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Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Anika Nilles on Reinventing Rush | Rolling Stone Canada

Rolling Stone

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‪@rush‬'s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are joined by new touring drummer Anika Nilles for a conversation with Rolling Stone senior writer Brian Hiatt, in collaboration with ‪@rollingstoneca‬. They discuss the drumstick Nilles dropped and caught in the opening minutes of night one, the moment Lee realized some Rush songs were almost impossible to explain to outsiders, the three days it took Nilles to learn "Xanadu," why Lee and Lifeson love Steely Dan, and more. Read the Rolling Stone Canada cover story at http://ca.rollingstone.com/ and http://rollingstone.com/. #rock

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20 Comments

@ultragroove1 1 day ago (edited)

The older I get the more I appreciate Alex’s brilliance on guitar. No one’s like him. His note choices are otherworldly.
*Edit: apostrophe

@usagi2988 22 hours ago

Obviously, Anika has the technical chops, as well as road-tested tour experience... but the thing that makes her perfect for the job is that she seems to be as equally adorkable as Geddy and Alex. As a dyed-in-the-wool Rush fan, I find myself overwhelming happy to see all three of them enjoying themselves & each other on stage! What a light to bring into the world at this point in time...

@devymetal4713 1 day ago

Anika's personality really fits right in. This couldn't have worked out better for Geddy, Alex, and all of us.

@Excited4Life 1 day ago

The world today is absolutely batshit-crazy insane. The joy, love, calm and happiness Ged, Al and Annika have brought to us in 2026 is priceless.....

@jmazoso 1 day ago

It's so nice to see Geddy and Alex having so much fun, thanks Anika

@tod9877 1 day ago

I was born in Toronto in 1970. Rush has literally been a part of my whole life. I started playing the drums when I was 17 and started touring by the time I was 20. As a massive Neil Peart fan, I was skeptical of Anika joining Rush. After the first show in LA I was feeling the love. She is an incredible woman and an amazing player and I am beyond thrilled that Rush is rolling again. It's amazing to see Alex and Geddy having so much fun. All hail Anika! All hail Rush! ❤❤❤

@bigmike4962 1 day ago

"....so they (Ged and Al) feel home in their music". That's a helluva statement from Anika.

@emilioc700 1 day ago (edited)

Rush might represent the most triumphant, and satisisfying rebirths of a legendary, decades old band ever.

@lozmar3108 1 day ago

The first Rush audition for a drummer produced one of the worlds most recognised drummers, the second audition made them love to play again...I love it!

@mauromontobbio8522 1 day ago

I love these people. They are extraordinary, and hearing them both play and speak makes me feel good.

@chrisluckhardt 21 hours ago

Those of us who knew Anika from YouTube a decade ago aren’t surprised she had the chops and feel. What’s amazing is how well she adapted to Neil’s parts while still infusing herself own style into the songs and contributing looser grooves. Phenomenal talent.

@BlueWorldplus 19 hours ago

Annika is 100% awesome. Imagine the stress of playing to a stadium filled with thousands of fans who know EVERY SINGLE FILL in every single song because Rush has always played their live shows exactly like the record. I love the fact that Annika doesn't try to simply replicate Neil's parts note for note, but play like herself while playing Rush. She has totally won the fans over. Annika rocks. ❤

@glennbarber5832 1 day ago

Thank you can never be enough. For Rabid Rush fans, like me, this is a dream come true. Yes, we all miss Neil, but without the extreme Dedication that Anika had in learning all the songs and mastering the masters playing this would not have been a reality. I can't wait for St Louis, my 54th show. Front row. Another dream come true!!!!

@richf.7845 23 hours ago (edited)

Absolutely EVERYTHING about Anika is wonderful. Her professionalism, her humility, her bravery, her humor, her approach to the gig, her understanding of her role in the band and with the fans and of course, her musical chops. A story for the ages.

@BonesPhoto 1 day ago

Rush found the perfect musician to sit behind the drums for this phase of the band. She has brought talent + dedication + care to the project. Great musicians know the meaning behind that great Maya Angelou quote - “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. Neil understood how to give those feels in his compositions and lyrics. Anika does too in how she appreciated how important it was for Ged and Al to feel at home in their music. I can’t wait to see them in December.

@kefhomepage 1 day ago (edited)

I could listen to Anika, Geddy and Alex talk about this for hours. There must be so much they didn't say

@ThomasLuongo 21 hours ago

I am consistently impressed with how seriously the guys take ‘taking care of Anika’ seriously. It shows real depth and compassion and none of it would work without that. They understand the responsibility, the weight of the thing, because they feel it too.

@Mitch_Roberts 19 hours ago

The more we get to know Anika as fans, it's no surprise she was the one and only one. High skill level.. an instrumentalist like Ged and Al... also in terms of personality. No flash...no ego. Down to earth and intelligent.