Geddy Lee recently revealed details about Rush’s upcoming ‘Fifty Something’ tour, including plans to honor late drummer Neil Peart, in an interview with Planet Rock.
The Rush frontman outlined the band’s ambitious show format. He explained how they plan to tribute their legendary former bandmate throughout the performances.
“We’re gonna do two sets. Each set will be about an hour, a bit more. So we’ll end up playing around two hours, 15, 20 minutes, something like that, with an intermission, of course,” Lee said. “And in each of those sets, we’ll take a song and do a bit of our own way of tributing to Neil.”
Lee emphasized that Peart’s influence will be felt throughout the entire show experience.
“And, of course, his presence will be throughout the evening. But we’re hard at work designing a show now, and we’ve got some of the old insane-person people that work for us to help us design, to do what we have always done,” he continued. “It’ll be a show along the lines of what we’ve done in the past. And I’m pretty excited about some new technology that we’re using. So, it’s a full-time job right now. And we’re working hard.”
The bassist also shared details about the band’s preparation with new drummer Anika Nilles. He discussed their extensive setlist plans.
“Anika knows about 25 songs now. We’ve had numerous rehearsals with her. And we just let her know yesterday that we’ve added another song to the set,” Lee explained. “So we’re gonna hope to learn around 40 songs, and we will change the set every day a little bit, but 40% of the set will be different from night to night to night to night.”
The upcoming tour marks a significant moment for Rush fans who have been eagerly awaiting the band’s return to the stage since their last major tour cycle.
Recent interviews revealed that Lee has acknowledged the massive expectations surrounding this reunion tour. The pressure from longtime fans has been building since the band’s hiatus. This makes the return particularly meaningful for both the musicians and their dedicated fanbase.
The integration of new drummer Anika Nilles represents a crucial transition for the legendary Canadian trio. Her extensive preparation with 25 songs already mastered demonstrates the band’s commitment to maintaining their high performance standards. It also shows their dedication to honoring their musical legacy.
Lee’s mention of new technology being incorporated into the show design suggests Rush will continue their tradition of innovative live performances. The band has historically been known for pushing boundaries in concert production. They combine complex musical arrangements with cutting-edge visual elements.
The tour’s format features two substantial sets with intermissions. This allows for both comprehensive tribute moments to Peart and the flexibility to showcase different aspects of Rush’s extensive catalog across multiple decades of progressive rock excellence.
