Following Rush’s comeback performance on Sunday, March 29th at the Juno Awards in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson held a press conference. During the question-and-answer session via 92.9 The Grand, Lee said that Neil Peart would approve of Rush’s choice of a new drummer.
The Canadian progressive rock legends opened the ceremony with a performance of the song “Finding My Way” from their debut album. The event also served as an official introduction to the new Rush drummer Anika Nilles, stepping in for Neil Peart, who passed away in 2020.
Geddy Lee said Neil Peart is irreplaceable, but believes he would approve of Anika Nilles joining Rush. He emphasized that music lives on despite loss, and sees playing with Nilles as a tribute to Peart, imagining he’d respond with a subtle, approving smile.
“Neil is irreplaceable,” Geddy said. “And if he had something to say to us right now, he’d probably say, ‘You guys are idiots.’ But music lives beyond tragedy, beyond anything that can happen in your life. One thing we’ve learned over the last 10 years is that music is still a part of us, and so to play it now with someone as young and exciting as Anika, it’s just another tribute to him. I think he’d be very pleased with our choice of drummer, and I think he would have a bit of a smirk on his face. A thumbs up, I hope.”
Geddy Lee said rehearsing with Anika has become very comfortable over the past year. He praised her talent, personality, and professionalism, calling her the perfect fit for the band and someone who energizes them.
Lee said, “We’ve been rehearsing with her, on and off, for about a year now. And now it’s very comfortable, and she’s expressing her personality, which is nice to see, because she’s a fantastic person, lovely, easy to work with and really deeply talented. So we consider ourselves so fortunate, because she was really the only drummer we tried to work with, and she’s just been perfect for us. And she fires us up too. She’s a bonus.”
