… we’re gonna be ready.”
At a Rock Hall event in 2025, Lifeson shared his view. He said stepping away after 2015 felt right at first, but jamming again changed things. He spoke about rediscovering the challenge of Rush music and enjoying it once more.
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A Careful Decision
Lee told the Cleveland audience that returning was emotional. “It was a very difficult decision on many levels… Losing a member like Neil, it was devastating…” He described casual jam sessions at home that slowly led to playing Rush songs again, bringing laughter back into the room.
Finding a drummer was also delicate. “Well, our idea was not to try to be RUSH 2.0, just to pay homage to our music…” He explained how Nilles joined rehearsals quietly at first, calling the process an experiment that grew into a partnership.
Honoring Neil Peart
Lee said the band will keep shows around two hours and that the first date at The Kia Forum was chosen for emotional reasons. He thanked Peart’s widow Carrie and daughter Olivia for their support and said the band will honor Neil during every concert.
“After Neil passed, COVID hit and we never really were able to do any kind of tribute to him…” Lee said. He sees the tour as a way to celebrate the music and remember their bandmate.
Carrie Nuttall-Peart and Olivia Peart also voiced support in a statement, praising Neil’s musicianship and the band’s next chapter. Fans first learned of the tour through a Rush newsletter video filmed at Lee’s home studio.
Peart died in January 2020 after battling brain cancer. His loss deeply affected the music world. Since then, Lee and Lifeson had not played live as Rush. Now, with Nilles behind the kit and the road ahead, they are stepping back into the spotlight, balancing memory, performance, and the possibility of new songs still to come.
