After Rush‘s final tour in 2015 and virtuoso drummer Neil Peart‘s death in 2020, singer/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson thought their Rush days were over. But Dave Grohl and Paul McCartney evidently changed their minds.
Speaking to the Washington Post, Lee says when he and Lifeson took part in the 2022 Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts at Grohl’s request, they weren’t sure who’d be able to play drums with them. They ended up playing three songs with drummers ranging from Grohl and Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith, to Tool‘s Danny Carey. At the after-party, McCartney encouraged them to tour again, and Lee says they’re considering it.
“It had been a taboo subject, and playing those songs again with a third person was the elephant in the room, and that kind of disappeared,” Lee explains. “It was nice to know that if we decide to go out, Alex and I, whether we went out as part of a new thing, or whether we just wanted to go out and play Rush as Rush, we could do that now.”
What’s more, the Post reports, in October of 2022, Lee and Lifeson got together in Lee’s home studio and jammed for the first time in years. However, Lifeson currently haas health issues that are keeping him from jumping in feet first.
“He needs to feel good and feel healthy and strong,” Lee says of Lifeson. “And then maybe we have a discussion.”
Meanwhile, Lee’s memoir, My Effin’ Life, is out on November 14. The day before in New York City, he’ll launch a spoken-word tour, during which he’ll read from the book and answer fans’ questions. A complete list of dates can be found at rush.com.
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