CLEVELAND, Ohio — This news will land “Closer to the Heart” for many rock fans: Rush is touring next year.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush snuck into town Sunday night to drop the surprise on an invite-only gathering of 150 fans, media and dignitaries at the Rock Hall’s Foster Theater.
The limited run of summer dates — their first official concert routing in 11 years — will begin at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, site of the last Rush concert on their R40 anniversary tour.
Other concert dates on the “Fifty Something Tour” include Fort Worth, Chicago, Toronto and (you guessed it) Cleveland. Tickets go on sale Friday, October 17 at 10 a.m.
The big question: Who would tackle the role of the late Neil Peart — their inimitable drummer who passed away in 2020 of glioblastoma?
The answer is German drummer Anika Nilles, who toured with legendary guitarist Jeff Beck in 2022.
She has been rehearsing with them and agreed to assume rhythmic duties on tour.
Nilles, 42, is a drummer, composer and musical educator known for her unique playing style that blends urban jazz, funk, progressive rock and pop grooves.
It’s a fitting the news was shared in Cleveland, a special place in Rush history. In 1974, WMMS music director and DJ Donna Halper helped launch the band. After receiving their self-titled debut, Halper was struck by “Working Man,” adding it to station playlists.
The song resonated with blue-collar listeners, leading to record label interest and Rush’s U.S. — and eventual global — breakthrough.
Halper was on hand to introduce the duo to the Rock Hall audience. All were there (in theory) for special fan Q&A session moderated by Washington Post writer Geoff Edgers.
Little did attendees know that the guitarist and bassist-vocalist had a surprise waiting for them — especially welcome news for a generation of fans who never saw them perform live.
Rush has released 19 studio albums, selling over 40 million records worldwide — including 25 million in the U.S., making them one of the best-selling rock bands ever. They rank among the top 50 best-selling artists in U.S. history.
Their best-known songs include “Tom Sawyer,” “Limelight,” “The Spirit of Radio,” “Closer to the Heart,” “2112” and “Subdivisions.” Famed for musicianship and ambitious concepts, Rush earned 24 gold, 14 platinum and three multi-platinum albums — trailing only The Beatles and Rolling Stones for consecutive gold records.
The Rush “R40 Tour” ended on August 1, 2015, at the Forum in Los Angeles. It was a celebratory but bittersweet finale. Peart, who was battling chronic pain and eager to focus on family, decided it would be his last tour.
Lee and Lifeson were still eager to create and perform but accepted his decision, marking the tour’s close as the end of Rush as a touring band — though not their personal musical ambitions.
Over the last decade, Lee would write three books, including the memoir “My Effin’ Life” (a spoken-word book tour stop would land at Playhouse Square), while Lifeson would record two albums with Canadian-American alt-rock supergroup Envy of None.
Since 2015, Lee and Lifeson have appeared together only a handful of times — mainly for one-off tributes or special event reunions.
However, in interviews as recently as last year, Lifeson suggested that he and Lee were regularly jamming together privately. He confirmed to the audience that through mutual colleagues they were introduced to Nilles and decided to move forward with her for a tour.
Lee and Lifeson told the crowd Sunday that the coronavirus pandemic prevented a proper tribute to Peart. With the blessing of Peart’s wife Carrie Nuttall and daughter Olivia Peart, this tour would honor him and his legacy in a meaningful way.
