Fifty Something Tour Book
HOW WE GOT HERE ...
FROM WAY OVER THERE
By Geddy Lee
I have taken up the unenviable task of writing this introduction for the 'Fifty Something' Tour book. I say "unenviable" because on past tours it was strictly Neil's domain, a gig he took great pride in and, of course, did so well. After all, his talents were never limited to being one of the greatest effin' drummers in rock history; the man was a born writer too. He'd fashion these introductions like they were installments in an ongoing history of Rush, giving fans a peek into the inner workings of our band - the teeth-gnashing decisions, the occasional bit of drama (wot drama?), the ridiculousness of our personalities (mostly Lerxst's) and all the minutiae that went into songwriting, recording and prepping for a tour.
A hard act to follow. Yet now that I'm back on the road, arm in arm with my bestest pal in the entire world, and in a way that neither of us could have ever predicted, the job has fallen to moi.
I'll pick up the baton in 2015, soon after Neil played his last show and "officially" retired, not just from Rush but as a touring musician. As I have written elsewhere, this decision had at first left me frustrated-Lerxst too, which was kind of ironic because he'd had his own health worries the year before and was quite prepared for R40 to be his last tour. That changed because of how well we were all playing and how proud he was of the show's design, and he and I were keen to carry on and take the tour around the globe. But it was not meant to be, and some months after the end, we came to see how happy Neil had become as a full-time dad, and whatever frustration we'd felt soon dissipated. The man had earned himself a life far from the madding crowd. So Lerxst and I turned our thoughts to other means of expression, in our own separate ways.
Lerxst's choice was to simply carry on playing guitar every day. It was what he was born to do, working on his own or with friends and acquaintances from as many musical genres as came his way, stretching out and satisfying his musical thirst. He developed different approaches for each artist he worked with, increasing his range and experimenting in sonic creation, all within the comfort of his home studio where he could be at peace while supplying a burst of that exquisite Lerxst inspiration to everything he touched. After a time, he lost all desire to venture out on tour. He still had health issues, and was concerned about the routine and boredom that being on the road will inevitably inflict on your mind and body. There is only so much golf a fella can play!
Me, I had no immediate interest in writing and recording another solo effort, nor did joining another band have much appeal. I'd been spoiled by being part of the most creative and democratic writing and performing team one could ever imagine, and now I wanted a new way to express my creative urges. After being deep in the throes of collecting vintage basses, I turned my gaze from playing them to studying them from an historical viewpoint, which led to my first book-a compendium of, and commentary on, the vast collection I'd crazily amassed. Through that experience, I developed a love of writing books, which filled me up and expanded my world. It also led to mad pursuits such as being the host of a TV show about... bass players. Can you believe that?
All this was made complicated by the terrible secret we'd been keeping since the fall of 2016 - the knowledge of Neil's terrible illness, the heartbreaking impact it had on his family in California and, by extension, those of us up north too. As you are painfully aware, that reached its devastating climax when he left the planet in early January of 2020.
Lerxst and I coped with the grief and ramifications of his loss each in our own way. On top of all that brutal sadness came this thing called Covid-19, and we found ourselves locked down in our separate homes. Lerxst kept himself distracted with some long-distance musical adventures, and even started up a new band called Envy of None, while I returned to pounding out words for what would become an incredible inward journey for me: my effin memoir.
The idea of touring, locked down or not, remained unthinkable. But one of the things I've learned over the past decade is that two seemingly opposite ideas can exist in the same moment. Time, for example, can be a stern taskmaster and yet also a fluid, forgiving stream with the power to heal.
Two years crawled by. Then in 2022 we got the news of another sudden and shocking death-that of our pal and fellow musician Taylor Hawkins. The Foos, and especially our friend Dave Grohl, were of course devastated, and we could relate only too well. So when Dave asked us to participate in a couple of tributes to Taylor, we said yes before we could even think about the practicalities of getting back on stage, let alone who would sit behind the kit. True to form, Dave was super considerate of how difficult it might be for us to play Rush songs without Neil, and even in his grief went out of his way to make the process as easy for us as was possible. The end result was two appearances, one in London and one in Los Angeles, where we did our thing with four different drummers: Dave himself, Omar Hakim, Chad Smith and Danny Carey.
What we did not anticipate was that the experience lit a fuse. Performing our songs again with those brilliant musicians taught us that the music we'd spent fifty-something years creating is still alive within us and very much alive in the hearts of our fans too. Almost lost in the pain of Neil's passing was the simple truth: music lives on.
