Alex Lifeson of Rush Announces Drummers Conquered the Listening “Minutes” Following Nile Pire’s Passing

Tribute to Neil Peart

Alex Lifeson from Rush revealed that many drummers auditioned just shortly after the passing of Neil Peart—continue reading below for more details.

The iconic drummer succumbed to an aggressive form of brain cancer known as glioblastoma in January 2020, after fighting the illness for three and a half years. He was 67 years old. In the following September, a concert was held in Los Angeles, California, in his honor.

Drummers Eager to Join Rush

Since Peart’s departure, Rush has not released new music or performed live, although guitarist Lifeson mentioned that several drummers reached out, hoping to step in and replace Peart. In an interview with Q104.3, Lifeson was asked whether he and bassist Geddy Lee were considering reforming the band with a new drummer.

Lifeson responded, “Oh, good, yes, of course, because we are covered all the time. Right after Neil passed, it didn’t take long for us to start receiving emails from all sorts of drummers wanting to audition for the group, as if we could simply replace someone we had played with for 40 years and who wrote all the lyrics for our music.”

He added, “I don’t know what some of these people were thinking. So, yes, we had a conversation because we cannot avoid this.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-clgoppzbx8

Rush last performed together on a farewell tour in 2015, completing 35 shows across North America. Founded over four decades ago, Lifeson and Geddy Lee later reunited publicly in 2022 to perform at tribute shows in Los Angeles and London, honoring the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

However, Lifeson has recently expressed satisfaction with how Rush concluded their journey in 2015, dismissing any prospects of a reunion. “The energy at that show was fantastic. I know some days I wake up wanting to tour again, but on other days, I don’t feel that way,” Lifeson explained. “For 40 years, Rush had Neil, and I don’t think any new version will capture the same magic.”

Despite Lifeson’s comments, he mentioned that he still plays regularly with Lee. “It’s good to have friends as you get older,” he reflected. “I need to play. Once a week, I meet Geddy—it’s on the calendar—to keep my fingers moving, play Rush tunes, and experiment with new jams. We do record it, but I couldn’t even tell you where it would end up.”