Rush has once again expanded its Fifty Something reunion tour, this time pushing the 2026 run into next year with new shows in South America, the U.K, and Europe in early 2027. As previously reported, it’s the first time vocalist/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson are hitting the road as Rush since the 2020 death of legendary drummer Neil Peart, whose seat will be occupied by German drummer Anika Nilles.
In a career first, the band will also be joined by keyboardist Loren Gold, who of late has played both with the Who and frontman Roger Daltrey’s solo group. New dates begin Jan. 15 in Buenos Aires and conclude April 10 in Helsinki, bringing the total to 58 when counting the previously announced 2026 concerts. Rush will play two sets per night, starting with a June 7, 9, 11 and 13 run at Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
“We can’t wait to get back to all these cities we haven’t played in so long, as well as hitting some new places we’ve yet to play,” says Lee. “Both Alex and I are loving the hours of rehearsal time we’re spending with Anika and now Loren, learning around 40 songs which will enable us to keep the shows evolving [and play] some different songs on different nights. We are thrilled that many of our longstanding crew have come back to help us design the kind of Rush show that fans have grown accustomed to expect from us. We dearly hope you will come along and help us celebrate 50 years of Rush music, while giving Neil the long overdue tribute he so richly deserves.”
Lee and Lifeson have performed together on a handful of occasions since Peart’s death, most notably for two 2022 tribute concerts in memory of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.
Expanding on the tour framework in an interview with Planet Rock, Lifeson said of his initial jams with Lee, “it’s immensely satisfying to play these songs. Of course, the problem was, we didn’t have a drummer. ” He recalled starting with the 1980 hit “Freewill,” but admitted with a laugh that after nearly a decade without playing together, “we were terrible.” “It was either, we’re going to follow through on this, or we’re never going to talk about it again,” Lee said. “For me, it was, we’re not getting any younger. If we’re going to do it, let’s do it now, or let’s just not do it.”
Lee’s bass tech recommended Nilles, to whom they quickly extended an invitation to come jam in Toronto. “By the end of five days, we sort of had a drummer,” Lee said. “She’s incredibly, deeply talented. She’s ready to take on the inevitable scrutiny of Rush fans. So far, they’ve been very welcoming.”
Lee promised a nightly tribute to Peart and said “we’re hard at work designing a show right now. It will be a show along the lines of what we’ve done in the past, and I’m pretty excited about some new technology that we’re using. Anika knows about 25 songs now. We’re going to hope to learn around 40 songs and 40% of the set will be different from night to night.”
“We just really want to be at our absolute peak by the time we start the tour in earnest,” Lifeson said of the year-long rehearsal process. “We’re just gonna make sure that it’s frickin’ note-perfect,” Lee added.
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