Anika Nilles and Rush rehearsed error recovery ahead of live performances

When Rush returned to live performances in 2026, they appeared almost perfect, and for good cause, as per loudwire. Surprisingly, a lot of that was due to blunders! Even though Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are seasoned pros who have performed the same songs thousands of times, working with a new drummer required them to go over every detail in practice. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, they discussed the band’s current Fifty Something Tour in great detail. These are Rush‘s first performances since 2015. Additionally, they are the first to have Nilles play the drums in place of Neil Peart, who passed away in 2020. Before the tour began, the three of them practiced for months. It makes sense that there were a few accidents in the early sessions. 

When we were rehearsing, toward the early part of rehearsing, if one of us would make a mistake, we would stop and we’d play the song again. – Geddy Lee

However, Rush decided it was time to alter their strategy by the time rehearsals were over. Instead, they began to embrace any errors or accidents.

Toward the end of rehearsals, we began just to play through any mistake or whatever mishap that might happen because we had to be prepared for that to happen during a show. – Geddy Lee

Rush found themselves in a predicament during “Xanadu,” the opening song of the tour’s first performance, and it didn’t take long for their disaster preparation to come into action. Unbeknownst to the majority of the audience, Nilles was in the midst of one of the song’s important drum fills when one of her drumsticks fell out of her grasp. When it occurred, Nilles was asked what was on her mind. Naturally, Rush was prepared for this.

Maybe ‘(do) not fuck up this fill.’ And then I saw this stick flying around over the toms and I just (caught) it.

Lee also stated:

We were learning as Anika was learning. We were realizing how different Neil’s feel is from other styles of play.

He believes that having Nilles in the band has improved his and Lifeson’s comprehension of Peart’s works.

Sometimes Anika would write me and say, ‘What time is this part in?’ I would go, ‘Fuck, I don’t know.’

To find the time signature, Lee would need to listen to the music again and count the beats. By doing that, Lee was able to comprehend songs he had recorded with Rush a number of years prior.

Upcoming shows:

• Thursday, October 15, 2026 – SAP Center, San Jose, CA, US
• Saturday, October 17, 2026 – SAP Center, San Jose, CA, US
• Friday, October 23, 2026 – Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, OH, US
• Sunday, October 25, 2026 – Capital One Arena, Washington, DC, US
• Tuesday, October 27, 2026 – Capital One Arena, Washington, DC, US
• Friday, October 30, 2026 – Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT, US
• Sunday, November 01, 2026 – Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT, US
• Thursday, November 05, 2026 – Seminole Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, FL, US
• Saturday, November 07, 2026 – Seminole Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, FL, US
• Monday, November 09, 2026 – Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL, US
• Wednesday, November 11, 2026 – Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL, US
• Sunday, November 15, 2026 – PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA, US
• Friday, November 20, 2026 – Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC, US
• Sunday, November 22, 2026 – Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC, US
• Wednesday, November 25, 2026 – State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA, US
• Friday, November 27, 2026 – State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA, US
• Tuesday, December 01, 2026 – Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, AZ, US
• Thursday, December 03, 2026 – Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, AZ, US
• Thursday, December 10, 2026 – Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB, Canada
• Saturday, December 12, 2026 – Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB, Canada
• Tuesday, December 15, 2026 – Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC, Canada
• Thursday, December 17, 2026 – Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC, Canada
• Friday, January 15, 2027 – Movistar Arena, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Friday, January 22, 2027 – Arena da Baixada, Curitiba, Brazil
• Sunday, January 24, 2027 – Allianz Parque, São Paulo, Brazil
• Saturday, January 30, 2027 – Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos Engenhão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Monday, February 01, 2027 – Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
• Thursday, February 04, 2027 – Arena BRB Mané Garrincha, Brasília, Brazil
• Friday, February 19, 2027 – La Défense Arena, Paris, France
• Sunday, February 21, 2027 – Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany
• Tuesday, February 23, 2027 – Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Thursday, February 25, 2027 – Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
• Sunday, February 28, 2027 – LANXESS Arena, Cologne, Germany
• Tuesday, March 02, 2027 – Barclays Arena, Hamburg, Germany
• Thursday, March 04, 2027 – Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle, Stuttgart, Germany
• Monday, March 08, 2027 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow, UK
• Thursday, March 12, 2027 – Co-op Live, Manchester, UK
• Monday, March 16, 2027 – O2 Arena, London, UK
• Thursday, March 18, 2027 – O2 Arena, London, UK
• Friday, March 27, 2027 – TAURON Arena Kraków, Krakow, Poland
• Monday, March 30, 2027 – Unipol Dome, Milan, Italy
• Thursday, April 01, 2027 – St. Jakobshalle Basel, Basel, Switzerland
• Sunday, April 04, 2027 – Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
• Monday, April 06, 2027 – Unity Arena, Oslo, Norway
• Wednesday, April 08, 2027 – Avicii Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
• Friday, April 10, 2027 – Veikkaus Arena, Helsinki, Finland