08/28/2026
I saw Rush at Little Caesars Arena Wednesday night and it was phenomenal. ๐ฅ
I went because I never thought I'd get the chance again. Neil Peart died of brain cancer in January of 2020, and for six years the idea of Rush touring without him seemed impossible. Alex Lifeson said publicly there was no chance they'd get a drummer and go back out. Apparently Paul McCartney was one of the people telling them otherwise.
Geddy Lee is 73 years old and jumping around that stage with more energy than I've got. He's playing bass, singing, and running a synthesizer at the same time, which is not a normal thing for a human to do. Best bass player alive, and it isn't close.
Anika Nilles has the drum seat now, with the blessing of Peart's family. She's German, she toured with Jeff Beck, and she's known for the odd time signatures Rush built a career on. Technically she's outstanding. She hasn't quite found the confidence to get playful around the music yet, but I could see it coming, and she's one of the best drummers alive right now.
What got me was how much love they showed Neil. A photo slideshow during Bravado. An animated riderless motorcycle during Time Stand Still. The man wrote the lyrics to almost everything they played, so he was in the room all night.
27 songs. Three hours. Full house. They played all of 2112.
One more show, tonight at LCA. Doors say 7:30, they hit the stage right around 8 Wednesday. And they change the set list every single night, so tonight will not be the show I saw.
Tickets are not cheap. But 100% worth it.
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Michael Perna, Founder & CEO, The Perna Team at eXp Realty. 110 agents, 8,000+ career closings, $200M+ annual volume, 99.1% list-to-sale. MI License #309650, 24 years. Fox 2 Detroit real estate contributor. (248) 494-4698 | [email protected]