In 2024 I had just put my third book (a love lotter to baseball) to bed, while Lerxst had finished his second EoN album. I was itching to play and began to ponder a return to music. It had been nine years since I'd done anything meaningful in that regard, and it started to feel like the ranks of basses hanging on my walls were accusing me of neglect. I began building up my fingers and writing lyrics with a view on doing something. I didn't know where I was headed, but it wasn't going to be on a Rush tour. Yet, life has a way of making our certainties look foolish...
Meanwhile, Lerxst and I never stopped hanging out. We shared dinners and wine and laughs on a regular basis, and on one particular day in late 2024 decided once again to drink too much coffee and jam in my basement studio where we had written so many songs together. Rusty at first, we were soon having a blast, and after we'd run out of ideas, one of us said, "Hey, let's play a Rush song". We chose "Freewill", and although we played a pretty crappy version of it, we both felt lit up. That was the start of a series of sessions at my house, beginning every time with coffee, moving into "What's new with you?" and ending with a laughable attempt at playing another Rush song. We were having too much damn fun, however... and then the inevitable questions arose.
Dare we take this to the stage? Could we do an actual tour? We were definitely warming to the idea-not only because playing the songs began to feel so good and right, not only because everyone kept reminding us of that our fiftieth anniversary was looming, but also because in our hearts we were well overdue paying a proper tribute to our long departed friend and bandmate.
Fast forward to the story that Lerxst and I have been telling in public of late: We decided to learn more about touring in this new age. We'd not been on tour for a decade and had disbanded touring management and infrastructure; all that remained was a warehouse of memories, and we'd have to start from scratch. We set our minds to it and moved forward... ver-r-ry slowly. There were many reasons not to do it, but on the positive side, Alex's health was improving, which made him more open to such an insane idea.
Of course, we needed to tackle the most difficult decision of them all, trying to find a drummer with the talent and guts to join us on stage and fill the shoes of someone that is irreplaceable. We had no lack of friends who were amazing drummers, but we wanted someone from a different context, someone who'd not beg the inevitable comparisons to their previous bands and, most importantly, who had a story of their own that deserved telling.
While I'd been writing books, my bass tech Skully was working for a number of musicians, among them the late great guitar master Jeff Beck, and after their last tour together he came home raving about drummer named Anika Nilles, a highly skilled, self-made musician who'd garnered a sizeable following on YouTube. I checked her out and loved her playing. Her style was diverse, a kind of modern fusion with intricate drum patterns and a penchant for cool and complex grooves. For two years I kept her name in my back pocket in case a musical opportunity should arise. Was this such a moment? I showed her videos to Alex, and he heard the same spark that I did. We arranged a call with her, hit it off, and asked her to secretly come to Toronto from her home in Germany to play some Rush music with us.
The sessions in April 2025 lasted five days and we got along really well. Her smarts and innate musical talent shone throughout her playing. But did she have the right "feel"? The technical aspects were not in question, her chops not a problem, but she hadn't grown up a Rush fan and had yet to familiarize herself with the elusive essence of Neil's playing. If fans were going to come to see us play a Rush song, it would have to feel like a Rush song. There was a lot to love about her playing, approach and personality, but Alex and I still harboured a sliver of doubt. Until Day 5, that is. During that final session all of the tumblers clicked into place and she nailed it. Lerxst and looked at each other and nodded. We had our drummer. Yikes, now what?
I admit to holding back emotion when Lerxst and I told her we wanted her to come on this journey with us. It was a huge moment for all three of us, not just because of the massive commitment, but because Lerxst and I had just tiptoed back into a world we'd thought was behind us for good, while Anika's life was about to seriously change. She was so taken aback by our vote of confidence that as she busted out a big smile and her eyes grew wider, all she managed to say was, "Really? Oh! That's so great."
Since that day we've kicked into the next gear, rehearsing our idiosyncratic songs with industrial application. Although Anika has had to learn as many as forty of them so we can change up the sets and present a slightly different show each night, she's been undeterred by the challenge. As we've fed off one another's energy, her confidence has grown with every rehearsal, and now things are really rockin' both musically and personally. The working atmosphere is just how we like it, intense and grooving when playing, but full of nonsense and jokes the minute we stop. We were always impressed by Anika's grasp of the English language, but we did have to teach her at least one essential Canadian phrase like: "How's it goin', eh?" while she's teaching us a little German like: schlagzeuger which means, of course, "drummer".
