“When we sat down and started playing some of the Rush stuff, and I realized how hard it was to play these songs”: Alex Lifeson reveals his biggest challenge when preparing for the Rush reunion tour

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Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee took everyone by surprise when, just three days ago, they announced that Rush are officially reuniting for a seven-city tour, with the addition of Anika Nills on drums to honor the legacy of the late Neil Peart.

Despite the two jamming and making surprise appearances at various concerts over the past couple of years, Lifeson, in particular, was vocal about his hesitancy to tour again.

However, now that Rush is back, Lifeson and Lee are knee-deep in refamiliarizing themselves with the band’s gargantuan repertoire – and, according to the guitarist, the complexity of Rush’s guitar parts took even him by surprise.

“I love playing so much. And I’ve continued, over these last years, doing other projects. But when we sat down and started playing some of the Rush stuff, I realized how hard it was to play these songs,” he admits in an interview with Geoff Edgers at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“When you do it every day for 40 years, it’s not a big deal, really,” he continues. “You’re used to it. But when you’re away from it, and you are a little more objective about the intense complexity of the music and the feel and the new nuances and all the things that go into making a Rush song and performance, to be challenged with that again was really, really exciting. And the more we started rehearsing and playing, the more I just fell in love with the idea of playing again.”

Speaking about their decision to reunite as Rush, Lee reveals that it was a “very difficult decision” on many levels.

“First of all, because [of] what it entails in terms of work, but also what had transpired, you know, losing a member like Neil is devastating,” he says. “It was a very sad time, and it took time for us to even contemplate. This is a relatively recent decision, and I would say it was kind of out of the question for the longest time because of those circumstances – and how do you replace someone who’s irreplaceable?”

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Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson Oct 2025 Rock Hall Event re Rush Legacy and 2026 Tour, with Geoff Edgers – YouTube

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The Rush bassist/vocalist goes on to say that the two were also caught up in their own individual projects. However, the idea of a reunion became less absurd when “something happened the last couple of years” that brought the two back to jamming together.

“He would come over, drink my coffee, hang around, jam, and we would laugh,” he relates.

“And then one day, I don’t know why, we started playing some Rush songs for fun. God, we were laughing so hard, and we were enjoying it so much, and it was almost like playing those songs dispelled the dark clouds.”

Lee and Lifeson are officially back in the saddle – with the addition of drummer Anika Nilles – and will be traversing North America in summer 2026. To witness this reunion, fans can participate in a presale by signing up here by 11:59 p.m. ET today, with general on-sale tickets going live on October 17.

Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.