In a recent interview with Loudwire Nights, GUNS N’ ROSES guitarist Slash shared his thoughts on the newly announced RUSH reunion tour, expressing admiration for the band’s return to the stage after more than a decade.
The 2026 tour, dubbed “Fifty Something,” marks the first official RUSH shows since their 2015 “R40” farewell performance. Founding members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will be joined by acclaimed German drummer Anika Nilles, whose previous work with Jeff Beck has earned her widespread respect in progressive rock circles.
“Alex, who I’d never met before, just a couple years ago, he did a cameo in a movie that I produced called The Breach,” Slash said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “And it was shot in Ontario. And my producing partner knew somebody that knew Alex or whatever, and he called me up and he goes, ‘What do you think about Alex for this character?’ Small part but important part in this movie, but a lot of dialogue. And I was, like, ‘Well, if Alex is up to it, cool.’ And so after the movie was shot — I wasn’t there for the shoot; it was during COVID — and so I was in L.A. scoring and those guys were all in this hotel, this abandoned hotel in the woods in Ontario, and they couldn’t leave because of COVID. It was a really crazy production.
“But Alex shot his part from somewhere in his house, and he filmed it there. And when we were doing a screening, the first screening of the movie, Alex was there, and I flew in. And so we hung out and had a great time. We went to dinner and talked about all kinds of different stuff. But I could tell that he was really itching to go out and play, and he didn’t wanna go out and play in just whatever throw-together thing. He wanted to do something, but he didn’t seem to know what he wanted to do. Anyway, but I got that feeling, and I sort of felt bad for him ’cause I could tell that there’s a… I know how I would feel. There’s a certain amount of frustration in not being able to just do what you wanna do. So with this announcement, I thought, ‘Man, that’s so cool, that they’re gonna go out there and they’ve got a great drummer and they’re gonna go out there and play.’ And she is going out there and honoring [late RUSH drummer] Neil [Peart]. And I think it’s wonderful.”
RUSH will hit the road in summer 2026 for a series of performances across Canada, the United States, and Mexico, launching June 7 at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles — the same venue that hosted their final show in 2015. Billed as “An Evening With RUSH,” each night will feature two full sets, with the band drawing from a curated pool of 35 songs that span their greatest hits and deep-cut fan favorites. No two shows will be the same.
Following the initial tour announcement in early October, demand was immediate and overwhelming — every date sold out within hours. In response, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson doubled the tour’s length, then expanded it further with additional stops.
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