Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee Won’t Rush to Reunite … Ever
All those drummers volunteering their services must feel pretty shitty now, right? Five years after Neil Peart’s sudden death from brain cancer, Alex Lifeson told Classic Rock in a new interview that he and Geddy Lee will never resurrect Rush with another drummer. In the studio, on the road, you name it — it’s over. Despite the duo performing a few Rush songs at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts in 2022, Lifeson stressed it was a special exception due to grieving the loss of their friend. “The energy was fantastic around that show, I know, and some days I wake up wanting to go out and tour again and some days I don’t,” he said. “For forty years, Rush included Neil and I don’t think putting some new version together would have the same magic.” Lifeson admitted that although the response to those tribute gigs excited him, the high dissipated once he got out of the limelight. “After a few weeks that wore off and it occurred to me that despite all the pain of loss, Rush went out on a high note playing as well as ever with one of our best stage shows on R40,” he added. “I’d rather be remembered for that legacy than returning as the top Rush tribute band.”
When asked about the potential of touring with his pal Lifeson ever again, Lee told Rolling Stone back in 2023 that he was open to the baseline idea. He was uncomfortable, though, with referring to such a hypothetical tour as Rush and recruiting another drummer à la what the Rolling Stones did with Steve Jordan. “I just keep working on him,” Lee teased. “We could always call ourselves some other stupid name, or Rash. ‘Lee and Lifeson Play the Songs of Rush.’ That really sounds like an old-fart ’80s band.” Sure, but we’d still make a large withdrawal from our Fidelity account to secure a ticket.
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