This time around, we've been determined not to be a three-piece. Fresh approach, fresh look. We've now added a fourth musician to the tour, longtime studio and touring keyboardist and vocalist Loren Gold, who I first met in London in 2014 when I was a guest artist on The Who Hits 50! charity event. He's a diverse, highly skilled player, and a funny dude to boot, with a wealth of experience playing and singing backup not just with the Who, but Chicago, Kenny Loggins, Don Felder and others too. He's fit in incredibly well, and we're having fun figuring out which keyboard parts I will still play and which he'll take over. Most importantly, he's relieved both Alex and me from having to constantly look down at our foot pedals to trigger sequences and synth parts. We can now both play and sing (and dance) with a focus we haven't had since Rush's earliest hard rock days.
Before I sign off and let you enjoy the show, I would be remiss if I didn't mention some folks to whom I know we'll be eternally grateful. First, I am delighted that more than a few of our long-time crew members have so eagerly agreed to pick up this journey with us. It means a helluva lot. As always, they're there to help us design, build and execute the kind of show that our longtime fans have come to expect from us. Also, a most sincere and heartfelt thanks to both our long-standing (or is that long-suffering?) front office personnel and our brand new management crew. Your wisdom, protection, unyielding support and enthusiasm have made this tour possible.
We are also most thankful for the support we've been shown for this tour from Neil's widow, Carrie Nuttall-Peart and their daughter Olivia. That acknowledgement has meant an awful lot.
Last but not least, I have to thank you, the legion of loyal fans, for your undying support through our years of inactivity, sending us love, devotion and so many messages of encouragement to get us to play together again, as well as rooting for our individual endeavours. Your dedication has helped keep the flames of Rush music alive, catalyzed this reunion, and made this tribute to Neil possible. It's especially heartwarming to see how so many of you have welcomed Anika into the fold before you've even heard her play a note, and I can tell you that she is inspired and very moved by that kindness.
I know that the idea of Rush carrying on without Neil is almost impossible for us all to get our heads around. For the longest time, it wasn't easy for Lerxst and me to comprehend, but life is nothing if not surprising, effin' complicated and at times heartbreaking, so here we are, looking upwards and onwards as best we can, breathing life back into the songs we spent decades creating with him.
I truly hope our big, brilliant, goofy pal is watching from the great beyond with his boyish smirk of approval. He used to say, "What's the most excellent thing I can do today?" Well, Professor, right now, for us, this is it.
GEDDY LEE
Bass, Vocals, Keyboards
ALEX LIFESON
Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Vocals
ANIKA NILLES
Drums
LOREN GOLD
Keyboards
BAND TEAM AND CREW
Liam Birt - Tour Manager and Accountant
Narciso Martinez - Production Manager
Howard Ungerleider - Lighting Director
Hugh Syme - Art Direction, Illustrations, Design and Cheekiness
John "Skully" Mcintosh - Bass Technician
Lorne "Gump" Wheaton - Drum Technician
Jim Burgess - Keyboard Programming and Technician
Tony " Jack Secret" Geranios - Stage Left Technician
Galen Henson - Guitar Technician
Bruce "Frenchie" French - Chef / Nutritionist
George Steinert - Scenic Carpenter
Bryan Worthen - Concert Audio Engineer
Brian Sankus - Audio System Engineer
Daniel Badorine - Monitor Mixer
Matthew Fox - Monitor System Engineer
Joshua Perree - Stage Manager
Gage Freeman - Production Coordinator
Anson Moore - Audio Crew Chief
Donovan Lundstrom - Road Manager
Lashawn Lundstrom - Road Manager
Casey McNulty - Security John Guarnieri - Security
Janet Taylor - Ticketing / Accounting
Caitlin Howell - Physiotherapist
Richard Sibbald - Tour Photography
Mitch Seekins - Vocal coach for Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson
Misty Fox - Hair and Make-Up
Patrick McLoughlin and Freddy Skogheim - Merchandisers
TECHNICAL PRODUCTION TEAM
John Arrowsmith - Pyro Technician
Bradford Kellogg - Laser Technician
Scott Badue - Head Carpenter
David Escobar - Carpenter
Jonathan McDonough - Carpenter
Sara Holt - Stage Left PA Tech
Sam Wingate - Stage Right PA Tech
Josiah Roggio - Delays Tech
Ryan Anderson - Lighting Crew Chief
Martin Thomas - Programmer
Josh Barnes - Lighting Tech / Robospots
Mike Mundrick - Lighting Technician
Ryan Megaw - Lighting Technician
Cody Carver - Lighting Technician
Michah Vaughn - Lighting Technician
Willy Williams - Head Rigger
Shawn Gibson - Rigger
Sebastien Richard - Automation Rigger
Bryan Richard - Automation Rigger
George Elizondo - Video Director
Kevin Leiberman - Video Engineer
Andreanne Lafrance - Media Servers
Kenneth Ackerman - Camera Crew Chief
Ken Bowman - Camera Op / LED
Oscar Canales - Camera Op / LED
Elliot Maude - Lead LED
Justin Smith - Camera Op / LED
Shah Fisal - Rail Cam
BAND MANAGEMENT / RUSH HQ
Meg Symsyk - Band Management, Marketing and PR
David Steinberg - Legal and Percussive Advisor
Sheila Posner - Accounting and Pretty Much Everything Else
Patrick McLoughlin - Showtech Merchandising Management
Veronica Sinnaeve - Archivist and Asst. To Geddy Lee
Alex Speciale - Asst. To Alex Lifeson
Rayanne Lepieszo - Digital / Web
Duff Battye for Duff Press, UK and Europe
Q PRIME TOURING MANAGEMENT TEAM
Cliff Burnstein
Peter Mensch
Imogen Jenkins - Assistant to Cliff and Peter
Dennis Brennan - Tour Department
Kieren Smith - Tour Department
Andrew Rippel - Tour Department
Sean Doyle - Tour Department
Mary Moyer - Press Department
Emilio Herce - Press Department
Doug Oswandel - Digital Department
Brant Weil - Marketing
Warren Christensen - Promo / Radio
Michele Bernstein - Tour Marketing, MichiB Inc.
