Rush Thanks Fans for ‘Very Heartwarming’ Support of Anika Nilles

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush shared a video on social media to give kudos to fans and their support of the news regarding drummer Anika Nilles‘ addition to the lineup for the band’s reunion tour in 2026.

“The way you guys have welcomed Anika Nilles into the Rush family has been very heartwarming,” Lee shared. “I know that she’s very appreciative of that, and we’re even more excited to get back on stage and and play with her and and to go through the plethora of songs that we’re planning.”

After the initial slate of shows for their Fifty Something trek quickly sold out last week, the Canadian band added 17 more dates this week, expanding the overall routing with 17 additional cities and 40 shows total. The new dates are set to go on sale Friday, Oct. 31 with an artist presale starting Monday, Oct. 27. Details regarding how to access the presale are available at the official Rush website.

Lee and Lifeson admit the response to the tour has been a lot for them to process, even after more than 50 years as a band. “We are blown away by the response to the announcement we made a few weeks ago that we’re going back on tour,” Lee said. “And I cannot tell you how surprised and overwhelmed we are.” Lifeson echoed his bandmate’s feelings, “[We are] totally blown away by the response.”

Watch Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson Discuss the Upcoming Fifty Something Tour

How is Anika Nilles Feeling About the Upcoming Rush Tour?

Understandably, Nilles, set to fill in for the band’s late lyricist and drummer Neil Peart on the Fifty Something run, is also excited and overwhelmed in both different and similar ways, as she posted on social media on Oct. 9. “The past few days have been quite overwhelming. I’m sure many of you feel the same. I want to take a moment to sincerely thank Geddy and Alex for their trust and for welcoming me on this incredible new journey with Rush,” she wrote. “I also don’t want to miss the chance to warmly welcome all the new faces here and to thank you for your kind and open-minded words – they truly mean a lot. At the same time, I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has followed and supported my journey over the years. We’re all in this together now, and I couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead.”