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.
It is 9 pm in the UK but only 2 pm in Nashville as I connect with Rayna Leigh, one of MetalTalk’s US-based writers and photographers. She is sporting her most treasured possession: a Signals tour shirt from the original 1982 Rush tour. This moment presents the perfect opportunity to delve into Rayna’s journey into the world of Rush, a journey quite different to my own, given her youth.
“This is my prized possession. I think I’ve worn this maybe three times in my life because it’s an actual tour shirt from the Signals tour,” she shares.
Rayna’s story continues with an anecdote about her uncle, whom she describes as “way cooler than me.” He attended numerous Rush tours, collecting shirts from every single one and eventually gifting them all to her. All except the Signals shirt, which he held onto until Rayna proved her devotion as a Rush fan.
“He gave me a whole duffel bag of all his concert shirts, a bunch of Rush stuff. But this one, he was like hanging on to. And then, when I finally truly proved to him that I was the ultimate little Rush girl, he was like, all right, here you go. Here’s the Signals shirt. And I was like, yes. I have achieved top-tier status here.”
Among her collection, she notes that the Roll The Bones tour shirt is her most frequently worn, while her Presto shirt had to be retired due to its delicate condition. She also owns shirts from Hold Your Fire and Test for Echo, though she wears them less often.
Despite her uncle’s enthusiasm for Rush, Rayna’s introduction to the band did not come directly from him. She grew up listening to FM radio, absorbing music from the 1950s through to the ’80s and ’90s. Her parents were not Rush fans, so Rayna’s early exposure was limited to hits like Spirit Of Radio.
She recalls her youthful impatience: “I did not have the attention span as a younger kid. I was like, this is more than six minutes long. No, thank you.” Things changed when she befriended a drummer in her first class, who was passionate about Rush. He urged her to listen to 2112, insisting it was essential for their friendship.
That night, Rayna listened to the album in her college dorm and said she experienced a profound, almost spiritual connection. The storytelling in 2112 resonated deeply, sparking her love for Rush’s lyrical complexity. She describes how she listened to several albums, Hold Your Fire, Permanent Waves, and Caress of Steel, in one sitting, exploring vastly different sounds.
Over time, her tastes broadened, and she developed an affection for songs she initially disliked, attributing her passion to the band’s intricate storytelling and intellectual depth.
Our conversation shifts to live performances. Rayna sadly admits she never saw Rush with Neil Peart, as she only became a fan after their touring days had ended. Her parents’ lack of interest in Rush meant she missed the opportunity, though her father did attend a Snakes and Arrows tour show when she was too young to join him.
“I really wish that I could have gotten to see them with Neil. Obviously, that’s kind of one of those great misses that, as a fan, it’s like, oh, almost everybody else that is a Rush fan at this point can say they saw them at least once with Neil.”
The impact of Neil Peart’s death was profound. Rayna describes it as a “Kennedy moment,” a significant event etched in memory. She was on a train, either returning to or heading for college, when she received the news.
“I know exactly where I was when I heard it. And that was a bad day.” As one of the few female Rush fans among her friends, she was inundated with messages as everyone grappled with the loss. Though she was not yet as devoted a fan as she is now, the event felt monumental. “You just know that something massive has been lost. It’s a disturbance in the force kind of thing.”
With the news in October that Rush would return, the debate over the band’s identity intensified. Rayna initially struggled with whether it truly was Rush without Neil. “My trigger instinct was this is not Rush without Neil. But I kind of sat back and was like, no, it is.”
She explains her difficulty in accepting any band as ‘the band’ when a key member is absent, drawing parallels to her experience seeing AC/DC with Axl Rose. Ultimately, she says she reached a point of acceptance, recognising the heart and intention behind the reunion.
Even so, she acknowledges it will not replicate the experience of seeing Rush with Neil but appreciates the opportunity to witness the band again. She also reflects that she would have been content with the group being called the “Lee and Lifeson Project,” so long as the spirit of Rush was present.
As with all my interviews, we cannot avoid the ticket prices. Our conversation turns to the difficulties of attending Rush’s concerts, particularly the prohibitive cost.
Living in Nashville, Rayna faces the additional burden of travel expenses, as the band is not performing locally. “I am not at the point of being able to sell my kidney on the black market to afford tickets,” he says. “My biggest thing is I live in Nashville. They’re not coming to Nashville. So, no matter what, beyond the price of the ticket, I would have to factor in travel costs.”
