Paul McCartney Tries To Convince Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson To Tour Again

Fans of Rush aren’t the only ones who want to see the surviving members tour again. The Beatles icon Paul McCartney tried to convince Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson to get back on the road again.

In September 2022 during the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in London, Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl introduced the Rush members to the Macca. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Lee recalled the moment saying:

“Dave was so sweet.
“He comes up to us at rehearsal and he goes, ‘Paul McCartney’s up next to rehearse, and he’s outside, and he said to me: Dave, I’ve never met anyone from Rush before.'”

McCartney then entered and spoke to them. Lee noted that he was unaware the Beatles legend was very familiar with their music. He added:

“I got the sense he knew who we were and had heard about us. He had never listened to us.
“So at the show, he was there. He watched the set. I think he was really curious because people probably had mentioned us to him.”

How McCartney Convinced Lee and Lifeson to ‘Get Back Out There’

After the show, that’s when McCartney told Lee and Lifeson to tour again. Lee recalled:

“He was so warm and embracing and positive. He came and sat and drank with us. We all got plastered together.
“And he was very emphatic, talking about, ‘You know what Ringo always says: ‘It’s what we do.'”

They even joked about McCartney being their manager. The bassist continued:

“I said, ‘Talk to Al, because he’s the stubborn one.’ And so he was lecturing Al about how great it is to tour. ‘You have to do it, man. You have to get back out there, man.’ And Alex said something like, ‘I’ll do it, if you’ll be our manager.’ [To which McCartney responded] ‘I’ll manage you, mate!’”

Rush stopped touring after the passing of their drummer Neil Peart. On the other hand, McCartney, who has certainly dealt with the losses of his bandmates tried to get Lee and Lifeson to reconsider. Lee revealed the Macca’s words made him think about it. He explained:

“He had a point.
“That’s the way he looks at life. He’s ageless because he really, truly believes he was born to do this. That’s what you do. And you just do it. You don’t question it. And I think we all sometimes forget that.”

There’s no announcement yet whether the remaining Rush members will do a show again but Lee is open to the possibility and not closing doors to play with Lifeson in the future.