Rush Plays First Concert Since 2015, Launching 87-Date Tour With Anika Nilles

Q: How will Rush's new drummer handle Neil Peart's iconic solos, a highlight of every past concert?

Rush is not having Anika Nilles recreate Neil Peart’s standalone drum solos. On opening night, the band omitted the traditional drum solo entirely, including in “YYZ,” where Peart’s extended showcase had long been a concert centerpiece. Instead, Nilles’ role is to carry Peart’s parts inside the songs with precision and respect. By all accounts, that is exactly what she did. Reviewers said she delivered the key fills, grooves, odd time signatures and complex arrangements without wavering, and Geddy Lee said she had learned not just the notes but “Neil’s feel and the way he played.” Nilles has been explicit that her approach is not to impose herself or turn the material into a display of ego. She has said the priority is “capturing the right feel” and immersing herself in Peart’s musical thinking, because “Neil is simply part of this music.” That helps explain the band’s apparent decision: preserve Peart’s signature solo spot as uniquely his, while allowing a new drummer to honor the music everywhere else. So fans should expect a respectful interpretation rather than a replacement. Nilles is handling the iconic drumming by faithfully executing Peart’s demanding written and arranged parts across the set, while the band leaves his famous solo feature untouched as a tribute.

Q: With five rotating setlists planned, what forgotten deep cuts might Rush finally play live for fans?

The most plausible forgotten songs Rush could finally revive are “Open Secrets,” “Manhattan Project,” “Kid Gloves,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Different Strings,” “Between Sun & Moon,” and “Faithless,” with “Losing It” and “The Camera Eye” also strong possibilities. That expectation is grounded in how the “Fifty Something Tour” has opened. The first Forum show already proved Rush are not sticking to a greatest-hits script: they played rarer selections including “By-Tor & The Snow Dog,” “Natural Science,” “Bravado,” “Caravan,” “Red Sector A,” “Time Stand Still,” “Vital Signs,” and “The Garden.” With five rotating setlists and roughly 40% of songs changing nightly, the band has clearly built room for deeper catalog mining. Several songs stand out because they are either rarely played or effectively absent from past tours. “Open Secrets,” from 1987’s *Hold Your Fire*, is a prime candidate because that album was largely ignored on R40. “Manhattan Project” and “Kid Gloves” fit the same logic from Rush’s mid-’80s period. “The Twilight Zone” has been absent for decades, making it one of the most obvious true revivals. “Different Strings” would be especially notable because it is one of the few Rush songs never properly played live. “Faithless” could benefit from Loren Gold’s keyboard role, while “Between Sun & Moon” would add a neglected ’90s rocker. “Losing It,” though no longer completely unplayed after its 2015 one-off, remains rare enough to count as a major event if it returns.

Q: After their triumphant return, will this new chapter for Rush include writing and recording original music?

No. Based on the available reporting, Rush’s new chapter is centered on touring and honoring its catalog, not on making new studio material. The comeback has been framed by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson as a celebration of “50-something years of Rush music” and a tribute to Neil Peart. The “Fifty Something Tour,” now expanded to 87 additional dates worldwide, is built around a rotating set of songs from across the band’s 19 studio albums, with the latest material still coming from 2012’s *Clockwork Angels*. The opening Forum show reflected that mission: it was a legacy-spanning setlist, not a preview of unreleased work. The additional reporting provided does not mention any plans to write or record original songs with new touring drummer Anika Nilles. Her role, as described, is to help Lee and Lifeson bring Rush’s existing music back to the stage with the precision and spirit associated with Peart’s parts. The emphasis from the band and those around the tour has been on performance, tribute, and preserving the Rush identity live. That does not rule out future creative activity entirely, but there is currently no evidence in the provided material that Rush intends to record new music as part of this reunion. For now, the project is clearly a live celebration of the band’s history rather than a new recording era.

3 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · Jun 8

Inglewood’s Kia Forum hosted Rush’s first official show since 2015, a three-hour return built as both a reunion and a tribute to late drummer Neil Peart, who died in 2020.
Anika Nilles, 43, emerged as the night’s key addition, handling Rush’s notoriously difficult catalog with precision across songs including “Xanadu,” “Tom Sawyer,” “YYZ” and “La Villa Strangiato.”
Geddy Lee, 72, and Alex Lifeson leaned heavily on 1981’s “Moving Pictures” with five selections, while the expanded lineup with keyboardist Loren Gold also revived “2112,” “Subdivisions” and “The Garden.”
Aimee Mann made an unannounced appearance on “Time Stand Still,” though some of Nilles’ impact was undercut by out-of-sync video screens on opening night.
The concert opens an additional 87 dates worldwide, suggesting Rush’s post-Peart era will center on carrying its music to a new generation rather than simply revisiting the past.