Mike Portnoy shares admiration for Anika Nilles after seeing her perform again with Rush

Since Anika Nilles’ debut performance with the iconic rock group back in June, Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, a well-known admirer of Rush, has also been praising her, as per MetalInjection. He even expressed delight that Rush had selected her for the role rather than him. Since then, he has had the opportunity to see her in person, and it appears that his support for her has only grown.

Went and saw Rush again last night for the 2nd time on this tour (NYC #2 & Philly #2)…absolutely amazing show once again! I got lucky as the sets were very different…last nights being a new unique variation which had them playing both La Villa Strangiato and A Farewell To Kings back to back!! (The two songs I was hoping to hear the most!) 

Was able to spend some time with the Queen before the show! 🙌 Thank you so much Anika for the hospitality 🙏 I cannot express enough how happy I am for her and the band. She is absolutely PERFECT for this gig! Handling most of Neil’s nuances while still bringing her own style and swing to the music (but always with the utmost respect) You can feel the whole audience rooting for her through the whole show and I LOVE that!!! 👏

Congratulations to her and Geddy & Alex and Loren on this tour. The amount of time and dedication they’ve put into the show(s) is incredible and I think they’ve gone above & beyond anybody’s expectations delivering a show that is worthy of the bands legacy and also honors Neil memory with the utmost respect. I am so proud to be a Rush fan!

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There’s also footage of Portnoy completely in awe of Nilles.

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Upcoming shows by Rush:

• Wednesday, August 26, 2026 – Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI, US
• Friday, August 28, 2026 – Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI, US
• Wednesday, September 02, 2026 – Bell Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
• Friday, September 04, 2026 – Bell Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
• Saturday, September 12, 2026 – TD Garden, Boston, MA, US
• Monday, September 14, 2026 – TD Garden, Boston, MA, US
• Thursday, September 17, 2026 – Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH, US
• Saturday, September 19, 2026 – Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH, US
• Wednesday, September 23, 2026 – Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX, US
• Friday, September 25, 2026 – Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX, US
• Monday, October 05, 2026 – Ball Arena, Denver, CO, US
• Wednesday, October 07, 2026 – Ball Arena, Denver, CO, US
• Saturday, October 10, 2026 – Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA, US
• Monday, October 12, 2026 – Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA, US
• Thursday, October 15, 2026 – SAP Center, San Jose, CA, US
• Saturday, October 17, 2026 – SAP Center, San Jose, CA, 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
• 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