Who Is On Tour With Rush?

RUSH Still Rocking after all Those Years

Since its formation in 1974, the Canadian rock band Rush has released more than 15 studio albums; in 2015 they started the R40 Live Tour to celebrate their forty years on the road. Still, founding members Geddy Lee, bassist, keyboardist, and vocalist, and guitarist Alex Lifeson remain active Rush members, whereas drummer Neil Peart, who also contributed lyrics, retired from touring in 2015, effectively signaling the band's retirement from the road. However, Lee and Lifeson have not lost steam; in fact, they are actually increasing in intensity, even without a drummer. They go on to do the shows with other musicians on tour, so enthusiasts can still attend concerts and listen to live renditions of songs by Rush.

So, the aim of the current article is to describe the experience of seeing Rush in concert in the Post-Peart Era.

This decision could not make fans of Rush happy, especially when their drummer Neil Peart decided to call it quits. His drumming and vocal abilities were truly astonishing and played a significant role in the band's image and success in numerous years. However, Lee and Lifeson were very keen to play Rush songs for fans again whenever possible.

They started looking for a new group of musicians to support them on stage while on tour, but without defying the decision of Neil Peart to no longer travel much on the road. It enabled them to continue performing as Rush, while Peart could easily retire.

Who develops drum beats for Rush after Neil Peart?

As for stepping into Neil Peart's shoes, well, that's easier said than done, but several wonderful drummers have now had the privilege of performing with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. While some musicians stayed behind the drum kit for multiple Rush concerts after Peart, others met Lee and Lifeson for a single performance only.

One of the most regular participants with Rush over the past few years is the drummer Dave Grohl, who, in addition, is the head of the Foo Fighters group. As a very big fan of the band Rush himself, Grohl did not have to be asked twice to get on stage with two of his role models. It is fairly obvious that for a band like Dream Theater, his powerful and skilled style is appropriate to play Peart's parts.

Some of the other drummers have been Ted Lee and Alan Lifeson, with whom he has toured or recorded: Scott Rockenfield of Queensryche, Danny Carey of Tool, Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Eric Singer of KISS. It is, however, important to acknowledge that at no one point has Rush been lacking in volunteers willing to tour with them.

Other musicians who have opened for Rush or have toured with them.

As the drummer, one does expect to receive the most flak and attention when substituting an icon such as Neil Peart; however, both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have always made an effort to surround themselves with some of the finest musicians in the industry. Joining them on their recent tours have been three other noteworthy artists:Joining them on their recent tours have been three other noteworthy artists:

Dave Grohl, Guitar Another fun fact is that Dave Grohl plays guitar when he's not playing drum for Rush, provided that there is another drummer on the kit. His guitarist role enables Rush to return to having the same number of musicians on stage and also affords fans an opportunity to see grohl play a guitar.

Singer and Guitar Jason Achilles Mezilis Affectionately known by his stage name Jason Achilles Mezilis, this music genius has been in the industry for quite some time now, enjoying his skills in multiple instruments, music production and songwriting. He is well capable of providing back up on the rhythm guitar and vocals to balance Lifeson and Lee when he joins Rush's tour. Having no problems executing complex Rush guitar tracks and singing as well, Mezilis can bring a lot to the modern Rush formation.

Tal Wilkenfeld, bass, vocals Joining the band with her impressive background in bass as well as singing is Australia's Tal Wilkenfeld. She has the huge responsibility of taking over the bass and vocals for the band when Geddy Lee suffered a knee injury in 2022 and was unable to go on tour. To be in charge of bass and lead vocals and play for a band like Rush is not such an easy task but Wilkenfeld made it easier due to her great musical abilities.

Rush Says He Has No Intention of Ever Stopping Performing

With Neil Peart's retirement from Rush after over 40 years came the question: Will Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson also not tour anymore? Surprisingly, it may be impossible if not for the more popular question: Is there any chance that Lee and Lifeson will stop playing Rush songs live? The answer seems to be a hearty NO!

That is visible in their constant touring for the last two and a half years with different new musicians. The last two incidents were reported in 2022 after Geddy Lee disclosed that he had undergone knee surgery and was on the right side of recovery and looking forward to performing as soon as possible. So long as musicians like Dave Grohl, Danny Carey, Tal Wilkenfeld and other all-stars are willing to travel with them, Rush fans can look forward to seeing Lee and Lifeson play the globe's many stadiums for the foreseeable future. Thanks to three talented musicians, the spirit and the music of Rush continue to remain alive even though Neil Peart no longer plays drums with them.