The Throne Wasn’t For Sale
Nobody thought we’d get this. Neil Peart was so much of what Rush was — on record and especially live — that another tour felt impossible after he died in January 2020. But here we are, and it’s exciting as hell.
Rush kicked off the “Fifty Something” tour last night at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles — the first show of the band’s return, with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson joined by drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold. There’s already a full-set drum-cam of the night going around — a side-stage “Anika cam” from the YouTube channel TapeheadToo — and it’s worth your time.
Nilles is a really interesting choice. She came up through jazz and fusion, toured with Jeff Beck, and was relatively unknown to U.S. rock fans next to the obvious names people kept floating. That’s the point. Geddy said recently that multiple drummers reached out to him in the aftermath of Neil’s passing, pitching themselves for the gig — “that was so distasteful to me,” he said. Rush rested, took their time, and came back on their own terms with a drummer who has her own story instead of one chasing Neil’s. That’s classy. That’s special.
The setlist was its own celebration — 2112, La Villa Strangiato, a deep pull on Natural Science, “Time Stand Still” with Aimee Mann sitting in, and two separate moments built around Neil across the two sets. They didn’t sand his memory off the show. They put him in it.
Rush isn’t strictly a metal band, obviously. But half of progressive metal doesn’t exist without them — Dream Theater on down. I’m not sure I’ll make it out this week, but I’ve seen Rush a few times, and if you get the chance: by all means, go. The full set’s below — “Anika cam,” start to finish. See for yourself.
Source: Guitar World