TRANSPORTATION
Don Johnson - Merchandise Driver
Miguel Mendes - Pilot
Kevin Hutson - Pilot
Alana Colquhoun - Flight Attendant
Randy Bates - Lead Truck Driver
Truck Drivers - Thank you
INDEPENDENT ARTISTS GROUP
Dennis Arfa
Adam Kornfeld
June Chaiyasit
LIVE NATION
Rick Franks
Erik Kammerer
Jaime Horton - Live Nation Tour Rep
VIP
Mike Savas - Superfan VIP
GELFAND, RENNERT AND FELDMAN / LD TOUR CO.
Mike Skeet
Bill Tannenbaum
Tina Mossey
Milena Miletic
UNITED TALENT AGENCY
Sam Kirby
James Wright
Carlos Abreau
HONOURABLE MENTION
Ray Danniels
Neil Warnock
OTHER CORPORATE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
FROSCH TRAVEL
Marla Wax, Randi Gelman, Colleen Smith
SCOTT TRAVEL
Jennifer Chiara, Daniel Wechter
PREMIER GLOBAL PRODUCTIONS
Steven Creech' Anderson, Troy Volhoffer
CLAIR GLOBAL
Toby Francis, Todd Johnson
PRG
John Wiseman, Erik Paquette
FFP EFFECTS
Matthew Varley
PRODUCTION DESIGN INTL.
Howard Ungerleider
LUZ STUDIOS
Mathieu Larivee
GUARDIAN BARRIERS
JP Dolphin
STAGING
Accurate Staging
Mike Munoz
FIVE POINTS PRODUCTION SVCS.
Daniel Grove, John Fletcher
TOURING LOGISTICS
Eric Swartz
CHARTRIGHT AIR INC.
Zuzana Parent, Justin King
UPSTAGING
Jeni Clark
BZEE BROKERAGE LTD.
Neil Zeagman
VISUAL CREDITS
ALLAN WEINRIB
Executive Creative Director/Producer
DALE HESLIP
Creative Director and Set Design
LUZ
Tour Design, VFX, Programming
Matthieu Larivée - Executive Creative Director
Dave Pawsey - Creative Director
Simon Rouhier - Creative Lead
Claudine Boulanger - Content Director
Chaz Hamman - Business Manager
Magalie Desrochers - Creative Producer
Laurence Payette - Creative Team Manager
Philippe Marquis - Video Programmer
David Poirier, Clément Sagnier, Sébastien Deschênes, Maxime Lortie
Content Artists - Main Team
Anne-Laurence Dubois - General Manager
FEATURED WORKS
"XANADUDES" (intro film)
Dale Heslip - Director
Mark Utley - Director of Photography
Brian Peco - Line Producer
Mark Morton - Editor
The Vanity - VEX/Colour Correction/Conform
Rancho Fantastico - Sound Design
Tribute #1
Mark Morton - Editor
Sean Cochrane/Vanity - Design/VFX
Tribute #2
Xite Labs
Greg Russell - Creative Director
Adrien Zanetti - CG Design Rodel Aragon - CG Design
Myokyung Shon - CG Design
Luz - Editorial
FEATURED ARTISTS - NEW WORKS
Crankbunny
Design/Animation/Fun Wow
Frank Gryner - Design/Animation
Mark Morton - Director/Editor
theVanity VFX
Sean Cochrane - Creative Director/Lead VFX
Andrew Exworth - Colourist
Stephanie Pennington - Executive Producer
Josh Clifton and Sam Andrews - CG Artists
Andrew Farlow, Kaelem Cahill, Adam Silcox-Vanwyk, Greg Avery, Scott Olthoff, Noah Matikainen, Naveen Srivastava - VFX Artists
Fantoons
David Calcano - Director
Mariafernanda Fuentes - Producer
Jorge Mattus, Juan Riera, Leandro Mendes, Finn Nowikow, Eduardo Braun and Lindsay Lee - Lead Artists
MOOD Inc.
