Between Hemispheres: A Fan’s Dilemma Over RUSH’s Return To Touring

About one month before the first date of Rush’s “Fifty Something Tour”, this long-time fan finally finds time to share his thoughts on this event. I knew that a seismic shock of such magnitude in the tectonic plates of classic rock would result in a million comments, YouTube videos, opinions, and views, and I decided to wait until the dust had somewhat settled before putting ink to paper.

The tour was announced on social media on an unsuspecting Monday, October 6th of 2025. As I was scrolling through the gazillionth post on the Rush fan pages that asked “what if Geddy and Alex invited Mike Portnoy or Danny Carey to go on tour”, a trend that started as soon as Neil Peart passed away in 2020, that now famous blue poster with the three birds and the traffic sign came up on my feed. Almost instantly, my WhatsApp contacts started to send me a link to the announcement and the tour dates, which turned out to be true. Geddy and Alex recruited Jeff Beck’s drummer, Anika Nilles, and a then-mysterious keyboard player to join them on a Rush tour.

What I can say about this tour, surprisingly, hasn’t changed since my initial reaction. I felt a jolt of excitement, and almost simultaneously, the question popped up in my mind: “Is it really Rush without Neil?” I don’t have an answer to it yet, and I’m still in two minds about it. However, as a fan not only of Rush but of the three guys as individuals, I’d say the joy of seeing them on stage one more time, playing the music they helped create, won the argument. As soon as tickets were available, I bought one for a show in Toronto. Since then, I have bought tickets for two more shows in the same city, and if they didn’t cost an arm and a leg, I’d probably buy one for the other show they booked in their hometown. If you feel that’s evidence that I support their return, that’s a point for your argument, then.

Let me add one point for the opposing view. My biggest beef about the tour is that they’re calling themselves “Rush”. Geddy has been quite vocal about this and even joked about those who questioned that, musing, “What would we call ourselves? Iron Maiden?” The internet, as quick as it is, inundated us with memes combining the names of songs from both bands: ‘Hemispheres of the Dark’, ‘Powerslave Windows’, ‘Headlong Flight of Icarus’ and other less imaginative ones. But I still say this is a valid concern.

To many of us, Rush is and always will be Geddy, Alex, and Neil. Geddy and Alex themselves said that much in many interviews after their last show on August 1, 2015 — the closing night of the R40 Live Tour. One could argue that several bands still tour with dignity even without any original members. But out of respect for Neil’s legacy and contributions to the band, I’d say I would be more comfortable with a minor tweak in the name: “Geddy and Alex play the music of Rush”. Still catchy, still short enough to fit on a poster, and much more respectful. Let’s be honest, would anyone who bought tickets for the upcoming tour NOT buy a ticket to this show, were it named like that? I’d wager that far more fans who are upset and decided to pass on the tour would buy tickets than others would avoid it.

And here comes my least favorite part of this article, where I’ll try to explain the economics of the tour. The information I’ll share here should make the guys who once belted “Art as expression – Not as market campaigns / Will still capture our imaginations” at least think twice about the tour, but here we are. In the pre-streaming era, artists — especially major acts like Rush — made significant sums of money from album sales. It’s no secret that today, streaming pays relatively little per listen, unless you’re generating huge volumes. For legacy artists with loyal fan bases, touring monetizes (ugh!) that loyalty directly: tickets, VIP packages, merch, sponsorships, premium seating, even filmed content. A 20,000-seat arena with premium pricing can outperform years of streaming revenue.

To add a sentence that would make purists’ toes curl, touring is now “brand maintenance” (double ugh!). A tour boosts streaming, catalog sales, merch, and licensing value. It keeps the act culturally visible. Given what I’ve explained here, I would imagine the decisions about whether or not to tour, under which name, and on what dates depend on far more than just Geddy and Alex. There are far more mouths to feed and far more agendas in motion behind the scenes than most of us ever realize. That’s why I also think they obviously knew the tour, initially advertised as a short summer run in 2026, would eventually extend into what it is today: a colossal effort spanning 86 dates across North America, South America, and Europe. It’s their longest tour since the 2007–2008 Snakes & Arrows Tour, which was split across two legs and totaled roughly 110–115. Geddy and Alex were about my age when they did that tour — in their early 50s — and we thought it was challenging then!

