Anika Nilles Admits Her Normal Practice Routine Completely Failed With Rush
Rush drummer Anika Nilles recently revealed that preparing for the band’s newly launched Fifty Something reunion tour required a completely different approach than anything she had done before, as Rush’s famously complex catalog challenged her usual learning methods.
Speaking in a new interview with Rick Beato, Nilles explained how she adapted her practice routine to tackle some of the most intricate material in rock music.
Why Rush Changed Anika Nilles’ Entire Learning Process
When asked how she managed to learn so many Rush songs for the tour, Nilles admitted, “I have no idea.”
She continued: “Sometimes I was sitting there and thought, ‘I have no idea how I’m learning that,’ but somehow it’s working because I learned those songs in a completely different way. My preparation was so different to how I prepare myself usually.”
Nilles explained that her standard system of listening, charting, and playing simply was not enough when dealing with Rush’s material. “Usually I just listen, then I make a quick chart for myself to have it visually in front of my eyes and then I just listen, read and play. And I figured with this, it doesn’t work right. So sometimes you cannot really write it out because a lot of it is also kind of a feeling.”
“And technically you can write it out, but I would have spent so much time with just that,” she added, “And I thought, I don’t have that time. I just have to listen, make chunks for myself and just learn it step by step and then this is how I did it. But just memorizing all the parts is one thing and then learning the feeling is a different thing.”
Watch Rick Beato’s Interview With Anika Nilles
How Rush and Anika Nilles Found Their Footing Together
Stepping into the position once held by Neil Peart was always going to be one of the toughest assignments in rock music. Although Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson had spent decades performing these songs, Nilles entered the project as a newcomer and immediately immersed herself in the band’s history after being introduced through Lee’s longtime bass technician John “Scully” McIntosh.
“I was diving directly into the Rush rabbit hole and just listened to everything I could catch — the music, videos, interviews, live shows, everything you can find online, basically, just to get to know the songs a bit better,” she said. “Because I just knew a bunch and also not in detail. So I started my whole research, but we also prepared, I think, six or seven songs for the first rehearsal. And as I got those titles, I was just focusing on those songs because they have a huge catalog.”
Nilles noted that Rush’s long break from touring unexpectedly helped create a more relaxed rehearsal environment as everyone worked through the material together.
“We all kind of started a little bit together from scratch,” she explained. “I mean, they didn’t really start from scratch, but as a trio, we had to find a way to come together. And it’s one thing when you come into a band and everyone knows everything and it’s just like playing, it’s smooth because they’re doing it every day onstage and you’re the newbie [who] has to adjust and learn all this. It didn’t feel like that. So it was also taking the pressure a little bit away because they’re kind of like, ‘Okay, how does this go?’ ‘Cause they hadn’t played it in 10 years. Definitely took the pressure a little bit off my shoulders.”
The extra preparation proved worthwhile. Rush’s reunion performances have received strong praise from fans, with Nilles earning widespread recognition for the way she has handled the band’s demanding material while honoring the spirit of the original recordings.
The Fifty Something reunion tour continues in Los Angeles before moving on to additional dates scheduled through April 2027.