Set Construction
Extra special thanks to John Hamburg, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, Matt Stone and Frank Agnone for their time, continuing support and good humour.
Hugh Syme
Art Direction, Illustrations and Design
Printing by Jerry and Matt Theoret at Battlefield Press
ALEX'S GEAR LIST - FIFTY SOMETHING TOUR 2026/27
Lerxst Morley Volume/Wah pedal / 2 TONEX Anniversary Edition Pedals / T.C. Electronics Looper / Fractal AXE-FX III Preamp/Effects Processor-mark lI
GUITARS
GIBSON
1960 Cherry Sumburst, Les Paul re-issue / 1960 Tomato sunburst Les Paul re-issue / 1959 Les Paul re-issue / 1958 ES-335 / 1968 ES-335 / 1965 SG Junior / 1275 Alex Lifeson Signature release / 1969 EDS 1275 Custom Jimmy Page re-issue / Alex Lifeson 1976 ES-355 limited edition / Alex Lifeson Epiphone ES-355 "Whitey" 2026 CEO - Explorer / 2026 SG Standard 24 / 2026 Les Paul "Greeny"
PRS
Angelus Alex Lifeson-koa acoustic / Angelus Alex Lifeson-maple acoustic / 1993 Custom 22 / 2026 CE-24
FENDER
1980 Telecaster 1952 re-issue / Alvarez classical / 2013 Martin D12-28 / Lerxst "Freewill"
Special thanks to: Mojotone, Fractal Audio Systems, Morley, Gibson Guitars, PRS Guitars, Godin Guitars, Gator Cases, Levy Straps, D'Addario Strings, Radial Engineering, IK Multimedia ry special thanks to: Michael McWorter, Matt Picone, Scott Fietsam, Cesar Gueikian, Jenny Marsh, Beth Heidt, Jack Higginbotham, Fred Di Santo, Mario Biferali, Daniel Fiocco, Jim Rhodes, Scott Appleton, Galen Henson, Andy Curran, Larry Campbell, Mark Menghi, Alastair Miller, Chris Stringer, Jeremy Berger.
Finally, I'm eternally grateful to my life partner, wife, girlfriend, pal, inspiration and love, Charlene, my Chuckie, without whose support and love this tour would be impossible.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF APPLIANCES, POULTRY, AND OTHER WEIRDNESS
It began innocently enough. Back in the early 2000's I had decided to use an assortment of small, but brilliant preamp devices instead of a traditional bass amp or speaker cabinet, and it occurred to me that perhaps I no longer need to have any "stacks" on stage at all? But how would I fill that now empty space on stage left? And where would Neil's drum tech Gump hide while attending to the big guys needs?
I decided that this was a creative opportunity. I had dabbled in appliances once before, most notably, with an old beat up fridge that sat beside Neil's drum kit. (he even began to cover it with the fridge magnets he would collect for me on his cycling sojourns between shows.) So, naturally, I asked my crew guys to have a look around the scrap yards for something inspiring and kinetic. Lo and behold some abandoned clothes dryers were found. Perfect and odd. They were white, square and had a round centre window that I could light up as the clothing tumbled inside. Who knew that this bit of absurdity would reach legendary status? Most people seemed to love the inside joke, while others were puzzled. After that tour I answered more questions about dryers than almost anything relating to my career or the music we were then producing. Now that is comedy!
At the time, I didn't realize that this goofy moment would change our entire approach to staging. Thus began the use of props, eventually influencing Alex's side of the stage and beyond.
But not wanting to repeat the same gag, how would I follow up the Dryers for the coming tours? Well, I thought, I liked the "action" coming from the Dryers and I love me some roast chicken, hmmm... Bingo! Let's build some big ole' rotisserie cookers and make some finger lickin' chicken that looked ready to munch. It worked out pretty well, and more importantly we were now emboldened to expand that approach further into the world of theatrical staging.
