Geddy Lee Says Many Musicians Were 'Distasteful' After Neil Peart's Death

Rush's Geddy Lee said that many musicians were "distasteful" following Neil Peart's death in January of 2020.

Speaking with Guitar World, the frontman and bassist revealed that numerous drummers — none of which are close friends of the band — tried to nudge their way into the group while he and Alex Lifeson were still processing the death of their bandmate.

“People who are close to us – good friends that are successful drummers – would never infer something like that because they have too much respect, not only for Neil and for the situation,” Lee explained.

“They were grieving as well, so they wouldn’t be so selfish as to say something inappropriate like that," adding “there were many other drummers who reached out to me in the aftermath of Neil’s passing that were pushing themselves and that was most distasteful to me. It was completely inappropriate timing.”

Peart died after a three-and-a-half-year battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma. Because of Peart's irreplaceable talent, it seemed to be the end of Rush. That is, until Lee and Lifeson came together to perform at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in 2022.

After some more time had passed and the duo continued to play music together, they realized it was the right time to try and put the group back together to celebrate their career and Peart's legacy.

“We didn't really know where to begin to look,” Lee admitted. “We started with Anika [Nilles] because she had been recommended to me and I had done some research on her. I loved her vibe and diverse style."

READ MORE: Geddy Lee on Using Rush Name for Reunion - 'What Else Do You F--king Call It?'

The rocker said they didn't have a particular list of drummers in mind when it came time to take their comeback seriously. But when they reached out to Nilles and rehearsed with her a bit, it all fell into place.

"She brought a lot to the table, but more than her chops, more than her guts and her willingness to sit in that hot seat, she brought an intelligence and a story," Lee praised.

In addition to Nilles, rock keyboardist Loren Gold will join Rush as they embark on tour this year to celebrate their 50th anniversary as a band. The first leg kicks off June 7 in Los Angeles, California. See all of the dates and ticket info on their website.

See bands that have chosen not to carry on after a member died in the gallery below.