Speaking of aging, another aspect of this undertaking is that fans aren’t getting any younger. Yes, Rush fandom might have been passed on to many people under 30, but the majority of the fan base is in the 40–60 age bracket and has more disposable income. At 51 years old, I’ve lived enough to realize that our bodies won’t be able to do all that they do forever, so if Geddy and Alex want to prove they can still do it – albeit with some help – more power to them. Also, we tend to value experiences and nostalgia more than possessions, and in that sense, it’s justifiable that they decided to do it.

As the months progressed, it was revealed that Neil’s family gave them both a blessing to proceed, and that words from Neil’s widow, Carrie Nuttall, will be featured in the tourbook of the “Fifty Something Tour”. The name of the keyboard player was also announced: Loren Gold, best known as the keyboardist and vocalist in both The Who and Chicago, will help Geddy with the textures and enable him and Alex to showcase their dance moves on stage. Another nice touch was the involvement of longtime collaborator Howard Ungerleider, whose involvement with the band dates back to 1974, and is once again in charge of their stage design. Hugh Syme, who has designed all their album covers since 1975’s Caress of Steel and continued his work in the reissues over the last few years, designed the tour poster.

And here’s the time to address the most important part of this whole venture: the MUSIC. Given how Geddy had to become increasingly more strategic about his high wails over the years, I had serious questions about whether or not he’d still have anything in the tank for a new tour, especially not having sung these songs in such a long time. And if Alex’s health issues were already a concern on the R40 tour in 2015, what would that mean for the boys in 2026? In that sense, I’m happy to report that any concerns of that kind were quickly dismissed by their appearance at the Juno Awards on March 29th, where they were joined by Anika and Loren for a blistering rendition of “Finding My Way”, the first song on their first, self-titled album.

Another Rush encounter that happened last year also showed me that this would be worth the wait: Alex Lifeson played two shows in Toronto in November with the Rheostatics, and on the one show I witnessed, he seemed in high spirits, as healthy and as tour-ready as he could be. In essence, although much of the fan base remains (sub)divided, the new lineup’s “Chemistry” is incredible, and all is well with the “Vital Signs” of both original members.

So yes: they can still pull it off, and that’s the part that excites me the most. Over the years, their songs have followed me around and kept me company through moments of self-doubt, feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, sadness, and joy. It would be a shame for those songs never to be played live again… and that should be the main prize for us fans. Luckily, they’re more Sammy Hagar than David Lee Roth in their intent and shape, and I do believe their performances on the upcoming tour will honour the past with an eye on the future while not hiding their age, as opposed to becoming a sad nostalgia act that still behaves as if they were 25 years old.

I’m excited about the tour, and it will be amazing to see them play territories where they have never been, or revisit the magic of Rush in Rio when they return to that city. The fact that this will be an “Evening With” type of show — with three hours of music and the promise of songs being rotated nightly — opens the door for unique experiences, where they will dust off the classics but also bring some deep cuts, and potentially, songs they never played before. If Rush has your full buy-in, this is a tour where attending more than one show is a must.

The bottom line is: I have too much skin in this game to remain on the fence, even though I’m not completely sold on the idea just yet. Yes, I bought the tickets, but I do feel — and hope — that any remaining sign of distrust is quickly put to rest as the first chord is played. Here’s hoping they choose the famous Alex Lifeson chord for that spot – the F#7sus4 featured on “Far Cry”, “Hemispheres”, and many other classics.

How about you – do you also see mixed signals under these circumstances? As the countdown for the first night continues, are you excited about this tour and planning on “Making Memories” of it this summer, or will you give it “The Pass”? What’s your opinion about the ticket prices, the whole idea of them touring as Rush, or the setlists? Could new music come out of this lineup? Share your thoughts below, and let’s keep the conversation going! I might tell you where my mind is at after the first show I witness, on August 9.