The next few tours saw us become obsessed with a steampunk aesthetic, and with the creative madness of our tour set designer, Dale Heslip, the amp designs took on more abstract and Rube Goldberg-esque vibe. For my side of the stage, I went from an array of goofy bass machines with horns replete with its own sausage maker, (uh, even though the long trail of sausages emerging from that machine looked a little too much like wot comes out of a doggies bottom!)... to a floating Brain (it was a smart machine) and a popcorn maker. Finally we got to the R40 Tour where the stage was in a constant state of flux, a changing panorama, a time traveling circus of nonsensical faux sets and machines that represented and exaggerated each era of our existence with a smirk.
Even if you didn't see the point, well, at least we still made you smile and that my friends, is what really mattered.
So for The Fifty Something Tour I needed a "MacGuffin" (look it up!) a device to enhance the mise-en-scène we have created. A world made up of bits of circumstance, mental energy from our music and a projection into a future we might have lived once upon a dream, far, far beyond the lighted stage. An effin' strangiato of a village where anything might happen.... which brings me to fish.
Bass folk are we,
born to be free,
just like the fish in the sea.
Hey there bass nerds and normal people. It's time to geek out and talk some Bass. Ha, no matey, I don't mean the Percomorpha species you find in an effin' freshwater lake! But Shiver me timbers, there is definitely something fishy about my new amp set up. It has that boiling, briny fifty-fathoms flavour and the deep-sea vibe Davy Jones' Locker.
But first I have to confess. I have a problem. (Just one you say? Cheeky buggers!) As some of you are already aware, and have even gone so far as to purchase my Big Beautiful Book of Bass (thank you) Yes, I do have an addiction to collecting vintage bass guitars. The sickness was already brewing back before 2015 and as such, I took 27 vintage basses on the R40 Tour. Man, that was so much fun and a real challenge to play so many different brands with different scaled necks, various weights and feels, one after live concert. But hey, never a dull moment up there!
It's unlikely that I'll reach quite that number on this tour, mostly because I have fallen head over heels in love with my 1962 refinished "Turquoise Green" Jazz Bass the greatest sounding and playing Jazz bass I've ever held in my hands, and thus it has moved up the ladder to become is my new #1. Fear not, the old #1, my black '72 will still make its' presence known.
Yet, I will still bring out a plethora of other vintage treats with me because ... Why the fuck not?
In the meantime let me say thanks so much to you all for coming out and swimming along with us. And uh... I do hope you're fond of fish.
Special thanks to the good folks at these fine companies: Fender, Rickenbacker, Tech-21, Rotosound Strings, Oberheim, Moog Synthesizers, Korg, Ableton, and Rob Papen Softsynths.
My heartfelt thanks always and to the best bass/guitar wrangler on the planet, John Skully Mcintosh. As well as our long standing keyboard wizards, Jim Burgess and Tony Geranios a.k.a. Jack Secret.
Basses I hope to play on this tour:
'62 Jazz Bass Turquoise Green refinished
'63 Jazz Bass Sonic Blue
'63 Jazz Bass Fiesta Red
'65 Jazz Bass Silver Sparkle
'72 Jazz Bass Black
'06 Fretless Jazz Bass Jaco Pastorius model Sunburst
'59 Precision Bass Olympic White
'61 Precision Bass "Kea" Hand-painted by lan Ward
'61 Rickenbacker 4000 Red
'75 Rickenbacker 4080 JetGlo
'78 Rickenbacker 4080 Fireglo
'26 Rickenbacker "Custom 4001" Turquoise Blue Sparkle
'64 Gibson Thunderbird Cardinal Red Reverse
'67 Gibson Thunderbird Inverness Green Non-reverse
Amplification Technical data and Keyboards
Tech 21 SansAmp GED 2112 preamp (main clean and dirty tones)
Vintech 273 preamp (clean tone)
Fractal Axe-FX II XL (EQ and a couple of effects)
Orange AD200 MK3/Rivera Rockcrusher Recording (dirty tone)
Tech 21 Shapeshifter (x2, boost) and Amalgamation (chorus) pedals
Radial SGI pedal interface
Shure Axient Wireless System
Oberheim OB-X8
Mini-Moog Model D Custom Red
Korg Midi Pedals
LOREN'S GEAR LIST
For my first tour with Rush, I requested two 9-foot Bösendorfer grand pianos on stage left and right-so I could casually wander back and forth and just play whenever the mood struck. For whatever reason, this didn't go over well. So, I've scaled things back and landed on some new favorites.
I've been playing KORG for many years, and I can't imagine having a rig without their Kronos by my side. I'll be using and programming their latest flagship, the Kronos 3. The piano and strings are second to none, and between the action, the large screen, and everything else-it's the centerpiece of my rig.
