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RUSH IS ON THE ROAD KICKING ASS


Rush opened their regrouping tour at the LA Forum on June 7th. It was one of the most emotional concerts I'd been to in ages. why? Because it was their first concert since disbanding after drummer/lyricist Neil Peart's death. The air was electric that night, filled with hope and anticipation. Geddy Lee (bass/vocals) and Alex Lifeson (guitars) were joined by handpicked drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold.

There were so many high points that to list them all would take up most of your time. Instead, here are my top 5:

1. Geddy's voice sounded fantastic. I was at their last show at the Forum back on August 1, 2015 (that's right, I was at their farewell and their rebirth). Ged had to strain to hit some of the notes and I came away wishing that the band had adjusted the key of the songs to accommodate his age and range. No Rush fan on earth would have questioned the move. Artists get older. Their voices change. That said Geddy went to a vocal coach before this tour and you can tell the difference. he sounds great. Like, early 90s great.

2. The band is reenergized with Anika and Loren. All of the tunes had great drive. The addition of Loren has freed up Geddy to be up front with Alex more during some of the songs that featured keys. the crowd really fed off of how excited they were to be in front of an audience again.

3. The song selections. If you're a fan following along with their setlists, you'll see that while they're playing many of the same songs each night, the setlists do not match from town to town, night to night. I think this is something new for Ruch. Their songs are so intricate and the visuals are so tied to those intricacies, that in the past it was a pretty locked in set list, save for a change here or there. Not this go around. Besides opening with "Xanadu" and closing with "Working Man," they're shaking things up. Night 1 was particularly thrilling because there was nothing to compare to. On my night, I got to hear "Red Barchetta," the song that introduced me to Rush and the first one I learned on the drums.

 4. The Neil tributes are beautiful. Each night, there are two video tributes to Neil, and each night they are accompanied by "Bravado" from Roll the Bones and "Time Stand Still" from Hold Your Fire. while those aren't necessarily considered Rush "classics," it's the lyrics to those songs that tie into the tribute. I was lucky, by the way, in that Aimee Mann was on hand for the L.A. shows to sing her backup vocals on "Time Stand Still." I read that she might show up in Cleveland because the band will be filming there later this year. Lucky bastards!

5. Anika is awesome! There may have been some bullshit rumblings on the Internet about Ged and Alex choosing a woman to fill Neil's shoes, but I didn't get any sense of that at the Forum. Instead, you could feel everyone rooting for her to succeed. And succeed she did. Not only did she play all of the key drum parts flawlessly, she also made the songs her own. Of course, only a drummer would know that, and a few air drummers. Anika seems like the only logical choice to take over for Neil. Her chops are out of this world, and she brings with her a completely different vibe that Alex and Ged feed off of. Most important, she's in the pocket the same way Neil always was. On our night, I felt like the band chose some of the most complicated Rush songs to prove that she is one badass drummer. When she nailed every fill in "Tom Sawyer," the crowd roared in support.  

I've spoken to several friends who went to other nights on Rush's four-night stand at the Forum. All of they wished they could have attended one or more of those shows. If they happen to return to L.A., I will be back. Rush fans, get out there and take in these shows.  

Rush L.A. Forum June 7, 2026 

 

1.  Xanadu (Farewell to Kings)

2. Limelight (Moving Pictures)

3. Far Cry (Snakes and Arrows)

4. Subdivisions (Signals)

5. Freewill (Permanent Waves)

6. Bravado (Roll the Bones)

7. Caravan (Clockwork Angels)

8. La Villa Strangiato (Hemispheres)

9. Vital Signs (Moving Pictures)

10. Spirit of the Radio (Permanent WavesI

 

-Intermission-

 

11. 2112: Pt. I Overture (2112)

12. 2112: Pt. II The Temples of Syrinx (2112)

13. 2112: Pt. VII: Grand Finale (2112)

14. Distant Early Warning (Grace Under Pressure)

15. Red Barchetta (Moving Pictures)

16. Dreamline (Roll the Bones)

17. Natural Science (Permanent Waves)

18. Time Stand Still (Hold Your Fire)

19. Red Sector A (Grave Under Pressure)

20. YYZ (Moving Pictures)

21. The Garden (Clockwork Angels)

22. Tom Sawyer (Moving Pictures)

23. By-Tor & the Snow Dog (Fly By Night)

24. Working Man (RUSH)

 

 

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