Rush Nearly Walked Away After Four Frustrating Rehearsals—Then Everything Changed on Day Five
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Rush have revealed that their first rehearsals with new drummer Anika Nilles were far from smooth, with both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson questioning whether the chemistry was ever going to fall into place.
After confirming their 2026 reunion tour, the band faced the enormous challenge of continuing without Neil Peart, who passed away in 2020. Nilles, known for her work with The Jeff Beck Band, stepped into one of rock’s most demanding roles, but the first few days reportedly left the remaining members uncertain about whether the partnership would succeed.
Despite her impressive résumé, Lifeson admitted that the rehearsals did not immediately produce the connection they were hoping for. Speaking with Classic Rock, he recalled, “We rehearsed for four days, and on the fourth day Ged and I sat down and we weren’t sure.”
He continued, “It wasn’t quite working with the three of us. We were thinking that maybe we should continue with someone else, just to see how that might feel.”
Everything changed on the fifth day. According to Lifeson, Nilles absorbed every piece of feedback about Neil Peart’s feel, phrasing, and musical approach, then returned with a performance that completely transformed the rehearsals. “She took all our comments about feel, about Neil’s feel and the way he played, and being very cognisant of the ability that he had, and bang! She nailed the songs all day. It was a real ‘Wow!’ moment.”
Lee described that rehearsal as the true turning point. “That was the real turning point. We were playing, and she was smiling, and we had this eye contact. For a long time I’ve had that drummer/bass player eye contact thing, and that’s so important to me, and it was so much fun. And I thought, man, if she comes on this ride, it’s going to be so good for us because she brings a whole different energy, it’s wonderful.”
Nilles explained that she approached the opportunity with deep respect, saying she focused on “immersing myself to some extent in Neil’s way of thinking and his playing feel” so she could honor his legacy while remaining true to herself as a musician.
She later made her live debut with Rush at the Juno Awards, marking the band’s first performance together in more than a decade and offering fans their first glimpse of the new lineup in action.
Rush launched the North American leg of their reunion tour in June, with overwhelming demand leading to multiple extensions that expanded the run to more than 50 dates through December.
In 2027, the tour is scheduled to continue internationally with performances across South America and Europe, including stops in Argentina, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.
