Entertainment · Music · 2 hrs ago
Rush Rehearsed Playing Through Mistakes Ahead of Its 2026 Tour
Rush is back on stage in 2026 for its first tour since 2015.
The Fifty Something Tour is the band’s first with drummer Anika Nilles, who joined after Neil Peart died in 2020.
Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson rehearsed with Nilles for months before the tour began.
At first, they stopped and restarted songs whenever someone made a mistake, but later they practiced playing through mishaps.
That preparation helped during the opening show on June 7, when Nilles dropped a drumstick during “Xanadu” and caught it while playing a drum fill.
Lee also said working with Nilles helped him and Lifeson better understand Peart’s feel and the musical passages in Rush’s songs.
The North American tour continues through the rest of 2026.
Rush rehearsed playing through mistakes to prepare for mishaps during its 2026 Fifty Something Tour.
Geddy Lee said the band initially stopped and replayed songs when a musician made a mistake.
Later in rehearsals, Lee, Alex Lifeson and new drummer Anika Nilles practiced continuing through errors.
The tour is Rush’s first since 2015 and its first with Nilles, who replaced Neil Peart after his death in 2020.
During the opening show, Nilles caught a drumstick that slipped from her hand while the band played “Xanadu.”
- Who
- Rush members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, and new drummer Anika Nilles.
- What
- The band rehearsed playing through mistakes ahead of its Fifty Something Tour.
- When
- The tour began on June 7, 2026. The rehearsals took place in the months before its launch.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- The band wanted to be prepared for mistakes or mishaps during live shows.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Rush’s trio rehearsed together, initially stopping and replaying songs when someone made a mistake.
The band began playing through mistakes to prepare for mishaps during shows.
During the tour’s opening show, Nilles caught a drumstick that slipped from her hand during “Xanadu.
- Tour
- Fifty Something Tour
- Tour launch
- June 7, 2026
- New drummer
- Anika Nilles
- Previous drummer
- Neil Peart, who died in 2020
- First live shows since
- 2015
What people are saying
Toward the end of rehearsals, we began just to play through any mistake or whatever mishap that might happen because we had to be prepared for that to happen during a show.
Maybe '(do) not fuck up this fill.' And then I saw this stick flying around over the toms and I just (caught) it.
We were learning as Anika was learning.
Sources
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