'It Was Not an Easy Decision' - What Led Geddy Lee + Alex Lifeson to Reunite Rush

At an exclusive event Sunday night (Oct. 5), Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson explained what led them to decide to reunite Rush.

The prog legends just announced their 2026 Fifty Something tour yesterday and revealed German drummer Anika Nilles will join them in place of the late Neil Peart, who died in early 2020.

The news came as a surprise to many, as Rush officially retired from touring over 10 years ago. Their last show took place on Aug. 1, 2015. Plus, Lee and Lifeson made it clear that Rush were over after Peart's death — but they had a change of heart.

How Did Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson Decide to Reunite Rush?

The aforementioned invite-only event on Sunday took place at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame theater, according to Blabbermouth. There were 150 people in attendance, including fans, media and other industry personnel and the live Q+A with Lee and Lifeson was hosted by Geoff Edgers of the Washington Post.

One of the questions submitted asked whether the duo will ever tour as Rush again.

"If we were to tour, when would we tour?" Lifeson asked his bandmate Geddy Lee.

"You know, I kind of think that we should tour next year," the vocalist answered.

Once the news was confirmed, Edgers asked the rockers how the decision came to be.

Lifeson recalled that Peart had had enough by the end of Rush's last tour in 2015 and although he and Lee didn't necessarily feel ready to end their careers, he eventually accepted that it was over. He'd also felt a sense of relief from not having to live in hotels on tour and be away from his family anymore.

"I felt that way for most of the last 10 years, really, I thought we had a great legacy and it's okay," the guitarist said. "Then [Lee] came along and had some big ideas and we talked and we started playing and then I realized that I love it so much."

He acknowledged the complexity of Rush's music, admitting that he found their songs harder to play since he wasn't playing them often anymore. The challenge excited him and inspired him to want to play more of the material again.

How Did Lee and Lifeson Feel About Reuniting?

Although playing Rush's material revitalized Lee and Lifeson's desire to pick up where they left off, they knew it it wasn't that simple.

"It was a very difficult decision on many levels," Lee shared.

"First of all because of what it entails in terms of work but also what had transpired. Losing a member like Neil was devastating. It was a very sad time and it took time for us to even contemplate. This is a relatively recent decision and I would say it was kind of out of the question for the longest time."

The singer said that after spending time together and playing Rush songs, it felt as though they broke through the darkness that was surrounding the band.

How Did They Go About Looking for a New Drummer?

Lee stated several times during the conversation that Peart was irreplaceable and thus they decided the reunion was going to serve as a tribute to their career rather than be a new version of themselves.

The frontman's bass tech had worked with Jeff Beck for a few years and Nilles was in the band during his last tour. The tech spoke very highly of the drummer to Lee, who then decided to check out her drumming online and showed her to Lifeson.

Since Lee and Lifeson performed at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts in 2022 with Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith and Tool's Danny Carey, they already knew how it felt to play with someone else behind the drum kit. So when the time came to discuss a reunion they felt more prepared for it.

"No matter who the drummer is, they all have their own perception of what it's like to play a Rush song and they may not line up with the way we play Rush songs," Lee said laughing.

"So whoever we were going to choose was going to be difficult and there's going to be a translation. We very secretly brought Anika to Canada... It wasn't an audition because at that point we weren't really sure we were going to tour. It was all an experiment."

Lee praised Nilles, describing her as "fantastic to play with," though there was certainly a learning curve with teaching her the complexity of their music and how Peart played it. Fortunately, she seems to have adapted well.

See the full Q+A session below.