New to the setup is the Legend One organ by Viscount, connected to a Neo Instruments Ventilator II, the magical Rumble Seat by Analog Alien, along with a wah pedal by Wilson Effects. Yes, I connect a wah to my organ. Why? As Alex Lifeson told me-because I can! When I first got the call to tour with Rush, my immediate thought was: can I finally justify getting an Oberheim? Perfect timing-the Oberheim OB-X8 had just been released. This is the synth I dreamed about as a kid (Tom Sawyer," hello?!). No way I was doing this gig without a proper piece of analog history. The final piece is the Korg Nautilus, which I'll be using strictly as a controller to trigger samples.
Behind me: capes, dancing shoes, and a monitor or two for baseball (priorities). And yes, the now-infamous LGT (ginger + cinnamon) will absolutely be within arm's reach. To say I'm excited for this tour is... an understatement. And don't worry-I promise not to shred over all the parts you actually came to hear!
Special thanks to the following additional programmers: Jim Burgess: Custom Sound Design/Ableton synth and sample programming. Digital Percussion programming. / Marcus Ryle: Oberheim OB-X8 programming.
HI, I'M ANIKA AND I PLAY DRUMS
I grew up in a musical household in Germany. My dad was a non-professional drummer, my mom played guitar for fun, and both were deeply passionate about music. My dad's band rehearsed in our basement often, which caught my attention early. I was curious about all musical instruments at first, but I guickly fell in love with the drums. Hitting heads and cymbals felt huge and so many years later, it still does. Bigger than ever now, on the largest kit I've ever played. Let me give you a little glimpse of what you't see on stage.
To get closer to that distinctive Rush drum sound, I needed a full palette of colors and tuned percussion. As you all know, Neil was incredibly creative in how he used all of that, and it shaped the band's overall sound in a big way. The setup you see here didn't just appear overnight. It's been more of a slow journey, wandering from song to song on the setlist, figuring out what's actually needed and making some tough choices along the way. From wood shells to drumheads, trying different cymbal combinations ... always asking, "what serves the music best?" With the incredible knowledge and experience of Neil's drum tech Lome "Gump" Wheaton, we worked on refining every detail along the way. From here on, we could easily disappear down a deep rabbit hole of nerd talk. Drumners know :)
As I said, this is by far the largest drum set I've ever played, and I absolutely love it. I'm pretty sure I'll never go back to playing a smaller one again ... unless I end up having to carry it myself from gig to gig. Then we'll talk!
While digging into Neil's fascinating sound, playing style and drum compositions, I realized I've kind of fallen for his early drum tones. Those dry concert toms, that crisp, snappy snare, so good. I'll admit, I've always leaned toward a drier sound anyway, so I tried to steer this kit a bit more toward that early Rush drum era vibe. It's been built around my playing style and size, everything set up close, tight, and low. That's how I reach every drum and cymbal with minimal effort, maximum power and speed ... And there I go getting nerdy again :)
All of this came together thanks to an awesome team effort and incredible support from my friends at Tama Drums, Meinl Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, Roland (especially Roland Canada), Meinl Percussion and Promark Sticks.
FIFTY SOMETHING QUESTIONS
The Rush Crosswork Puzzle No. 3
ACROSS:
2. The strings heard on multiple "Power Windows" tracks were recorded at this studio
6. First and last name of the person who appears as the puppet on "A Farewell To Kings" album cover
7. Geddy, Alex, and Neil received this award during a break in the "Test for Echo" tour
8. First musician outside the band to appear on a Rush song
9. This character's voice can be heard in the beginning of "The Camera Eye"
10. This 1939 Looney Tunes song inspired parts of "La Villa Strangiato"
11. Name of the shipwrecked boat depicted within the "Test For Echo" CD booklet
13. The "Permanent Waves" album cover model worked for this modeling agency
14. Neil envisioned passengers waiting in line at this gate number in the prologue to "Fly By Night"
18. Person responsible for string arrangements on "Clockwork Angels"
20. Rush played this landmark venue for the first time in 2004
23. The title of Rush's 1985 compilation video cassette
29. The title of the third part of "By-Tor & the Snow Dog"
30. The drum part heard in "Heresy" was based on a drum pattern Neil heard while bicycling in this West African country
31. First name of the person credited with naming the band
32. Neil Peart used a sample of the snare drum heard on this Rush song when recording "Force Ten"
33. Rush played a brief snippet of this Rolling Stones song at the SARS benefit show in July of 2003
34. Characters from this Steve Martin movie were credited in the "Grace Under Pressure" liner notes
37. Name of the venue where the band recorded "Snakes & Arrows Live"
38. Side 1 of the "Presto" vinyl album is longer than side 2, so you are encouraged to do this when playing side 1
42. The "Vapor Trails" album was brought to you by this letter
44. "Need Some Love" and "Before and After" in the "R50" box set were recorded in 1974 for this TV show
