Rush return to the road in June, with the tour opening on 7 June 2026 in Los Angeles. For a band whose fanbase has followed them through five decades of musical evolution, the announcement sparked something profound. MetalTalk’s Paul Hutchings spoke to fans, tribute artists, event organisers and our own writers to capture what this moment means to those who have lived and breathed Rush for a lifetime. This is their story.
Andy Rawll is a devoted Rush fan, particularly drawn to the band’s 1970s output. As we catch up, he is preparing for a break in Paris. The conversation forms part of a wider series exploring the experiences of longstanding Rush fans, and Andy’s story reflects a generation shaped by shared musical discovery.
Looking back, Andy places his journey firmly in the context of the era. “I think this journey may be specific to those of us who grew up in the ’70s, where the way that you found out about new music and bands was either through your peers at school, or your social group, or often through elder brothers.”
Without an older sibling himself, Andy relied on friends’ record collections, absorbing music secondhand at a time when radio and television skewed towards glam rock and chart staples.
Rush entered his life by a different route. “I don’t remember finding out about Rush that way, though,” he says, explaining that heavier bands like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest came first.
His real introduction arrived via All The World’s A Stage, which he remembers as “a classic ’70s, gatefold… very evocative for someone who hadn’t been to a live concert yet.” The album made a strong impression, even if early studio releases initially failed to connect.
Growing up in Stroud, Andy’s access to music often meant trips to London. He recalls travelling to Paddington to hunt for cheap records. “We would basically tramp the streets between all the record and tape exchange things… and pick up all these albums for 50p or a quid.”
Although Rush briefly fell by the wayside, further listening and missed opportunities, including skipping the Hemispheres tour, eventually led him back. Ironically, Hemispheres became the first studio album that truly resonated, cementing his long-term appreciation of the band.
From that point onward, Rush became a constant. Andy saw them on the Moving Pictures tour, witnessing the first live performance of Subdivisions. Although initially unsure about the band’s evolving sound, he later revisited albums such as Signals and found new depth in tracks like Losing It and The Analog Kid, particularly Alex Lifeson’s explosive guitar work.
Unlike many artists, Rush was a band Andy never skipped live. “Some bands, you go, yeah, it’s pretty good. Don’t really like the new album, so I’ll skip it,” he says. “But with Rush, I never did that.”
Over the years, he attended almost every tour, from 30th anniversary shows to Snakes And Arrows and Clockwork Angels, even continuing his run while working in IT and telecoms on the US East Coast in the early ’90s.
Andy recognises that Rush’s sound diversified significantly during the ’80s and ’90s. While production choices shifted, he believes the musicianship remained consistently high, and albums such as Hold Your Fire and Presto reward reassessment.
Recent tours impressed him by revisiting deeper catalogue material and lengthy instrumentals, keeping long-term fans engaged.
Nearly eleven years after Rush concluded the R40 tour in 2015, Andy was unsurprised to see Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee return in some form. While acknowledging the departure from the band’s classic three-piece format, he feels fans are embracing the current lineup as a respectful continuation rather than a replacement.
With expectations managed and the focus firmly on celebrating the music and honouring Neil Peart’s legacy, Andy believes the approach feels appropriate. As he puts it, “Having more people on stage is going to make it certainly interesting.”
Expectations are now tempered with an understanding that Rush will not be performing marathon three-hour sets, so our discussion turns to the contentious issue of ticket pricing.
Andy draws a comparison with the last Genesis tour, noting, “Any of those big shows at The O2, if you’re anywhere in the front half, you’re paying a disproportionate amount compared to being at the back. The old days of you pay, let’s say, 30% premium to be in the front stalls, then the normal price would be kind of the middle rear stalls and circle would be that again about 30% less. But now, yeah, the front is like double or three times.”
Andy outlines how ticket prices are ultimately determined by promoters, stating, “It is all about the promoter. The band’s management will go, okay, we need to break even. Here’s what we need for the UK tour, and then breaking it down for each of the venues. We need to be paid 2 million, for example, and the accountant will work out that it’s going to cover all the recurring costs and the specific costs.
“Then there’s the if we sell 80%, we’re still making our 20% profit or whatever that they need for all the mouths they need to feed.” The promoter then assesses market rates and sets prices for a venue, such as one holding 20,000 seats. “Then the promoter will go. Okay, it’s 20,000 seats. And then they’ll look at market rates.”
We note that ticket prices have accelerated beyond the cost of living, remarking, “Unfortunately, the way the ticket prices have gone, it has accelerated away from the cost of living.
“But it is a different animal. As you know, the bands make money or they generate money. I don’t know whether they make money, but they generate money on stage rather than the people buying the music.”
Despite this, Andy does not begrudge the higher prices. “I got tier four at The O2 arena. So that’s the top level, but about halfway, it’s not the cheapest. I think they’re like the second. The ones at the back, I think about 90 quid with fees. I think the ones I got were £140 or something. I think I paid about £150 for Genesis, whenever that was, five years ago.”
It’s a topic that we continue to discuss. “I think it’s a disproportionate banding of ticket prices that towards the front, are there really people that are willing to pay that much?”
Promoters must get the pricing right to avoid ticket scalping. “The promoter needs to get it right because what they don’t want is people buying the tickets and then reselling them because they know that on the resale market, there will be people willing to pay £500-£600 for a ticket for a band they really like.
“But it’s always strange. We look at a band like Rush, which isn’t necessarily a mainstream band, commanding prices that you might equate with a big brand like Beyoncé or otherwise.”
As Andy heads off for his break, there is plenty to reflect on from our discussion. Like the other interviews to follow, there is a slight sourness over the ticket prices, but for most of us, that is tempered by the excitement of having one more chance to see this incredible band live.
Rush’s tour opens on 7 June in Los Angeles, where Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will be joined by Anika Nilles on drums and Loren Gold on keyboards. Further articles in this series, including interviews with Rushfest Scotland, tribute band Rushed, and the Something for Nothing Rush Fancast, will follow in the coming month.
To read our Rush At 50 series, click here.
For UK ticket sale information, visit: https://www.aegpresents.co.uk/event/rush.
