Rush bassist Geddy Lee opened up about new drummer Anika Nilles, who has stepped in to fill the seat left by the late Neil Peart for the band’s ongoing reunion tour.
Lee discussed the personal sacrifice Nilles has made in order to faithfully perform Peart’s iconic drum parts while still finding her own voice within the music.
“There are moments where I’m just so proud of her,” Geddy Lee said. “Because in order to do this gig, let’s be frank, you know, you have to compromise a bit of yourself. Because you’re trying to be true to another drummer’s part… And that’s a sacrifice.”
“Sometimes Anika would write to me and say, ‘What time is this part in?’ I would go, ‘F*ck, I don’t know,'” Lee continued. “And I realized we would do a weird musical passage in an odd time signature, but we wouldn’t need to count, ’cause we would just glue a bunch of phrases together… We knew the nuances of each other’s parts so intimately that we had cues in each other’s playing. But she hadn’t had enough familiarity yet. She couldn’t possibly have played off of those cues yet. And now I think she can.”
Lee went on to describe the deep musical connection he once shared with Peart. He noted that same chemistry is still developing with Nilles.
Nilles’s path to the Rush drum chair, and the growing confidence Lee describes, are rooted in a run of shows that has already reshaped how fans see the band’s next chapter.
Nilles made her Rush debut when the band’s “Fifty Something” tour kicked off on June 7, 2026, at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. The show marked the first time in over a decade that Rush performed live together, and the first time anyone but Peart had ever taken the drum seat on a Rush stage.
The gig set the tone for what has become one of the most closely watched reunion runs in recent rock history. Nilles has been under constant scrutiny as she worked to honor Peart’s legacy while carving out room of her own.
Nilles did not arrive at the audition by chance. She came to Rush on the recommendation of John “Skully” McIntosh, Lee’s longtime bass technician, who had worked alongside her during her stint touring with guitar legend Jeff Beck. That connection gave Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson a trusted reference point as they searched for someone capable of tackling Peart’s famously intricate parts.
Lee has been direct about why the band ultimately chose her. He made clear that gender had nothing to do with the decision, stating plainly that Rush did not hire Nilles because she is a woman, but because she is an incredible drummer.
That assessment has echoed through reviews of the tour. Critics have repeatedly singled out her technical command and her ability to bring genuine energy to Peart’s material rather than simply replicating it note for note.
The chemistry Lee described in his comments about shared musical cues has been visible on stage as the tour has progressed through cities including Chicago and Toronto. Audiences in those cities have given Nilles standing ovations for her performances.
Reviewers who watched her play Peart’s parts live for the first time noted that she performed them faithfully while still bringing her own sensibility to the material. Lee’s remarks suggest that balance has only strengthened over the course of the tour.