45. The "U" as it appears in "RUSH" on the "Clockwork Angels" album cover stands for this
46. This board game inspired the cover for "Snakes And Arrows"
48. Rush played this landmark venue for the first time in 1983
49. The cover version of "Tears" on the "2112" 40th anniversary release was recorded by this band
Mark Irwin - Puzzle Layout Ray Wawrzyniak - Author
DOWN:
1. The Japanese version of "Different Stages" includes this bonus song
3. He photographed the portraits of the band that appear in the inner sleeve of the "Hemispheres" album
4. Nighttime has this many saxophones
5. In "Nobody's Hero" when Neil wrote that he "...didn't know the girl, but (he) knew her family..." he was referring to this person
12. The name of the tour documentary on the "Clockwork Angels Tour" DVD
15. Founding member of this Canadian band designed Rush's debut album cover
16. A title the band considered using for the album that came to be called "A Show Of Hands"
17. Rush tried to include this audio effect in each song on "Feedback"
19. First name of the person whose hands are depicted on the back cover of "Snakes & Arrows"
21. This city is represented on the front cover of both the "Exit...Stage Left" album and the "A Farewell To Kings" album
22. Geddy tried not to do this on days off between shows while touring in the 2000s
24. The fictitious school on the "Signals" back cover was named after a baseball player who played most of his career with this team
25. Four songs from "Grace Under Pressure" had videos filmed here
26. The video for the "Fly By Night" album's title track was filmed in this state
27. Geddy used a fretless bass when recording this 2000's-era Rush song
28. Rush & Ozzy Osbourne co-headlined the Texxas Jam festival in the summer '84 in this venue
30. "Workin' Them Angels" began its life under this working title
35. Man on the front cover of the "R40" box set can be seen holding one of these
36. Geddy dedicated the band's performance of "Between Sun & Moon" to this person on the opening night of the "Vapor Trails" tour
39. The children on the "Moving Pictures" album cover were brought here as a reward for their services
40. The "Caress Of Steel" album cover was the first one created by Hugh Syme - the keyboardist and singer in this musician's band
41. The only priest of the temples of Syrinx identified by name within that album's inner sleeve
43. 1971 reality film "Come On Children" featured Alex and was directed by this person
47. Dionysus is the bringer of this in the "Hemispheres" suite
IN MEMORIUM
OLIVIA
My father was such a beloved artist, but more importantly he was a wonderful person. I loved him so much and still do, which makes it all so painful. Looking back, my time with him meant so much to me, but it was way too short. At least I know that he loved me and really cared about being my Dad. It was expressed in the time he spent reading to me, taking me on outings, cooking dinner for us, and retiring from his coveted job to spend more time with me and my Mom. We all know how that ended.
I am so proud to be his daughter. Of all the rockstars in the world, I am the child of the one who wrote lyrics about science, magic, philosophy, and literature; the one with so much loyalty and integrity, and the one who always treated people with respect and kindness. My Dad gave so much of himself to Rush over the years and put his heart and soul into his writing, drumming and performing. He touched thousands of people around the world, and we truly appreciate the loyalty and love you've shown him and the band for so long.
CARRIE
Legend, icon, even "a God" - all words people have used to describe Neil, but to us he was a beloved husband and a cherished father who is still missed and loved as if he had just left us yesterday. A day doesn't pass without us speaking about him, either to recount beautiful memories or to acknowledge the depth of our loss. The gifts he brought to our lives are too profound to fully capture here, and the myriad ways that his absense has affected our lives are truly endlesss. He was a one-of-a-kind human being who left us permanently changed, which is something that you, in some small way, may feel as well.
I know how deeply his music and words have mattered to you, and that has meant more to our family than I can erver fully express. Hearing some of you tell me that "he saved my life," was always the comment that meant so much to me. He did this unintentionally by composing lyrics that resonated so deeply with those that deperately needed to feel understood. For others, his words touched their hearts and lives in a way that stayed with them for years. While in the late stages of Alzheimer's, even my 85-year-old father would tell me he'd had "One Little Victory" that day, and we all know what he was referencing. Neil's music and writing touched countless lives and will continue to move people for years to come.
Until recently, Olivia and I have remained out of the public eye, as we have never felt comfortable being in the "Limelight," or as we call it, "Daddy's theme song." Like Neil, we prefer our privacy but also know when it's time to venture out of our comfort zones for something worthwhile, such as sharing our thoughts with you wonderful, loyal fans. Thank you for the years of love, admiration, and respect you showed my husband. Though he did not often express it, he deeply appreciated all of you.