Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are gearing up to honor their late drummer, Neil Peart, during their upcoming Fifty Something tour. In a recent interview, they shared their plans for the tribute.
“We’ve been discussing certain songs that really capture Neil’s spirit,” Lee explained. “Twice a night, we’ll choose a song to play in his memory, accompanied by a visual tribute that highlights his lyrics and drumming.” He emphasized that these moments will allow the audience and the band to remember Peart together.
Lifeson described the tribute as “a celebration of who he was as a person and a drummer, not something sad.” Drummer Anika Nilles will fill in for Peart, who passed away in 2020. Lee and Lifeson also talked about whether to keep the Rush name for the tour. “We had a lot of discussions about it,” Lee said. “At one point, we thought about not calling it Rush. But when you’re learning 40 Rush songs, what else could we call it?” He joked, “Maybe we should just say we’re playing 40 Rush songs and call ourselves Iron Butterfly.” Ultimately, they felt using the name Rush was the right choice.
The Fifty Something tour kicks off on June 7 in Los Angeles and will run through December 17, covering North America, Europe, and South America. Fans can look forward to a heartfelt tribute to Neil Peart as they enjoy the music of Rush.
