Watch: Rush Perform Live With New Drummer Anika Nilles for the First Time in Surprise Awards Show Appearance

Published Mar 30, 2026 By John Lerit

via CBC Music / YouTube

Rush returned to the live stage in an unexpected moment at the Juno Awards on Sunday, March 29, delivering their first performance together in nearly a decade. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson opened the ceremony with “Finding My Way,” surprising fans who had been teased earlier about a special appearance.

The song choice carried meaning. “Finding My Way” was the opening track from Rush’s 1974 debut album Rush, recorded before drummer Neil Peart joined the group. That early era was represented again as the band stepped onstage with German drummer, composer, and producer Anika Nilles, marking a new chapter while acknowledging the band’s beginnings.

A Return to the Stage After Years Away

The performance at Ontario’s TD Coliseum marked the first time Lee and Lifeson had performed under the Rush banner since the band concluded its R40 farewell tour in 2015. That tour included 35 headline shows across North America and closed a performing career that stretched over four decades.

Joining them were Nilles, known for her work with Jeff Beck and for releasing four solo albums, along with The Who keyboardist Loren Gold. Throughout the set, footage of the late Neil Peart appeared on a large screen behind the musicians, blending past and present during the performance. Peart died from brain cancer in early 2020, and the visuals served as a quiet tribute while the music continued live on stage.

New Touring Plans Take Shape

The appearance followed the announcement that Rush will return to touring in 2027 with a series of shows across the UK, Europe, and South America. The run currently includes 24 concerts in 13 countries and marks the band’s first European performances since 2013, as well as their first South American dates in 17 years.

Promoted as an “Evening with” event, each concert will feature two full sets per night. The tour begins in January in Buenos Aires, followed by performances in Curitiba, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro before moving north to Belo Horizonte and Brasília. In February, the band travels to Europe with scheduled stops in Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Munich, and Cologne.

UK Dates and Continued Expansion

The UK leg includes shows at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro on March 8, Manchester’s Co-op Live on March 12, and two nights at London’s O2 Arena on March 16 and 18. Additional European concerts follow in Hamburg, Stuttgart, Kraków, Milan, Basel, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, and Helsinki, where the tour is set to close at Veikkaus Arena.

These announcements come after Lee and Lifeson confirmed they would also return to the stage earlier with a “Fifty Something Tour” across the United States, Canada, and Mexico beginning in June. The decision represents a shift from earlier comments by Lifeson, who had expressed doubts about performing again under the Rush name.

“The energy was fantastic around that show, I know, and some days I wake up wanting to go out and tour again and some days I don’t. For 40 years Rush included Neil, and I don’t think putting some new version together would have the same magic,” he said at the time.

“But after a few weeks that wore off and it occurred to me that despite all the pain of loss, Rush went out on a high note… I’d rather be remembered for that legacy than returning as the top Rush tribute band.”