Even nosebleed seats are expensive, forcing her to choose between seeing Rush and paying rent. She considers a last-minute decision to attend a show in Atlanta, but the logistics and costs remain daunting.
Other venues, such as the Hard Rock Hollywood in Florida, are even pricier, with the cheapest tickets costing multiple hundreds of dollars. The closest feasible option is still a four to five-hour drive away.
Rayna notes that while some fans can afford to attend multiple shows, she is limited by her recent entry into the workforce and minimum wage earnings.
It is incredibly disappointing that the pricing model has effectively excluded younger fans and families, a point echoed by others who recall more affordable and inclusive experiences in previous decades.
Rayna laments the evolving nature of concerts, citing increased security, restrictions on standing, and the diminished value of meet-and-greets, which now require substantial payment. As she observes, families no longer have the opportunity to attend Rush concerts together without financial strain.
“I’ve made my peace that if I see them, I see them. If I don’t, it is what it is. But I feel worse for the whole families that aren’t going to be able to see it or must choose between, you know, seeing Rush and having an actual real family vacation or something.”
She also points out that the overall concert experience has diminished, with fans paying more for less. The camaraderie and accessibility of past tours have faded, replaced by a system that prices out many loyal followers.
This is a theme that I think has come through in all interviews and is clearly something that many are rightly frustrated by.
As a photographer, Rayna holds hope for gaining entry to a Rush concert through her professional connections. She has approached magazines she has contributed to, acknowledging it’s a “very long shot.” Success hinges on the band’s approval process for photographers, but she remains optimistic, citing previous instances where her colleagues gained access to major shows.
Even if only granted a review ticket, she’s willing to make the journey and share her experiences as a writer. “I would love to photograph them, but if they said it’s a review ticket only, I would… make the travel arrangements to be able to just write about it.
“Because I am a writer, I would be happy to just describe the experience. But I would love to talk about like an experience I don’t think I’d have ever dreamed of having at all if I got to photograph Rush, that would be beyond, beyond anything.”
A couple of days before we caught up with each other, Rush as they now are made their debut at the Juno Awards. We reflect on our enjoyment and note the strategic choice of song. Finding My Way, the first song from the first album, which did not feature Neil Peart.
We both felt that this decision allowed new drummer Annika Niles to demonstrate her abilities without immediate comparisons to Neil’s iconic performances. The selection of Finding My Way symbolised the band’s journey back to performing.
“You know, she’s not immediately stepping into Xanadu or Limelight. I think that was a very good sort of springboard of, hey, look, Anika can prove herself, but also, Geddy and Alex can prove themselves”.
We were both happy to see the cohesion between Geddy and Alex. We discuss how we found Alex’s guitar work particularly impressive and acknowledged that Geddy’s vocals have changed over time, but improved as the song progressed.
Looking forward, Rayna is excited to see more performances featuring Neil’s parts, recognising that these will be the true test for the new line-up.
“I look forward to seeing them step up and up from the first album to deeper stuff. My crazy pipe dream is I want to hear everything from Counterparts. I want to see more Counterparts love. Because I think that musically, that’s one of the heaviest albums and I think that on a live stage, it would go over very well. Especially with Annika, who has a pretty deep horizon of she likes prog, but she enjoys heavier music. She can do this and that. I feel like that’s a very good space for her to really shine.”
We both agree that the band will need to adapt, with shorter two-hour shows and an intermission, rather than the endurance-testing marathon sets of previous tours.
“I think the great thing about Rush is that they have always utilised their stage setup and the back screen projections in a way that keeps a show flowing even if they’re not playing. So, like using the South Park stuff or the I Love You, Man. Like all those things keep a show going and keep people entertained while they’re able to recuperate for like five minutes, and give themselves that breather.
“But I think the set list is going to be more of just a greatest hits type thing. Similar to Time Machine, but I don’t know that we’re going to hear anything from Test For Echo. I don’t know that we’re going to hear anything from Snakes And Arrows. I would think that they would, especially for Neil, do something from Clockwork Angels.”
My sincere hope after this interview is that Rayna can get to one of those shows. Who knows, with a bit of luck, she can get the elusive photo pass too. Dreams may come true. Fingers crossed.
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.
